Comcast/NBCUniversal. Who knew?
As we closed out 2014 (about one year ago), that U.S. media giant stood where virtually all other global media giants stood when it came to digital -- i.e., essentially nowhere.
What a difference a year makes (make that more like 6 months).
Since August 2015, check out Comcast/NBCUniversal's digital mega-moves:-- $200M investment in Vox Media
-- $200M investment in BuzzFeed
-- Comcast launches mobile and millennial-first, short-form driven "Watchable" service
-- NBCUniversal launches longer-form stand-alone OTT "Seeso" service
-- and, oh yes, don't forget NBCUniversal's continued joint venture partnership in Netflix competitor Hulu which, in 2015, turned on the cash spigot in a massive way to secure exclusives to Seinfeld and others -- and also to double down on originals.
And now this. Just a couple days back, Comcast/NBCUniversal quietly entered the full-on OTT platform space all alone (and without any JV partners) when its Fandango service bought long-neglected M-GO out from under its owners DreamWorks Animation and Technicolor (financial terms weren't disclosed).
Bravo Comcast/NBCUniversal. Bravo! (which is an NBCUniversal network by the way). Comcast/NBCUniversal is now well ahead of the curve versus other major U.S.-focused media giants -- certainly the one to watch. Time for others to take a look at what they are doing and, if nothing else, use that for inspiration to do something on their own ... In most cases, finally do something, because the clocks on change are only going to spring forward faster.