Can membership programs provide a new revenue stream for retailers? Best Buy and Walmart are taking a page from Amazon Prime and AppleCare as they build out their programs.

On today's episode, we discuss what to expect from this year's Super Bowl, the price of Amazon Prime going up, which one of Peloton's potential suitors makes the most sense, how to get people back to the mall, a New York Times subscriber milestone, an unpopular opinion about company earnings, looking up at the galaxies, and more. Tune in to the discussion with director of reports editing Rahul Chadha and our analysts Peter Vahle and Blake Droesch.

On today's episode, we discuss what Peloton's struggles say about the exercise firm, how companies are rebranding for digital, omicron's effect on business recovery, how much people will pay for Amazon Prime, Google's brand new cookie alternative called "Topics," an unpopular opinion about NFTs, the internet under the ocean, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analysts Paul Verna and Dave Frankland and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

Examples include Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Sling TV, and YouTube Premium. OTT video services are not mutually exclusive; there is overlap between groups. Netflix viewers are individuals of any age who watch Netflix via app or website at least once per month.

Some Prime Video and Freevee (the former IMDb TV) series—both streamers are Amazon platforms—will feature virtual product placements (VPPs). These placements will be capable of appearing in the foreground or background of programming, and could also appear in the form of dynamic ads on in-program billboards.

YouTube viewership will grow, if marginally, through our forecast, but the growth rates for each of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ (which we have begun forecasting for the first time this year) will be larger. During the pandemic, SVOD service user growth was significant.

Led by Netflix’s 19.0 million viewers in Canada, healthy audiences also exist for other services, like Amazon Prime Video (13.3 million). Other recent launches in Canada include Disney+, Apple TV+, and Paramount+.

All the top platforms for streaming in Canada—Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV+, and Amazon Prime Video—are out of advertiser reach until they introduce ad-supported tiers, as Hulu has in the US. Netflix indicated on its Q1 2022 earnings call that it would introduce an ad-supported tier in the future.

It’s a chance to lure new subscribers with faster delivery, omnichannel grocery options, and Amazon Prime Video content, all of which support the continued growth of its ad business. The event will also feature apparel brands in a time of heightened demand, encouraging Prime members to buy deeper into the category—and ratcheting up competition for lifestyle and direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands.

Netflix is playing catchup with its younger competitors: The platform began building livestream capabilities while competitors launch completed products.

Amazon Prime Day 2022 comes as ecommerce is buffeted by rising ad and supply chain costs and softening growth. This report provides a Prime Day sales forecast for the US, and a breakdown of strategies brands should use during the midsummer event.

Those waiting for a bid from Amazon are going to hear crickets: The digital giant won’t pay up to $7.7 billion to win streaming rights for Indian Premier League cricket matches.

Change is coming to Amazon: Amid slowing ecommerce growth, Amazon split its stock, saw its consumer chief resign, and announced plans to shutter its Chinese ebook store.

Retailers look to promotional shopping events like Prime Day to juice sales: Amazon, Alibaba, Walmart, and others hope the prospect of a good deal will lure customers in.

Additionally, most streaming happens on services without ads, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+, as well as on the ad-free tiers of Hulu, HBO Max, and Peacock. There is a correlation where the younger a person is, the more likely they are to misjudge the amount of advertising on TV versus streaming platforms.

Key developments to watch in 2022 include the evolution of in-store retail technology; hotter competition in the paid-for video marketplace; the revival of digital out-of-home ads; and ongoing issues with digital privacy and security.

For instance, a single household could share one Prime Video login that is simultaneously accessed across a game console like an Xbox, a Chromecast, a Roku streaming stick, and a smart TV.

Video venues like YouTube, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+ have replaced TV for long-form entertainment. In Canada, local players like Crave, CBC Gem, and Club Illico have also gained viewership for TV-like content. However, video viewership among Gen Z often favors shorter, bite-sized content like that delivered on TikTok.