Issue 117  16th June 2017

Football clubs embrace the role of digital publisher

'In reality, we are a content company' - Rafael de los Santos, Real Madrid’s global head of digital

There is perhaps no clearer example to football fans of the changing nature of their favourite teams, than the rebranding of the crest of one of football's most historic clubs, Juventus. In their own words, the goal is to "extend its influence over international markets, beyond football".

Now fully aware of the importance of social media, and owning the media portrayal of star players, football clubs both big and small can be seen experimenting with different media platforms and technologies. Whether it's doubling down on TV at Manchester United or creating 360 Match Day videos at Manchester City, expect to see more clubs get more heavily involved in content creation in the coming season.

AI will shape the future of media. Here’s how.

There are few other trades that have been so visibly and so completely disrupted by technological advances than media and journalism.

In a well-rounded and well-researched article, James Edward Murray of NewsCart opines that AI and continued automation in newsrooms will continue to advance, particularly in production journalism, such as captioning, distribution and content recommendation. The key areas that publishers should consider for advancement? Emotion-recognition software that detects emotions; smarter and more functional Content Management Systems that accommodate AI.

Amazon is gaining ground on Netflix in Europe

Data compiled by Parrot Analytics indicates that Amazon Prime may be gaining European ground on Netflix. Amazon Prime is now active in 20 European countries, while Netflix is active in almost all European countries.

The study reveals that:

The average demand for Netflix programs fell by 32%, while demand for Amazon went up by 57% within the last year.

At Rerun, we think this should be approached with a little caution. Amazon have only in the past year launched Prime in Europe, and its rollout is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. We reckon that users may be signing up to Amazon Prime to check it out and closing or reducing their use of Netflix for the moment. We think the competition between the services is only just beginning.

We reckon two key areas of battle will take place on mobile and amongst younger audiences. Ooyala's, recent Global Video Index report, highlights that mobile viewing accounted for nearly 57% of all video plays worldwide in Q1 of 2017. While Mediacom have revealed in the UK market, an increasing number of children and teens are streaming content through smartphones.

The story of Netflix and Amazon Prime is only beginning.

It was inevitable, really: Netflix is turning into HBO

As Netflix continues its transformation into a global streaming giant, it has a product market fit issue to think long and hard about. When Netflix first launched, Ted Sarandos famously said that its mission was to 'become HBO faster than HBO can become us.' Netflix's recent culling of expensive, high-profile shows like Sense8 and The Get Down due to smaller than anticipated audience size, reveals that this strategy is still in place. Netflix's sweet spot lies in high-quality productions with mass audience appeal.

If it gets too niche, it risks losing segments of its audience, which would undermine its position as a one-stop shop. Yet, trying to be everything to everyone can lead to making mediocre things for no one.

We've seen Netflix break a lot of rules, releasing entire seasons in one go, simultaneously, globally. It's been crunching data to find out the exact type of content that resonates the most with its growing viewer base, and has funded, and resurrected a tonne of high budget shows.

At Rerun, we wonder if Netflix's own model of 'watch whenever you want' has removed the urgency from appointment to view TV, which could lead to a not quite complete data set when judging the success of a new show, or a second season. There's such an abundance and selection of high-quality originals available to watch that maybe the discerning Netflix user base hasn't just got around to viewing it all yet.

Facebook dives into scripted television with Nicole Byer comedy series

The Hollywood Reporter has announced that Facebook has teed up one of the first titles in its original video slate - a scripted TV comedy that was previously cancelled after airing for one season on MTV. It appears that Facebook has assembled an exec team from youth-targeted TV and video networks like MTV and College Humor, and is listening to them. With plenty of money to fund new (and old) originals, this is a very exciting one to watch.

The decision to revive Loosely Exactly Nicole reunites Byer with Mina Lefevre, who developed the series during her tenure as executive VP at MTV. She exited the Viacom network in February before moving to Facebook as head of development.