Jason Wachter

Just in time for the #WorldSeries-- Roblox users can now show off their team spirit on their avatars. Official Major League Baseball (MLB) team jerseys from all 30 teams are now available for purchase in our marketplace! Sports fandom lives on Roblox and wearing your team’s apparel is a key form of self-expression for fans. According to #GWI insights: ⚾ Half of Roblox users play sports video games with low duplication with some of the most popular titles. ⚾ Roblox users are 40% more likely than the average sports fan to have bought an official jersey in the last 6 months Thank you to Jamie Leece, Jason Schreiber, Paul Crockett at #MLB for bringing their teams to Roblox. Happy that now all fans can support their teams from the stands, their couch and the virtual world! #futureofsports #sportsmarketing #worldseries2024 #majorleaguebaseball #yankees #dodgers #immersivemarketing #genzmarketing #genz #fandomforthefuture

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Hey Bay Area! In 2010, the Warriors started on a journey to transform from a basketball team into a larger sports media and entertainment company. Learn how the organization is reshaping its IT and data operations as well as redefining how it delivers digital experiences for its fans. #GoogleCloud #FanExperiences #genAI

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Very interesting article by Digiday talking about brands and their agencies thinking about their approach to sports and entertainment investments. #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #nba #wnba #influencers #programmaitc #sponsorships #sportssponsorships #ai #creativemeasurement #mensio #hive

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HAVE YOU CONSIDERED ROKU FOR MARKETING? With so many option it can be confusing about what is the best strategy. I can help you. If you would like to expand your brand while reaching your target audience, you need to advertise on Roku. Let’s talk. #marketing #ROKU #advertising #consultant

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The intersection of sports and streaming is transforming how fans experience live events. From the rumored $1 billion FIFA deal with Apple to Roku's MLB streaming and the NBA's colossal media rights deal with NBC, Amazon, and Disney, the landscape is buzzing with excitement. Streaming platforms are not just showing games — they’re reshaping sports consumption with flexibility, exclusive content, and deep fan engagement. Sports are driving new subscriptions and ad revenue. With sports becoming a key player in the streaming world, the future looks bright for fans, athletes, and advertisers alike. Read on for more: https://heyor.ca/suyiiU #SportsAndStreaming #DigitalMedia #LiveSports #StreamingFuture #SportsAds

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✅🖥️ WSJ (4/25): “Interest is high in the league’s next round of packages, which kick in after the 2024-2025 season. Disney, which pays around $1.6B a year for TV rights, and Warner, which pays about $1.2B a year, are in discussions to pay substantial increases under a new pact while airing fewer games than they do now, say people familiar with the conversations. The robust pricing expected in the deals shows how valuable live sports are to traditional media companies at a time when cord-cutting is shrinking overall TV viewership. Many households maintain cable subscriptions because it is the only way to watch their favorite teams’ games. Under their current deals, Disney and Warner carry roughly 165 games combined. Games taken from those incumbents would help the NBA create a new package for a streaming player with nationally televised regular-season games and some playoff contests. The league also could draw on a catalog of locally aired games. Amazon’s Prime Video, which airs NFL games, has been aggressive in pursuing the streaming package and is viewed by league and media executives as the front-runner. YouTube is also in the mix, those executives say. The streaming package would give a tech giant the right to show games in markets around the world.” ⬇️🏀 #livesports #streamingtv #ctvadvertising https://lnkd.in/eYK3qmFY

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The 2024 Paris Olympics broke records on and off the field - particularly when it came to audience numbers. According to LG Ad Solutions, 64% of U.S. CTV viewers are more likely to pay attention to ads during live sports. That's a huge opportunity for brands to connect with engaged audiences! While private marketplaces have traditionally dominated live sports advertising, the open marketplace is growing on CTV. This means brands can programmatically reach viewers during the most nail-biting moments of the game - giving marketers reasons to be excited too!   https://lnkd.in/gqirz6FA

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Crystal-ball gazing in 2025: Can Gaming-Driven Spectacle Driven by Beast Games Capture Hearts? MrBeast's highly anticipated competition show Beast Games debuted on Amazon Prime Video India last week, amidst much fanfare and a record-setting $100 million deal. Featuring 1,000 contestants vying for a $5 million prize—touted as the "biggest in entertainment history"—the show promised high stakes and grand entertainment. Yet, early reviews suggest it may fall short of expectations. Critics have drawn parallels to Squid Game, labeling it as derivative and missing the creative edge that propelled MrBeast's YouTube stardom. While the show maintains elements of his signature over-the-top challenges and cash giveaways, it seems to lack the charm, quirky pacing, and relatability of his digital content. Could this ambitious leap into streaming mark a creative misstep for the viral video pioneer? In other words, will Beast Games resonate with the Indian gaming audience in 2025? India’s young, digitally savvy audience often gravitates toward content that combines innovation with cultural relevance. While MrBeast’s brand is globally recognized, the show's heavy borrowing from Squid Game and over-commercialization may dilute its appeal. Moreover, the Indian gaming ecosystem thrives on community-driven engagement and immersive narratives. The next question therefore is, can Beast Games adapt its format to match this appetite, or does it risk alienating an audience that demands more than spectacle? I don't think the former is possible because its a global templated format. On the later, we need to understand the Indian gamer mindset more. As the competition unfolds, it will be interesting to see if MrBeast’s leap to streaming can truly connect with viewers or if it simply underscores the challenges of translating YouTube success to long-form, big-budget content. As a parent of an 18-year-old gamer, I’ve been closely observing his response to Beast Games. Early days, but so far, he hasn’t shown any interest in the subject matter—a telling sign for a generation that prioritizes engaging, authentic experiences over hype. #Gaming #India #Trend #Consumer

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This is absolutely worth a read for any brand looking to explore the RMN space and any advertiser assessing where to invest their dollars for the greatest impact in 2025.

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Why We Play the Game Some interesting sports nuggets coming from Horowitz research that portends some significant growth for younger-than-cable/broadcast (basically, under 49) audiences via the new Venu streaming service. 🏈 Per Horowitz, 58% of sports viewers 18-34 and 57% of 35-49 yo indicated a likelihood to subscribe to Venu. (In all, 42% of 2,008 surveyed U.S. adults who identified themselves as "sports viewers" said they'll "likely" or "very likely" subscribe to Venu Sports, Horowitz said.) 🏈 🏈 This is decidedly good news for the service and validates the Venu Triumvirate’s move to future proof their business since 74% of cable subs cite ESPN as a “must have” and 48% of adults said that ESPN was important to their enjoyment of cable, more than any other channel (https://lnkd.in/gUJpccYR). 💥 But to put this into some perspective, Harris Poll research indicates only 35% of Millennials and GenZers watch sports on live broadcast (https://lnkd.in/g2fmbqtt). While this may not be quite an apples to apples (especially since Venu hasn't even launched), Morning Consult's extensive sports research indicates 52% GenZers say watching sports it’s not an important part of being a fan (https://lnkd.in/gujHRgDV). Foul the play or a second half comeback? I am betting on the latter if the Venu team understands how to engage the Zillenial fanbase in a meaningful way (ahem). Its gonna be a good game, that is for sure. https://lnkd.in/gCdPUGQe

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Streaming is up. But this is old news... Top-line linear metrics are driven by boomers. They represent over 70% of total linear impressions delivered since 2022. If your goal is to reach someone under 55, in their living room, then streaming and CTV should have been your first choice for a while. Making CTV the foundation of your TV campaign and any linear investment providing incremental reach. Have you made the switch to planning linear TV as incremental reach to CTV? Dial-Up Media #CTV, #Streaming

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A week of explosive acquisitions, partnerships, and announcements 🤯 National Basketball Association (NBA) finalizes massive $76B rights deal. Live sports is the tipping point for convergent TV and streaming 🏀 Skydance merges with Paramount Global. Another sign that Silicon Valley tech and money are all in on media💰 Live Joe Rogan comedy special is coming to Netflix. Streamers are expanding live events beyond just sports to differentiate and capture more viewers 🎙️ Lowe's Companies, Inc. ONE platforms expands to in-store audio. There’s no digital channel that RMNs can’t touch 🎧 Well done John Storms RMNs get a boost with Criteo & Microsoft Advertising partnership. Using data and commerce media to unify a fragmented RMN space. BlueConic acquires Jebbit. CDPs manage 1PD and now are looking to also create it💡 Never a dull moment 🎢

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Back when Wall Street was prioritizing subscription growth over profitability, 𝑎𝑙𝑙 the streaming platforms invested crazy amounts of $$ into original content. Today, though, profitability is the name of the game. As such, almost all of the players have shifted their focus to content syndication and consolidation. Most recently, Apple TV+ joins Max, Paramount+, and Starz as a subscription add-on for Prime Video subscribers. This news comes just a few months after Apple announced it would license more content from competitors and decrease its investment in original content. And while this strategically makes sense as a way to extract the greatest ARPU, it also tells me the industry as a whole has conceded that 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐱 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐬. For everyone else, the path forward will rely heavily on licensing content, bundling services, M&A activity, and driving monetization through other tactics, like ads. Meanwhile, Netflix will continue to invest in new content and operate as the standalone streaming powerhouse that none of its rivals could compete with. Which is a no-brainer given the $6.8B+ in free cash flow that Netflix has already generated this year. 🧨

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Hot Take: The Sports Streaming Era has arrived and Roku's Single-App Mode is a Disaster for Sports Fans 🚨 This past weekend, I was juggling the Yankees game on MAX, the Rangers on ESPN+, and Georgia football on Fubo – a true sports fan's dream, right? Wrong. Roku's single-app limitation turned my viewing experience into a nightmare. Picture this: the Yankees just finished an inning, and I want to quickly check the action in the Rangers game. Simple enough, right? Not for Roku users. Because Roku OS can only have one app open at a time, I had to completely exit the MAX app, relaunch ESPN+, and wait through a painfully slow selection & loading process, complete with forced ads. By the time I finally got to the Rangers game, I'd probably missed a crucial play in baseball! 😡 This clunky app-switching process might be okay for binge watching full episodes but it is an unacceptable user experience for the live sports fan, who just wants to use the old "clicker" to go between channels quickly. And here's the kicker: it's not an issue on other smart TV platforms. My LG TV (which my Roku is plugged into!) handles multi-app viewing seamlessly. I've seen it work on Apple TV. Roku! Fix this outdated app experience or risk losing sports fans. #sportsstreaming #roku #uxfail #streamingwars #cordcutting #programmatic #TV #linear

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Netflix is the latest titan to recognize the value of programmatic advertising with the announcement of its strategy to distribute unsold OTT/CTV ad space across several different providers. The Trade Desk, Google DV360, Magnite are cited as the next batch of providers. Up until now, CTV media buyers had to go through Microsoft Xandr DSP or book with Netflix publisher-direct. It reminds me of the moment when Lamar Advertising Company took the same bold step to ensure their unsold space was programmatically available in top notch, third party SSP platforms like Place Exchange and others. It’s a rite of passage. Expanding the surface area of buy-side and sell-side platforms unlocks massive revenue dollars, when done right. Some of the smartest people in the world of business work at Netflix. This is proof of that. Many hands make light work! This layers on a new dimension for marketers when they say that they can now “Netflix and Chilll”. 📺😎👏🏼 #programmaticadvertising #ctv #innovation #followthemoney https://lnkd.in/gJU9ytZi

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Big News in Media & Retail! Walmart has acquired Vizio in a $2.3 billion deal, including its hardware business and SmartCast OS, which boasts nearly 18 million accounts. This acquisition also gives Walmart access to Vizio’s automatic content recognition data, positioning them to develop a robust streaming content e-commerce system that could rival Amazon. With Walmart+ already in the works, they’re clearly positioning themselves to create an ecosystem similar to Amazon Prime. Whether Walmart ventures into original content production or focuses on acquisitions, their next move could shake things up! Imagine users shopping while they watch—this is becoming a massive value add for major retailers. To truly capitalize on this opportunity, Walmart will need to go beyond data acquisition and work closely with studios and creators to integrate products organically into stories. This is where partnerships with experts like BENlabs become invaluable. We specialize in connecting brands with the right creators and studios to ensure products are woven seamlessly into compelling narratives. For the entertainment industry, this is a pivotal moment where commerce and content collide in unprecedented ways. By leveraging strategic collaborations, Walmart—and other brands—can turn these integrations into win-win scenarios that enhance viewer experiences and drive engagement. What are your thoughts on this development? Could this redefine how we consume and shop? #Entertainment #Consumer #StreamingWars #Brands https://lnkd.in/gavAQTh8

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