91% of viewers like streaming aggregation, survey says
By Masha Abarinova As consumers ramp up their number of streaming services, discussion crops up about how to aggregate those apps into one place. Most consumers would agree video aggregation enhances the viewing experience, according to new data from Hub Entertainment Research. In fact, 91% of respondents think having access to multiple services via a single device improves the viewing experience – with over half of consumers (52%) saying aggregation makes the experience “a lot” better. Hub surveyed in June over 1,600 U.S. consumers – age 16-74 – who have broadband at home and watch at least one hour of TV per week. The survey went on to say a majority of pay TV users (70%) who access streaming services from their set tops feel they’re getting “excellent” or “good” value from their subscription. Not only are consumers saying video aggregators are simple to navigate across, but they also value having a single bill for all their apps. OTT bundling is a key source of revenue for pay TV and other home service providers, recent Parks Associates data shows. The average number of streaming apps seems to be continuously rising. An April Hub study indicated consumers generally need at least four streaming options before they’re satisfied with their TV needs. And recent TiVo data has pegged the number of streaming services to average at around nine apps per user. “There’s no question that the golden age of streaming has made TV more fun for consumers,” stated Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the study authors. “But it’s no fun trying to get the most out of that content when it’s spread across so many providers.” Platforms have been trying to solve the problem of an overly fragmented streaming landscape. Plex in April launched a one-stop navigation tool, allowing users to easily keep track of all their paid and free streaming services. MyBundle.TV last month integrated billing for Sling TV customers onto its platform. Speaking of Sling TV, Evoca in May unveiled an enhanced programming bundle – combining Evoca’s local content with Sling’s national channels. “Aggregators enable viewers to get something playing on the screen with as few clicks as possible,” Giegengack continued. “This is a big opportunity for pay TV operators to reclaim their traditional role – only this time instead of bundling networks, they’re bundling platforms.” Choosing a streaming bundle offers consumers a way to cut costs on services. Hub noted that viewers’ estimate of what they consider a “reasonable” amount to spend on TV has fallen in the past couple of years. Respondents in 2022, for instance, think spending $68 per year on TV content is “reasonable” (a decrease from $73 annually in 2021). Interestingly, Hub data shows consumers in 2022 are actually spending on average $82 per year on TV. With such costs, viewers might feel compelled to adopt more ad-supported streaming services, as suggested by Comscore’s 2022 State of Streaming analysis. But Hub found viewers prefer to have a choice between ad-free and ad-supported tiers, as they have similar “value” ratings. About 76% of HBO Max users, for example, think the platform’s ad-supported version is of “good” or “excellent” value – only slightly higher than user satisfaction for HBO Max’s ad-free plan (75%). The results for HBO Max fall in line with recent Whip Media data, in which 85% of respondents said they were satisfied with the value the service provides. Out of the data from five streaming services (HBO Max, Discovery+, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount+), Peacock had the highest discrepancy in value ratings: 69% for ad-supported vs. 76% for its ad-free tier.
Diverse Audiences Driving OTT Usage & Viewing
By George Winslow Accounting for over 40% of homes consuming OTT content on CTVs, “diverse audiences represent a huge force and key driver of overall streaming growth,” Comscore said NEW YORK—New research from Comscore is highlighting a long-overlooked trend, namely the important role that diverse audiences from the African-American, Hispanic, Asian, and Native American communities are playing in driving rapid growth in streaming and OTT video consumption. New Comscore data shows that those diverse audiences accounted for 41% of the U.S. homes viewing OTT content on connected TV devices, making them “a huge force and key driver of overall streaming growth,” the report concludes. The researchers also stressed that “diverse segment’s adoption of streaming content is outpacing the average, especially among African-American, Hispanic, and American Indians.” The data is particularly notable given the long-standing difficulties many members of those communities have in getting access to high-speed broadband and other digital services. Comscore used data from March 2019 to March 2022 to analyze the impact of diverse audiences on OTT viewing. During this time period, African American OTT households increased 35%, Hispanic OTT homes increased 41%, Asian OTT homes increased 69%, and American Indian OTT homes increased 66%. Diverse audiences also increased their share of WiFi homes watching OTT from 24.7 million homes (39% of all OTT homes) in 2019 to 34.6 million (41% of all OTT homes in the U.S.) in March of 2022. When it comes to OTT hours watched per household, African Americans saw a 66% increase between March 2019 and March 2022, and American Indians increased their OTT viewing by 88% during this time period, a much faster growth than the 34% increase in OTT viewing for the whole of the U.S. In March 2022, African Americans watched 163 hours of OTT content versus 122 hours for the nation as a whole, while Hispanic households viewed 133 hours. In terms of streaming services African-American households are using 6.3 streaming services—more than the national average of 5.4 services—and Hispanic households are using slightly above average at 5.6 services. Asian households under indexed the national average, however, with 4.9 services.
Team Will Or Team Chris: Where Do You Stand?
Social media and real-life conversations have been on fire debating “who was to blame” for what occurred at the 94th Academy Awards. No matter where I was on Monday, the doctor’s office, or my first Monday morning call, Will Smith striking Chris Rock on stage was all anyone could talk about. However, I invite us all to take a step back before initially taking sides and teams. What instead is needed is for us to bring light to the lack of transparency and oversight that was on display last Sunday night. How could a major worldwide televised venue like the Academy Awards not vet the script of Chris Rock prior to airing? If the committee did vet his script, the question then is how could they allow him to still try to make a comedic joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s medical condition called alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss on the scalp and elsewhere? Is making fun of someone’s medical condition a “free game” in the comedy roasting world? Is it too much work for a committee to review scripts before they’re heard before the world? Is it too hard for an actor to be transparent with another actor, and let them know their “joke” prior to saying it, especially when it is directed at their family member? Actors and actresses are taught to take everything that comes their way- that even amidst the worst criticism and jokes about them, they have to display the ability to transcend and just ‘shrug it off like a hitter who was intentionally beaned by the pitcher. What happened on Sunday night at the Academy Awards demonstrated that actors and actresses are in fact human- that they too can be vulnerable and break down just like the rest of us. Even within the world of sports, world-class athletes such as tennis star Naomi Osaka and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles have been portrayed by some in the media as “weak” for succumbing to their emotions and mental state – for not rising above. This type of expectation for the world’s most famous people won’t ever end, but we as a society need to take a step back to assess why we’re so sometimes quick to cast negative shadows on stars, and not ourselves. The points surely have been heard. Many on Team Chris said he should’ve filed charges, or that he was ‘not in the wrong’ for his saying to Jada Pinkett Smith, “Jada, can’t wait for G.I. Jane 2. ”In the 1997 G.I. Jane film, Demi Moore starred as a woman named Jordan O’Neil who enters a newly-created, physically rigorous Navy SEAL program. Moore shaved her head for the part. Some Team Chris supporters even try to go as far to say that G.I. Jane was an admirable character and that Jada and Will shouldn’t have taken it as an insult. I’m honestly lost for words at how some can try to defend Rock’s “joke.” Team Chris supporters also claim Will Smith thought the joke was actually funny until Jada showed disgust on her face. But, this claim can’t really be proven. Sometimes people deal with their anger by trying to initially laugh it off. I can tell you more than one time when I was so angry that my first reaction was not to yell or move, but rather to oddly laugh. If you’re wondering if I think Will Smith’s slapping of Chris Rock was justifiable in the heat of the moment, my answer would be no. If you ask me, could Will have handled the situation better, my answer would be yes. In a world plagued by unnecessary aggression and violence, we as a society have more than ever become further sensitized against the use of violence to handle a situation. What’s happening in the world does make an impact. Will could have asked Chris for the microphone, and given a powerful off-the-cuff speech on how you have to draw a line in what type of jokes and targeted people can be used for comedy. I don’t know personally if I would have handled the situation any differently than Will Smith did. I too would have been boiled with anger and the need to put an ill-humored and offensive “joke” in its place. The true stars that rose from the chaos at the Academy Awards in my mind were Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper. Denzel told Will after the incident, At your highest moment, be careful, that’s when the devil comes for you.” Denzel was there to support Will, as was Bradley Cooper who was seen embracing Will and giving him love when he needed it the most. And, at the end of the day, we should not be people broken down by political parties, religions, or “teams”. We should be humans united by love.
Nielsen: African Americans Consume More Media
By Radio Ink -October 27, 2021 New data shows African Americans spend more time consuming media than any other group, yet there continues to be a lack of representation of the collective Black community. Nielsen’s 2021 African American Consumer Report explores the influence of Black Culture on content and media trends. “As the media industry looks to be more inclusive of Black storytellers and brands look to grow their bottom lines and brand awareness with Black audiences, understanding who we are, where we’re connected, and how we’re changing is as important as ever,” according to Charlene Polite Coreley, VP, Diverse Insights & Partnerships.” Key findings from the report include: The preference to connect with meaningful content extends to audio with traditional radio reaching 92% of the U.S. Black population each week, and this same group of listeners averaging over an hour and a half a week of streaming audio. Traditional radio continues to prove the power of its reach providing the gossip, pandemic guidance, and breaking news that’s kept Black listeners connected this year, for over 21 million minutes a week. Black listeners aren’t just streaming audio more than other audiences, they’re listening closely when brands reach out—averaging a 73% brand recall for podcast ads. According to Nielsen, “As Black Americans continue to video stream, listen to radio and podcasts, as well as buy Black, they continue to lead the conversation and stay connected through social media — having an unprecedented impact on brands and what consumers watch, purchase, and listen to.” The reports authors make the point that Black Buying Power is significant – $1.57 Trillion in 2020. Nielsen’s 10th-Year African American Consumer Report Explores The Power Of The Black Community From Moment To Movement
Who “Can” Be the Next 007?
Daniel Craig recently has both stirred and shaken headlines when he offered this response to whether a woman should next sit behind the Aston Martin’s steering wheel: “There should simply be better parts for women and actors of color. Why should a woman play James Bond when there should be a part just as good as James Bond, but for a woman?” It hurts me to say this as I’ve always admired Craig’s role for a long time as Bond, but he’s wrong. First of all, there is no part as good as James Bond. 007 is the #1 secret agent and has achieved worldwide status throughout the franchise’s cinematic history. Judi Dench played a stellar role as M, the Head of Secret Service Intelligence, starting with GoldenEye in 1995 and finishing with SkyFall in 2012. In Skyfall, it is M who revives Bond’s career after he fails at a series of physical, medical, and psychological evaluations. It’s almost as if Craig and those advocating for 007 to be only a white male have forgotten all about the original Charlie’s Angels who led American crime drama on ABC from 1976 to 1981, producing 5 seasons and 115 episodes (and more recent Charlie’s Angel’s films). What did Charlie’s Angels do? It showed in 1976 that women can have all those “Bondish” characteristics (sexy, cunning, brave, adventurous). 1976 and now we’re in 2021 hearing an argument on how 007 shouldn’t be female? Am I missing something? Have those preached against 007 being female hide in a cave when Brie Larson showed the true kick-ass power a female character can have when she played Captain Marvel? Did they hide in their cave again when Scarlett Johannson revealed her grit and determination to be a top-class spy? And, even worse is the hate and racist comments actor Idris Elba has received about whether or not he could follow Daniel Craig as 007. Elba, like the class-act he is, responded with honesty and humility when speaking to Vanity Fair about it: “You just get disheartened, when you get people from a generational point of view going, ‘It can’t be.’ And it really turns out to be the color of my skin. And then if I get it and it didn’t work, or it did work, would it be because of the color of my skin? That’s a difficult position to put myself into when I don’t need to.” A survey of 2,201 adults by The Hollywood Reporter found that 63% of Americans supported the idea of Elba playing Bond. Lashana Lynch who just played Nomi (cryptonym “007”) in the recent No Time to Die film, also received hate comments when tabloids billed as Craig’s successor to Bond in the franchise. In an interview with The Guardian, Lynch gave her thoughts on this: “The response was generally positive, but there were some very personal messages to me, like Insta DMs and Twitter and just conversations that my friends had heard or overheard on the tube that were really mean, dark and reminiscent of an age I wasn’t even born in, where women and black people weren’t allowed to move in certain spaces. So it also reminded me about the work that I still have to do to try to change the world in a little way that I know how.” How Idris Elba and Lashana Lynch responded to hate should remind us all that we have to continue working to break racial and gender stereotypes – in every facet of life from entertainment to the everyday workplace. So, really the question that should be asked is: how much longer can the Bond franchise survive with a 007 that can only ever be allowed to be a white male?
Radio’s Unparalleled Reach
With all the talk about digital media, it’s easy to forget how powerful traditional media such as radio and television still are. Radio in particular rarely gets credited for what it still is: a true mass medium. According to Nielsen, radio even trumps TV in terms of its weekly reach. According to Nielsen’s measurements, far more than 200 million Americans aged 18 and older listen to the radio at least once a week, equaling a reach of 91 percent of the adult population. Smartphones and television share second place, both reaching 85 percent of U.S. adults in any given week. While radio does win in terms of sheer reach, TV remains unparalleled with respect to average daily usage. According to Nielsen’s measurements, U.S. adults spend an average of 4 hours and 16 minutes a day watching TV (live and time-shifted), which is roughly 2.5 times the amount of time they listen to the radio (1h 39m).
3 TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE TV ADVERTISING
📺 Television still has a huge presence in people’s lives, making it a powerful advertising medium! If you are considering using television ads for your business, here’s three tips to make sure your ad is effective: 1️⃣ Make the most out of your budget!If you only paid for a 30 second spot, that’s all you’ll have! Make every second count! 2️⃣ Understand your target market!Research your audience and your competitors to see what is already working before you create your ad! 3️⃣ Include a strong call to actionYour viewers should have a clear understanding of what you offer and how they can get it! Need help putting your tv ad together?Contact us for a free consultation today!
TV Advertising Don’ts
With more people choosing to stay home due to the pandemic, now could be the best time to capitalize on TV ads. After over a decade of helping clients maximize TV advertising, I’ve noticed some common mistakes business owners make when buying media. AVOID THESE 5 MISTAKESNo clear media strategy – Make sure your campaign has defined goals and a clear call to action! Not knowing target audience – Your TV ad should be focused on your target audience only. Not having a good frequency – Most TV ads don’t work if they are only seen once. Not negotiating – Your goal is to get the highest reach and frequency as possible when negotiating! Not planning – Buying early helps get better rates. Generally the later you buy, the higher the rates. TV advertising can be extremely effective when used correctly. If you need help negotiating lower rates and putting your strategy together, check out ifodige.com to schedule your FREE consultation!#noshortcuts
What Type Of Ads Should You Be Running Now?
Radio Ink -March 29, 2020 (By Jamie Aplin) I’m so surprised that we’re still hearing ads on the radio promoting a businesses product or service. But wait, isn’t that precisely what radio ads should be doing? Typically, yes. But that all changed the day a world wide pandemic was announced. That was the day your typical car dealer ad, declaring zero percent financing should have been tossed out the window and replaced with an ad that resonates with our current reality. This is not the appropriate time to promote your 50 percent off store-wide sale. If your advertisers continue to air commercials like this (or just don’t change anything) they unfortunately will be remembered as irrelevant and incentive once we come out on the other side of this. Just like social distancing, changing your client’s message isn’t a choice – it’s imperative. Ok. I’ve made my case and you’re hopefully convinced. Now what? How do I craft an authentic, genuine advertising message that will be received with open arms during these challenging times? Here are a few ideas to get you moving and it all starts with a phone call to your client. Ask them questions about the origins of the business. If it’s a family owned operation, this approach should work really well. Have them recall some happy memories or reflective thoughts on days past. Write down everything and then craft a message that shows a approachable, human side to their business. It’s ok to be vulnerable. Customers WILL response to this. Maybe not right away, but eventually. Have them recall a time of crisis that they personally endured or perhaps something the local community has recently faced. How did they get through it? What were the positives that rose to the top after it was all said and done? Reminding your customers that we have gone through crisis before and came out stronger because of it, will be a message that resonates and encourages. And that’s what we need most right now. If your client runs a product based business, it might be more difficult to use either of the approaches. In that case, you might need to convince them that this just isn’t the time to promote their product. I’m not advising you stop running their ads, I’m suggesting they use this time to simply say thank you. It could be a thank you to their customers, community and friends for the support they’ve given throughout the years. Or it could be a thank you to all front-line healthcare workers who are tirelessly fighting this battle on our behalf. Either way, using 30 seconds to simply say thank you during this difficult time will never go unnoticed. The bottom line is this: Advertising is all about establishing and maintaining a bond with your (potential) customer. That bond is based upon emotion, not information. And during a time of crisis, emotions run very high. This means your client has an opportunity to speak to those emotions and connect with their customer on a deeper level. Encourage your advertisers to use this time wisely and help them show a side of their business that wouldn’t normally be seen. If you are seeking direction as to which advertising outlets can best help you grow your business, Ifodige Productions Inc. will provide you with a free 30 minute consultation. CONTACT US TODAY!
Amelia and Charley Trailer
Our CEO/Brand Manager Andre Ezeugwu took on quite the role in the short film Amelia & Charley. A Standard Protocol Productions project; check out the trailer below… full short film coming soon.
