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US recorded music retail sales fell 5% in 2013 to $5.5 billion on a bruising 17% decline in physical sales and a sharp slow-down in digital growth

DTO retail sales slipped for the first time in 2013, a trend that continued in Q1 2014. On a brighter note, the leap from 3.4 to 6.1 million subscribers makes the US the top market for the format

At the wholesale level, the fall in revenues from B2C sales was entirely offset by the rise in B2B revenues from ad-supported music where usage is booming – in 2013, B2B contributed 16% of wholesale revenues of $4.5 billion

The ongoing digital migration and the resulting audience fragmentation have led to rating losses at RTL and ProSieben, but with the latter retaining its younger viewers. From a low base global operators are gaining share

Leveraging their high market shares within a benign economic environment means RTL and ProSieben are in a position to withstand the increasing competition. ProSieben has been more active in developing diversification businesses – on which we have mixed feelings

The main extra growth prospects are in the distribution fees charged to TV platforms for HD channels, allowing a progressive shift to a mixed funding model

As we expected, Canal+ won the broadcast rights to the Ligue 1 top three weekly games in 2016-20 and beIN Sports have the seven remaining fixtures Sensibly, the two competitors avoided a bidding war but ended up paying 28% more than the 2012-16 agreement – the first substantial increase since 2005 The new contract will help Canal+ sustain pricing and marketing. Meanwhile, even if it completely lost the ongoing Champions’ League auction, Canal+’s football prominence would remain

Amazon has entered the increasingly crowded digital entertainment TV device marketplace, one which could be strategically more important for the ecommerce giant than tech rivals Apple and Google

The frictionless integration of entertainment and ecommerce on TV represents a bigger consumer milestone than competitor services are offering, and Amazon’s brand has huge appeal, though at present it has less market traction for streaming than it does for other products

Content owners and broadcasters remain the real TV gatekeepers, with integration of TV and digital a service-level pipe dream for now, and so Amazon will likely have to accept being one of many, rather than the runaway winner as it is in books

The core US long form streaming subscription business, so vital to Netflix prospects of long term global as well as domestic success as competition increases, shows no sign of slowing, while guidance points to Q1 2014 as another strong quarter Although market research indicates a positive brand image, boosted by Netflix’s entry into original content commissions, Netflix cannot afford to slacken in its efforts to build its subscriber base due to strong upward competitive pressures on content obligations Content delivery is the other big cost challenge. There is no guarantee that the recent deal with Comcast will last, as the leading ISPs contend with conflicts of interest that arise from wishing to support the traditional model of linear TV but also to exploit the potential of long form online video

Newspaper apps have very quickly become a critical means for publishers to optimise consumer dwell time in digital, and cement an integrated digital subscription service

In common with apps in other markets, they are evolving, with new business models and usability solutions emerging relentlessly, while challenges including mobile advertising and the integration of video with text-based content are far from resolved

Unsettled consumer discovery and interaction, and continued innovation by platforms and services on top, provides a mercurial environment for publishers, bringing opportunities for specialist and leading services that develop agile iterations, and increasing the existential threat for many others