For any person walking along the corridors and booths during this year’s #MIPTV edition, it would look like a less hassle, less hectic event than it used to be, but, in my humble opinion, this was the opposite😎 as the energy and excitement ✨ were inside and outside of the Palais.
Having spent almost 3 full days at the event and talked to all key players in the FAST/AVOD industry, I’d like to share my views about what I learnt:
Publishers:
By now, all of them know or are exploring or have launched or have learnt about the FAST/AVOD models. Few of them remain aside from this frenzy trend. I can see 3 types of attitudes in traditional content owners:
🌟The innovative ones: willing to experiment with new niche categories, new programming, try new regions or even try new features.
🚀The early adopters: already in FAST for 1-2 years, these have learnt several lessons about profitability, advertising revenues, seasonality, positioning in the right platform at the right place and are moving away to a more efficient business model and partners (here, The Channel Store is the perfect partner to talk to).
🐢The laggards: The latest to move, but already convinced to enter and try this new model of distribution. Some of them may be still reluctant to move but this tide can’t be stopped.
However, new players🐾 are approaching the FAST world when they come with strong brands, proven audiences on the Internet and high-quality content. TV is not as “unreachable” as they were used to thinking either as owning a TV channel or developing an App for each OS.
Platforms:
A quite different situation when comparing US and Europe.
In the #US there is both a saturation in platforms and channels and consolidation is, probably, around the corner moving into exclusive channels and originals, very much following the traditional strategies of the content industry (see traditional PayTV and SVOD)
In #Europe, FAST is taking off at a slower pace but picking the learnings from the US and having new players like Telcos recently joining to play an important role in adding reach to existing channels.
CTV📺 vendors (but also the OS wars behind them) are more or less following each other but here the quality of content, and the limitation of channels due to issues with discoverability may limit a higher uptake of this new business line.
Pure FAST🎥 platforms are starting to set editorial guidelines and analyze the performance and relevance of new channels so we will see soon the replacement of existing channels by new ones.
Telcos📱 in the EU are embracing this new kind of free entertainment which does not require paying upfront fees or even covering CDN or adding full AdTech solutions. It’s a good add-on for those shrinking📉 pay-TV user bases
Advertisement companies:
Some actors in the advertising landscape showed up at MIPTV for the very first time to get closer to the origin of the value chain and get direct feedback from the content industry.
What can we expect in 2023?
For sure, when the whole industry and value chain is aligned pushing FAST forward there will be a clear evolution in the coming 2 years:
FAST is not just like regular TV and is here to stay. I prefer to consider FAST as a “container”📦, as a “language” by which we present content and users find a quick answer to their entertainment needs.
👆More channels and better quality: we need to be more open to finding sources of content that may not be the traditional ones but will be appealing to watch on a large TV screen at home.
Evolution🌱 of advertising to create new #formats, more impactful, more aligned inventory with which traditional linear TV can’t compete. Examples from Roku (announced at NewFront) or Amazon FireTV are illustrating this trend.
Exclusivities for FAST channels: Either as full exclusive, time-based exclusivity or even originals, there is no doubt that this will be the way to differentiate among multiple platforms offering the same channels.
Seamless transition from FAST to AVOD and vice versa: these are the perfect twin brothers that will attract both the old-fashioned way of watching TV in a lean-back experience with the more recent (younger audience) lean-forward. See the example from Tivify Corners just released.
What should you do from now on?
If you are a content owner, publisher, or distributor🎥, come and talk to us at The Channel Store since we can bring you into the FAST/AVOD world easily and get your content/channel distributed all around the world under very special business terms.
If you are a FAST platform, check out our growing line-up of channels and publishers that we can provide you with.
If you are an advertiser or agency, join our #TCSAdNetwork to get access to our inventory and the quality of experience that we reinforce regarding Ad display to users.
Happy to talk and exchange views, contact me here: f.gcalvo@thechannelstore.tv
Comments