The Metaverse mip Trends - MIPJunior
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
The Metaverse OVERVIEW The 2020s media buzzword is ‘metaverse’. Or is it ‘Mediaverse’? ‘Multiverse’? Whichever…what does it mean and is there a place for television? Dubit Trends asked kids 2-15 in five countries to list their favourite things at that moment. They named over 1,600 distinct brands. That’s kids’ ‘Mediaverse’ and it’s evolving into a global, immersive ‘Metaverse’ – a space to play, watch, socialize, learn, shop and more. Most important, in the metaverse kids are co-creating the worlds and narratives. To forecast where we’re going, we need to understand young people’s current relationship with brands, including their desire to engage across all platforms. Everything competes with everything and they decide where they can best fulfil their needs in the moment: game or video; tablet, smartphone or TV; alone or social; consuming or creating. Dubit’s Adam Woodgate explores where the youth audience is now, where they’re headed, and how to be ‘Metaverse ready’. mip Trends The Metaverse 2
Metaverse… Mediaverse… Multiverse - are you ready, what does it all mean and when ‘Kids Mediaverse’ we get there will there be a place for television? When we launched Dubit Trends - a 20-country continuous touchpoint survey of 2-15 year olds’ use of media, According to David Baszucki, CEO and Founder of Roblox, “The metaverse is arguably as big a shift in entertainment and technology - one key objective was to understand their passion for brands and content, online communications as the telephone or the internet.” and how they consume those specific brands. So we ask them to tell us their favourites across different You will most likely have heard a lot of ‘noise’ about the Metaverse right now - the pandemic with its lock- platforms: games, apps, social, TV, movies, books, etc. downs and stay home orders seems to have surfaced a new buzzword to describe the evolving direction of children and their online behaviours. Isn’t the Metaverse just the latest in a long line of terms that basically mean the extension of brands onto additional or emerging platforms? After all, before now we’ve had ‘Trans- media’ and ‘360 commissioning’. ‘Transmedia’ was defined as telling a single story or creating a story universe across multiple platforms and formats, with each expression uniquely adapted to the specific technology. ‘360 commissioning’ was a demand from broadcasters that new programming should be ‘multi-platform,’ in order to reach children wherever they turned. By definition, ‘360 commissioning’ was driven from the perspective of content crea- tors, as opposed to satisfying the ways children wanted and expected to engage with their favourite stories and characters. With the metaverse, the roles are reversed: it’s the audience - children and teens - taking the medium into their own hands and co-creating the narrative. To understand where we are going, we need to understand kids’ relationship with brands. CONTENTS > ‘Kids Mediaverse’ > Age is fundamental in brand engagement > What is the Metaverse? > What does a Metaverse mean for children and teens? > Getting ready for the Metaverse > Why is it coming to the fore now? > Children and the Metaverse The number of different brands mentioned in our most recent study can be seen in the table above. It’s amaz- ing how many different (unique) brands are mentioned. Kids in the US stated the highest number of brands, > Roblox - Proto-Metaverse: by contrast French children named the fewest number. In order to get a measure overall popularity, we de-duplicate any brands named on multiple platforms (e.g., > How brands originating in television can find their place in the Metaverse games, books, movies, etc.), so only count that brand once. This reveals the ‘long tail’ of kids’ content. Right > How Media Owners and Content Creators Can Be Metaverse Ready now more than 1,600 distinct brands make up what Dubit has long been calling the ‘Kids’ Mediaverse’. mip Trends The Metaverse 3
WhatsApp Facebook LEGO Barbie Disney PAW Minecraft Patrol Disney) Fortnite Candy(any Crush Peppa Instagram Snapchat Saga Pig Frozen (any Pokemon Star Roblox Frozen)Wars L.O.L Surprise! (L.O.L. YouTube Nintendo Mario Dolls) Marvel (any mention/franchise) Spiderman PJ Netflix Masks Minions Batman Nike Xbox SpongeBobMickey SquarePants The AvengersMouse FIFA Disney Angry Harry Channel Birds Potter adidas Masha and the Free Zootopia Bear AppleFire Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug Kung Toy Cat Telegram &Fu Story PandaNoir Facebook Hot Despicable Messenger Wheels Monopoly me Call of Duty Skype The Nerf K2 Alvin and the MyChipmunks Little Tik Pony Twitter Tok Samsung The Subway (any Inside Simpsons Samsung) Surfers Out Cartoon Bing Clash Slime of / Clans Network (Cbeebies) Putty Transformers Talking iMessage BBC Tom Thomas Mickey the Tank GoogleMouse Engine & (anyClubhouse Friends mention) Sony Bom Dia & Companhia/ Bom Cartoonito AmongDia Scooby-Doo & Cia Us The Teen Good Amazon Dinosaur Superman Titans Go! Clash CBeebies Iron RoyaleMan Hulu The Amazing The World Factor LEGO XDisney's ofThe Gumball Italia Movie Cars Dragon Ball/Dragon FaceTime Deadpool Voice Ball Z Jurassic Park (Franchise) The Sims Nickelodeon Play-Doh Galinha The Fireman Hunger Pintadinha Boing Games Sam Amazon Hotel Grand The Prime Lion Transylvania Theft King Video) Auto Sonic Sturm Dora Tom the and der Hedgehog Explorer Jerry Liebe Stranger Things Seviyor Carinha (S1 theSevmiyor de oranjoS2) Star Messenger RyanKids Toys Minnie (Facebook) Review Mouse Sonic Ben Friends Nick Uno 10 Jr. TheGoogle LEGO Chrome Peanuts Blippi Ninjago Movie mip Trends Big Hero Les Ice 6Marseillais Baymax /PBS Age Trolls Teenage The Mutant DivergentNinja Mr. TurtlesKids Series Bean Captain DC America Comics Dinosaurs Microsoft TheCurious Little BrawlAvengers Mermaid Viber Stars Goosebumps MasterChef George Beyblade BBC Monster Coca-Cola Winx iPlayer High Club YouTube Cinderella Home Kids Luna The Finding Loud Thundermans SoyHouse 44 Tetris gatti Sesame Hatchimals Nemo X-Men Street DancingMonica's with Hey the CocomelonDuggee Stars Gang Daniel How Tiger's to train Neighborhood your Chaves dragon Furious & Discord The BigFast Bang Descendants Caduta Theory Duplo libera and theLeague BlazeStoryBots/Ask Monster Discovery Legends ofMachines Kids Fox The Walking theBear StoryBots LiveSports Grylls Dead The Great Google British Messenger Baby BakeiPhone Alive Off Cristiano Ninja TocaRonaldo Gormiti WarriorBoca ABC Temple Sam Mouse Hasbro& Run Cat Garden Homescapes Fisher-Price Cartoon Scapes Time FortTangled McDonald's Violeta Boyard Henry MeVideo Danger contro Show Naruto Te Animal crossing Dumping Mattel Ground Drone ThePlants Paddington vs. Zombies iPad/iPad Gmail (any) Mini Horrid Hay WeChat Angela Henry Day World Wrestling Entertainment Winnie-the-Pooh Cambiame (WWE) SBT Adventure Disney+ Freeform Time iCarly SnowWestworld YouTubers Secret White Story Paperissima Clash of Top Hulk (Sprint) Lords Gear Britain's DisneyFelipe Got Princesses Family Neto TalentGuy Disney BossLeapfrog Mandalorian Baby Junior TheSofia Peter Wild the Play Rabbit Kratts First Kids The Blue Planet / The Striscia Blue la notizia Planet Koh-Lanta Famiglia 2 National Basketball Association MTV Vans (NBA) Shrek Domingão Raven's EastEnders The Faustão Flash Home Dubit Trends/MIP TV/MIP Trends CSI Google(Any doHangout Cluedo mention) Vampirina Nouvelle Kally's mashup VTech Zoom Star Programa Microsoft messenger SilvioQuotidien Garfield Santos (MSN) Game Lego Thrones Friends ZapZap of Outlook Farm Heroes Fidget Hello Fruit spinner Kitty Saga Ninja The Doctors ITV Revenant Zoolander Hub Wonder Risk (game) WomanTwitch ABC's Need for Grey's Meccano Star Anatomy SpeedTrek Crossy Jessie Yahoo Neto Road Rubik's Cube / Luccas Go, Rubik's Lionel Nick Diego, App race Messi Go! Bob the James Monsters Builder Bond Vimeo Inc. Maman & Ich (Mère JoJo Tagesschau et Siwa Fille) Avatar Ben and Detetives Sylvanian Holly's do Prédio Little Bowling Families Kingdom Azul more - 32% in the UK. Bubble We Bare Guppies Moana Vevo Bears Any Granny Avengers CBBC Itunes Superhero Zig TV Sharko &movie(s) Octonauts Globinho The Muppets Boomerang Thor Ninja AmericanManga Doctor The / AnimeDeep Girl/Doll Who Castelo Doc Playstore McStuffins Rá-Tim-Bum TheVictoria Rookie GeorgeFlash LG Wreck-It Under Teletubbies LaArmour Ralph pimpa Yüksek Gucci Sosyete SmallvilleEliana Waffle Movie Lightning the theaters/ Wonder McQueen Cinema Dog IMVU The Les Superminikeums Jungle Cara Book Wings!Cara Oggy and the Max Peter Cockroaches Line Pan Ruby Buzz Black The &aCube Lightyear Supernatural Panther Match Night ofat the the PitchDay/MOTD Museum Annie Perfect In the Zombie Night Garden Pacman tsunami Rio Asphalt Supernanny (combined) Ludo MASH Guardians of the Galaxy PollyThePocket News /Chase Squishies Groot Something Special/Mr Action Blue's Tumble Man Clues NCIS GuessFormula Riverdale Who Arrow 1 Five Nights at Steven Freddy's (FNAF) Universe Globo Wii Australian Football League Scrabble Orange HBO (AFL) Burger Hoverboard Smurfs Pocoyo Quiz Spinning top / Spinner Oui / Fidget Young The spinner Oui TV Justice Cultura (Noddy) National Football League Coin The Manicraft (NFL) Master Blacklist National Temptation Geographic Encrenca Bunk'd Island Walking London with Home Finding has Dinosaurs alone fallen Dory CBeebies Mortal Playtime TinkerKombatNestléBell (Base: 2-15 years old | BR 1003 | FR 1010 | IT 1029 | UK 1159 | US 1592) The Vendredi, Legend Ariana tout est of Nine-Nine Zelda Grande permis Hora doBrooklyn Faro/ Rodrigo Cicciobello Le Faro (doll) iene Halo Friday Assassin's Night creed Direct Dinner Bigheads BeautyWhere's and Game Lego the My Star Beast Shakers Perry? Wars Malhação Funko The (Workout) / Funko Office Sirene Game Criminal Coronation Victorious of Pop Minds Street Life EA / Electronic Arts (EA The Games, Good EA Doctor Hollyoaks Farmville Sports) America's 10 Cloverfield Got Angry Creed Talent Lane Birds Rocky Nemo/ Finding Castle Pandora /Martin Nemo Clash Pirates of the Duolingo Caribbean Supergirl PES Junior MasterChef/Masterchef Max Disney Zombies Junior Steel XD The House FullerGoldbergs Mr. House Robot Cards Science Big The ofofStupid XBrother Sega Factor The Phineas Vampire and Clementoni My Ferb Diariescafe Message Cooking 8 This Ball Roblox is Pool Fever us Littlest Pet Bakugan Levi's Shop Brazil Top Dalmatians Vikings Ant-Man Chef Boomerang 101Madagascar PixelsTed Mais VocêBubble (Ana Witch Anime/manga Maria Pixel Gun Saga Braga) 3D Moshi Sessão Yasak Monsters daGoTarde Elma Wild Who wants to Little beRobocar Baby millionaire Zara BumPoli John Dreamhouse Zelda Nutella Cena Nicky, Barbie Ricky, Dicky Jornal BabyTV & Nacional Dawn Estrela Roseanne Lacoste Super Crayola 4 Caldeirão PetGlobo Rescue Madden do EsporteSaga Huck Spirit/Spirit Monster Junior Riding Telecine Trucks Express Free Shaun the The Pixar Sheep Tumblr 100 Shimmer TaylorMonsters Motocross and Swift Shine Dragon Lego iTV PlayerCity PBS Alice in Penguins Age Wonderlandof Madagascar Ultron Aladdin of San Ride TheRush Andreas Along MartianHour The Crash Maze Runner Bandicoot Slither Gameboy io Pippi Longstocking Young Sheldon Skylanders Lollos Strictly Come Dancing Doraemon Jordan Steam VR Google Bebê Dinosaur Cardboard V Reborn Tech Train Cut the Textnow Rope Kinder Imo HannahBattleship Montana Alex Sim &CityCo. 21 Jump Floogals Street Ludo Caillou Climb Hill Connect Fantástico Traffic RacingFour Racer The iPod / iPod Powerpuff Tom TouchGirls ESPN Cat Geometry Cobra Textra Dash Ubisoft SMSKai BubbleThe Shooter Arthur Woody Originals Jon Snow (Game of Thrones) Catchphrase Soda BrothersCrush Final Fantasy / IIIBand Record /Super Comedy ofMonsters Keeper Fishdom Central Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Daddy's Daily Brave Home Motion Jackie Eddie Chan the Dumbo (movies) Eagle Planes Shaun Thethe Sheep Sky Spotify Croods Go The BrioIncredibles Twilight train Up set Calvin Liv and Looney BillieKlein/CK Maddie Eilish Tunes Sítio doSapientino Picapau (game) Solitaire Amarelo World Land Domingo ofNewzoids Before Warcraft Legal Time Justin Çark?felek Emmerdale Bieber Dr.RugratsPanda Beach Wheel Buggy Hair of Fortune Kapla Salon Racing Team Supa Yu-gi-oh Umizoomi Strikas Fat Head, Long Tail Esporte JusticeEspetacular Fancy Google League Play Fresh Once Prince Upon Enchantimals aNancy Time Bel-Air Our The Generation Buffy the Law of&Lucifer (dolls/camper) Vampire Township Order Slayer Operation Deadly Ouch! CNN Tinder 60 HP Horrible (Hewlett-Packard) The Worst Histories Teen Wolf Witch Toon Blast/Toy OddUnicorn Thunderbirds Blast Squad Andy's Smartwatch/Fitbit Dinosaur Adventures Breaking Huawei Bad Lara Croft: Rayman Tomb Schitt'sBejeweled (Jungle Raider Creek Run) Die Cookie Pfefferkörner Build-A-Bear Apple Jam TV+ Diary of a Wimpy Fantastic Mamma Comcast FourKid Mia The Sleeping The Brothers Norton Rambo Beauty Grimsby Show The Graham Princess That's and The So the HobbitFrog Titanic MakoElena Gogglebox BratzMermaids of Raven Avalor (dolls) Milo Murphy's Love Island HotmailFocus law Craig The Elmo's of the Little World Creek Deezer Rascals The Modern Addams Pup Magna Academy FamilyTiles The Magic Disney School Frozen Black-ish Bus TNT Diamond School Planet Tic of Tac Dash Rock Çocuk Toe Lady Chiquititas Grandpa Night TF1 Orange Sheriff Everybody IsUncle Callie'stheHates New Wild Kara Black West Chris Sevda Monsters Little Free Einsteins Geomag University Rein Jojo Impractical & Gran The Dragon Gran Jokers Witcher Mania Mr. Peabody & Kinectic4 Sherman ristoranti Sand Hello Baby Willy Swashbuckler Annabell ilTéléfoot Neighbour coyote Butterbean's GachaLuna OddParents Café Life France Kipo and theThe AgeFairlyofDavidWonderbeasts Boom Walliams Flow Beach free The LastPeaky Big Kids The Time blinders on IT Rush Earth Crowd Clifford theTipping Big Patati Red Point PatatáDogKik Resident Hago Mega game Jenga BloksEvil Full The Taskmaster Terraria HouseWall How Animal It's Dino Made Planet Nativity! Dan C'est mon Sago Hearthstone Survivor choix Mini Met How IConverse/All The Your Next Band MotherStars Step Kids Keeping Up with the Kardashians MoranguinhoThe FGTeeV Rock Les Blue Zouzous Futurama Bloods in Paris AmericanEmily Horror Story UFC Source: Dubit Trends. BQ1-12. Name three [toys, apps, games, films, books, TV shows/series, brands] you really like right now? Air Ketchup Forrest Buddies DinosaurGump TV LordGhostbusters of the Mad Hop My5 Rings Max Miracles from the Magisto Heaven Tubi North The NightmareNorm before The of Christmas Wizard Adopt Tarzan ofPan Oz Me ShawnBeauty GilmoreCSI Mendes Salon MiamiGirls American Tweenies Gossip SugarChicco Crush Sniper Girl One L'Eredità Direction Dell Knex Programa Vai FloopaLoo Sky que Raul Uno ColaGil Charlie / All Dogs Go Kylian to HeavenMbappé Periscope Dark 1/2 Sky (news, Perguntados Outer Triple sports) Banks 9 Angelo Zorra Affari TBS Total tuoi Rules Gravity Go The JettersFalls Pingu Aliens American Pinypon Discovery Magic Dad! Bible /Black Jesus Imaginext Marble Maths movieRun Pink Beauty Target Panther Bull TheBob's Teach Your Monster Just Schleich Burgers to Dance Read The Daredevil Street 911/9-1-1 Interview Fighter Sky My talking Topsy Scream and Ebay Angela Tim High Sanjay School Matchbox and Trivia MusicalCraig Crack (cars) Nature Trollhunters Bears VChat Cat CareG.I. Bodyguard Bop Furby Joe It Sabrina the Apple Teenage Wordscape and Onion South Witch Park theThe CounterGood Walking Hawaii Strike Place Dead Five-O TheFear Simpsons Tapped Disney God Unicorns of Out Cars War Law & Order: Special Prison Victims The Unit Break Lillifee Forest Terminator Chicago Dinotrux P.D. Fitbit CSR Racing/Classics Overwatch Animal Chopped Jam Totally Shameless Ratched Bible Spies! app Donald Duck/Scrooge McDuck Oddbods1 Fargo (One) Charlie and the Chocolate Bug's AEnchanted Factory Life Bolt VirginFox BT Sport Media Sports Cox How HBO Hercules be Max single Hulk Intoto the Lilo&StitchWoodsJaws Koda Mission MovieStarPlanetMaleficent Impossible Mulan Paranormal Polar Now activity Express Popcorn TV Power Shark Short Rangers Putlocker Tale = Circuit The 5thThe Sisters Sprout WaveBoy The TheSecret The Spiderwick Fault in LifeTheour Chroniclesof stars Lorax Pets Willy The Warcraft WonkaWalk Vudu Tonka Apex trucks Monica Cocoricó Legend Backyard Back to Tiaothe Science Yi History FutureTiao Honey, LadyI Shrunk and Epic MX the the Movie Kids Tram Player Over the hedge Italy UnHot medico Wheels: Enola famiglia in Race Holmes Narcos Off Rabbids Hell'sDigimon Fedez Kitchen Invasion Bakugan (Beanie) Battle Turbo Newzoids Brawlers Boos Fast Call of Duty: Black Ops/Modern Face Diner Changer Konami Warfare Dash Oculus Adobe Trapalhões Barney mention) Os(Photoshop) Wizards of (any Waverly CriminalRatatouille Postman Place Case Pat The Bones Wiggles Dragonball Words House Forged Muppet with of inSims friends Anubis babies fire LostHelix in No: Charmed space Jump 309 The The Good Morning Story Real Housewives ofNumberjacks Tracy show/Buongiorno Sunday Beaker Brunch Kingdom Football Ghost ManagerHearts Clarence Adventures TheGood TheCarbonaro Cat Luck Chess in the Effect Charlie TitansHat TheJane Chicago Amazing the Blue Med Virgin Peter Race Best Wrestling Stair MAC FiendsRun RuPaul's Little Mix Rockstar The Superdry Drag Race Search Games Food That '70s Snoopy Network Pinocchio Show Nina and the Sarah Little Neurons Wentworth & DuckTikes Luke Miracle EmpireCage Asus Nikki Pinkalicious & Peterrific Little People House Hollister Catfish: The MagformersTV Showtime ShowOlaf American Sudoku Gotham IM+ Idol Monument TheJeopardyConnors valley Xuxa Baby Looney Alien Dance Kindle/Nook Shooter Tunes Idol Tumble Am a Singer/Singer ICaptain Leaf Forza Merlin Mr. Bean (the animated Underpants Pica-Pau Battlefield series) Super Chuggington Herbie Grimm Melissa Locke Beyoncé Neighbours & &Why! Doug Key Grizzy and Haunting Downton the of Lemmings Abbey Frisbee Manor Tela One BlyQuente VeggieTales Piece Pinball The Most Popular Brands and Content Bendy and the ink WWE The Beatmachine Cops Raw Bugs Chapolin Gold Chicago Colorado Rush S.W.A.T Fire Attack Little ActiVision on Titan Princess 2Houseparty Broke DuckTales Fun Girls Carros Run The Transformers Boliche Gameloft Zynga Barney / Barney All Access Friends &Boxtrolls 300 All4 DirtyCats Crunchyroll Dad's & Grandpa Dogs Army Fantastic Gods Spectrum ofMr. Egypt Fox FX Insidious: Harry Hoodwinked Indiana Chapter Styles Jones 3 Interstellar Karate Labyrinth LushKid Megamind Matilda Milkshake Max Nanny Crackle McPhee No Movi reply Now You Point PowerdirectorPee See Wee Break Me Pride and PrejudicePrincess and Zombies RTL Bride Risen NOW Silent Sound Shazam Witness of MusicSad Straight Compton Taken Tango Spy TheOutta The Chronicles The Bourne House The of Trilogy Narnia Dictator of Magic The Last The The Last Witch Iron Parent Dinosaur Giant Hunter Trap The The Rescuers Down VLC Under Turbo Video player Whiskey Tango White VivaWall-E Vtube Foxtrot Chicks Babar UK Yahoo France's Messenger Got Click Olivia Talent jogos Case Closed (Detective Guess Walk Cointhe my Prank Dozer Conan) age Monster Bubble Legends Xiaomi Saga Dots Domingo Little Espetacular Real Women: Madrid Daltons LA Stick Tale eman The(various) Quale Amiibo Gulli Show Danone A Praça Largados Storage eÉ Nossa Pelados Danonino Wars H2O: Good Bye Just Geordie Cidade/Add Deutschland Water Shore Alerta Papa Lindenstraße Banana Pear Glee Kong Saga The Stuart Book Showbox Transporter ofLittle Life Harley Doodle Emma Zoey Quinn Jump Watson 101 Oscar's 90 KindiGodzilla minutes Oasis Kids DreamDeadliest League Slugterra Noddy Soccer Galileo Fabio Piano Catch Rovazzi FalloutTiles Pawn Top Carrossel Stars Sky 1 Eleven Wallace and Justin's Perfect Snake Gromit House Lady Seinfeld Oscar Heidi ABCya GnomeoShark andNew Girl Juliet Tank Star America's Funniest Home Starfall Utopya Mermaid Saturday Motu The Pics Night Patlu Fosters 1Videos WordLive Ed 13A4reasons Tarde Digger Sheeran É why Sua American The Ninja Crazy Owl Warrior Little Gears House Mix On Baby My TwirlywoosRebornBlock Trotro River Art Smiggle ASICS Island Attack The Milkshake! Lady Rugby Gruffalo Bug Toot FamilyTootGummy Cooking Drivers/Set Fortunes Drop Mama Reading Tú Fidget sí queBerschka Eggs cube vales Toothless (How to Train Barack/Michelle The Suite Your Life Balloon Dragon) on Obama Deck Pop I'm a Celebrity...Get TheChip MePrice Outand Is of Right Potato Here! Lost HomeBubble Roller skates/blades/inliner andStargate Away Popper The Apprentice/Celebrity Fallout Ever After Apprentice Shelter High Hike Vicky Forever Bee the Larva Movie Viking 21 DeGeneresCleo Episode Cuquin Pink Show TheThe OnlyEllen Way Where Mrs.Is Money Essex is My Brown's y(TOWIE) Heist Water Boys K.C. Undercover The Bubble Andi Exorcist MackPop Adventures the BarbieGummi Destiny LinkedIn Dress Bears Up Teen ofMom/Teen Alpha and Mom Hoarders ShowmaxOmega 2 The Puss SmashyLion in NenucoBoots Guard Road Everybody Loves Plague Mia Laband Raymond Rats Inc. Me Malcolm Andy's Wild Hungry the inAdventures Shark Ozark Middle Last Equestria Man Austin Standing &Girls Family Ally The Matching Voice Supreme Billions games Kids Star Sex Wars Education Rebels Cadbury MLB Cow Sherlock evolution Fly Pepsi Bird Mickey and the Roadster KoreanLet's Dance Racers showsABC Une Drake saison Pink & Haboo au Josh Fong Parks and Cupcake Toys Recreation Sailor Rzoo Wars Moon Us Legend TheSanford Superstore Pinterest and Korra Son American Donald Llama Hey ofTrumpEagle Llama Arnold! Greenhouse Dumb Ways Academy Google Nascar to Talk Die US Made Flappy Killing in Chelsea Bird KFC Eve Married... High Strawberry Thewith School Golden Children Shortcake Story Girls NCIS: Person New of BingoGroupMe Orleans Interest Blitz Parents mode Jonas The Brothers Bachelor d'emploiPepee MLB (Major League Fall Cake Baseball) Ourworld Guys Boss Mighty Outlander friends Bleach Med The Grim Adventures Ariel of /FurReal Little Mermaid Zorro Mandy &ZooMoo The BillyMentalist War Sky game Whale TVZ Cbeebies Charlie Stortytime and Gigglebiz Let's Lola Play Alarm Les Marseillais for Inspector Cobra 11 –vs The le Reste Barnaby/Midsomer Motorway du Stick monde murdersPolice Hero Trucktown Jorel's Brother/ Kamyon (Irmão Kasabas? do My Rider Jorel) Boo 100 Things to Do Celebrity Before Pânico BigMotorola High na Brother School TV All Creatures 50Great Shades and of Animoto Black Small Antz Daddy's Blindspot Kidoodle Little Carlos Girls FocusHappy (Diversion) Grown Starz Ups Feet Mary Kinemaster Hitman PoppinsLenka My Neighbor Maya the Mermaids Bee Totoro Ninjago Teen Beach Open Real Movie The SeasonSteel Mask 1/2 Wallace & Gromit - The Curse of the YoyoWere-Rabbit Dragon Tut (unspec.) Land Tut KakaoTalk Alphablocks Babybus Saga Skylanders Head Hungry football Academy birds Doki Le storie AlphaBetty Gipo H&M diTaboo Saga Casos de Família (Family Superstore Aslan Agar.io Cases) Ailem Les petits T'choupi Hotel diables Hilda Il banco dei pugniKika/ (Hardcore The Great Australian Spelling KiKANiNCHEN Pawn) Tencent Bee Supercell Google+ GoofyTV7 Robin Tiger Baby Bumbi HoodBall Born Chi ha incastrato Scalextric Isidingo Peter I soliti Pan ignoti Minika Kid / Minika Marsupilami / Minika Married KikaGo Legend GameOn Siren online Limbo Woozle PipaBomberman Neymar CombateGoozle Savasci/Savasçi (Warrior) Stadyum Wow Conan The Fast and Hogan's the Knives Furious Ninjago Heroes Out BoAngry on the Jessie Anitta Twister Go! Doll Blossom Blast Gran Saga Dexter Heroes How to Get Away House with MovieStarPlanet MadHunters Murder Men Bejeweled Red Too Dwarf Suits Cute Blitz Times Tables Rock BobStars Hearts Hitman/Hitman Kylie Abishola (TTRockstars) Jenner GO Jetpack My Happyland Pet Joyride and Tiny Me Pop Paul O'Grady: Cash Forregister/Counting theDanger Love CITV Force Dogs till Cauchemar Deer Jogo enof Crashletescuisine Aberto Man The vs. Wild (À Prova Penguins deHunter Lightsaber of Madagascar Tudo) KSI Bloons TD/Bloons Tower Stickman Benidorm Defense Warriors Superstar 5 My Total Gavin WifeDramarama and and StaceyAcer Kids Death Bits in Two and Springwatch Dots Bobs The 1,Paradise 2 Lodge Big oder Fish Ella 3 DanTDM/Daniel Mini Tomodachi Our Middleton World Girl Millie Shane IggleBaby Inbetween the Jake Piggle Chef TheDennisFurchester Super the Y Menace Hotel Cricket League Ant Tekken Miranda & Dec Segway Star Stable Justified Newsround Casualty MichaelHolby Riviera City Kors Babe Clash Black Color ofFirst lightning the Titans Switch Dates Russell Howard's Waterloo Good Homeland New Road Zoella Come Line Dine The Grand of Duty Middle Me Tour Beats by Dre/Beats Have Sword Got News Artwith Electronics Online Manny for You Star theHandy vs.I American Forces Fruit Zoboomafoo of Evil Slash Pickers La casa de Das Supertalent (Germany's papel/Money Hunter Kim got × Heist Hunter Possible talent) Fresh Duck Game Off Dynasty the Shakers Boat that we first noticed growing interest in the likes of TikTok, Fortnite and most recently Among Us. NCIS: King of LosGameloft Bubble the Angeles Mom Blast hill Maggie & Bianca TheFashion Bachelorette Dragon Unikitty FriendsTales Crayon Family Paper.io/Paper.io Shin-chan LazyTown Feud 2 Peggle Community Panasonic Katy (Blast) Perry Mike Bad & MonkMolly Piggies Hockey A Million Ancient Aliens (Alienígenas The Little do Manifest Orville Things Passado) The Last ManTotalSmash Bates Earth Drama Motel Hit Forge of on Empires 1 Design Home: House Candy Renovation Fruit Land Filly app Babilônia Jennifer Live (Babylon) Glee Lopez PD Bill Nye Twenty the Forensic Minesweeper One Science Files Pilots Guy Naked Selena andMixed-ish Starbucks Afraid Gomez Girl Meets Num Station World Lassie noms 19 The Two Cleveland Baby Beamdog a Half Shark andScruff-a-Luv Show Games Men (any) A series of Memory/Brain unfortunate Training Samsung Twisty (game) messenger eventsPetz app Sonic Sid Dash/Sonic theNancy Science Forces Kickin' Drew Kid It Disney Stack (Magic Beanie Calico the Kingdom) States Boos Critters Cabbage The Outsider Patch Lalaloopsy Red Ball Kid grown larger, and the top 5 brands in each country now account for at least a quarter of all mentions, if not The above chart covers Brazil, France, Italy, the UK and the US, with the most popular brands on the left-hand The top Mediaverse brands vary by country, but over time popularity scores for the ‘mega-brands’ have side. On the right-hand side, we find not only the niche brands, but also those that are emerging. It was here 4 • They all have ‘global’ presence; • Toy brands dominate the top two places on the list; Brazil, but have yet to reach the top 5 in France and Italy. • The only brands originating in television are ones for preschool children; and Whilst there are differences in the top 5 brands across the countries, there are also similarities: sible. In the pre-digital days, these tended to be consumer products, but digital changed all that. • Minecraft and Roblox are ranked third and fourth in the UK and US, third and fifth respectively in The highest-passion Mediaverse brands are those kids want to experience across as many platforms as pos- The Metaverse • LEGO is number one in four of the countries, and where it’s not number one it’s ranked number four;
Children Consume Their Favourite Brands On Brands Originating In Games Lack The ‘Audience Multiple Platforms Reach’ That Video Delivers LEGO Barbie PAW Patrol Peppa Pig Minecraft Roblox Fortnite Pokemon 4% 1% 4% 1% 7% 1% 7% 1% 2% 2% 56% 56% 2% 1% 3% 2% 7% 1% 3% 2% 4% 1% 3% 1% 1% 2% 3% 2% 15% 1% 43% 21% 1% 1% 6% 50% 46% 7% 1% 0% 7% 0% 1% 1% 2% 5% 2% 7% 3% 1% 16% 14% 2% 2% 1% 2% 18% 3% 1% 4% 4% 1% 1% 4% 3% 3% 4% 4% 5% 1% 1% 1% 1% 2% 4% 1% 1% 2% 3% 3% 3% 4% 0% 3% 1% 0% 1% 2% 0% 1% 1% 1% 16% 2% 1% 0% 24% 6% 1% 2% 4% 2% 1% 3% 4% 2% 5% 2% 1% 1% 3% 6% 1% 0% 0% 1% 1% 1% 2% 11% 6% 6% 1% 1% 8% 1% 2% 8% 10% 4% 0% 5% 1% 2% 3% 25% 3% 3% 1% 2% 10% 1% 5% 1% 8% 1% 1% 1% 2% 21% 2% 10% 6% 1% 2% 6% 2% 1% 2% 7% 3% 7% 1% 10% 10% 7% 23% 2% 1% 2% 3% 3% 1% 7% 4% 1% 3% 1% 3% 3% 3% 2% 3% 0% 2% 5% 2% 5% 1% 4% 1% 2% 3% 12% 3% 8% 2% 2% 2% 1% 3% 2% 1% 2% 3% 1% 1% 3% 1% 0% 2% 1% 2% 3% 2% 2% 7% 4% 5% 6% 1% 3% 8% 1% 10% 3% 2% 4% 1% 1% 1% 11% 3% 12% 18% 2% 1% 18% 5% 1% 0% 7% 4% 6% 4% 1% 0% 2% 5% 2% 15% 3% 1% 3% 2% 11% 4% 3% 2% 3% 1% 0% 18% 4% 1% 1% 1% 2% 1% 4% 4% 7% 16% 2% 14% 1% 1% 3% 3% 3% 17% 0% 1% 2% 2% 1% 1% 0% 1% 1% 1% 1% 9% 10% 2% 2% 4% 1% 3% 4% 2% 7% 8% 14% 37% 1% 1% 1% 1% 8% 5% 8% 2% 2% 3% 2% 2% 6% 2% 2% 16% 17% 0% 1% 1% 1% 2% 8% 9% 9% 6% 4% 1% 3% 2% 7% 8% 1% 2% 1% 12% 7% 1% 1% 2% 30% 5% 31% 30% 11% 25% 1% 2% 1% 9% 8% 11% 8% 7% 8% 26% 28% 9% 1% 1% 7% 5% 7% 8% 11% 6% 6% 26% 25% 20% 8% 23% 8% 5% 7% 22% 17% 8% 3% 4% 6% 4% 5% 2% 5% 9% 5% 6% 22% 9% 17% 9% 3% 2% 4% 6% 4% 15% 14% 1% 15% 15% 13% 17% 3% 5% 5% 2% 6% 4% 5% 0% 0% 3% 14% 4% 14% 12% 4% 4% 0% 1% 11% 11% 12% 9% 10% 9% 7% 3% 11% 11% 10% 9% 11% 6% 5% 7% 3% 5% 5% 4% 3% 4% 2% 2% 1% 2% 4% 3% 3% 4% 3% 2% Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Brazil France Italy UK US Watch on a TV show/series Watch online Watch on DVD As a movie/film As a video/computer game As a gaming app Watch on a TV show/series Watch online Watch on DVD As a movie/film As a video/computer game As a gaming app An app that isn't a game A book A magazine A toy A board game Music An app that isn't a game A book A magazine A toy A board game Music Event (e.g. exhibition, live show) Theme Park Attraction Website Clothing/footwear Event (e.g. exhibition, live show) Theme Park Attraction Website Clothing/footwear Source: Dubit Trends. BQ14. We are going to show you a selection of toys, games, apps, TV shows and books – for each one we’d like you to tell us how you use or play/your child uses or plays with them? Source: Dubit Trends. BQ14. We are going to show you a selection of toys, games, apps, TV shows and books – for each one we’d like you to tell us how you use or play/your child uses or plays with them? (Base: 2-15 years old | BR 1003 | FR 1010 | IT 1029 | UK 1159 | US 1592) (Base: 2-15 years old | BR 1003 | FR 1010 | IT 1029 | UK 1159 | US 1592) Dubit Trends/MIP TV/MIP Trends 1 Dubit Trends/MIP TV/MIP Trends 1 The chart shows the consumption across platforms of four very popular children’s brands, two originating in The primary platforms for engaging with Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite are as a game, whether using an toy and two in television. The majority of 2-15 year olds in the UK still play with LEGO as a toy, but the com- app, console or PC. The countless number of videos posted by YouTubers related to the three game brands pany has grown its reach beyond bricks through successful brand extensions: movies, TV series, games and is no substitute for the lack of a TV series based on the brand. Whilst Minecraft does look to be getting some theme parks. The key takeaway from the chart is that whilst toy is the primary touchpoint in all five traction with toys, the audience for these games peaks at an age when children are generally moving away countries, LEGO fans want to immerse themselves in the brand. from toys, so they’re only likely to have limited success. Another example to look at would be Peppa Pig - a brand that’s been around for less than 20 years - has Pokemon, which traces its roots back to ‘Game Freak’ magazine in the early 1980s, has been around more successfully extended onto other platforms, allowing preschoolers to experience their favourite little pig in than twice as long as the other three. Although primarily consumed as a game, the brand has engaged 8-10 lots of different ways. year olds in particular with a presence on television since 1997; 23 animated and 1 live-action movie; as well Minecraft, Roblox, Fortnite and Pokemon also appear among children’s top 5 brands. Do they engender the as trading cards and a range of toys. same desire for broad engagement? Actually, a very different picture emerges. mip Trends 5 5 The Metaverse
Age is fundamental in brand engagement It’s not just distribution on platforms that affects how children engage with different brands. The age at which they are first introduced is also a factor. Everything about Fortnite is designed to keep players coming back, to maximise engagement. It was the first game brand to schedule children in an unscheduled world: when schools were open, you would likely hear children say “make sure you finish your homework so we can all meet on Fortnite at 6:00.” It copied linear television with seasons and cliffhanger endings. If you’re knocked out of the game, there’s a Preschoolers are generally first introduced to brands by parents and typically consist of made-for pre- new one starting momentarily. Even the famous ‘black hole’ of October 2019 had players clicking ‘refresh’ as schoolers properties (Peppa Pig and PAW Patrol) or heritage brands that parents grew up with (LEGO and they anxiously awaited the game’s return. Barbie). Console and PC games tend to be too complex for young children, so the market for preschool is Fortnite didn’t stop there in copying successful entertainment formats. It was the first game brand to dominated by properties more focussed on apps like Toca Boca, Dr Panda and Angry Birds. present a music concert in 2019 with Marshmello and again in 2020 with Travis Scott. In February 2021, it It’s not until around the age of six or seven that that regular use of Minecraft or Roblox (and a little later on hosted a film festival of shorts at the Big Screen within Fortnite’s no-combat Party Royale mode. With all Fortnite) begins. The chart below reveals Minecraft achieves the highest use, and that to date, the three game these entertainment options in one platform, it’s no wonder Fortnite (together with Roblox and Minecraft) are brands have gained most traction in the UK and the US. often cited as fore-runners of the “Metaverse.” mip Trends The Metaverse 6
What is the Metaverse? What does a Metaverse mean for children and teens? Matthew Ball, the former head of strategy at Amazon Studios, suggests that that we need to reinvent In order to answer this question, we need to understand how they spend their time across the week on entertainment for a generation that’s never been without touchscreen, mobile, interactive media. “Today’s different activities related to media and entertainment . generation thinks very differently because they’re ‘wired’ for interaction, for creation, to participation, for marketplaces, to be a click away for communicating with their friends for shared experiences anywhere.” Right now there is no true Metaverse, nor even a universally agreed-upon definition. It can be thought of as a persistent online world that offers participants a wide range of experiences and avenues for self-expression, such work, play, creation, shopping, learning and socialising. You can see in that definition why Roblox, Fort- nite and Minecraft are described in some circles as representing its beginning. Ball identifies seven commonly-recognised characteristics of a Metaverse: 1. always on; 2. experienced live and in real-time; 3. able to host any size audience; 4. having a fully functioning economy; 5. spanning platforms as well as digital and physical spaces; 6. allowing digital assets to be carried across platforms; and 7. w ith experiences and content created by individual users and huge corporations alike. David Baszucki - CEO and Founder of Roblox, cites ‘8 key tenets of the Metaverse’ that reflect players’ desired experience. These are: 1. Identity - my avatar reflects my real or imagined self and is present and consistent wherever I go; 2. Friends - I can socialise and play with real-world friends and also befriend and interact with others in-world; 3. Immersion - the Metaverse removes me from my day-to-day, into a fully-formed alternative world; 4. Anywhere - I can create and play from anywhere, across all types of devices; 5. Variety - content and experiences are both deep and wide, accommodating diverse and curious users; 6. L ow friction - onboarding and transitions are easy, to encourage trying new things; 7. Economy - I can acquire goods or services entirely within the Metaverse, and those who provide them are paid for their efforts; and In Dubit Trends, we ask respondents to tell us how much time they spend doing various activities on different 8. Trust and Civility - the Metaverse is welcoming, equitable, diverse and kind - and fully respects devices. The above chart shows the average time per week 2-15 year olds spend doing nine different activ- GDPR, COPPA and other youth safety regulations. ities, regardless of screen. Watching video (including linear TV, home recordings, streaming services of all kinds, and YouTube) accounts for between 40-45% of media time. Games used to be a solid second, but the Right now, not even the biggest of the tech companies - Apple, Amazon, Microsoft - have all the resources pandemic has increased share of time on dynamic and learning-related activities to equal gaming at 14%. So necessary to build a true Metaverse. It will take massive server space, immersive programming; ongoing around 70% of kids’ time on devices is spent on these top 3 activities. development of content to simulate a boundless, borderless world where you can take on almost any task or adventure; and of course intense moderation. That said, it’s time to start thinking about the brands in your portfolio that appeal to and are used by children, and the impact the Metaverse will have on them. mip Trends The Metaverse 7
Getting ready for the Metaverse Over the last two decades, the media environment has become increasingly fragmented across multiple devices and platforms. In the mid-1980s, the UK only had 4 broadcast television channels. Now, there are hundreds of linear channels; dozens of subscription, premium, broadcaster and ad-funded streaming video platforms; YouTube and other video streaming sites. All these are what we once simply called ‘television’. The The chart shows that children’s top reason for engaging with a brand is because they like the characters. Our internet and app stores are awash with games and other content, ready to be downloaded with a tap or click. Dubit Trends ‘Radar’ finds over 300 character led brands unofficially represented in Roblox. Many, like Drag- Living in a world with more options than can possibly be consumed means content discovery has onBall Z, Star Wars, Fortnite and Minecraft have over 100 million plays. As the so-called ‘proto-Metaverse’, become incredibly difficult. In Dubit’s Trends studies, in excess of 60% of 2-15 year olds said they’re often Roblox satisfies many of the kids’ other motivations children give, including stimulating the imagination, facil- or sometimes frustrated looking for something new to play, watch or listen to. itating learning, satisfying a passion, supporting creativity, and sharing a fandom with friends. At present, content discovery is like being given a paper map and told to find a specific location and the best way to get there. A Metaverse will be more like navigation software, with places and routes connected Why is it coming to the fore now? beneath the surface by prompts, algorithms and AI to guide the route and recommend other places Internet use can be a solitary experience. It’s used to keep in contact but you don’t feel ‘together’. By contrast, of interest. Alternatively, it may be more like a ‘tesser’ or Harry Potter-esque ‘apparation’, enabling instant the Metaverse satisfies a human need to be social. We are entering a new stage of digital media where the transport from place to place. virtual worlds of games expand to become our mainstream hubs for social interaction and entertainment. At Dubit we talk about Emotional Scheduling - the idea that children choose activities or engage with brands The numbers of children using Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite had been increasing before the outbreak of at different times of the day based on their moods and needs. Content options in a Metaverse would suit the pandemic. Digital ‘came to the rescue’ to support learning, entertainment and social connection when many kids’ motivations given for engaging with a brand, with the difference that different needs can all be families were placed under restrictions. Still, children were sometimes frustrated that their various online satisfied in a single immersive space. activities existed in fragmented and silo-ed platforms. mip Trends The Metaverse 8
Children and the Metaverse only one option - Nickelodeon. Now, children have to chase brands across services to see if they have access, Children are adept at ‘hacking’ brands and technologies to meet their needs. They’ve done this with tele- and they’re often left disappointed. vision, tablets and smartphones, and they’re doing the same with smart speakers and digital assistants. Children would benefit from a place of ‘convergence’ (as opposed to fragmentation) - a coherent, They’ve adopted brands that were never intended for their use - Facebook to post pictures and connect with connected, easy-to-navigate world of entertainment, play, creation and learning that includes their family, WhatsApp to chat with friends, and YouTube to watch ‘how-to’ videos. favourite brands and content. As with any medium, there will be parts of the Metaverse suitable for children and ‘neighbourhoods’ that are For children, everything competes with everything, and everything is competing for the roughly 6 hours per distinctly adults only. During the pandemic, though, ’down on the corner’ pivoted to ‘up on the server’ with day - what could be described as children’s discretionary time. Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix says, “we children and teens accelerating their adoption of 13+/16+ platforms. They turned to Zoom to chat with grand- compete with Fortnite, and we lose.” It’s no longer a case of choosing between Cartoon Network and Nick- ma and used Discord to enhance their social gaming. They’re building the Metaverse piece by piece, solving elodeon. Children decide where they can best get what they need at that moment with the time they have with tech for the challenges in their lives. to spare. That might be a game or a video; on a tablet, smartphone or the television; and something they Children’s frustrations around discovery have already been noted, but one effect of media fragmenta- consume or something they create. tion is that access to their favourite brands may be impeded by the proliferation of direct-to-consumer With young people leading the way, the Metaverse will have massive responsibility for safety, following both platforms. Twenty years ago when a child wanted to watch SpongeBob SquarePants or Rugrats, there was the letter and spirit of laws, regulations and terms of service. Communication and social play being inherent mip Trends The Metaverse 9
to immersive worlds, this creates a design and development challenge to have foolproof identifiers, persis- tent throughout the Metaverse, carrying a player’s permissions (including age) to enable access to appropri- ate areas and levelling modes of connection and communication. Roblox - Proto-Metaverse: Based on the definitions above, we can see the seeds of the Metaverse in Roblox. Obviously, Roblox isn’t ‘television’ – the primary focus of this article. But, nor is Roblox a ‘game’ per se. It’s a platform with over 20 million multiplayer games and experiences, perhaps most analogous to YouTube, as the platform is populated largely with user-generated, multiplayer 3D worlds. If we want to consider what ‘television’ will be in the metaverse, Roblox is a good place to start. The platform is host to live events that bring gamers out of their play, where they become…’viewers’. The 2021 Bloxy Awards ceremony, honouring the developer community while fundraising for important caus- es, drew two million viewers in the first 24 hours. Last year Roblox also hosted one of the world’s biggest concerts of all time with L’il Nas X, streamed by 33 million Roblox accounts. Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player 2” sequel launched with a combination book tour and treasure hunt on the platform. For audiences that have – throughout their lives – interacted with media, multi-tasked video and other activities, and socialised while viewing, Roblox may be the model for how we’ll watch TV in the future. Ignore it at your peril. Though it launched in September 2006, it wasn’t until April 2018 that we started to see sizeable growth for Roblox, in Dubit Trends. Since then, daily use amongst 2-15 year olds in the US has doubled and in the UK is up over 60% - worldwide, it has 32 million daily active users. As television viewing has fragmented, platforms like Roblox have become the community that TV once was. In particular, the pandemic spiked its popularity as social gaming replaced meet-ups in person. Young people tell us that Roblox has been ‘a lifeline’ helping keep in touch with extended family and friends, whilst also making new friends. In a Roblox-commissioned survey of its users, 62% said conversations with their real-life friends were among their top activities when they got together on the platform. mip Trends The Metaverse 10
How brands originating in television can find their place in the Metaverse Before any single platform becomes dominant it’s likely that television in the Metaverse will consist of es- Immersive worlds like Fortnite, Roblox and Minecraft are capable of attracting huge audiences for appoint- tablished, familiar channels (like Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon), deep content brands (like Harry Potter ment-to-view events. An audience of 10.7 million players showed up for the Marshmello concert in Fortnite, or LEGO), streaming services (like Netflix and YouTube) and stand-alone properties originating as video (e.g. which broke the game’s concurrent player count by about 2.5 million players. Over 12.3 million concurrent Peppa Pig, Scooby Doo or Power Rangers). players participated live in Travis Scott’s “Astronomical” virtual performance. Nate Nanzer, Fortnite’s Head of The Metaverse offers a great opportunity to leverage affection for many of the brands that originated on TV, Global Partnerships, expects any of the three platforms to be part of future band promotional tours. that to date have only achieved limited success as game brand extensions. Owners of brands like Scooby Will watching television take place in the Metaverse? To some extent there are early iterations of a Doo, SpongeBob SquarePants, Loud House, Teen Titans Go!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Amazing video Metaverse: World of Gumball will be able to offer a fully-interactive experience where fans can watch, play, create, learn, interact and even make transactions. • Forward thinking, legacy distribution platforms like Sky are aggregating content from linear broad- Television may not be entirely the same ‘lean back’ experience in the Metaverse, but young audiences casters, own channels, subscription streaming services like Netflix and Disney+, Catch-up services want an opportunity to be involved in the story. Virtual, immersive worlds enable audience participation like BBC iPlayer and All4, YouTube and YouTube Kids in interactive stories, creating the sense of truly being part of the action. Bandersnatch was Netflix’ first foray • Multi-channel Networks (MCNs) such as WildBrain Spark, Moonbug and YouTube offer countless into interactive media; since then, they’ve launched several interactive shows including a choose-your-adven- ‘channels’ of content contained in a single platform ture animated TV series based on Minecraft. • Direct to consumer services like Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Paramount+ offer deep libraries of Moving closer to the ‘gaming’ side of interactive media, Rival Peak launched in 2020 with a massive game- content like reality show starring 12 Artificial Intelligence characters - a sort of Big Brother meets Animal Crossing. In Could the legacy operators take the next step and offer non-video based interactive experiences through their this quasi-reality show, the characters are contestants in a Survivor-type competition where the audience can platforms? 25 years ago a set-top box simply gave you access to scores of TV channels, but it wasn’t long influence the outcome by completing tasks and helping their favourite characters win. before innovations were introduced, such as near on-demand (box office movies starting every 15 minutes), pausing live TV, and interactive services. The current main menu is a mixture of tiles representing TV series, How Media Owners and Content Creators Can Be Metaverse Ready content genres, timely themes and channels. No doubt this is a starting point from which things will evolve. Children and teens are spending more time than ever on screens and in digital spaces. All the evi- It’s conceivable that, not only to protect the long-term viability of their business, and broaden the appeal to dence suggests that this trend will continue to do so. In order to play games with friends, interact with younger audiences that a ‘games’ section is added to the main menu and tiles for Roblox, Minecraft and stories, to ‘attend’ concerts, take part in film festivals, to learn, to create and to be social. It may not all be Fortnite, amongst others start appearing. fully immersive, but it will be deeply engaging. The age at which games like Roblox and Minecraft typically ‘kick-in’ is around 7 years, so for MCNs targeting It’s inevitable that the spaces described as being like a Metaverse will evolve and develop over time. It’s younger audiences, whilst games have a place (e.g. Hopster offers video and games in a single app), the also likely that the Metaverse may not be uniform across all ages of children - even in the US, we know that non-video opportunity might be limited. However, for YouTube with its long established links to games, game children are not engaging with brands like Roblox and Minecraft until they reach around the age of 7. The rate walkthroughs, how-to (beat the monster, complete level 2, etc.), and its countless game-playing YouTubers, of progress will vary by country; children in the US are the earliest of ‘Early Adopters’, but parents in France, the YouTube Gaming app seems a very natural progression. Germany and other countries are more protective of their children’s online presence. Direct-to-consumer services present something of a conundrum. Netflix not only commissions its own shows, but acts as a portal for other producers’ content, which not so long ago included a library of Disney productions. As content owners have recognised the value of a direct-to-consumer relationship (with their own fans and the wider audience), they have started to reframe established relationships with distributors. Some media owners are creating a ‘multiverse’ offer, for example ViacomCBS acquired PlutoTV, which originally launched in 2013 as an ad-supported streaming service offering in excess of 100 TV channels and 1,000 movies; whilst also offering CBS All-Access rebranded as Paramount+, its subscription based over- the-top streaming service. NBCUniversal, with its US AVOD platform ‘Peacock’ looks likely to be joined by another subscription streaming service - likely to be under the ‘Universal’ brand. mip Trends The Metaverse 11
In developing your plan, you need to imagine what your brands and properties would look like in a Metaverse: 1. Content development • How do you make it familiar to new entrants? • How do you make it easy to navigate? • How to you build ‘time spent using/playing’? • How do you ensure the audience doesn’t fatigue? • How do you ensure there is a reason for the audience to keep coming back? 2. Monetisation • What is the pricing strategy? • What is the transactional medium? 3.Distribution • What is the relationship with existing partners - does it allow flexibility? • What is the starting point for a user? • Where would fans engage with your brands and properties? 4. Marketing and Messaging Matthew Ball’s assertion of the need to reinvent entertainment for the touchscreen generation seems to hit • How to you promote your presence to the audience (old and new)? a chord when you consider that for children born after the launch of the iPad in April 2010, just watching a • How do you create ‘playground chatter’? TV show may seem mundane compared with socialising in Among Us, winning a Fortnite Battle Royale, or • How do you make it ‘shareable’? completing a Roblox ‘obby’. Even when they’re not playing a game, they’re often watching someone else play, on Twitch or YouTube. As noted previously, ‘everything competes with everything’ for today’s children and teens. Video and games, Over-crowded app stores and millions of hours of video on social and streaming services, mean the Metaverse digital and physical, the brands that live at the ‘fat head’ and those niche brands at the end of the ‘long-tail’, will be the platform to launch and incubate new brands and content. brand and user-generated, learning and play, accompanied and solo consumption – audiences select brands Instantly you have a direct line to the audience - no need to go through an intermediary. You can develop and and content based on how they feel and their needs in the moment. The Metaverse will reduce the friction expand the brand from a single point of contact based on direct audience feedback (number of plays, length of crossing from one platform to another. Big studios already supplement their traditional brand-building in of engagement, comments, etc). Build in a feedback loop to allow fans space to shape your development. co-creation spaces like Roblox, facilitating organic content influenced by real-time interactions. Conversely, Television was always a one-way medium - the only way fans could contribute was by writing to the produc- new storytellers are launching IP directly into this space. As viewers become players, and players become ers and showing the love of the show by being counted in the ratings. creators, a world of brands and brand fandom will be manufactured. mip Trends The Metaverse 12
You can also read