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.
Too much TV to talk about
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.
eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Debra Aho Williamson discusses Snapchat's latest earnings, what stands out, and how this year will look. She then talks about which alternative social media platforms are most likely to rival the giants in the near future and why.
Disney+ hit its subscriber goal four years ahead of schedule: It hit 94.9 million subscribers at the end of last quarter as original content drove viewership in the US and cricket boomed in India.
Instagram Reels will limit the spread of TikTok reposts: That could hamper the feature, as a good chunk of its content is still recycled from TikTok. But Reels' popularity with influencers could incentivize them to follow Instagram's wishes to post more original content.
YouTube's brand safety strides have paid off: It became the first company to be accredited under the Media Rating Council's brand safety guidelines, the culmination of years of work to make its platform safer for advertisers.
It looks likely that apps and other service providers will pursue more varied monetization strategies this year. Traditionally, apps mostly pursued two strategies: in-app purchases and in-app advertising. Over the past couple of years, many developers have combined the two, but we’re increasingly seeing them use subscription-based models, as well as coupons or other incentives for viewing advertising, such as rewarded video. This shift will continue into 2021.
YouTube's living room ambitions: YouTube is rolling out a new hub for premium sports content and expanding the geographic reach of its YouTube Select offering in a bid for CTV ad budgets.
Vamos a la biblioteca: Univision added 20,000 hours to its PrendeTV content library with the acquisition of VIX, a free ad-supported Spanish-language streaming platform.
eMarketer junior forecasting analyst Zach Goldner and senior forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Oscar Orozco discuss how US media use will change in 2021: Are fewer Americans watching TV, which digital devices are being used more, and how much time is spent with TikTok and Disney+? They then talk about how much people are willing to pay for TV streaming, virtually co-viewing digital content, and whether video games have replaced music as the most important aspect of youth culture.
YouTube to expand TikTok clone Shorts: It saw massive success in India last year, and though we don't think it will replicate that success worldwide, YouTube still needs to tap into short-form video to remain competitive.
Netflix slashed ad spending by nearly a quarter last year: That's partially because it size and reputation helped it amass subscribers when lockdowns hit, even without ads. But it's also because the company's shifting toward content-based marketing.
Peacock has a promising future: The streaming service added 11 million sign-ups in Q4 and is likely to follow HBO Max and Disney+ in surpassing its five-year forecast ahead of schedule.
Pushing it to the Max: AT&T reported that HBO Max activations nearly doubled in Q4, likely boosted by deals with CTV providers.
eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Ross Benes discusses Netflix's Q4 earnings and market position. He then talks about whether lesser-known streaming services can make some noise, YouTube's shoppable videos, and how Peacock's exclusive streaming deal with WWE Network can make its content offering more attractive.
Though Netflix had an overall stellar 2020, it was a rollercoaster: More than two-thirds of its new subscribers were added in H1 2020, only for net subscriber additions to fall to just 2.2 million in Q3 2020.
NBCUniversal will sunset NBCSN and add sports to USA Network: The move should help it to bolster an already valuable network and eliminate one that underperforms, as it reimagines what its sports and entertainment slate looks like.
eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Audrey Schomer discusses important considerations when advertising on YouTube, the significance of Hulu's deal with ViacomCBS, whether there's a space in streaming land for Discovery+, and what cord-cutting will look like in 2021.