New LinkedIn Research Initiative Will Examine the Convergence of Streaming, Telecommunications, Satellite, D2D/D2M, Broadcasting, Advertising and Digital Commerce

FreeCast Inc. announced the launch of Beyond Media, a new research and industry intelligence series published through FreeCast’s LinkedIn presence examining the rapidly changing intersection of media, telecommunications, technology, advertising and global connectivity.

The new series will provide ongoing FreeCast research, analysis and perspective on major structural changes affecting the industries in which the Company operates, including streaming television, MNOs and MVNOs, ISPs, satellite connectivity, 5G, Direct-to-Device (D2D), Direct-to-Mobile (D2M), next-generation broadcasting, advertising technology, sports distribution and digital commerce.

FreeCast’s Beyond Media research focuses on a fundamental question emerging as these industries converge:

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 Opportunity Above Connectivity

The Beyond Media reports will examine what FreeCast describes as 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 spend significant portions of each day viewing video across televisions, smartphones and connected devices. Within that attention economy are streaming, sports, advertising, subscriptions, premium programming, payments and commerce.

FreeCast’s research explores why connectivity providers may increasingly seek to participate in those economics rather than simply supplying the network beneath them.

“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.”

Researching a Converging Global Market

Beyond Media will examine developments that historically belonged to separate industries but are increasingly becoming interconnected.

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 are creating new competitive relationships—but also potentially significant opportunities for collaboration.

FreeCast’s research will examine these developments through the perspective of a media technology company operating across content aggregation, distribution, advertising and Platform-as-a-Service.

The Company’s PaaS strategy is designed around a similar convergence. FreeCast enables providers to establish branded Media & 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.

Looking “Beyond Media”

Future Beyond Media reports are expected to examine subjects affecting the broader global media ecosystem, including the evolution of television distribution, satellite and terrestrial connectivity, D2D and D2M, streaming aggregation, local broadcasting, sports rights, advertising technology, subscription economics, content discovery and the growing relationship between media and digital transactions.

The objective is to provide investors, telecommunications executives, broadcasters, content companies, technology providers and other industry participants with FreeCast’s perspective on where these markets are converging and what those changes could mean for the future economics of media.

“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.”

FreeCast’s Beyond Media research reports will be published through the Company’s LinkedIn presence and made available for industry professionals, investors, partners and others interested in following the continuing transformation of global media and connectivity.

The networks connect the world. Beyond Media examines what happens next.