Retention Zone

What happens when The Media Beat Podcast meets Retention Zone? Our very first crossover episode, featuring the one and only Carlo De Marchis, who joins Maureen and Claire for a sharp, insightful, and occasionally sports analogy-laden conversation on the state of streaming. We discuss how the streaming industry is caught between consolidation at the top and fragmentation at the niche level, while audiences are playing the system—bingeing, cancelling, and re-subscribing with the precision of a Formula 1 pit stop . We also ponder whether bundling can keep smaller platforms afloat, and how AI is quietly reshaping everything from marketing to subscription models. But that's not all! Oliver insisted on adding our traditional podmojis (sans Carlo), leading to a lively chat about Netflix’s Adolescence, the watercooler show of the moment, the ever-growing power of live sports in streaming and what the future might be for Apple TV plus. All in all our 69th episode (no sniggering at the back) is definitely not to be missed. Find us here: https://lnkd.in/ev65e_Dd

?? ???? ? Amazon Prime Video just announced an intriguing deal with UEFA to broadcast men's national team soccer games in the UK—pay-per-view (PPV) style, no subscription needed. At just ￡2.49 per match, this deal covers UEFA Nations League matches, select European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, and friendly matches, featuring notable teams like Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, and the Republic of Ireland. This shift marks an interesting moment in sports broadcasting. Subscription fatigue is real—I personally lose track of my various subscriptions, often paying for services I rarely use. PPV offers consumers more control: watch exactly what you want, when you want, without the ongoing commitment. However, PPV introduces its own friction: the decision to purchase each event individually. How will consumers respond? Is this the flexibility audiences have been craving, or will the extra decision-making create hesitation? The price point is crucial here. With so much content available under subscription, how do platforms determine a price that's fair yet profitable? Amazon's move could redefine how live sports content is monetized, highlighting a potential shift back towards PPV in an era dominated by subscriptions. Curious to see how this unfolds and how other platforms might react. What do you think? Is PPV making a comeback? A guy with a scarf Retention Zone Realtime Fan Engagement #Streaming #SportsMedia #PPV #UEFA #PrimeVideo #Subscription

??? NEW EPISODE ALERT: Retention Zone x The Media Beat Podcast??? Episode 62 of Retention Zone - my first-ever crossover episode with the brilliant minds behind The Media Beat Podcast! In "Streaming at the Crossroads: Consolidation, Fragmentation, and the Future of Media Monetization," Maureen Kerr, Claire Tavernier and I dive deep into: ?? The bipolar nature of today's streaming landscape ?? The complexity of managing churn in the subscription economy ?? How live sports has become the "kingmaker" of subscription models ?? The rise of bundling as a survival strategy for niche platforms ?? Why sophisticated data tools are critical behind the scenes for subscriber management ?? AI's real impact on media (beyond the hype) If you're fascinated by the evolution of streaming business models and audience behavior, you won't want to miss this conversation with two of the sharpest media analysts in the business. Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf Full video and audio episode inside the article. If you are at NAB visit Cleeng booth at W4002 Gilles Domartini Benedicte Guichard Alexis Ga? Kirstin White Hjalmar Koedijker Alex Regan Joachim Bergman Kamila Palka Simo Enzo Bermond Kübra Güven #RetentionZone #MediaBeat #StreamingIndustry #MediaStrategy #ContentMonetization #SubscriptionBusiness

?? This time we are going deep into the mechanic of streaming monetization. Episode 61 of Retention Zone with Kübra Güven about the complex world of multi-channel billing in OTT streaming services. ?? As someone who's spent years analyzing OTT platforms, this conversation highlighted how billing systems have become as challenging as app development across fragmented platforms. 3 Key Takeaways: 1?? Platform Fragmentation is Accelerating: Beyond the established players like Samsung, LG, and Roku, 38% of TV market share in the world is now coming from new TV OS companies in 2024 - each with unique billing systems that content providers must manage. 2?? The Hidden Complexity of Subscription Management: Managing subscriptions across multiple platforms isn't just a technical challenge - it involves navigating different regulations, payment methods, and analytics systems that vary by country and platform. 3?? Aggregation is the Future: Just as content is being aggregated, billing systems need unified solutions. Cleeng's "multi-channel billing solution" simplifies up to 70% of integration work for content providers and creates a single source of truth for subscription data. Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf Full video and audio episode inside the article. Gilles Domartini Benedicte Guichard Alexis Ga? Kirstin White Hjalmar Koedijker Alex Regan Joachim Bergman Kamila Palka Simo #OTTStreaming #Subscriptions #MediaTech #RetentionZone #DigitalMedia

?? ? The Oscars Night Hulu Troubles and Abrupt Stream Ending This I did not expect or was even tracking this live streaming as a potential problematic one, I was either distracted or wrong. Yet another live streaming (non-sport) issue to report. The 97th Academy Awards made streaming history on Hulu, but not as planned. Over 34,000 users reported access problems within minutes of the broadcast starting. Many couldn't log in, faced blank screens, or saw location error messages. What's particularly concerning? Some streams terminated prematurely before the ceremony concluded - possibly due to pre-scheduled cutoffs that didn't account for the event's unpredictable timing. Without insider knowledge of Hulu's operations, we can only speculate, but it highlights the unique challenges of live streaming at scale. Despite technological advances, live events continue to challenge streaming platforms in ways on-demand content doesn't. For Disney's 53.6M Hulu subscribers, this first-time Oscars streaming experience fell short, but offers valuable lessons for future broadcasts. The streaming industry must continue evolving its infrastructure to handle these massive viewership spikes if it hopes to fully replace traditional broadcast for cultural moments that unite global audiences. Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf #Streaming #LiveEvents #Oscars #TechChallenges #DigitalMedia

???Retention Unplugged: Expert Insights on Streaming, AI, and Subscriber Growth??? The digital subscription landscape is evolving faster than ever, and staying ahead means learning from the best. Check out these insights from 4 industry leaders featured on our?Retention Zone podcast. Here’s a sneak peek at what you’ll discover: ????Chris Redmond ????, OTTRED Hint: What if you could predict churn before it even happens? ????Gilles Domartini, Cleeng Hint: Who’s really competing with Netflix and other streaming giants? (Spoiler: It’s not Disney.) ????Jeffrey Gilbert, Streaming Consultant Hint: Is churn always a bad thing? The answer might surprise you. ????Bhavesh Upadhyaya, Streaming Expert Hint: Quality used to be king—but what’s the new focus in the streaming world? These are just a few of the gems you’ll find in the carousel. Whether you’re in streaming, SaaS, or any subscription-based business, these insights are a must-read to stay competitive and drive growth. Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf ???Swipe through the carousel to hear directly from the experts. ?? Links to full episodes in the comments! #Retention #Streaming #AI #SubscriberGrowth #DigitalTransformation #Netflix #ChatGPT #ContentStrategy #RetentionZone #LinkedInCarousel

?? Retention Zone No. 60 with Bhavesh Upadhyaya ??? ?? The first time you are hearing the term "Churn and Retention" for AI tools ?? 2008 NBC Olympics live streaming was a pivotal moment and the start of my streaming career. I still have meaningful bounds with many people involved, and Bhavesh was the video architect on the NBC side, he then went on a multi-dimensional career touching many aspects of streaming (vendor and client side) and winning an Emmy while doing so. A deep techie to these days, experimenting with AI LLMs local deployments in his studio. Key highlights from our discussion: ?? From "science experiment" to expectation: How streaming quality evolved from a differentiator to table stakes. "If you've got bad quality, you're out the door anyway." ?? The subscription economy challenge: Understanding the three types of subscribers - loyalists, strategic viewers, and content-specific bingers. ?? Platform architecture: "Product platform should have all the basic services... then everything can be instantiated, and that's where the differentiation can happen." ?? AI's DUAL IMPACT: How AI is revolutionizing audience data analysis: "One day we're going to have something that's going to look at all this data... guess what, one day is now!" EXCLUSIVE: We're breaking new ground discussing "Churn and Retention" for AI tool subscriptions! ?? A fresh perspective on AI tool pricing: "This is not like entertainment... This is 'I need it right now, then I'm done.'" Could day-to-day subscriptions be the future? Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf Full video and audio episode inside the article. Benedicte Guichard Alexis Ga? Kirstin White Hjalmar Koedijker Alex Regan Joachim Bergman Kamila Palka Simo Gilles Domartini Alex Zambelli Mark Holland Dave Gabel Christiano Coraglia Perkins Miller Dan Hogan Jason Suess Chiavazza Alberto David Faulknor Shujaat Ali Tom Sheffield Peter Rosenberg Darryl Jefferson Reaves Carrington #RetentionZone #Streaming #OTT #SubscriptionEconomy #AI #MediaTech #ContentDelivery

?? Streaming vs. social media: competing—or just different? In the latest Retention Zone episode hosted by Carlo De Marchis, streaming consultant Jeffrey Gilbert poses a fascinating question: “What is TV right now?” Jeffrey describes the contrast in how he feels about watching different types of content: ?? “When I watch YouTube, I feel like I’ve wasted time. When I watch Netflix, I feel like I’ve spent time.” This highlights a growing challenge for streaming platforms: consumer attention is more fragmented than ever. Are platforms like YouTube and TikTok just distractions, or are they real competition for subscription-based streaming services? Our CEO, Gilles Domartini, recently pointed out that Netflix isn’t just competing with other streamers—it’s competing with Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. The fight isn’t just about content, but about time, engagement, and perceived value. Social platforms thrive on short-form, passive consumption, while streaming is built on deeper, more intentional engagement. But as attention spans shrink and content discovery becomes harder, streaming services need smarter ways to keep subscribers engaged—and that’s where Cleeng comes in. From churn prevention to personalized subscriber journeys, Cleeng helps D2C subscription providers optimize retention in a competitive, evolving landscape. Watch the full episode and share your thoughts! ?? (link in comments) If you're interested in how Cleeng can help, check out our demo hub—link in comments. #RetentionZone #Netflix #DigitalSubscriptions

?? Super Bowl LIX shatters all-time viewership records! Here are the known numbers that made history: ?? 127.7M total viewers across all platforms ?? Peak viewership: 137.7M during Q2 ?? Halftime show: 133.5M viewers (all-time record) The streaming revolution is here: - Tubi broke records with 13.6M average viewers - Peak of 15.5M concurrent streaming viewers - 24M unique viewers across game day programming - First-ever 4K live stream delivery Most fascinating stat: 77% of Tubi viewers report not having cable, showing how streaming is transforming sports viewership. Despite being a one-sided game (Eagles 40-22), these numbers prove the Super Bowl remains America's premier media event, now reaching audiences in entirely new ways. Notable firsts: - First sitting president to attend (Donald Trump) - First shoppable Super Bowl red carpet experience - First nationwide out-of-home viewing measurement The future of sports broadcasting is changing before our eyes. Traditional TV + Streaming + Social = The new media trifecta. Retention Zone is presented by Cleeng Hosted and produced by Carlo De Marchis: A guy with a scarf Full video and audio episode inside the article. National Football League (NFL) #SuperBowlLIX #Broadcasting #Streaming #DigitalTransformation #SportsBusiness #MediaTrends

??? Netflix is considering bidding for U.S. Formula 1 broadcast rights starting from the 2026 season. This would mark their first major venture into season-long mainstream sports rights. I just wrote an long article with most of the details I have found and history that I could remember. The current situation: ?? ESPN holds the current rights under a $90 million deal ?? ESPN's exclusivity period for renewal has just expired ?? The opportunity is now open for other bidders Why this makes sense for Netflix: ?? They've already had massive success with "Drive to Survive" - the series has reached over 800 million viewers across six seasons, with one-third of those in the U.S. ?? F1's U.S. market has shown tremendous growth: ?? TV audiences have doubled since 2018 ?? There are now 45 million F1 fans in the U.S. (I want to check how they define fan...) ?? 50% of these fans started following F1 in the last five years ?? The U.S. now hosts three of the 24 F1 races Netflix's recent moves suggest they're serious: ???? They've hired Kate Jackson, ESPN's VP of production who oversees F1 coverage ?? They've had success with live sports recently: ?? Two Christmas NFL games ?? The Tyson-Paul boxing match (their most-streamed sporting event ever) ??♀? Recent WWE Raw deal worth $5 billion over 10 years ?? Compared to other sports rights deals (like Amazon paying $1 billion annually for Thursday NFL games), F1 rights would be relatively affordable for Netflix while potentially offering significant subscriber growth opportunities. Retention Zone Realtime Fan Engagement A guy with a scarf FACTORY63 Formula 1 Netflix ESPN #f1 #netflix #rights