STREAMING SUBSCRIBERS BINGE AND BAIL
A recent survey from Ipsos offers a mixed bag of results for streamers. Some good news: Only one out of ten respondents don’t watch or subscribe to a streaming service. Less good: While they’ll subscribe to a service to watch a specific show, 38% of those viewers cancel the subscription once they’ve finished it. This practice skews decidedly young: 51% of viewers 18-34 are likely to unsubscribe, vs. 20% of 55+. In addition to producing and acquiring content to lure subscribers, more platforms have adopted a one episode a week release schedule to aid retention. (Marketing Charts: May 27, 2025)
WNBA & NIELSEN STRIKE MEASUREMENT DEAL
In an agreement that was reportedly reached last quarter and is now becoming known, Nielsen has signed a multiyear deal with the WNBA to measure TV viewership across traditional streaming channels. This is an important development for both parties: it helps solidify Nielsen’s dominance after some setbacks in recent years, and adds to the WNBA’s status as a top-tier sports league. The deal’s financials haven’t been released but are likely in the tens of millions of dollars. (Axios: May 27, 2025)
LOCAL TV: A BIG DEAL FOR SMALL TALK
If you find yourself struggling to make conversation on an awkwardly long elevator ride or with other parents at your kids’ soccer games, it could be that you’re just not watching enough local TV. Broadcast television drives more conversations than any other media type, including other TV vehicles. A study from GfK/NIQ found that 80% of respondents’ daily conversations include topics covered by newscasts from their local TV stations. Regardless of the respondents’ political affiliations, they find broadcast news to be more shareworthy, trustworthy, and believable. People may talk about “fake news” in broad strokes but they still have faith in the veracity of their local news teams. (TV Tech: May 21, 2025)
“BETTER FIND YOUR PEOPLE” WITH Artii
MediaVillage recently sat with XACTV’s Melissa Moschetti (EVP, Managing Director) and Bob O’Neill (President) to discuss Artii, our new “Everything Video Platform.” Artii’s innovation pairs our patented technology with high-quality data to better understand, reach, and transact with video audiences — all in one place. “Nielsen gives us a currency for demo-based campaigns, VideoAmp also helps us uncover new audiences, and TransUnion serves as our core data spine,” explains Moschetti. O’Neill adds that Artii can help reach an increasingly fragmented audience by considering “all the different channels, whether it’s broadcast, cable, digital, or CTV.” (MediaVillage: May 20, 2025)
THIS WEEK IN VIDEO HISTORY
May 31, 2000 – Survivor Premieres on CBS In what was a fairly strong debut for a summer series, 15.5 million people tuned in to check out a new show in a burgeoning genre called “reality TV.” By season’s end, the show had become a cultural phenomenon, and viewership more than tripled to 51.7 million for the final episode and reunion special. Winner Richard Hatch got the $1 million prize but was later sentenced to 51 months in prison for failing to declare it to the IRS. Click here to see the opening credits and relive those heady early-millennium days.
