The action was certainly not confined to the basketball court, as was clear when we reviewed some of the season's hottest channels and video content to see what they were doing to help drive video consumption for the publishers playing them.
Women's History Month
The month started with International Women's Day 2021 with the theme #ChooseToChallenge. It's a time to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness against bias, and encourage everybody to take action for equality.
A large part of this involves online digital communications, where progress in women's equality is being seen in both ads and TV shows. When it comes to online users in the US, the similarity was startling.
So, what are the videos grabbing our audience's attention? We have a star-studded lineup of channels proudly flying the women's history flag.
MsMojo leads the way, capturing audiences with their Top 10 series. Check out the Top 10 Most Inspiring Female Athletes and Top 10 TV Series with All-Female Leads on our onscreen player. We're talking classics like Sex and the City, and Lena Dunham's Girls, to Emmy award-winning Big Little Lies.
Part of parent company WatchMojo, the channel publishes new content daily. As of April 2020, WatchMojo's YouTube channels generated over 100 billion minutes of watch time, a leading metric for engagement and quality.
Next on the list is Live Nation with their Artist Journey series. A perfect example of high engagement content is their Beyonce montage tracking Bey's solo projects since 2003. The channel recorded that videos featuring women generated a 68% bump in engagement and an uplift of 14% in revenue per impression.
NCAA March Madness
After being canceled last year, NCAA's March Madness is making a welcomed comeback. This year's 68 team tournament will be sporting a slightly different look and feel. Once the brackets are announced, they will not be reseeded. All men's games will be played in Indiana, with attendance capped at 25% of the arena size. The women's tournament will take place in Texas, with attendance at 17% arena size.
In 2019, the NCAA men's basketball tournament generated $910m in ad revenue. With fewer people able to physically watch a game, we're expecting more video views. Fans of the game are expected to be glued to their screens and are ready to consume big dance content.
Sports Illustrated has strong game, so their channel is certainly not "on the bubble." SportsGrid is another player making the Final Four this season. Both these channels are constantly updating their content, providing the latest news on the tournament. If you're looking for sports-related videos, then make sure these top your playlists.
The Grammys 2021
Talking about leading women! Women won big at this year's Grammys. Queen Bey was heading up the acts with nine nominations. The star is now the most-awarded woman in Grammys history, receiving her 28th win. She won Best R&B Performance for Black Parade, a celebration of black power and resilience, released on Juneteenth last year.
The 63rd annual music awards brought along with it plenty of highlights. The night kicked off with performances from Harry Styles and Billie Eilish, both taking home awards. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande became the first female duo to win best pop collaboration for “Rain On Me.” Meanwhile, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion got together for the first-ever TV performance of their X-rated single WAP. Megan Thee Stallion was clearly enjoying the night as she picked up the award for Best New Artist.
Another winner is the ever-popular USA Today! Their trending video content showcases highlights from last night's Grammys. They win our award for this month’s leading channel in the entertainment category with their montage and commentary on the night's festivities.
Key Takeaways
March is jam-packed with relevant and trending topics that publishers and advertisers alike can use to bump up engagement and appeal to audiences.
- Women are rocking online entertainment content, from sports, TV shows, and music. Video content featuring women appeals to a large and impactful audience.
- March Madness brings in big bucks for advertisers.
- Beyonce is the reigning Queen of Pop. Content featuring Bey is gold.
Tune in for next month's insights and the channels hitting the top of our playlist!
