It’s a time of unease and uncertainty especially for those
of us in the industry charged with forecasting the media marketplace. What
seemed correct in April
had to be reassessed in June and now, in July, the landscape continues to
change. So I don’t envy Michael Nathanson, Senior Research Analyst at
MoffettNathanson, who is charged with offering the media industry guidance in
marketplace shifts and financial implications.
Nathanson will sit down with MediaVillage Founder Jack Myers
for a Leadership
Conversation looking back at what he predicted in April and looking ahead
to see how the certainties in April are playing out in July and into the fourth
quarter.
Among the topics to be covered include:
What About Sports?
The programming area with the greatest level of uncertainty has to be sports which
are not only effectively on hold this summer, but is also to-be-decided as to
the fall schedule. How do teams prepare for their possible opening seasons
without time to practice? How will the lack of sports impact advertising
revenue, network contracts, network performance and fans? The unknowns make it
difficult to forecast.
What About the
Upfront? What can we expect from the upcoming uprfront season now that
viewing patterns are trending to more digital and streaming services, many
ad-free? Will dollars come back into the marketplace and is anyone ready to buy
that far in advance into 2021? One thing is clear; the very foundations of
certain business sectors are expected to be dramatically impacted. But by how
much and for how long?
What About the Stock
Market? The uncertainties of the media marketplace are translating into
uncertainties in the stock market. Are there two tiers of equities – the frothy
high performers who seem to defy gravity and the rest of the pack struggling to
survive? MoffettNathanson is known for
its market predictions. What are they forecasting for the next two quarters …
and beyond?
What About Workplace
Dynamics? With the general overall success of the remote workplace coupled
with the continued hesitancy of people to return to their offices, there may
(or may not) be a movement to greater WFH opportunities. How can companies plan
for the potential shift? Will they find safe ways to bring workers back to
their offices? How does all of this impact future office space leasing?
What About Employee
Motivation? Social isolation, lack of outside stimuli and possible concerns
about future finances all figure into employee psyches. How can companies keep
their people motivated, enthusiastic and hopeful about the future of their
company?
What About Planning
for the Future? Arguably the biggest issue in this discussion will be the
impact of the pandemic on consumer confidence – from spending to attending - and
on overall business optimism – from revenue to employees. What about second and third waves and opening
up and shutting back down? The world is in flux but internal as well as
external business decisions still need to be made. How can we best plan and even more important,
how to grow?
William Shakespeare wrote, "What's past
is prologue" but is that really true
anymore? Can we really use the past to predict the future this time? Tune in
and find out.
This article first appeared in www.MediaVillage.com
No comments:
Post a Comment