FreeCast has launched Beyond Media, a research and industry intelligence series examining media, telecommunications, technology, advertising and global connectivity.
The series will provide analysis of streaming television, MNOs and MVNOs, ISPs, satellite connectivity, 5G, Direct-to-Device (D2D), Direct-to-Mobile (D2M), broadcasting, advertising technology, sports distribution and digital commerce.
The central question: Telecommunications companies have spent trillions connecting the world. Who monetizes what happens after the consumer connects?
“The media industry can no longer be analyzed independently from telecommunications, satellite, mobile, advertising and commerce,” said William Mobley, CEO of FreeCast. “Beyond Media gives us a platform to examine where these industries are going, what is driving the changes, and where we believe new economic opportunities are emerging.”
The reports examine the media monetization layer above global connectivity.
For decades, telecommunications economics have centered largely around infrastructure, subscribers, bandwidth, ARPU and churn. But as fiber, 5G, fixed wireless, satellite and emerging D2D/D2M technologies expand connectivity, FreeCast believes increasing attention will turn toward the economic activity occurring over those connections.
Consumers view video across televisions, smartphones and connected devices. Within that attention economy are streaming, sports, advertising, subscriptions, premium programming, payments and commerce.
The research explores why connectivity providers may seek those revenues.
“The most valuable real estate in next-generation telecommunications may not ultimately be the fiber underground, the tower overhead or even the satellite in orbit,” Mobley said. “It may be the hours of consumer attention that follow the connection.”
Satellite networks are moving closer to mobile devices. Wireless companies are becoming home broadband providers. Broadcasters are expanding into IP distribution. Streaming services are becoming advertising platforms. Telecom providers are bundling entertainment. Media platforms are adding payments, subscriptions and commerce.
These changes create competition and opportunities for collaboration.
FreeCast operates across content aggregation, distribution, advertising and Platform-as-a-Service.
FreeCast enables providers to establish branded Media and Transaction Hubs combining free television, FAST and AVOD programming, premium entertainment, sports, content discovery, subscription management, advertising, payments and commerce.
For global operators, the underlying technology can remain consistent while content, language, advertising, payment methods and commercial relationships are localized by market.
Different networks. Different countries. Different languages. Different content. One underlying media monetization architecture.
Future reports are expected to examine television distribution, satellite and terrestrial connectivity, D2D and D2M, streaming aggregation, local broadcasting, sports rights, advertising technology, subscription economics, content discovery and digital transactions.
The objective is to provide investors, telecommunications executives, broadcasters, content companies, technology providers and others with FreeCast’s perspective on convergence.
“We called the series Beyond Media Research because the future of media is increasingly about much more than television or streaming,” Mobley said. “It is becoming inseparable from connectivity, data, advertising, payments and commerce. Understanding where those industries intersect is where we believe some of the biggest opportunities will be found.”
Reports will be published through FreeCast’s LinkedIn presence for industry professionals, investors and partners across the broader global ecosystem.
The networks connect the world. Beyond Media examines what happens next.
