How 3 brands stay relevant in a maturing media landscape

As the US streaming market matures, the companies that make TV are expanding their purview. This can mean a lot of things, including moving into the hardware space, moving away from the hardware space, taking ownership of ad platforms, and extending coverage locally and internationally. Here's what some of the leading players are doing.

NBCUniversal tackles TV ads from all directions

While advertisers and networks struggle to implement new ad solutions, NBCUniversal is making significant advertising plays across streaming, connected devices, and linear TV.

• Parent company Comcast partnered with Charter Communications to launch a streaming service platform on its smart TVs and streaming box “Flex” that will rival Roku.
• NBCU recently announced the Peacock Ad Manager, a full-funnel ad platform made in partnership with tvScientific that lets marketers precisely target consumers and access performance metrics.
• The network also recently declared iSpot.tv as its preferred currency for the 2022 upfront season following months of partnerships to test new measurement solutions.

Apple is also continuing its mixed media approach

In Q2 2022, Apple's second most lucrative sector after iPhone sales was “services,” which brought in $19.82 billion and grew 17.72% year over year.

“Services” include media entities like Apple TV+ and Apple Music. This focus on content has helped Apple escape some of the pain from supply chain issues and inflation that have plagued other tech hardware companies.

And while something certainly has been lost in the shift away from hardware, careful curation has helped Apple’s deliberate brand image carry over into much of its content. Apple TV+ has developed an HBO-like reputation for so-called “prestige” television shows and films.

Don't forget about Amazon Prime Video

Prime Video is also expanding its offerings, by making investments to create regional content in markets such as the UK, France, and parts of Asia, as streaming providers compete to win over international viewers.

In Europe, Prime Video adoption rates trail those in the US—due in part to the fact that European streamers have less access to content options.

As streaming services try to dominate across audiences, they’ll need content that is relevant to international viewers in their markets. Local content can help drive revenue and differentiate Prime Video from its peers.