2019 Streaming Trends

Virtualization

Article | June 21, 2021

The market disconnect between the proliferation of independent content creators and the consolidation of brand IP into the hands of ever-fewer major players is growing increasingly stark. On the one hand, independent artists are the fastest-growing sector of the music market. User-generated content (UGC) has proved a huge success during lockdown for the likes of TikTok and Roblox. The traditional brand celebrity spokesperson has ceded ground to the influencer, and even they to the micro-influencer. Content proliferation has driven increasingly niche content to niche audiences, finding smaller fan bases to resonate with instead of attempting the now nigh-impossible cut-through to mainstream popularity. This is the paradox of small: the long tail accounts for a growing share of content consumption, but the fractional economics of on-demand environments means that those in the long tail earn too little to be economically sustainable. Access to the means of distribution may have been democratised, but access to meaningful rights income has not.

Technologies

Article | February 14, 2022

Playing virtual reality video games is a blast—but it also takes work. If you simply want to kick back, relax, and experience some mind-bending visuals without thinking too much, why not try watching Netflix in VR? It's ridiculously easy to do, even if you don't have state-of-the-art equipment. There are three primary methods, depending on what kind of device you're working with: fire up the Netflix VR app on Android, set up mirroring with your iPhone, or simply download the Netflix app from your preferred Oculus device. Here's What You'll Need VR headset: No matter your budget, there's a virtual reality option for you. On the pricey end, there are sophisticated VR headsets like the Oculus Quest 2, which starts at $299, and the HTC Vive Pro Eye, which retails for $799. We've included a few other options in the gallery below, too. If you're looking for something less expensive, there's the $99 Google Daydream View system (discontinued, but you can still find them here and there), the Samsung Gear VR headset (which the manufacturer has also discontinued in the U.S., but you can find it on Amazon for $128), and the $25 Google Cardboard viewer (although you may want to purchase an additional head strap for it).

Business

Article | July 11, 2022

Discovery CEO David Zaslav has proposed that the new combined Discovery / Warner Media entity will be known as Warner Bros. Discovery. This is a recognition that leveraging brand equity will be crucial for the new-combined entity to successfully compete in the increasingly crowded direct-to-consumer (D2C) video streaming landscape. Zaslav is successfully absorbing a key lesson from Disney+’s meteoric rise to 103.6 million subscribers in less than two years since its launch: leverage deep consumer brand equity for D2C success.

Article | April 17, 2020

As part of the deal, both the firms will work together to enhance the network capacities of each other while also supporting the expansion plans significantly. It will diversify the Microgaming’s product offerings such as slots, virtual sports, table games, etc. and will give a boost to the outreach plans of Inspired’s content. Inspired will offer 20 of its most innovative and widely played online slot games through Microgaming’s interface. The games offered will include Anubis Wild Megaways™, Prison Escape™, and Stacked Fire 7s™ along with the infusion of virtual and table games in the near future.