Challenging the Digital Media Giants: Achieving Broadcast Success in the Netflix Age

Over-the-top provides content owners a means to further monetize their content, either by partnering and aggregating with video-on-demand services or launching their own direct-to-consumer offering. For example, 2018 should be the year we finally see Disney launch both an entertainment and a sport subscription service outside of a traditional pay TV bundle.

Addressable TV advertising is another major growth opportunity, as the emphasis shifts from audience volume to efficiency. Better pricing from smaller but more distinctive audiences is the name of the game. Broadcaster video-on-demand or TV Everywhere services can profit from the greater availability and more precise nature of digital data, increasing value for advertising partners and distributors.

Consolidation and convergence are the overriding industry themes with scale increasingly key to challenging the digital media giants. Multichannel service providers, digital heavyweights and major brands are driving vertical and horizontal merger and acquisition (M&A) alignment to expand into new markets and cement their competitive standing in the content space. The theme is best demonstrated by motivations behind the potential acquisition of Sky – Europe's leading pay TV service – with offers from legacy U.S. media giants Comcast and Disney, or the merger between international programmers’ Discovery and Scripps.

Consolidation in the production sector has also rocketed, bringing with it the risk of a negative impact on creativity. In film we continue to see a focus on building franchised titles to lower marketing and production costs due to existing fandom. There is no sign of this slowing down, which could mean less risk taking with costly script ideas, so a strong voice for the independent producers has never been more important.

Looking ahead

For broadcasters it is important to play to its strengths. Global viewing time in terms of linear television is still strong, and broadcast delivers uncomplicated mass reach. The traditional broadcasters have an illustrious history of producing quality and memorable content, but now editorial decisions need to be made in context of a more competitive environment.

It is becoming increasingly more difficult to monetize traditional TV with the emergence of SVOD players, following on from other disruptive influences in the form of time shifting, cording cutting and viewing declines in younger audiences. To ensure traditional players are not left behind they will need to rely on innovation and become more agile. Broadcast heritage can only account for some much, so embracing the internet protocol (I.P.) environment is an effective way to improve the distribution and presentation of content libraries both old and new.