Off the back of The Super Bowl LVII domination, kicked off by Paramount+ in February, another streamer took full advantage of this momentum by diving into the ripple effect. You may or may not be a “Swiftie” at your core, but that likely didn’t deter Taylor Swift from making an appearance on your news feed in recent months. This global star was at home in the spotlight, across social media platforms and news outlets, as she celebrated her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s NFL win at The Super Bowl. It was Disney+ who took this opportunity in March to boost the peak of interest surrounding their title Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version). Not only did Swift’s title sit in the top digital real estate as a standalone, but Disney+ further doubled down by featuring it alongside Hulu’s anticipated Shōgun, and others, to promote their Disney Bundle. This was a clever move, ensuring users knew they could now enjoy the “full” Hulu experience within the Disney+ App. And this wasn’t the only content turning heads this month. If you’d like to see which marvellous creation brought a classic back to life, with winning prominence on the digital storefronts, read our March Merchandiser of the Month report here.

Taylor Swift was not the only one taking centre stage in March. The 96th annual Academy Awards®, also known as The Oscars, called upon the best in the Film industry to be celebrated for their outstanding achievements, on March 10th. The 2024 ceremony saw an impressive viewership growth of 4% in the US, with 19.5 million viewers tuning in to be a part of one of the most accredited industry events. Although The Oscars are largely followed, we did not see many services stepping up to the occasion suited and booted, with a lack of noteworthy promotion. The likes of ABC Network in the US, and ITVX in the UK were amongst those who promoted the awards ceremony via dedicated space, whilst Hulu’s Poor Things was branded with its win in the US. Have a look for yourselves within our latest Merchandiser of the Month here.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we do have something noteworthy to mention. Sony Pictures made headlines in March, announcing they have launched 54 FAST channels in Europe. That’s an impressively hefty amount, which certainly makes a statement within the industry to “go big or go home”. Fan favourites Breaking Bad, Seinfeld, Bewitched and many others will now be available as a part of the Sony One portfolio, off the back of deals made with LG Channels, Samsung TV Plus and TiVO+. Everyone has something to get excited about, with the launch territories including the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland, the content being broadcast primarily in each region’s local language. On the matter, Pete Wood, Senior Vice President of New Media Distribution at Sony Pictures, said “Sony Pictures recognizes the potential of the free ad-supported television space to engage new viewers globally with our extensive feature film and TV series catalogue spanning 100 years… Our entry into the FAST space in Europe reflects our dedication to making premium content accessible to audiences on new and important distribution channels.”