Media Info Bureau

As of May 2018, some 16 million homes are considered "OTA." That number is on the rise, and as consumers look for more on-demand and cost-effective options, there's been a resurgence in this type of TV household. A new report from Nielsen is designed to "to really grasp this trend."

In its 2018 outlook, S&P Global Market Intelligence predicted further market share gains for cable broadband, "mopping up telco's protracted transition away from copper." What does 2019 look like for the multichannel marketplace? "Turbulence" is a headline offered by market intelligence experts Tony Lenoir, Ian Olgeirson, Neil Barbour and Kamran Asaf.

With CES 2019 seeing announcements from both iHeartMedia and Entercom within its first hours of welcoming thousands of guests to the Las Vegas Convention Center, Globalwebindex writer Duncan Kavanaugh offered in a "four-minute read" some of what his organization believes are the biggest media and entertainment trends to watch in 2019. Where's radio ... or audio?

Increases in the minimum wage constitute the greatest number of new requirements for employers in 2019, representing approximately 50% of all requirements that became effective on Jan. 1. XpertHR has some must-read intelligence on how mandatory wage increases may impact your business.

In 2018, Kelly Orchard proposed a diagnosis about radio people suffering from “adjustment disorder,” a treatable condition that in most cases is a short-term concern. Now, Orchard writes that in order to grow successfully, one must introduce methods in company culture and properly adjust or adopt them to engage and encourage teams.

It’s 2019, and to mark the new year featured columnist Ken Benner has pledged to de-clutter his 60+ years of collected broadcast industry documents. He's in his second month of shredding, and just uncovered an item he challenges anyone "to find anything so pathetically and disgustingly over-complicated in the massive historical files of FCC regulations."

Seven years ago radio industry veteran Lee Abrams, co-founder and CEO of V-Satcast (described as “a hybrid broadcast/broadband OTT multicast streaming platform with original highly differentiated branded programming channel”) penned a highly received RBR + TVBR Intelligence Brief. In this Classic installment, Abrams discusses how “traditional” media companies may wish to better attract talent.

The "Breeze" is swaying Radio. Soft AC is exploding. But, is it a smart move, or just another reactionary wave from companies looking for a quick fix to long-term problems? RBR+TVBR reached out to a veteran consultant known for bringing "Softrock" to Boston more than 40 years ago for his view on this newly hot FM programming choice.

One of the biggest issues that continues to negatively impact digital advertising is the lack of end-to-end transparency on the buy- and sell-sides about the true effectiveness of ad campaigns. This trend will only continue to compound, says Videa SVP/Revenue & Operations Brad Smith, as more data sets are added to the ever complicated equation for success. 

The growth of live and on-demand streaming video content in the U.S. is well-documented. But, just how many consumers are consuming this content via an internet-powered delivery platform? A newly released research study says that, among all of its respondents, a majority are streaming content at least once a week via a smart TV or external streaming device.

Is the ad foundation at Facebook a bit shaky? New data from Standard Media Index, released in response to news that another security leak is plaguing the social media giant, has arrived that looks specifically at Facebook's ad revenue. Guess what? There's some slowing growth in an area that's been healthy of late for radio.

We all see the headlines. "Cord cutting" is accelerating. Viewers may soon do away with TV as we know it. As Netflix, Amazon Prime and other streaming services gain traction, it may seem that traditional pay TV services -- cable and satellite -- are heading for the exits. But, headlines can be misleading -- in a big way. 

As one of the 17 surviving SBE Charter members, featured columnist Ken Benner played "a small but significant and proud role" in the development of The Society of Broadcast Engineers and, later, The National Radio and Telecommunications Engineers. With the recent passing of SBE Past President Barry Thomas, Benner reflects on the importance of these two groups.

With 2019 quickly approaching, executives are beginning to think about what the new year will hold for the TV industry. Among these industry voices are leaders engaged in programmatic, digital engagement measurement, a global ad-tech company, AI-driven advertising and a "second screen" DSP.

An interesting new Marketplace-Edison Research Poll sheds light on such employment as driving for a service such as Uber or Lyft, selling products or services online, or working as a freelancer. What does this mean for broadcast TV and radio? Are there ad dollars here for the taking?