Univision’s Upfront Story: ‘Building on its Continued Transformation’
Among the media companies making their pitch to media buyers and CMOs on Tuesday was Univision Communications — with an entirely new C-Suite continuing a theme shared earlier this year in a "get to know you" session for the ad-buying community: Come Grow with Us.
‘Warner Disco’: Booging Past ViacomCBS In MVPD Cash
What will emerge in mid-2022 as a new Discovery Inc., with WarnerMedia's assets merged into what will be a new company, is poised to surge past the company led by Bob Bakish and ultimately controlled by Shari Redstone and National Amusements, Inc. That's the big take of the big merger from S&P Global Market Intelligence's TV Networks research analyst.
WarnerMedia, Discovery Move To Create Standalone Stand-Out
At 7:30am Eastern Monday, the official word came from Dallas and from New York: Another blockbuster media merger had been consummated. Only this time, it involves two major players in a rapidly evolving MVPD arena seeking to remain as relevant in the connected TV world as it has been in the cable universe.
Consumers Want Cheaper, Ad-Supported Streaming Options
It's hardly a shocker: U.S. consumers who participated in a study for Publicis Media and Verizon Media want streaming options that are less costly. And, they'd not mind if commercial advertising be seen to offset a subscription.
Univision’s Q1: ‘Transformation Is Building Momentum’
The privately held company focused on superserving Spanish-speaking Hispanic consumers on Friday released its first quarter results. How did the company do in Q1? Adjusted EBITDA was up slightly, while its recently launched PrendeTV over-the-top offering is off to a roaring start.
BIA: Radio Revenue Falls to $9.7B in 2020
As anticipated, the radio industry took "a very big hit "in 2020 due to the pandemic and subsequent cutbacks in overall spending activity. Over-the-air advertising revenues dropped to $9.7 billion, a 23.6 percent decline from $12.8 billion in 2019. That's according to the first quarter edition of BIA Advisory Services’ 2021 Investing In Radio Market Report.
A Way To Monetize ‘Hyper-Realistic Synthetic Voice Content’ Is Here
No, Tony Stark has nothing to do with it. But, it could prevent a super new way for audio media purveyors to profit from what AI experts at Veritone are calling "hyper-realistic synthetic voices."
The InFOCUS Podcast: Jay Meyers
RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson connects with radio industry veteran Jay Meyers to discuss the state of the industry today from the eyes of a former PD, ex-Clear Channel and Jacor executive, radio group CEO and now broker. It's all here in this fresh InFOCUS Podcast, presented by dot.fm. LISTEN HERE
Urban One In Q1: Normalizing The COVID Comeback
The largest African-American owned media company superserving Black consumers across the U.S. has released its first quarter earnings report. And, like many media companies, the first three months of 2021 weren't so rosy. That set, the seeds for a strong pandemic recovery have been planted ... and the digital dollar tree is blossoming.
Global Assails iHeart Foreign Ownership Thwart As FCC ‘Poison Pill’
The man who largely funded one of Great Britain's biggest commercial radio broadcasting companies, through his Covington & Burley attorneys, has filed comments with the FCC seeking advanced approval of 49.99% non-voting ownership of iHeartMedia.
Nielsen Shares With MRC Confirmed Audience Estimate ‘Understatement’
Nielsen has responded to the Media Rating Council's news regarding a confirmed understatement by as much as 6% of the Total Usage of Television (TUT) by Persons 18-49 during the ratings measurement company's February 2021 measurement period. In short, Nielsen says that pandemic measures led to "some understatement of audience estimates."
Dish Places Higher Offering of Senior Notes
It's an upsized debt offering from a company pivoting from direct broadcast satellite-delivered cable TV services to a major 5G wireless internet connectivity conveyor. DISH Network has priced an offering of an aggregate principal amount of its Senior Notes due 2029. It is higher than what DISH thought it would be when it announced the offering.
TEGNA Revenues Right On Target, With EPS Too
Efforts by Standard General head Soo Kim to gain influence at TEGNA have been thwarted, twice, as shareholders overwhelmingly rejected his Board of Directors nominees in 2020 and again in 2021. Now, TEGNA has released another positive quarterly earnings report that further hinders his desire for change at the broadcast TV station owner.
Year-To-Year Comps at Townsquare? ‘Somewhat Irrelevant’
Radio is very much an integral -- and important -- revenue source for Townsquare Media. That said, Townsquare became a digital first company in 2020. The result? It is among the first media companies to dare to compare the first three months of 2021 with that of Q1 2019.
For E.W. Scripps, ‘The Recovery Is Here’
The E.W. Scripps Co. is a transformed company from a year ago, thanks to the sale of Triton and purchase of ION Media, coupled with a surge in viewers during Q1 of its Court TV digital multicast network. All helped Scripps in meeting or exceeding its first quarter guidance "by every measure," President/CEO Adam Symson said.