A group of independent ad-supported streaming companies have joined forces to leverage collective reach, launching the Independent Streaming Alliance. Founding members include Allen Media Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cineverse, Scripps and Vevo. The members — representing smaller or niche platforms — plan to pursue a combined approach to measurement (working with iSpot.tv) as well as promotion, distribution and demand. On launch, the group claims to represent “over 2,200 independent streaming touchpoints” generating “more than half a billion hours” of monthly global consumer viewing time. Continue reading Independent Streamers Join Forces to Create Industry Forum

Americans look at their cell phones 8 billion times a day, says Deloitte & Touche’s Craig Wigginton, who moderated a panel on “Merging Content With New Technologies.” Wigginton recited a flurry of statistics that underline today’s extreme fragmentation, a reality that challenges all content companies: Millennials check their smartphones 74 times a day, and 87 percent of them use it while watching TV. Meanwhile, 42 percent of Americans now use streaming services and over 50 percent of millennials watch on a small screen. Continue reading CES: Merging Content with New Tech in a Fragmented World