MediaTech Radar is a monthly newsletter authored by IABM’s Business Intelligence Unit. It focuses on a spotlight topic in MediaTech and reflects on a series of past, present and future business developments in the industry. In this edition, our spotlight topic is IABM’s up-coming GeoTracker report, which tracks regional trends and market characteristics in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, as well as Latin America. The report will be published at the end of May and it is included in Platinum IABM membership. It can also be purchased separately by non-Platinum members via a single-report license. An overview of major topics discussed in the GeoTracker report is provided below. 

MediaTech Spotlight: GeoTracker 2025 report 

A spotlight topic in MediaTech.  

Even though inflation is slowing down, increasing geopolitical tensions and uncertainty around trade policies continue to constrain economic growth globally. IABM’s data illustrate that the business environment outlook in North America and Europe deteriorated, declining from 67% to 62% and from 65% to 58% respectively in 2025 compared to the previous year. In contrast, confidence levels in Latin America grew by 12% points YoY. Sales channel challenges were cited by the greatest proportion of respondents to IABM’s MediaTech Industry Tracker survey as a barrier to regional growth, reflecting growing supply chain risks due to trade restrictions and tariffs. An overview of the leading macro, business, and technology trends by region are summarized below from the GeoTracker report to present an overview of the main region-specific trends and market dynamics identified by IABM’s research.  

North America: 

• Macro trends: Macroeconomic pressures, relocation of Hollywood productions, talent shortages 

• Business trends: Profitability of streaming business, social media video and UGC gaining share of TV viewing, managed services 

• Technology trends: Live cloud production, move to IP and cloud, Generative AI 

Europe: 

• Macro trends: Macroeconomic uncertainty and cost-cutting, talent shortages 

• Business trends: Broadcasters’ digital-first strategies and business models, social media and new revenue streams, partnerships 

• Technology trends: Live cloud production, regulation around AI adoption, the democratization of MediaTech 

Asia-Pacific: 

• Macro trends: Macroeconomic pressures and the slowdown of economic growth in China, demographics and cultural factors affecting consumer markets in different sub-regions, sales channels challenges 

• Business trends: Investment in local content and localization, mobile streaming, live sports on social media platforms 

• Technology trends: OTT and social media platforms, competition among AI players and AI chip manufacturers, move to IP 

Latin America: 

• Macro trends: Business confidence, investment growth, sales channels challenges 

• Business trends: New revenue streams, telco partnerships and mobile streaming 

• Technology trends: Interoperability, security, AI, virtual production 

Middle East and Africa: 

• Macro trends: Drivers of economic growth, government reforms and incentives, sub-regional MediaTech markets, sales channels challenges 

• Business trends: OTT boom and competitive landscape, social media, live sports 

• Technology trends: Multiplatform delivery and vertical video, cloud constraints related to government-budgeting cycles, move to IP 

 

MediaTech Watchlist: CBS Sports, Charter, Fox, Disney, Warner Bros., and others… 

A watchlist of selected past, present and future business developments in MediaTech. 

• On April 29, Verizon announced the launch of its first Government Cloud-Managed Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) product, marking its entry into the US federal market. The product was developed to support the federal government’s ongoing transition to cloud-based technologies by enhancing operational efficiency and improving accessibility. 

• On May 5, Donald Trump announced a 100% tariff on international film productions on his Truth Social platform. “The Movie Industry in America is DYING a very fast death. Other countries are offering all sorts of incentives to draw our filmmakers and studios away from the United States.” Following the announcement, Netflix’s shares declined by 4%, Warner Bros. Discovery lost 3%, Disney and Paramount Global lost 2% each, and Comcast lost 1%. Countries offering production incentive programs, such as tax benefits, like Canada and the UK, have influenced the redistribution of studio productions to territories outside of the US in recent years. Canada provides a 25% refundable credit on eligible Canadian labor, while the UK’s AVEC system is based on all qualifying UK spend, not just labor, and offers higher rates for animation, children’s programming, and independent films, which led to the UK becoming the biggest exporter of unscripted television formats in 2024. 

• As streaming has overtaken cable TV in the US market as the destination for scripted content, Pay-TV operators are responding by moving toward direct-to-consumer offerings. According to the latest Nielsen data, streaming accounted for 42.4% of total TV viewership in the US in Q1 2025, compared to cable’s 28.9% and broadcast’s 28.7%. 

• On May 12, Fox Corporation announced that it will launch a direct-to-consumer streaming service FOX One ahead of the NFL season, bringing together all of Fox’s content across news, sports and entertainment. The new streaming service will feature personalization technology that adapts to users’ viewing preferences. 

• On May 13, Disney announced the launch of its standalone direct-to-consumer streaming service ESPN in early autumn 2025. The new D2C service will be available with two tiers of subscription plan, an unlimited package and a select option, both of which can be bundled with Disney+ and Hulu “We are providing everything ESPN has to offer directly to fans and all in one place,” said Jimmy Pitaro, ESPN Chairman. 

• Warner Bros. Discovery fell short of first-quarter revenue estimates due to a weak box office performance and the decline of its traditional TV business.  

• On May 14, WBD announced the rebrand of its direct to consumer streaming service Max back into HBO Max, in summer 2025. Speaking at the WBD Upfront presentation event execs emphasised that the name change reflected their strategic focus on a quality over quantity approach for the streaming service that aligns with the pedigree of the HBO brand. 

• In response to increasing competition from streaming services, Charter Communications disclosed the acquisition of Cox Communications in a deal worth $34.5bn on May 16. The companies reported that after closing the deal, the new combined entity will be named Cox Communications within a year, while Spectrum will serve as the consumer-facing brand within the communities Cox serves. 

• On May 13, Microsoft revealed that it would lay off about 6,000 of its 228,000 employees globally — 2.6% of its workforce, while heavily investing in artificial intelligence. Unlike the smaller number of performance-based layoffs in January 2025, Microsoft attributes these latest job cuts to organizational changes. The reduction targeted software engineers and product managers. This move reflects a broader trend in big tech, as companies like Meta and Amazon are cutting jobs while funding AI innovation. 

• CBS Sports leveraged AI, AR graphics, 5G connectivity, a remotely controlled robotic camera and tracking data system to create an immersive viewing experience for its PGA Championship coverage on May 15-18. The company deployed 24 mobile production trucks to produce the tournament remotely in partnership with T-Mobile. 

Thank you for reading this newsletter. If there are topics you would like us to cover or if you have information/ideas that you would like to share, please get in touch with us.  

The IABM Business Intelligence Unit 

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