The broadcasters (whether they are public or commercial) have to fight for the young viewer, who increasingly ignores television.
It is by now extremely clear that Big Tech is forcing the media world to change. Google and Facebook have been conquering the advertising market at an unimaginable pace for a decade, and Netflix in particular has shown the way to the new way of television viewing. The consequences are enormous, and that awareness is all too present in the boardrooms of media companies today. The example of the music industry, which has finally re-established itself after many years of crisis, speaks volumes. Under pressure everything becomes liquid, and that means that the media companies are prepared to take very drastic steps.
After all, almost all 'traditional' media companies are under pressure. The broadcasters (whether they are public or commercial) have to fight for the young viewer, who increasingly ignores television. The commercial broadcasters have to fight for their advertising share, because digital/online is growing fast, while television is stagnating. And at the ever very profitable cable companies, dark clouds are also starting to loom in the sky: cord cutting is already an important phenomenon in the United States and the first signs of this are also surfacing in Europe. In short, all traditional players see their activities threatened.
The way in which this is responded to is different. The online VOD initiatives of media companies tumble over each other: from Disney+ to Peacock, from Videoland to Streamz, from Joyn to Discovery+, from Viaplay to Paramount+, the number of new initiatives is almost over the top. Public broadcasters are also involved in the fight with mostly local initiatives. But by far the most important development is that media companies will defend themselves by working together on a large scale; the merger initiatives fly around our ears.
Amazon's acquisition of MGM is of course of a different nature, but it does indicate that the panels are definitively shifting. The biggest news this year was that AT&T decided to divest Warner Media, which had just been purchased a year earlier, and merge with Discovery.
Super interesting is also what happened in France. The eternal rivals TF1 and M6 decided to merge. This is the ultimate signal that things-are-a-changing, because until recently the leaders of these companies were still competing heavily. In apparently perfect harmony, a groundbreaking deal was forged, which was undoubtedly sanctioned by the top of French politics early in trial in the Elysée Palace. L'exception Française isn't it? Soon thereafter, the merger between Talpa and RTL in the Netherlands was announced. There is no doubt that a similar exercise is on the cards in Germany, which would really be significant.
The conclusion: consolidation in the media world is starting to gain pace. The threats of Big Tech have led to a new phenomenon: the development of Big Media!
Taco began his career on the content-production side, at SBS, before transitioning to public broadcasting in 2009, where he led KRO. After overseeing the merger with NCRV in 2014, Taco became CEO of IDTV (part of All3media) in 2017. At IDTV, he formed a creative team that developed the hit show De Verraders. From 2021 to 2024, he led All3media’s companies in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Taco also earned his PhD in 2014, showcasing his dedication to learning and expertise.
Oege Boonstra, partner at 3Rivers, says: “We are thrilled to welcome Taco to our team. His deep expertise in both the creative and operational aspects of the media industry, combined with his strategic insight, will be invaluable to our clients. His experience in media management and talent development aligns perfectly with our mission to drive success for media companies.”
Taco Rijssemus on his new role: “I’m excited to join 3Rivers and collaborate with such a skilled team. The media landscape is constantly evolving, and I look forward to applying my experience to help our clients navigate these changes and achieve meaningful results.”
The streaming market is gradually becoming mature. There will still be significant growth, but the tumultuous numbers from the early phase are now behind us. The number of new entrants of any significant size is also drying up, so we can gradually begin to take stock: which companies will survive, which will fail, and what new developments can we still expect?
Let's start with the latter. A few years ago, it seemed that local players could only compete with the big American Tech competitors by working together intensively. In hindsight, this has not materialized at all. Initiatives like the French Salto went under, Britbox eventually became a ‘BBC only’ endeavor (ITV sold its share), we hear little about the Flemish Streamz, and NLZiet in the Netherlands is now cleverly positioned as an alternative to cable, while NPO and RTL are building their own streaming platforms.
Most broadcasters have now realized the critical importance of their brand and are eager to add a +, Play, or MAX behind their names to establish their presence in the digital world. By using the content budget both analog and digital and coming up with smart combinations, they are able to create a new future. With good technology now widely available and no longer a significant barrier, there is no doubt that local broadcasters take charge of their own digital future to survive. The latest in that lineup is Channel 5 in the United Kingdom, which is going to exploit all digital activities under one brand name, 5.
Moreover, the major international media players face significant challenges in keeping their traditional businesses afloat. The write-offs that Paramount and Warner Discovery (WBD) have taken in recent months (each amounting to nearly ten billion dollars!) speak volumes. The traditional business is increasingly under pressure, and investors see that too. For instance, WBD’s stock received a downgrade from Standard & Poor's (to negative). That must cause a lot of pain in the boardrooms.
What does all this mean for the streaming market? First of all, it means that many more local brands will survive than previously thought. All traditional broadcasters are rapidly transforming into digital media companies because they know that otherwise their days are numbered. While the number of local players increases, the number of international players will, however, shrink. The large American media companies are under immense pressure and can no longer afford the investments needed to build international streaming services.
Who will be left standing? Netflix, of course, which systematically expands its first-mover advantage. Prime Video, backed by Amazon's commercial engine. Disney, naturally, with its broad portfolio, will survive despite the painful managerial road it has traveled. And the aforementioned WBD, which continues to invest heavily in (HBO)MAX. Finally, DAZN, though it is still burning through cash. With Apple, you never know. But the other international players are not going to make it. That is certainly something few could have predicted three years ago...
It seems that the media sector is resisting the attack of Big Tech by the media sector successfully. Netflix and Amazon completely dominated the fast-growing streaming market and had strategically maneuvered themselves into an excellent position. After all, streaming was going to claim a share of the viewership market for itself, especially the younger audience. Streaming now has a share of more than a quarter in many countries and that has actually happened incredibly quickly.
In addition, the American majors were feasting on the new customers they could serve. From my own experience, I know that Netflix will became one of Warner Bros' most important customers. It seemed more and more that the media companies were going to make themselves dependent on the new streams. Until Netflix came up with its 'originals' strategy and most content providers immediately understood the threat.
The result is known. Each self-respecting media company started its own streaming service with Disney as the big pacesetter. Many other companies followed and now the average consumer can no longer see the wood through the trees. Should you subscribe to HBO Max, Viaplay, Peacock Discovery+? Most of these newcomers have deep pockets through their parent companies. But it is inevitable that, when the marketing money runs out, there will be casualties. There is no room for all these newcomers and it is only a matter of time until the first companies will have to drastically reduce their investments.
In order to provide its own streaming service with enough content and to cope with the Techcompanies, a true takeover boom has taken place in recent years. Who doesn't remember the deal of the century, when Disney acquired Fox Studios. Comcast's mega acquisition of Sky isn't that long ago either. The pinnacle passed the past year: Warner Media, which was acquired by telco AT&T two years ago, was resold to Discovery. Officially, this is a merger, but if you look through the deal, you will see that Discovery is in charge in the new organization. The new boss of this consortium, David Zavlav, comes from the Discovery stable and takes hard decisions in Warner house.
These days, this led to new victims of the stormy developments in the media sector, the top and middle management of the acquired companies. The Murdochs sacrificed their own families in the deal between Fox and Disney. The acquisition of Shine Endemol by Banijay also led to a true exodus of management. The way Discovery decimates the number of Warner managers appeals even more to the imagination. CEO Jason Kielar disappeared quickly and behind him a series of other managers, especially from the distribution organization. To the surprise of many, Discovery cut into its own meat this month, when Benelux CEO Suzanne Aigner had to leave the group. Good news this time for the people on the shop floor: so much has to be produced that their jobs are preserved. There are already victims enough…