Consumers in Europe increasingly see brands in a much broader context. The public is becoming more alert to the ways companies and brands go beyond advertising and marketing to make other positive contributions—or not. The converse also applies: Brands that don’t step up to the plate, or are linked with counterproductive actions, can easily lose consumer approval.

eMarketer senior analyst Bill Fisher and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Karin von Abrams discuss what they're paying attention to in 2021 and why: How Brexit will impact online shopping, Amazon's European rivals, and new EU tech regulations.

The emergence of new companies selling direct online has been a big story for some time. Mattress brands Casper and Emma, luggage maker Away, beauty company Glossier, and garment retailer Happy Socks were among the first highly successful direct-to-consumer (D2C) firms, many of them based in Europe.

In Spain, streaming platforms are increasingly vying for projects, talent, and viewers. Netflix began producing originals in Spain in 2016 and opened its first European production hub in Madrid in the Spring of 2019. However, as a result of this competition, HBO Spain has doubled down on producing series in Spain in 2019, increasing investment from Amazon Studios, as well as continued investment from Viacom, ATRESMEDIA, and telecom behemoths like Orange & Movistar.

eMarketer vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna steps in as host of this week's "The Weekly Listen," where he and eMarketer principal analysts Mark Dolliver and Debra Aho Williamson, and junior analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch discuss the latest updates on the TikTok saga, Quibi's unique predicament, Roku and NBCUniversal's buried hatchet, new game consoles from Sony and Microsoft, the Emmys' declining viewership, and how a home-field advantage influences soccer (or football, if you're European) referees.