Media Monday

Rounding the Corner to Paris, NBCU Shows They Can Eventize Niche Sports

By Joe Antonini , Situation Media Supervisor

SBJ reports this year’s Kentucky Derby was the most watched since 1989!  Are horses so back?  More likely, NBCUniversal is doing an increasingly successful job orienting culture around the sports, events, and talent that they have contacts with.

In the past two years, Jimmy Fallon has provided lighthearted broadcast commentary at the “most exciting two minutes in sports”.  A few months ago, he left his typical perch atop various floats to do the same at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  NBC made Jimmy Fallon a household name - now they get to use his welcome to bring whatever they are airing into your house!  There’s no doubt this successful equestrian broadcast provided a dress rehearsal of sorts for the media company who will hope to get you invested in backstroke, archery, and a completely different kind of horse this summer.

NBC has inked a deal to cover the Derby through 2032, creating a record-breaking partnership.

Disney and Warner Bros Discovery Announce Disney+, Hulu, Max Bundle

By Allison Murphy , Situation Traditional Media Buying Specialist

Disney and Warner Bros Discovery have announced plans to offer a bundled package of Disney+, Hulu, and Max to streaming subscribers beginning this summer.  This move reflects the growing trend of collaboration and consolidation within streaming companies to adapt to changing consumer preferences as cable bundles become a thing of the past.

Disney has previously seen success in their Disney+, Hulu, ESPN+ bundle, and is also rolling out a sports forward streaming service in collaboration with Fox and Warner Bros Discovery, scheduled to launch in the Fall. 

Americans are increasingly jumping from one streaming service to the next, canceling subscriptions on one service to subscribe to another.  Customers ultimately want flexibility to view content across various streaming platforms, but with subscription prices continuously increasing, they’re often not willing or able to pay for multiple services at once.  The New York Times reported that about a quarter of domestic paying streaming subscribers have canceled three or more services in the last two years.

Global Social Media Ad Spend is Forecasted to Total $247.3B in 2024

By Lexi Gray , Situation Media Buyer

Last year, social media surpassed paid search as the largest media channel worldwide.  Meta on its own now represents a 63% share of global social spend. The platform is now on track to surpass linear TV in global ad revenue by 2025. Social video formats in particular have contributed to this growth. The rise of social video formats has led Meta to increase their ad load towards the end of last year with Reels sessions now having seven or more ads.

Social media users have increased their usage by over 50% over the last 10 years. As daily consumption of this media increases, so does the amount people are willing to spend on advertising placements on these platforms. For more details and visual representations of this continued growth, see this article.