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Streaming fans are using more streaming services than before, but spending on paid subscriptions remain flat, posing a challenge to new entrants to the space

LOS ANGELES, April 3, 2020 – Today, MarketCast released highlights from the latest MarketCast Streaming Tracker, a bi-weekly report that measures streaming video trends across top streaming video platforms. According to findings in MarketCast’s March 14 to March 27 reporting period, streaming audiences gravitated to “distraction genres,” such as classic comedy, dramas and unscripted docuseries, during the past two weeks of the COVID-19 crisis. In addition, the MarketCast data highlights a desire among consumers to have more content, while remaining conservative in their spending for paid subscriptions.

The MarketCast Streaming Tracker delivers the industry’s first Fandom Index™, featuring the top 25 Original and Library titles and a ranking of Streaming Services bi-weekly. It combines fan survey data gathered from thousands of U.S. streaming video subscribers with social sentiment analysis captured from millions of social media conversations.

Fan Engagement Metrics
MarketCast Engagement metrics determine if viewers have watched an original series or library catalog program during the reporting period.

• Netflix remains dominant in viewership and fan engagement with 19 of the top 25 original series ranked by MarketCast’s Fan Engagement metrics.
• The top original series during the two-week reporting period include Netflix’s On My Block and Stranger Things, as well as The Mandalorian from Disney+.
• With audiences looking for “comfort viewing,” the 2000s hit series The Office generated the highest MarketCast Engagement and Evangelism scores among classic and library shows.
• Rounding out the top library series for fan engagement are Hulu’s Rick and Morty and The Good Place, which is available on both Hulu and Netflix.

Fan Evangelism Metrics
MarketCast Evangelism metrics identify which programs fans are advocating for the most on social media.

• The Netflix series Tiger King had the highest MarketCast Evangelism score of any series debut this year, reflecting the massive amount of social conversation the show received.
• Since social buzz is often a leading indicator of eventual viewership, MarketCast anticipates Netflix’s Tiger King to rank higher in Fan Engagement during its next reporting period.
• The Hulu series Little Fires Everywhere debuted at #2 for Evangelism during the reporting period, a strong showing for the new Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington drama.

Consumer Spending Metrics
The MarketCast Streaming Tracker measured consumer spending and usage of paid and ad-supported streaming services during the period, findings include:

• Streaming fans are paying for an average of 2.2 services per month, flat from the previous month.
• They are using an average of 3.2 streaming services (combined paid and ad-supported) per month in March 2020, slightly higher than February 2020.
• Streaming fans reported they are less willing to add more paid streaming services to their spending mix in March 2020 than in previous months, and future spend is anticipated to be relatively flat.

Additional Fan Insights

• Social conversations about classic TV series centered around The Simpsons, Gilmore Girls, Seinfeld and other 90s and early 2000s comedies and teen dramas.
• Conversations about unavailable content rose 80 percent, with fans of the Harry Potter franchise speaking the loudest, demanding the films in the series be available for streaming.
• Social media conversations about Netflix and Disney+ password sharing surged more than 500%.

“Audiences are gravitating to streaming series that distract from the world around them with unscripted docuseries like Tiger King, classic comedies, such as The Office, and star-led series like Little Fires Everywhere, topping the latest MarketCast streaming fandom index,” said Ben Carlson, SVP of Streaming and Platforms at MarketCast. “Additionally, our current data highlights the challenges facing new paid streaming services preparing to launch as consumer spending remains flat despite fans using more services than ever before.”

The MarketCast Streaming Tracker identifies subscriber perceptions of the most popular streaming platforms, including Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, BET+, Disney+, Facebook Watch, Apple TV+ and others, to determine the factors shaping subscription loyalty and spending. Combined, MarketCast’s analytics and insights about content and subscription health explain the impact of streaming programming and marketing decisions on the overall success of platforms.

The MarketCast Streaming Tracker is delivered directly to subscribers, with the option for clients to customize certain survey data to address specific research needs. To learn more about the MarketCast Streaming Tracker, visit www.marketcast.com.

About MarketCast
MarketCast research, analytics and data science fuels fandom for leading studios, entertainment platforms, sports and lifestyle brands on the planet. Our unique mix of research analytics is combined with big data science to provide clients powerful insights to inform their biggest business decisions. Today, MarketCast counts some of the biggest names in entertainment as clients, including leading Hollywood studios, streaming services, lifestyle brands and sports leagues and teams. For more information, visit: www.marketcast.com.

Press Contact
Graham McKenna
graham.mckenna@marketcast.com

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Nielsen Marketing Leader Joins MarketCast to Drive Growth in Entertainment Data, Research, and Analytics

Los Angeles, Calif. — October 31, 2019 — MarketCast Group today announced the appointment of Graham McKenna as its chief marketing officer (CMO). An experienced media and technology marketing leader, McKenna will head up MarketCast’s brand, product marketing, and communications efforts across its portfolio of data and analytics products and services. A pioneer in research, consumer insights, and analytics for media companies and brands, MarketCast counts some of the biggest names in entertainment as clients, including leading Hollywood studios, streaming services, and sports leagues and teams.

McKenna comes to MarketCast from Nielsen, where he served as senior vice president of product marketing and was responsible for Nielsen’s product marketing efforts across its media measurement, sports, music, and metadata portfolio. He joined Nielsen following its acquisition of Gracenote, where he led the marketing and communications team and strategy through a period of massive growth and transformation, including acquisitions by Tribune Media and Nielsen.

“Graham is a world-class communicator and product marketer, and his experience in the data, technology, and entertainment space will be invaluable as we expand our product portfolio and position MarketCast for aggressive growth,” said John Batter, CEO of MarketCast Group. “Graham will be invaluable for scaling our marketing and communications efforts and imagining new ways to package and deliver our amazing research and data to clients.”

MarketCast provides media companies, lifestyle brands, and sports leagues, teams, and rightsholders with a wide range of research, data, and analytics products and services to fuel critical business decisions. This includes helping clients plan and analyze movie and TV marketing campaigns, understand audience engagement across social media platforms, and measure the value and impact of sports sponsorships.

The addition of McKenna is just the latest move by MarketCast Group to bring depth and talent to its leadership team. In July, the company announced the appointment of media industry veteran John Batter to CEO. In the newly created role of CMO, McKenna will join the MarketCast senior leadership team and report to Batter. He will be responsible for all marketing and communications initiatives, including go-to-market strategies, media relations, and ramping up its sales enablement capabilities.

About MarketCast Group

MarketCast Group is a leading provider of data-driven research, consumer insights, and analytics, serving the media, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle industries. The company operates through four integrated consumer insights businesses: MarketCast, Insight Strategy Group, Fizziology, and Turnkey Intelligence, which work in collaboration to apply the power of data, technology, and proven innovation to get at the heart of how consumers think, shop, and entertain their passions.

Established in 1987, MarketCast is a leading provider of marketing research services and data analytics, servicing the global entertainment industry. Insight Strategy Group is a consumer research and strategy agency that leverages deep social science expertise to fuel brand growth, new product introductions, and service and content innovation. Fizziology is a provider of social research and analytics that uses real-time global conversation to create actionable insights for marketers and creators. Turnkey Intelligence is a business intelligence provider in the sports industry, offering best-in-class research and advisory services to sports leagues, teams, venues, and brands. Together, these companies equip clients to engage consumers and fans, manage and grow their brands, launch new products and services, expand consumer reach, and maximize business outcomes. MarketCast Group is a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C.

Los Angeles, Calif. — July 25, 2019 — MarketCast Group, a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company and a leader in research, consumer insights, and analytics serving the media, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle industries worldwide, announced today that its long-time CEO, Henry Shapiro, will assume the role of Chairman, while veteran media and entertainment executive John Batter assumes the CEO role.

Batter is a media and entertainment veteran with extensive experience in building data-driven businesses delivering best-in-class results for customers. He was most recently CEO of Gracenote, the digital and data segment of Tribune Media Company, which he established as the world’s largest entertainment metadata services and technology company prior to a successful sale of the business to Nielsen in 2017. He previously was CEO of M-GO, a joint venture between DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor; president of production for DreamWorks Animation; and a senior executive at Electronic Arts. Batter earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from the USC Marshall School of Business.

“I’m joining MarketCast Group as CEO at an exciting time,” said Batter. “Henry moves to the Chairman role with the company in great shape as the preeminent platform for media and entertainment insights and analytics. Building on its deep entertainment industry experience, MarketCast Group has been successfully extending its reach to include additional customers and markets. We will continue to provide best-in-class service to our ever-expanding group of high-quality customers.”

Under Shapiro’s leadership, MarketCast Group has grown more than tenfold and has transitioned from being a predominantly domestic, theatrical-only research provider to a leader in entertainment research and analytics worldwide, serving clients from diverse industries such as streaming, video games, sports, and technology.

“After nearly 20 years leading this extraordinary company, I am excited to dedicate my time to working with John to take the company to the next level as Chairman,” said Shapiro, “and to pass day-to-day responsibilities to a talented and seasoned executive team. I am thrilled to welcome John to MarketCast Group. He has the perfect mix of experience and skills for this phase of the company’s growth.”

Batter will be based at MarketCast Group headquarters in Los Angeles.

About MarketCast Group

MarketCast Group is a leading provider of data-driven research, consumer insights, and analytics serving the media, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle industries. The company operates through four integrated consumer insights businesses: MarketCast, Insight Strategy Group, Fizziology, and Turnkey Intelligence, which work in collaboration to apply the power of data, technology, and proven innovation to get at the heart of how consumers think, shop, and entertain their passions.

Established in 1987, MarketCast is a leading provider of marketing research services and data analytics servicing the global entertainment industry. Insight Strategy Group is a consumer research and strategy agency that leverages deep social science expertise to fuel brand growth, new product introductions, and service and content innovation. Fizziology is a provider of social research and analytics that uses real-time global conversation to create actionable insights for marketers and creators. Turnkey Intelligence is a business intelligence provider in the sports industry, offering best-in-class research and advisory services to sports leagues, teams, venues, and brands. Together, these companies equip clients to engage consumers and fans, manage and grow their brands, launch new products and services, expand consumer reach, and maximize business outcomes. MarketCast Group is a portfolio company of Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C.

About Kohlberg & Company

Kohlberg & Company, L.L.C. is a leading private equity firm headquartered in New York. Since its inception in 1987, Kohlberg has organized eight private equity funds, through which it has raised $7.5 billion of committed equity capital. Over its nearly 30‐year history, Kohlberg has completed 79 platform investments and over 190 add‐on acquisitions, with an aggregate transaction value in excess of $15 billion. For more information, please visit www.kohlberg.com.