Chalk Up Two Big Votes for FASTs

OEM FASTs Continue to Grow

In our new report, FASTs Are The New Cable, we talk a lot about the growth of the FAST services owned by the various OEMs. They have an advantage in that they are the interface for the TV’s operating system, the default when you turn on the TV. Not only can they promote their own programming that way, but they can personalize the entire interface based on the ACR data they collect. 

Which is why it is not the least bit surprising that both Samsung and VIZIO announced major wins for their respective FASTs this week—Samsung TV Plus and VIZIO WatchFree+.

Samsung has reimagined Samsung TV Plus right down to the logo, adding in new originals, new channels, a much expanded VOD library and additional local news and weather coverage.

VIZIO, meanwhile, announced a deal with Scripps that will see four new Scripps channels on WatchFree+ which will bring shows like NCIS, Chicago Fire, Law & Order: SVU, and CSI to the service. 

Samsung announced a deal with Scripps too, though the real news here is that Scripps, a major cable player, is following the money and eyeballs and taking its popular dramas to the OEM FASTs.

These moves pick up on two trends we identified in the aforementioned report… [READ MORE]

Netflix Makes A Very Smart Hiring Decision

Two big developments on the ad-supported Netflix front. First off there are the CPMs, which are rumored to be starting at $65 per thousand viewers reached, with a potential bump to $80 once everyone settles in. (Netflix, FWIW, has denied the rumors, claiming everything is still in flux.)

On the hiring front however, things are less in flux as it was announced that Netflix will be hiring two ad veterans, Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor. There’s been much nodding of heads on that one, especially (in my circles anyway) around Naylor, who is credited with getting Hulu’s ad business off the ground and turning it into a billion-dollar baby. That's no mean feat at a time when ad-supported streaming was an anomaly, and ad-supported streaming that people paid a subscription fee for even more of one.

Who they are hiring is critical to understanding how seriously Netflix is taking the whole shift to advertising thing… [READ MORE]READ THE FULL WEEK IN REVIEW ON TVREV

Featured Report: FASTs Are The New Cable

The FAST ecosystem is massively confusing, even more so than when we first coined the term “FAST” back in March 2019.

This report is designed to help untangle a lot of that confusion by walking readers through the key issues. There’s also a look at the future of FASTs, and Evan Shapiro’s latest map of the FAST ecosystem, created specially for TVREV.

In addition, you’ll find exclusive one-on-one interviews with key industry thought leaders.

 Download The Report

LATEST FROM TVREV

Disney Finally, Maybe, Embraces Prime Opportunity To Build Disney+ Audiences — David Bloom

The different ways Disney's reported Prime-like subscription plans may unfold... or not. 

How Amagi Is Helping FASTs to Experiment, Iterate and Ultimately Monetize — Alan Wolk

Amagi Corporation Co-Founder  Srinivasan (Srini) KA KA, explains how companies can experiment with programming using data and analytics. 

NEWS YOU CAN USE

A Disney “Membership” Program Isn’t Really News

During a slow pre-holiday week, one headline included Disney exploring an “Amazon-like” membership program for discounts and perks. Not to knock the reporting, but the idea is nothing new for Disney. And you could even argue they’ve been in on the loyalty act longer than most. For instance:

• Disney World annual passholders already get food and merch discounts, free parking and marked-down hotel deals.
• The company also has various “Insider” memberships in place for Disney movies, Marvel and more that provide exclusive access and extra perks for interacting with Disney media.
• In reality, the only “news” here is a potential commerce tie-in with Disney+ that opens the service up to a shoppable ad experience. For a company that’s long maximized merchandising elsewhere, that sort of integration is long overdue.

Featured

What If They Launched an Ad-Supported Streaming Service and No One Came?  [NextTV]

Yes, Netflix was essential when there were only three streaming services available. But there are now nine of them and most have programming that is very similar to Netflix, not to mention deeper libraries. All of this might make spending $15/month for Netflix, whose program quality has been uneven at best, seem like a waste of money.

Netflix Seeking Top Dollar For Brands To Advertise On Its Service [WSJ]

The ad buyers said they were surprised Netflix would seek such a steep price for ads on an untested platform. However, they said, it isn’t unusual for new entrants in the streaming space to seek high prices and then later negotiate them lower.

Meet The Cord-Cutting Truthers [Next In Marketing]

The media conglomerate is essentially treating basic cable like AOL dialup - we may as well keep it going for as long as there are a few million people still who still haven’t figured out how to get email addresses another way.

Advertising

• Is Programmatic Making Linear TV Cool Again? [AdExchanger]
• Families With Kids Cutting The Cord, Future Today Survey Finds [B&C]
• FTC Lawsuit Against Ad Tech Firm Is A Warning Over Data Practices For The Entire Ad Industry [AdAge]

Streaming Wars

• Netflix’s Catch-22 Milestone [Puck]
• Despite Content Overlap, FAST Services Are Poised To Take Streaming Share, Analyst Says [NextTV]
• Comcast Looks To Cut Up To $1 Billion From Budgets At Its TV Networks [Bloomberg]

Data & Measurement

• Is It Time for Streaming Video To Play Moneyball? [NextTV]
• Retail Media Needs A Reality Check [AdExchanger]
• iSpot.tv Taps U.S. Census Bureau's Will Waldron As VP Of Research[FierceVideo]

Sports

• Does Watching College Football On TV Have To Be So Miserable? [NY Times]
• Big 12 Conference To Begin Early Media Rights Talks With ESPN, FOX [Action Network]
• Why The Premier League Should Follow Formula One’s Lead On Social Media [SportsProMedia]

Landscape

• Disney Explores Membership Program Like Amazon Prime to Offer Discounts and Perks [WSJ]
• Check Out The Pitch Deck Video-Focused Ad Tech Company VidMob Used To Raise Its $110 Million Series D Round [Business Insider]
• As Snap Restructures, Marketers Believe It Should Focus On Augmented Reality As It Differentiates The Platform [Digiday]

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