Few key things that happened around the Ad Tech & Media Tech world this week.
Intel acquires Rivet Networks to boost home Wi-Fi for gaming, streaming
To ensure fast, reliable and secure Wi-Fi connectivity for smooth gaming and streaming experience at home, chip giant Intel has acquired Rivet Networks, the company that made the Killer brand of gaming-centric networking cards, for an undisclosed sum. Rivet Networks’ key products, including its Killer brand, will integrate into Intel’s broader PC Wi-Fi portfolio. Intel and Rivet Networks will build the ‘Killer AX1650 Wi-Fi’ solution, which delivers immersive entertainment and gaming experiences along with powerful Wi-Fi 6 technology. Rivet Networks’ capabilities, including its software, are complementary to Intel’s wireless products and capabilities, the chip-maker said on Wednesday. “Rivet Networks is a terrific complement to our existing Wi-Fi products and helps us further our vision of delivering PC platforms that power every person’s greatest contribution,” said Chris Walker, corporate vice president and general manager of the Mobile Client Platforms Group at Intel Corporation. Rivet Networks’ products deliver speed, intelligence and control for gamers and performance users. “Its products maximize Wi-Fi bandwidth utilization and optimize the wireless network connection on your platform. In addition, Rivet Networks’ products can also utilize the combination of Ethernet and Wi-Fi to prioritize traffic over both connections,” Walker explained…More
Netflix Is The Most Reliable Streaming Service New Survey Shows
Netflix users are reporting fewer service problems than with other streaming providers during the recent demand surge. With many at home due to concerns over the coronavirus and stay at home orders, streaming services have gotten an uptick in use. According to a new survey from J.D. Power, costumers when using Netflix are reporting fewer streaming issues than when on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and others. Back in March as countries around the world began to put in place lockdowns, many worried that the high volume of streaming users would strain the system. Netflix, and other streaming giants, even reduced the video quality in Europe and elsewhere as higher internet usage led to slowdowns in internet speeds in many parts of the world. However, these changes have not seemed to affect U.S. users. In late April, J.D. Power asked 1,232 U.S. adults how their streaming services have worked during the surge in usage. Users reported only 0.7 streaming issues per hour on Netflix opposed to the 0.11 on Hulu and Amazon Video Prime. Users also reported 0.12 from Disney+ and 0.13 from YouTube TV. The survey also found that the most popular shows users were watching were all on Netflix. The most streamed titles included the Netflix produced shows Ozark and Tiger King in the top two spots respectfully. NBC’s The Office took the third most popular spot and is available to stream on the platform (until it moves over to Peacock next year)…More
OD And Digital Home Entertainment Sales Soared 48% To March Record
Stay-at-home orders due to COVID-19 drove digital home entertainment sales to an all-time record level in March, according to the Digital Entertainment Group, a trade consortium. Total spending on digital transactions, including electronic sell-through and video on demand, reached $596 million, up 48% over March 2019. Theatrical films rose 57% in EST and 67% on VOD during the month. Studios titles hitting the digital rental marketplace in March like Jumanji: The Next Level, 1917 and Richard Jewell saw a boost from quarantine viewing, with theaters no longer an option for consumers. The DEG statistics, notably, do not don’t include PVOD, specifically titles defined by the DEG defines as “premium rental pricing for titles with shortened or no theatrical windows.” Disney’s Onward and Sony’s Bloodshot are two examples from March whose proceeds were counted in this tally. Overall U.S. consumer home entertainment spending in the first three months of 2020 was $6.9 billion, the DEG said, a 15% increase from same period a year earlier. That uptick corresponded with a 5% drop in box-office performance in March. Citing data from IHS Markit, the DEG said consumer spending on subscription streaming increased 27% in the first quarter from the year-earlier period. Full visibility on the COVID-19 marketplace during the pandemic is difficult to attain given the decisions by some studios — notably Disney — to migrate titles more quickly to their own direct-to-consumer platforms. Rather than transactional sales, those subscription platforms are measured by subscriber growth, average revenue per user and other metrics. Some releases, among them Universal’s Trolls World Tour, have also skipped theaters altogether but the distributors generally keep the PVOD data close to the vest…More
Global OTT Revenues to Hit $167 Billion in 2025
Annual global OTT revenues are on track to reach $167 billion in 2025, according to new data from Digital TV Research. That’s more than double the $83 million in revenue from 2019. SVOD will continue to represent the lion’s share of that revenue, and COVID-19 has temporarily stunted the growth of AVOD revenues. “Taking account of the coronavirus impact, we have overhauled our forecasts for 138 countries,” said Simon Murray, principal analyst at Digital TV Research. “SVOD has boomed during the lockdown—and thanks to the rollout of Disney+. However, advertising confidence has been hit. We expect lower growth for AVOD in 2020—but recovery thereafter.” SVOD will consistently represent about 58% of overall OTT revenues, accounting for more than $61 billion this year and more than $98 billion in 2025. AVOD will generate more than $26 billion this year, but then more than double to $53 billion-plus in 2025. Both rental and transactional revenue will stay relatively consistent, on a percentage basis. Rentals will generate nearly $5 billion this year, then rise to just over $6 billion in 2025. Electronic sell-through revenues, though, will go from $6.8 billion in 2020 to just over $10 billion in 2025. Digital TV Research evaluated 138 countries and found that the top five countries will account for two-thirds of global revenues in 2025, down slightly from 2019 (72%) and pointing to the increased growth outside of major markets. OTT revenues will pass $1 billion in 19 countries in 2025, compared to 13 countries in 2019…More
Adspend on OTT platforms double as advertiser mix shifts in India
Advertisers in India have shifted media budgets to OTT channels in tandem with the spike in media consumption since lockdown measures were put in place on 25 March. According to data released by media research firm TAM, ad insertions on OTT platforms doubled in April, which marked the first full month of the COVID-19 lockdown, over March, defined as a pre-COVID-19 period. February: 11,000 ad insertions / March: 16,000 ad insertions / April: 33,000 ad insertions. Video streaming platforms tracked includes Eros Now, Zee5, Disney+, Hotstar, MX Player, Sony Liv, YuppTV, VOOT and Viu. In addition, the share of OTT platforms among e-commerce, media, entertainment and social media advertisers rose from 61% in March 2020 to 87% in April 2020. The research firm also found that the number of categories, advertisers, and brands advertising on OTT platforms came down month on month in April 2020 as many sectors pulled back on advertising spends given the economic slowdown induced by the coronavirus outbreak. The number of categories reduced by 20 in April 2020 as compared to the previous month. Similarly, the number of advertisers and brands dropped by 16 and 43 respectively month on month in April 2020. However, there were new categories advertising on the small screen. These include 34 new categories, 82 new advertisers, and 119 new brands inserting ads on OTT platforms in April 2020…More
