Prime Video Germany Goes Linear
Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming linear channel launch in Germany and Austria might seem unexpected to many. It’s true industry headlines love to declare the slow death of Linear TV and the unstoppable growth of the on demand-first era.
However, for those who take a closer look at the numbers and particularly in Europe, this move by Prime Video is a no brainer. It indeed underlines how major streamers are rethinking their strategies to ensure better content discovery, greater exposure to broader, more traditional audiences, as they look to grow their subscriber base plus the time spent on their platform to ultimately capture ad dollars in any way they can.
Today at a glance:
The European Linear TV Landscape
Prime Video’s Upcoming Linear Channel
The 5 Challenges & Opportunities I See
Other Notable Examples Of Streamers Going Linear
Mentioned in this edition: Amazon Prime Video, DAZN, SkyShowtime, Viaplay, Netflix, A1, MasOrange, Play, Magenta TV, Media Press.
The European Linear TV Landscape
I don’t have blindfolds (nor do European Broadcasters): the golden age of Linear TV is behind us. The daily average TV viewing time is in a structural decline.
There’s a clear generational gap amongst TV viewers and a big question mark as to whether light Young TV viewers will ever become heavy Senior TV viewers. Doubtful given the number of options today to watch video content.
Yet whether you look at reach or time spent daily in EU5 markets (i.e. UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain), it is still a massive vehicle to reach local audiences and grab some of their daily attention: