Weekly Roundup – Week of November 11th, 2024

The integration of sports betting into the NFL experience has significantly reshaped broadcasting strategies and audience engagement. As fans increasingly engage with betting platforms, broadcasters are innovating to create more immersive and interactive viewing experiences. This transformation is not just altering how fans watch the games but also how networks and advertisers capitalize on the sports betting boom.

Our Take: This is also known as 'Riding the gravy train.'

"Now that Charter Communications Inc. has landed deals to include most of the major streaming TV services in its cable-TV packages, the company is gearing up for the next big hurdle: getting customers to stop cutting the cord.
The largest US cable-TV provider is planning a major marketing push next year to promote more than 10 streaming services that it will offer at no additional cost to customers — launching an ambitious strategy to head off cancellations and attract new subscribers."

Our Take: This seems like it might win back Spectrum a few customers. However, what is Spectrum's longterm growth strategy after they claw back a few subscribers?

"In all the lacerating postmortems on what the media got wrong in covering the 2024 election, one of what should be the most salient questions is largely being ignored: If the major national news organizations are all based in Manhattan and DC—where Kamala Harris racked up 81 and 90 percent of the vote, respectively—how can they possibly reflect the concerns of the rest of the country?
No matter how hard we try, confirmation bias has to influence where our imaginations and curiosity can go; it’s the way the human mind works. If all the campaign buttons, T-shirts, lawn signs, and friends and family around you favor Harris, and if you and your peers have college degrees and are getting by economically, and if your inbox is filled with newsletters written by people whose views mirror your own, can you really think differently about what the country looks like to a majority of Americans? If almost everyone in the newsroom, including its leaders, thinks alike, how can different understandings emerge in their work?"

Our Take: Yes, local news is important and major national news orgs ought to listen to the 'people.' It's just not clear whether national news orgs would change their strategy if the current model is lucrative. Sure, in an ethical world, local news/views should be prioritized, but would that make for-profit national news orgs tons of money?

"Netflix Inc. said 70 million viewers are watching its shows with advertising every month, nearly double the total from May.
More than 50% of new subscribers are opting for Netflix’s ad-supported plan in the countries where it is available, Amy Reinhard, the company’s president of advertising, said in a blog post published Tuesday. The company is seeing “steady progress” across all 12 countries where the advertising plan is available."

Our Take: Ad revenue might be substantial for Netlix, as it is today's version of cable. Streaming and Netlix are synonymous. Other streamers may have difficulty attaining this lucrative ad-driven content model, outside of YouTube. Cable's heyday saw 100 million Americans subscribed to a pay-tv service, with commercials being an inherent feature of the service - you couldn't opt out of commercials if you wanted cable.

"Technology company Adeia, has sued Disney, in Delaware federal court for allegedly violating its patent rights in video streaming technology.
Adeia filed a lawsuit on Thursday, claiming that Disney's Hulu, ESPN+, and Disney+ streaming services infringe six of its patents covering various improvements to streaming functionality."

In Katie Miller's new blog for Harker Bos Group she discusses how local radio continues to thrive among audiences aged 18-45, despite the rise of streaming services.
Follow the provided link to discover five key insights from a recent survey that reveal why young listeners remain devoted to their local stations—from music variety and community connection to the nostalgia that keeps them coming back for more.