Future Audiences and the Evolving Role of Traditional Media

I was fortunate enough to be a part of the panel discussion, along with Lydia Fairfax, Doug Whelpdale (Barb Audiences) and Lucy Bristowe (Kantar Media). We had an interesting discussion on where future audiences are consuming content, and each provided some great insight to argue the case for the relevancy of traditional media in this world of YouTube and TikTok. Doug in particular cited Barb data that showed that since it aired on Christmas Day, the Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special has had an audience of over 20 million people in the UK, with around a quarter of these being considered a younger audience. After further discussion around the importance of Connected TV to today’s audiences, we closed with comments from all panelists on the importance of public service broadcasters in protecting the truth, as it becomes more difficult to validate legitimacy in content distributed through new media platforms.

Actionable insight: In this world of uncertainty and disinformation, I expect that in the UK our Public Service Broadcasters are going to become more important than ever. It’s important for FX to recognise what the PSBs need from an agency such as ourselves, whilst ensuring that we are ready to help provide the technology that will enable them to connect with UK audiences in the home.

Personalised Advertising: The Next Frontier

Following on from the future audiences panel, Been Keen and Justin Gupta held a fireside chat in which Justin, Head of Broadcast & Video Ads, EMEA at Google, delved into the future of television advertising and introduced us to the innovation of Server Guided ad-insertion (SGAI); a hybrid method of ad-insertion that offers the best of both client-side and server-side ad insertion. For more info, check out this post from Bitmovin. It remains to be seen how well this will perform on some CTV devices however, and Justin himself let us know that it’s a method best suited for the latest and greatest televisions.

Actionable Insight: It’s great to see a resurgence in advertising across video platforms, something I believe is important to ensure the sustainability of streaming. Advertisers are looking for new ways to connect with audiences and this is driving innovation such as Server Guided ad-insertion. As a technology services provider it’s important for us to be ready to recommend, implement and integrate with new advertising formats. As a strategic partner to our clients, we also have an opportunity to suggest some new innovative ways of engaging through advertising.

 The Rise of Subscription Bundling

The future of subscription bundling was a topic of discussion throughout the conference, and Anil Malhotra of Bango put forward a case to suggest that in 2025 we will be seeing a lot more subscriptions bundled into cohesive packages, typically with broadband and phone services.

Actionable Insight: Re-bundling is well underway, and it’s not surprising for it to be led by the regional operators, with their unique access to the home through existing broadband packages. As bundling becomes more commonplace, we will begin to see smaller specialist OTT services being given a platform to reach a greater audience by being hard bundled with large services such as Netflix. To date, the majority of the work we do at FX is with Tier 1 and Tier 2 operators, but there are unique challenges that smaller OTT platforms are experiencing that we can help them to solve by sharing our knowledge of Connected TV.

Insights into the French OTT Landscape

It was great to see Marion Ranchet very involved in the conference and chairing a number of panels, perhaps the most interesting of which gave us an insight into the OTT landscape in France. As is with other regions, France is seeing steady decline in linear television viewership and funding for their public service broadcasters is being challenged. Similarly to the media here in the UK PSBs in France are considered a trusted source of unbiased information in a world of misinformation. Perhaps most interesting was the opinion of Florent Rodzko, who believes that without funding, PSBs will have no choice but to start opening up ad inventory to a market that cannot sustain any more major players as it currently stands.

Actionable Insight: To help us to predict what may happen in the UK if TV licence funding was to be removed, we can look to France. The best way to do this, is to read Marion Ranchet’s newsletter, in which Marion discusses all things streaming with a particular focus on the European market.

The Concept of ‘New-stalgia’ in Streaming

Multiple times during the weekend we heard the term new-stalgia used to describe archive content that’s having a resurgence from both those that once enjoyed it, but also new younger audiences that have perhaps never seen it previously. David Salmon, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Tubi, noted during a fireside chat that this trend mirrors patterns observed in the music industry, where consumers show a growing appreciation for older content. Are we seeing a shift in consumption habits in video that transcends the novelty of release dates?

Actionable Insight: It’s probably about time I re-watched “The Wire” for the 3rd time, or perhaps “Peep Show” for the 10th time. In all seriousness though, the growing ‘staying power’ of older content could mean that video catalogues continue to get bigger and bigger. This will present further discoverability challenges and our clients will be expecting us to come up with creative solutions to ensure that users are shown both current and past shows that are relevant to them in a UX that feels in sync.

The pull of YouTube

It wouldn’t be an OTT conference without talk of YouTube, and many media companies are now changing their perspective on what they perhaps once saw as competition for eyeballs, instead now seeing YouTube as a strategic partner. Both Leena Patel and Joe Harbinson of Channel 4 gave us a great insight to the audience behaviour they are recognising from their proactive YouTube strategy, and importantly expressed that they see YouTube as a channel that is bringing incremental audience growth to Channel 4, as opposed to cannibalising their direct to consumer proposition. More and more YouTube is being considered as a means to attracting younger audiences that are perhaps not finding content through a direct to consumer application. Joe also shared that he considers YouTube to be the digital water cooler, with those that use it recommending shows to others that are themselves likely to instead go to the brands direct to consumer platform to seek it out.

Actionable Insight: It’s no longer correct to see YouTube as competition to a direct to consumer (D2C) service, holding back content to encourage eyeballs your way. The likes of Channel 4 are proving that it’s possible for YouTube and a D2C proposition to have a symbiotic relationship in which YouTube captures alternative audiences, and perhaps even encourages D2C growth. As an agency, it’s important that we recognise this shift, and design our solutions in such a way that complements our clients potentially substantial YouTube offering. Content owners should tread carefully though, last time traditional players ceded for larger audience numbers they fueled the growth of Netflix and ultimately their own demise.

The OTT Question Time Live 2025 conference provided a comprehensive overview of the current trends and future directions in the streaming industry, and it was great to see professionals looking at the future with optimism. The importance of PSBs in protecting the truth is a theme that I expect to grow as we see evermore misinformation explode into society as AI continues to advance, and conversation on the role YouTube has to play in media will grow louder as YouTube continues to grab audience share in the living room. No matter what, 2025 looks set to be an interesting year for OTT and FX Digital.

Ready to Shape the Future of Connected TV?

As OTT Question Time 2025 has highlighted, the streaming landscape is evolving rapidly, bringing both challenges and opportunities for broadcasters, advertisers, and content owners. At FX Digital, we are committed to staying at the forefront of these changes, helping our clients navigate new trends in advertising, bundling, and audience engagement. Whether it’s supporting Public Service Broadcasters in reaching their audiences, building Connected TV Apps, or optimising CTV automation testing, we’re here to help.

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