TV-Helden #67 with Evan Shapiro (Media Universe Cartographer) Navigating Media Challenges, Key Trends in Media, Generational Shifts & Collaboration Over Competition

TV-Helden - der Branchen Podcast für alle die sich professionell mit Fernsehen beschäftigen

In this episode of TV-Helden, our host Christian Heinkele is joined by Evan Shapiro, a distinguished media industry expert renowned for his forward-thinking insights on the future of television and streaming. Evan shares his vast knowledge on the rapidly changing landscape of media consumption, providing invaluable perspectives for both industry insiders and enthusiasts. The interview was recorded during Medientage München in their Podcast Studio. Key take aways:

Embracing Competitors as Partners: Evan stresses the importance of media companies embracing platforms like Google, YouTube, and Amazon as distribution partners. Despite being competitors, these platforms can offer significant reach and data-sharing opportunities that can enhance consumer personalization and advertising efficiency.

Leading Provider - Amazon: A critical spotlight falls on Amazon, recognized as the foremost provider and seller of connected televisions. This positioning allows Amazon to have substantial influence and control over the distribution of streaming content.

Data Sharing for Personalization: One of the key takeaways from Evan’s discussion is the idea that media companies should collaborate by sharing data rather than programs. This approach can lead to better targeted marketing, improved consumer personalization, and enhanced advertising efficiency, potentially allowing these companies to compete more effectively with tech giants like Meta, Google, and Amazon.

Targeting Small and Mid-Sized Businesses: Evan identifies an under-served market in television advertising: small and mid-sized businesses. He points out that platforms like Google and Meta are popular with these businesses due to their cost-effective and targeted advertising solutions. There is an opportunity for television advertising to appeal to this market, especially in Europe.

Streaming Service Dynamics: The conversation touches on how western middle-class consumers often keep subscriptions to major services like Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube, while other streaming services experience higher churn rates. Evan highlights Netflix's success, attributing it to their vast content library and strategic partnerships, although he also discusses future challenges like loss of third-party content and the impact of password-sharing crackdowns.

European Media Companies' Adaptation: Evan commends European media companies like ZDF and BBC for their efforts in leveraging platforms like YouTube to reach younger audiences while maintaining their commercial viability. He underscores the necessity for traditional broadcasters to innovate and partner with big tech to stay competitive.

Generational Shift and Market Challenges: A significant portion of the episode explores the generational shift in TV watching habits. Evan notes that younger consumers prefer streaming services and are unlikely to subscribe to traditional pay TV. He emphasizes the need for pay TV providers to adapt by understanding modern consumer behavior and offering more integrated bundles that cater to today's demand for seamless, user-centric experiences.

Super Aggregation and Future Directions: The episode concludes with a discussion on the future media landscape and the trend toward super aggregation. Successful examples like Amazon and YouTube demonstrate the power of integrating diverse services under one platform. Evan indicates that this model could be the key to reducing churn and increasing consumer loyalty in the long term.

Uniqueness of Medientage München: Evan highlights the unique student participation in the München event, which Evan views as essential for fostering intergenerational interaction and innovation in the media industry.

For more insights and analytics join Evan's newsletter on https://eshap.substack.com/

Enjoy listening.

Best,
Christian Heinkele

This episode was supported by Agile Content: www.agilecontent.com
Agile Content is one of the leading white label platforms worldwide and is now available in Germany. Learn more about Agile Content and their Tier One technology and white label approach in Episode 62. Many thanks for the support!

My TV Congress: media hall:
For relevant and in-depth discussions, just like those you know from the TV-helden podcast, join me at my media hall – two days of congress and celebration for the TV community. From April 2nd to April 3rd, 2025, in Frankfurt. A TV congress for you. Find out more on LinkedIn or at media-hall.de.

Christian Heinkele Management Consultant is the consulting firm for the television of tomorrow. We cover all topics related to television, especially strategy, product management, content sourcing, and marketing. We also offer training and workshops on IPTV, OTT, TV product marketing, and more. For information, visit these links:

Web: www.tv-helden.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/tv-helden

Imprint: https://christian-heinkele.de/impressum/

Evan Shapiro, Google, YouTube, Amazon, connected televisions, media companies, data sharing, consumer personalization, advertising efficiency, targeted marketing, Meta, small businesses, cost-effective advertising, television advertising, European advertising market, traditional industries, automakers, TVauhelden Podcast, personal tech integration, streaming service dynamics, Netflix, Apple TV+, churn rates, content volume, live events, third-party content, password-sharing crackdown, subscriber growth, diversification, sports programming, ZDF.