What lies at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Wall Street?
As someone once described as “Madison Avenue’s de facto chief economist”, Brian Wieser has brought incisive analysis to the evolving advertising business.
As senior research analyst for Pivotal Research Group, Wieser carved a niche with sharp commentary on major media stocks, before going in-house as GroupM’s global president, business intelligence.
In January 2023, Wieser left to form his own Madison and Wall, an advisory service.
I keep telling people the @brianwieser Substack is a must-read if you follow the media & advertising worldshttps://t.co/uBvIdOgcVE
— Ben Miller (@benmillerMKE) September 15, 2023
In this video interview with Beet.TV at the 12th annual CIMM Summit, Wieser says he sees an industry adopting new measurement and trading currencies – but with some question marks hanging over the new digital suppliers.
The Uncertain Future of Nielsen and Emerging Competitors
When asked about the emerging companies in the currency space and the future of Nielsen, Wieser expressed that there’s room for competition.
“There’s definitely room for a lot of the emerging competitors. The real question is whether or not the capital is sufficient to make sure that they can be vibrant competitors.”
He also acknowledges the difficulty in anticipating radical change when it comes to measurement, recognizing Nielsen’s dominance in the field.
“It’s hard to be definitive about how all these things emerge other than to say there’s a lot of incrementalism at minimum,” he says.
The Impact of Streaming on the Television Industry
Wieser paints a grim picture for the largest TV network owners. He states: “Most of the largest TV network owners are not in a great place.
“It’s way more expensive to market. It’s way more expensive to deliver the content you have way more churn, not to mention whatever would happen to the pay TV ecosystem and all the forced bundles that existed.”
“You can make up some of it with your streaming services, but not all of it.”
Wieser anticipates consolidation in the sector and possibly across sectors, noting that some digital companies may struggle to maintain growth.
