It appears that Spotify’s podcast investments are paying off. For the first time, Spotify’s US podcast listenership will overtake Apple Podcasts’, according to eMarketer’s latest forecast. This year, 28.2 million people will listen to podcasts on Spotify at least monthly, while 28.0 million will listen via Apple Podcasts. Spotify has experienced significant growth in recent years; the company will grow 41.3% this year.
Newspapers' shift to digital has reached a turning point: With the pandemic speeding up what was already a trend, digital newspaper subscription revenues will cross the $1 billion mark this year.
Within digital media channels, probably the longest-standing gap in measurement information lies with the walled gardens—a group that includes Google, Facebook, a host of other walled social platforms, and Amazon. Some in the industry are also talking more of walled gardens—or attempts to build them—in the connected TV (CTV) or over-the-top (OTT) space.
US consumers continue bulking out their SVOD subscriptions: New data suggests that consumers may be more interested in taking up streaming services than cutting the cord at the moment, but the decline in cable and satellite subscriptions will continue.
Digital audio subscription revenues are on the rise: Podcasts and exclusive content will drive that growth this year, as streaming services like Apple Music and Amazon Music compete with market leader Spotify.
Spotify weaves its recent investments into a cohesive tapestry: The audio company presented a slate of new offerings that paint a clearer picture of its strategy to pull in new users and help creators monetize their content.
A look at pandemic pods–podcasting, that is
eMarketer principal analyst Nicole Perrin and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Eric Haggstrom discuss Google's Q4 performance and what's driving it forward. They then talk about YouTube's shift to connected TVs, whether Americans are becoming less tolerant of digital ads, and what to make of the UK watchdog's investigation into Google replacing cookies.
Roku soared in Q4—and it’ll keep soaring: Though much of Roku’s revenue growth was driven by increased time spent during lockdowns, demand for CTV advertising is so high that we think the company’s strong growth will persist.
The Trade Desk’s earnings soar: Revenues were up 48% year over year (YoY) in Q4, boosted by strong connected TV (CTV) ad spending growth. Additionally, the company’s third-party tracking alternative is still gaining steam.
eMarketer analyst Blake Droesch, principal analyst Jeremy Goldman, and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Peter Vahle discuss whether the Super Bowl delivered, what's fueling Spotify, how the podcast and social media worlds are blurring together, if reducing politics in the News Feed can help Facebook, why the shopping mall might make a comeback, what is the most relaxing song ever (statistically), and more.
Twitter upgrades its Clubhouse competitor Spaces: Twitter's rapid expansion into audio and ability to leverage its already-massive user base could see it become a worthy competitor to the up-and-coming audio social network.
Too much TV to talk about
Google to pay News Corp.: It’s a major concession in the battle to make tech giants pay publishers, and with Google now agreeing to pay for news in Australia, we could see similar deals struck in the future.
After the COVID-19 shock of H1 2020, everyday life in China has gradually returned to the pre-pandemic norm, and economic activities have been on the rebound.
The convergence of media and commerce is inching closer. Nearly a year after adding a direct checkout feature to its platform, NBCUniversal is investing further in the commerce space.
Early in the pandemic, digital audio took a huge hit in user engagement and in the amount of time listeners were spending with the medium. Many observers, including us, predicted dire results in the short term. However, the rest of the year played out very differently than those early weeks, and we ultimately revised our 2020 estimate from a 1.0% decline in the time US adults spent with digital audio to 8.3% growth, for a total of 1 hour, 29 minutes (1:29) per day.
eMarketer principal analysts Jeremy Goldman and Jillian Ryan, along with senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Sara M. Watson, discuss what a reimagined workplace looks like, The New York Times digital transformation, what big tech can expect from the Biden Administration, whether the world is getting less colorful, podcasts as a direct line to consumers, how many people live underwater, and more.