The Streaming Book
A free and chart-filled mini-book on where we are in the Streaming Wars, have been, and will go.
My Blog for ‘The Economist’: The Marvel Cinematic Universe arrives on TV with “WandaVision”
After a decade of dominance at the box office, the franchise turns its attention to the small screen
My Blog for ‘The Economist’: The Best Television Series of 2020
These excellent shows made the long evenings and weekends in isolation tolerable
My Blog for ‘The Economist’: Despite a changed television landscape, the Emmys had a familiar feel
With a clutch of awards for “Succession” and “Watchmen”, HBO reigned supreme
Invest Like the Best Podcast: The Metaverse, Future of Media + Movies, IP + Immersion
Patrick and I went deep into topics including the Metaverse (its technical challenges, opportunities, and philosophy), IP and the role of business model and technical innovation in storytelling, the Unreal Engine, Cloud Gaming, Fortnite as a competitor to Spotify, and more.
Content, Cars, and Comparisons in the "Streaming Wars"
Streaming content spend needs to be handicapped based on the ability of a network to create hits and a library of value. As a result, the gap between the biggest and smallest spenders is tighter than the topline numbers suggest.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Pay-TV and OTT Video
We’ll see an accelerated end of Pay-TV subscribers and ad revenues, more competition OTT, and several of Netflix’s short-term woes get worse
Stratechery Podcast [Paywall]: Digital theme parks, Bob Iger & Netflix v Disney
I join Ben Thompson’s Stratechery for a podcast on digital theme parks, Bob Iger and the fallacy of Netflix v Disney and Content v Distribution
The End of Pay-TV
What’s happening to Pay-TV in 2020 isn’t just more OTT competition and higher prices. It is instead something new and unprecedented in media: the systemic undermining and defunding of a business with years and years of life left
Sundance Panel Video on Marketing & Positioning in the "Streaming Wars"
Here, I touch on how each service will initially and then need to position themselves, the flaws of the “race to scale” and the overlooked importance of execution, why Disney+ was so successful, and more.
The Flaws of "Subscription Fatigue", "SVOD Fatigue", and the "Streaming Wars"
The most popular narratives hide the truth of competition, scalability, and monetization.
11 Lessons from the Success of Disney+
For all of Disney’s success in the media industry and with Disney+, its SVOD lessons are remarkably conventional and broadly applicable
Podcast with "Morning Brew": Matthew Ball Dissects The Streaming Wars
After a long, arduous day of staring at your computer screen at work, sometimes nothing feels better than staring at your computer screen at home. But who owns that screen? We dive into the streaming wars to find out.
A Satirical Essay for Recode/Vox: 10 lessons for all the streamers trying to take down Netflix
Co-written with Hulu’s former Head of Content Acquisition Alex Kruglov.
The Mining of Media (or The "Streaming Wars" are Just a Battle)
If media matters to consumers, but they won’t spend a lot on it, the efficient use of content is to drive other businesses that have better (and bigger) economics. And this is exactly what’s happening.
My Blog for 'The Economist': What is the endgame for Disney+?"
The new streaming service is an important cog in the Disney machine
My Blog for 'The Economist': The Emmys reveal a fragmented television landscape
As the number of platforms and scripted programmes has increased, the shows celebrated at the awards have become more obscure
My NYT Op-Ed: Streaming Video Will Soon Look Like the Bad Old Days of TV
As media monoliths bundle their offerings, consumers will once again have to pay for a bunch of shows they don’t want. Only these will have an agenda.
Why Viacom Fell (And Why It Can Come Back)
Viacom had the culture to not only survive in the digital era, but to thrive. Why did it fall and how will it come back?
The Absurdities of 'Franchise Fatigue' and Sequelitis (Or, What Is Happening to the Box Office?!)
Another day, another box office disappointment. Or record. Or franchise hit. Or franchise RIP. Or indie sleeper. Or indie sleep-with-the-fishes. What's going on?