• The movie review website Rotten Tomatoes collects film reviews and creates a critics consensus based on "fresh" and "rotten" ratings.
• Any movie on the website that has a rating below 60% is considered "rotten."
• 2018 films like "Gotti" and "Breaking In" were rated as rotten for numerous reasons.
• Sometimes critics and audiences disagreed on how good or bad a movie was. 

With awards season fast approaching and speculation swirling about which films will be nominated at the Academy Awards, there are a number of films that will be left out of the awards circuit due to low ratings from critics.

This year Rotten Tomatoes pulled reviews from countless film critics to create fresh and rotten ratings for newly released films.

Here were the 25 worst reviewed movies of 2018, according to the movie review site.

Reviewers loved Gabrielle Union but hated "Breaking In."

Gabrielle Union ("The Birth of a Nation,""Love and Basketball") is the lead of the summer action flick "Breaking In." In the movie, Union plays a mother determined to save her two children from a dangerous hostage situation by breaking into her own house.

Many critics called it campy and ill-plotted, giving it a rating of 26%. Even Louisa Moore of Screen Zealots, who gave it a fresh review, said it was a "good bad movie."

Critics said that "Forever My Girl" had too much schmaltz for its own good.

Accused by many as attempting to duplicate the success of Nicholas Sparks' romantic films, "Forever My Girl" is a romance based on a novel that stars Alex Roe and Jessica Rothe.

Film critics mostly found the country romance superficial and overly sentimental, but the audience score is significantly higher than the critical rating; critics gave it 26% and filmgoers gave it a fresh rating of 83%.

Critics adored Anna Faris but praised little else in "Overboard."

A remake of the 1987 comedy of the same name, "Overboard" is a comedy starring Eugenio Derbez and Anna Faris. In the original film, a rich woman (Goldie Hawn) falls off of a ship and gets amnesia, resulting in a comedy of errors when Kurt Russell convinces her that they are married.

In the remake, it is Derbez who falls overboard and Faris who tricks him. Despite an outpouring of support for Faris' performance, most critics found little redeemable in the rest of the movie, resulting in a score of 25%.

• After a shaky start, wearables like smartwatches and fitness trackers have gained traction in healthcare, with US consumer use jumping from 9% in 2014 to 33% in 2018.
• More than 80% of consumers are willing to wear tech that measures health data — and penetration should continue to climb.
• The maturation of the wearable market will put more wearables in the hands of consumers and US businesses.

The US healthcare industry as it exists today is not sustainable. An aging patient population and rising burden of chronic disease have caused healthcare costs to skyrocket and left providers struggling to keep up with demand for care. 

Meanwhile, digital technologies in nearly every consumer experience outside of healthcare have raised patients’ expectations for good service to be higher than ever.

One of the key mechanisms through which healthcare providers can finally evolve their outdated practices and exceed these expectations is wearable technology.

Presently, 33% of US consumers have adopted wearables, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers, to play a more active role in managing their health. In turn, insurers, providers, and employers are poised to become just as active leveraging these devices – and the data they capture – to abandon the traditional reimbursement model and improve patient outcomes with personalized, value-based care.

Adoption is going to keep climbing, as more than 80% of consumers are willing to wear tech that measures health data, according to Accenture — though they have reservations about who exactly should access it.

A new report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, follows the growing adoption of wearables and breadth of functions they offer to outline how healthcare organizations and stakeholders can overcome this challenge and add greater value with wearable technology.

For insurers, providers, and employers, wearables present three distinct opportunities:

• Insurers can use wearable data to enhance risk assessments and drive customer lifetime value. One study shows that wearables can incentivize healthier behavior associated with a 30% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events and death.
• Providers can use the remote patient monitoring capabilities of wearable technology to improve chronic disease management, lessen the burden of staff shortages, and navigate a changing reimbursement model. And since 90% of patients no longer feel obligated to stay with providers that don't deliver a satisfactory digital experience, wearables could help to attract and retain them.
• Employers can combine wearables with cash incentives to lower insurance costs and improve employee productivity. For example, The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority yielded $5 million in healthcare cost savings through a wearable-based employee wellness program.

Want to Learn More?

The Wearables in US Healthcare Report details the current and future market landscape of wearables in the US healthcare sector. It explores the key drivers behind wearable usage by insurers, healthcare providers, and employers, and the opportunities wearables afford to each of these stakeholders. 

By outlining a successful case study from each stakeholder, the report highlights best practices in implementing wearables to reduce healthcare claims, improve patient outcomes, and drive insurance cost savings, as well as how the evolution of the market will create new, untapped opportunities for businesses.

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• The volatile stock markets likely have investors on edge. Many are worried that a recession is imminent.
• But Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Baird Equity Research, is optimistic that the recent sell-off in the markets represents just a correction, not a sign of an economic downturn.
• If so, that could be a good sign for tech stocks; they've tended to post strong gains in rebounds after corrections, according to Sebastian's data.
• But some stocks have done better than others, and Sebastian has three suggestions on which to pick.

With the stock markets facing turbulent times, many investors are likely wondering where to invest.

Colin Sebastian has some suggestions.

Although talk of recession is increasingly in the air, Sebastian, a financial analyst who covers internet and technology stocks for Baird Equity Research, is betting that the stock sell-off in recent months is simply a market correction, not the advent of an economic downturn. If that's the case, the internet and video-game software sectors should be poised for a big rebound, he said.

"We think it is reasonable to consider a more optimistic outcome" than a recession, Sebastian said in a research report issued Wednesday.

That would have been a remarkable statement after the huge sell-off investors saw in recent weeks and have seen in recent months. But given the market's rebound on Wednesday, he may be onto something.

To figure out what investors could expect in the case of a rebound, and where they should place their bets, Sebastian took a look at how the companies he follows performed after the four most recent market corrections.

On average, the internet companies he covers saw their stocks rise 11% in the six months after those corrections. The video-game companies did slightly better, rising 12%.

But those averages mask a lot of variation among the different companies.

Among the 15 companies he studied, just three traded higher six months after each of the four corrections on which he focused: Google parent Alphabet, Facebook, and Activision Blizzard. All three were also the best performers when it came to volatility — they each posted the lowest variance from their average price during those rebound periods.

But that doesn't mean he thinks each one of those companies is a good bet this time around. Here are his picks:

SEE ALSO: A longtime investor shares his 3 picks for tech stocks to bet on in these tough times for the market

Alphabet

Alphabet's stock hasn't been seen a huge bounce back in recent corrections. On average, it was up just 9% over the six-month periods.

But it was one of only three companies in Sebastian's coverage area that showed a positive return in each of the four rebounds. And it gave investors less cause for stress than other stocks; its standard-deviation figure, which measures how much a stock varies from its average price, was just 0.05, which was the lowest among the stocks he covers.

Sebastian has an overweight rating on Alphabet's shares and a $1,380 price target. In afternoon trading on Wednesday, its stock was at $1,023.92 a share.

Activision Blizzard

Like Alphabet, video-game publishing giant Activision Blizzard posted a positive return in each of the last four rebound periods, according to Sebastian's data. But it saw a much stronger bounce than Google's parent.

On average, Activision's stock was trading 19.4% higher six months after the correction. But with that stronger performance came more volatility. Its standard-deviation figure was 0.09 — nearly double Google's.

Sebastian has an overweight rating on Activision and a target price of $85. In recent trading, its stock was at $45.65.

Amazon

Amazon actually isn't in the select group of companies that showed positive returns in the six months after each of the most recent corrections. And its volatility in those periods has been much higher than most of the other stocks Sebastian covers; its standard-deviation figure for the rebounds was 0.24.

But Sebastian thinks it's a great bet anyway. In his universe of stocks, Amazon had the highest average return over those four rebound periods. Its mean six-month rebound was 30.1%.

Sebastian has an overweight rating on Amazon and a target price of $2,100. In afternoon trading, its stock was at $1,437.91.

• BlockTower Capital, which manages more than $130 million in client assets, made a $1 million bet last year that bitcoin's price would rise above $50,000 by Friday.
• On Friday, the call options expire, and the firm will lose $1 million unless the bitcoin jumps from its current price of roughly $3,700 to more than $50,000.
• If the price gets that high, the crypto hedge fund will be able to buy 275 bitcoins at $50,000 apiece through the bitcoin-derivative platform known as LedgerX.
• Watch bitcoin trade live.

It was a shocking bet even when it was made during bitcoin's sharp rise last year: $1 million that by the end of 2018, bitcoin would be worth more than $50,000.

The bet, made by the crypto hedge fund BlockTower Capital, would have given the manager the chance to buy 275 bitcoins at $50,000 apiece — any time before Friday, when the call options expire, a purchase that would have cost $13.8 million. The manager spent just under $1 million on those call options.

Bitcoin is currently trading at less than $4,000 per coin — a drop of more than 80% from its peak of $19,783, when BlockTower made its bet.

BlockTower — a Stamford, Connecticut-based manager that runs more than $130 million in client assets and has a minimum investment of $1 million — defended the purchase of the options at the time as a way to "risk a little to win a lot,"according to the manager's cofounder Ari Paul. In a CNBC interview a week after the firm bought the options, Paul said "it was not a bet that something will happen, but a bet that something could happen," and that he liked the odds and payout of the move.

In an email to Business Insider earlier this month, Paul wrote that "we were not betting on or expecting" a bitcoin rally.

"In contrast, the options were a way for us to maintain exposure to an extreme rally while reducing overall crypto exposure," he wrote.

Paul declined to say if he had any other options out of bitcoin's future price.

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NOW WATCH: The legendary economist who predicted the housing crisis says the US will win the trade war

• Venrock partner Cami Samuels has a bold prediction for a biotech that had a record-breaking initial public offering in 2018.
• Among other predictions for 2019, Samuels told Business Insider, "Moderna will exit at a $3 billion valuation next year."
• Moderna debuted on the public markets after raising $600 million, which valued the company at $7.5 billion, more than double what Samuels is predicting Moderna will fall to.
• Here's why she thinks that slump will happen.

Venrock partner Cami Samuels has a bold prediction going into 2019: "Moderna will exit at a $3 billion valuation next year."

Moderna debuted on the public market on December 7 after raising more than $600 million in the biggest initial public offering in biotech history. While the IPO valued Moderna at $7.5 billion, it's currently trading well below its IPO price with a market value of $5 billion.

By the end of 2019, Samuels expects that to drop even further to a market value of $3 billion, less than half of its valuation at the IPO.

"It's hard for me, looking at their pipeline, to figure out why they're valued five times, six times [as much as] other companies with the same pipeline," said Samuels, whose firm makes investments in technology and healthcare companies.

Which isn't to say she's not interested in the science.

Moderna is developing medical treatments based on messenger RNA, and the company is still in the early days of human trials for its treatments, which include cancer treatments as well as a vaccine for cytomegalovirus, or CMV. The idea is that by putting messenger RNA into the body, it can turn the body into a drug factory, pumping out the proteins needed to fight a particular disease.

"Having said that, I do think that they're at the beginning of RNA and gene-editing RNA being emphasized almost as much as DNA gene-editing, based on all the startups I've been seeing," Samuels said.

Read more:6 top VCs give their best 2019 predictions for healthcare, from a biotech correction to a 'shadow cash economy' stepping into the light

Samuels joined Venrock in 2014 and is currently invested in Unity Biotechnology, a company developing treatments related to aging. She has a few other predictions as well for the coming year.

For one, she's ready to get back to the basics in biotech.

"I'm enthused by the correction," Samuels told Business Insider. Over the past five years, the Nasdaq biotech index is up 25%, though recently stocks have taken a tumble, putting them well into correction territory, a term that refers to a 10% or greater decline from a stock's most recent peak.

In 2019, she said, she's anticipating a return to the basic biotech business model. That is, instead of a broad platform with six or more drugs in the works, a more straightforward focus on one or two lead programs that a company knows super well.

The correction in turn will drive that because there will be less available capital pouring into early-stage companies, forcing them to have a more zoomed-in approach.

"I remain an optimist on the fundamentals of biotech, but the industry has gotten so enthusiastic as to be undisciplined," Samuels said.

On the policy side, Samuels said she expects to see the biopharma industry make a concession on drug pricing to appease the administration of President Donald Trump. That said, she doesn't expect it to have broad implications.

Lastly, she sees exhaustion with financing cancer-drug makers sinking in, with interest picking up for other diseases that have been left at the wayside.

Two of the scientific areas she's most interested in at the moment: mitochondrial RNA-based medicines (a similar area to the work Moderna's in) and antiaging biology, particularly an area she refers to as "inflamm-aging."

Click here to read our conversations with 6 top biotech and healthcare VCs about their 2019 predictions.

• Read more:
• Moderna just went public in the biggest IPO in biotech history. Here are the 7 people and investors who stand to benefit the most.
• Companies hunting for new ways to tackle cancer and Alzheimer's raised $6.3 billion going public in 2018 — here are the 10 biggest deals of the year
• 16 billion-dollar startups revolutionizing healthcare that you should be watching in 2019
• The $23 billion health system in Amazon's backyard just hired a new chief information officer from Microsoft

SUBSCRIBE: Dispensed: a weekly dose of pharma, biotech, and healthcare news

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NOW WATCH: Here's what happens to your brain when you get blackout drunk

• Markets driven by politics and hedge funds are already beginning to assess the risk of President Donald Trump getting impeached in 2019.
• It's not the only risk on their radar, of course, and it's not the most likely. But investors are talking about it as a possibility.
• At least three Wall Street hedge funds are trying to assess how an impeachment might affect the markets.

Investors have a lot to worry about in 2019 — there's the trade war with China, Federal Reserve policy, and oil prices, to name a few.

Recently, a new worry has cropped up: impeachment.

At least three Wall Street hedge funds and asset managers have started talking about the possibility of the impeachment of President Donald Trump as a potential market catalyst in 2019, according to people familiar with their thinking.

It's an unwelcome development for hedge-fund managers, who are finding it difficult to adjust their strategies to fit the increasingly uncertain political reality thanks to a soon-to-be-Democrat-controlled House of Representatives. They can handle normal macro factors like central bank activity and trade tensions, but they view impeachment as a wild card — and it's thrown a wrench into their best-laid plans.

"That's something you really can't model for," said Larry Newhook, the CEO of Alpha Innovations, which runs a managed-account platform for institutions to access smaller strategies and funds.

It's a relatively new market catalyst, coming after the midterms and ever-present turmoil in the administration. In betting markets, the odds that Trump will be booted from office next year are shortening. After the midterms, oddsmaker Bovada increased the likelihood of an impeachment, with a $100 bet on a Trump impeachment paying out only $125, compared to a $160 payout before November. Currently, the oddsmaker has a $100 impeachment bet paying out $150.

It's now enough of a possibility to land on the radar of big investors.

"Internally, we're talking about this because it's interesting, but if it gets more significant, we will talk about it more," said one London-based asset manager at a Wall Street firm. "I'm not sure it's a market positive, but it may not be a market negative. And it will take a long time."

Markets can react sharply to big geopolitical and global-economic events, leading to big paydays for so-called "macro" investing strategies. A Trump impeachment would be behind other, more pressing macro risks next year, the asset manager said, such as, in order of magnitude: Fed policy, the US-China trade war, the "leveraged loan" boom, eurozone drama, emerging-market turmoil, and volatile oil prices. (The person added that Brexit is much higher on that list for UK-focused investors).

Newhook said that even comparing it to Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998 wouldn't do much good because the market has changed so much in the years since.

Correctly gauging price moves from geopolitical events can be incredibly profitable. Big macro funds like Jeffrey Talpins' Element Capital have posted stellar returns in a year when the average hedge fund through the end of November has declined 2%.

But the last quarter of 2018 has been brutal for investors of all stripes — the average macro fund, according to data from Hedge Fund Research, lost 4.1% through November. Even one of the world's best macro traders, George Soros, is reportedly pulling back on the strategy. Soros Fund Management has cut its allocation to macro investments to $500 million, compared to $3 billion last year.

"All you can do is say, 'Hey, do I want to be aggressive with my risk-taking or not?'" said Newhook, who was formerly the head of due diligence for hedge-fund giant Steve Cohen. "The one thing you don't want to be doing if you think impeachment is possible is be short volatility. The bottom line is that this is just another source of volatility."

SEE ALSO: Goldman Sachs just dropped its annual Christmas crossword — see how many clues you can get

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NOW WATCH: The legendary economist who predicted the housing crisis says the US will win the trade war

• Approximately 800,000 federal government employees have gone without pay since the third government shutdown of the year went into effect just after midnight on December 22.
• A portion of these workers are employed as contractors, which means their payments come from a third party. If the government is not working with that third party, those workers may not be paid.

Julie Burr, an administrative assistant at the US Department of Transportation in Kansas City, Missouri, was told in an email that she had to return her work computer to her office because the government was shutting down. As a contractor, she can't work until the shutdown ends.

Burr, a single mother to a 14-year-old boy, panicked.

"I want to get back to work as quickly as possible, not only because of the paycheck, but I love what I do," she told INSIDER.

"I know that there's probably gonna be a lot of work waiting for me, and it's going to take some time to catch up when we get back."

She is now one of thousands of federal government employees who are officially jobless as the third US government shutdown of 2018 continues. But unlike many workers who are employed directly by the government, Burr is a contractor, meaning her paycheck comes from a third-party business hired by the government. If the government stops doing business with the third-party company, the employees don't get paid.

Unlike Burr, some of her coworkers at the transportation agency are direct employees, so they could get back pay, eventually. As a contractor, Burr does not have the same security.

"My contracting company does not pay me for any days that are not worked," she said.

To make up for the lost income, she has picked up extra shifts at her second job at her local Barnes & Noble book store. Reached by phone on Wednesday during a break from her shift, Burr said she was "really hoping" that Congress and President Donald Trump "would come to a conclusion" instead of shutting down the government.

"I was getting my fingers crossed and then it didn't happen," she said. Now, she said, she can only hope Congress will reach an agreement soon and the shutdown won't last as long as the last one.

"It needs to be resolved as soon as possible because there are a lot of people affected," she said. "Not just the people that might be affected by any sort of border security."

"Everybody's going to have to compromise a little bit," Burr added.

Read more: 'We don't know when his next check will come': Federal employees are sharing how the government shutdown over Christmas is affecting their families

Like Burr, Bonita Williams was out of a job in Washington, DC, Monday. Williams, a grandmother who works as a janitor at the State Department, is employed by a government contractor. Her supervisor told her not to show up to work this week because of the shutdown.

"I don't know how I'm gonna pay my rent, because I work four hours a day, and if I miss one hour from work then my rent is short, 'cause I make just enough money to pay my rent and that's it," she told INSIDER.

This isn't the first time Williams has been unable to work because of a government shutdown. Earlier this year, during the first government shutdown of 2018, Williams said she was not paid for two weeks. She said she has been unable to find a full-time job since her hours as a janitor at the State Department were reduced from eight hours a day to four earlier this year.

"So, I'm just like, stuck between a rock and a hard place because I just have to keep trying to do the best I can with the part-time job that I had and now that got threatened by Trump, so then I don't know what I'm gonna do," she said.

Williams said the president keeps saying Americans agree with him about shutting down the government in order to secure funding for the border wall, but he actually doesn't understand the trouble some workers face now that they won't be getting a paycheck thanks to the shutdown.

"He never talked to me or my coworkers, you don't know what we're going through," she said. "Now our rent's not going to be paid."

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NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

Smart speakers comprise one of the fastest-growing device segments in the consumer technology market today. Ownership levels have nearly doubled from early 2017 to summer 2018. 

With this rapid growth, there are a few pivotal questions that both companies looking to develop and sell smart speakers as well as those looking to sell products, deliver media, and offer access to services like banking over these devices need answers to in order to craft successful strategies. In particular, they need to know who is and isn’t buying smart speakers, and what consumers who own smart speakers are actually doing with them. 

To offer these stakeholders insight, Business Insider Intelligence asked more than 500 US consumers about their knowledge of smart speakers, the devices they do or don’t own and what led them to their purchase decisions, as well as the tasks they’re using their smart speakers for.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence will look at the state of the smart speaker market and outline how each of the major device providers approaches the space. We will then focus on the key factors that affect whether or not someone owns one of these devices. Next, we will use our survey data to outline the reasons why people don’t own devices in order to offer guidance for who to target and how. Finally, we will discuss what consumers are actually doing with their smart speakers — specifically looking at how the devices are used and perceived in e-commerce, digital media, and banking — which can help companies determine how well they’re publicizing their smart speaker services and capabilities.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Amazon, Google, Apple, Samsung, Facebook, Sonos, LG, Anker, Spotify, Pandora, Grubhub, Netflix, Hulu, Instagram, Snap.

Here are some key takeaways from the report:

• Despite their growing popularity, nearly half of respondents still don't own a device — which presents a long runway for adoption. Our survey data reveals a number of key factors that impact whether or not someone owns one of these devices, including income, gender, and age.
• Smart speakers are establishing themselves as a key platform for e-commerce, media, and the smart home.
• The introduction of a screen to some smart speakers will expand the possibilities for companies developing for the device — but developers will need to resist the compulsion to use speakers to accomplish too much.

In full, the report:

• Provides an overview of the key players and products in the smart speaker market.
• Highlights critical adoption rates broken out by key factors that define the segment.
• Identifies how consumers are using devices in important areas where companies in various industries are trying foster greater use of the voice interface.

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

What is eSports? History & Rise of Video Game Tournaments

Years ago, eSports was a community of video gamers who would gather at conventions to play Counter Strike, Call of Duty, or League of Legends.

These multiplayer video game competitions would determine League of Legends champions, the greatest shooters in Call of Duty, the cream of the crop of Street Fighter players, the elite Dota 2 competitors, and more.

But today, as the history of eSports continue to unfold, media giants such as ESPN and Turner are broadcasting eSports tournaments and competitions. And in 2014, Amazon acquired Twitch, the live streaming video platform that has been and continues to be the leader in online gaming broadcasts. And YouTube also wanted to jump on the live streaming gaming community with the creation of YouTube Gaming.

eSports Market Growth Booming

To put in perspective how big eSports is becoming, a Google search for "lol" does not produce "laughing out loud" as the top result. Instead, it points to League of Legends, one of the most popular competitive games in existence. The game has spawned a worldwide community called the League of Legends Championship Series, more commonly known as LCS or LOL eSports.

What started as friends gathering in each other's homes to host LAN parties and play into the night has become an official network of pro gaming tournaments and leagues with legitimate teams, some of which are even sponsored and have international reach. Organizations such as Denial, AHQ, and MLG have multiple eSports leagues.

And to really understand the scope of all this, consider that the prize pool for the latest Dota 2 tournament was more than $20 million.

Websites even exist for eSports live scores to let people track the competitions in real time if they are unable to watch. There are even fantasy eSports leagues similar to fantasy football, along with the large and growing scene of eSports betting and gambling.

So it's understandable why traditional media companies would want to capitalize on this growing trend just before it floods into the mainstream. Approximately 300 million people worldwide tune in to eSports today, and that number is growing rapidly. By 2020, that number will be closer to 500 million.

eSports Industry Analysis - The Future of the Competitive Gaming Market

Financial institutions are starting to take notice. Goldman Sachs valued eSports at $500 million in 2016 and expects the market will grow at 22% annually compounded over the next three years into a more than $1 billion opportunity.

And industry statistics are already backing this valuation and demonstrating the potential for massive earnings. To illustrate the market value, market growth, and potential earnings for eSports, consider Swedish media company Modern Times Group's $87 million acquisition of Turtle Entertainment, the holding company for ESL. YouTube has made its biggest eSports investment to date by signing a multiyear broadcasting deal with Faceit to stream the latter's Esports Championship Series. And the NBA will launch its own eSports league in 2018.

Of course, as with any growing phenomenon, the question becomes: How do advertisers capitalize? This is especially tricky for eSports because of its audience demographics, which is young, passionate, male-dominated, and digital-first. They live online and on social media, are avid ad-blockers, and don't watch traditional TV or respond to conventional advertising.

So what will the future of eSports look like? How high can it climb? Could it reach the mainstream popularity of baseball or football? How will advertisers be able to reach an audience that does its best to shield itself from advertising?

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service, has compiled an unparalleled report on the eSports ecosystem that dissects the growing market for competitive gaming. This comprehensive, industry-defining report contains more than 30 charts and figures that forecast audience growth, average revenue per user, and revenue growth.

Companies and organizations mentioned in the report include: NFL, NBA, English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, NHL, Paris Saint-Germain, Ligue 1, Ligue de Football, Twitch, Amazon, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, ESPN, Electronic Arts, EA Sports, Valve, Riot Games, Activision Blizzard, ESL, Turtle Entertainment, Dreamhack, Modern Times Group, Turner Broadcasting, TBS Network, Vivendi, Canal Plus, Dailymotion, Disney, BAMTech, Intel, Coca Cola, Red Bull, HTC, Mikonet

Here are some eSports industry facts and statistics from the report:

• eSports is a still nascent industry filled with commercial opportunity.
• There are a variety of revenue streams that companies can tap into.
• The market is presently undervalued and has significant room to grow.
• The dynamism of this market distinguishes it from traditional sports.
• The audience is high-value and global, and its numbers are rising.
• Brands can prosper in eSports by following the appropriate game plan.
• Game publishers approach their Esport ecosystems in different ways.  
• Successful esport games are comprised of the same basic ingredients.
• Digital streaming platforms are spearheading the popularity of eSports.
• Legacy media are investing into eSports, and seeing encouraging results.
• Traditional sports franchises have a clear opportunity to seize in eSports.
• Virtual and augmented reality firms also stand to benefit from eSports.  

In full, the report illuminates the business of eSports from four angles:

• The gaming nucleus of eSports, including an overview of popular esport genres and games; the influence of game publishers, and the spectrum of strategies they adopt toward their respective esport scenes; the role of eSports event producers and the tournaments they operate.
• The eSports audience profile, its size, global reach, and demographic, psychographic, and behavioral attributes; the underlying factors driving its growth; why they are an attractive target for brands and broadcasters; and the significant audience and commercial crossover with traditional sports.
• eSports media broadcasters, including digital avant-garde like Twitch and YouTube, newer digital entrants like Facebook and traditional media outlets like Turner’s TBS Network, ESPN, and Canal Plus; their strategies and successes in this space; and the virtual reality opportunity.
• eSports market economics, with a market sizing, growth forecasts, and regional analyses; an evaluation of the eSports spectacle and its revenue generators, some of which are idiosyncratic to this industry; strategic planning for brand marketers, with case studies; and an exploration of the infinite dynamism and immense potential of the eSports economy.

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• Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been released from hospital following cancer surgery, Reuters reports
• A spokeswoman for the court, Kathy Arberg, says that Ginsburg is now recuperating at home.
• On Monday, Associated Press reported that 'RBG' was up and working just a few days after undergoing surgery for lung cancer.
• The 85-year-old Ginsburg will be home in time to watch the newly released feature film “On the Basis of Sex,” released this week which follows some of her notable early battles and achievements.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is back at home after being released from a hospital following cancer surgery, Reuters reported.

A spokeswoman for the court, Kathy Arberg, says that Ginsburg is recuperating at home.

On Monday, the Associated Press said that Ginsburg was up and working some 72 hours after surgery for lung cancer.

“Justice Ginsburg was discharged from the hospital yesterday and is recuperating at home,” Arberg said in a statement, Wednesday.

It was only on Friday that the famously durable 85-year-old justice underwent surgery to remove two malignant growths in her left lung.

Doctors found no evidence of disease elsewhere in her body after the pulmonary lobectomy, and no further treatment is planned, according to an earlier court statement.

Read more: Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been a Supreme Court Justice for 25 years — here's a look at the trailblazer's life and career

Ginsburg was only just hospitalized in November after she fractured several ribs in a fall. It was while she was being treated for those injuries that doctors identified two nodules in the lower lobe of her left lung.

Ginsburg’s health has been an ongoing preoccupation for Democrats across the country in recent years. The court’s conservative-to-liberal ratio is now 5-4 after President Donald Trump appointed justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the seats vacated by the late Justice Antonin Scalia and retired Justice Anthony Kennedy.

Ginsburg, adored by the left for her apparently indomitable stamina was appointed to the country's highest court back in 1993 during President Bill Clinton's administration.

A feature film about her life, “On the Basis of Sex,” with Felicity Jones in the lead role made its debut in US theaters this week.

The movie also stars Arnie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston and Kathy Bates.

This documentary, simply titled "RBG," was released earlier in 2018.

Reuters said, in the event Ginsburg retires from the bench, Trump could replace her, adding to the two conservative justices he has added to the court since his innauguration in January 2017.

A potential 6-3 conservative court count in favor of GOP-leaning justices would have "major consequences for issues including abortion, the death penalty, voting rights, gay rights and religious liberty," according to Reuters.

In a career of extraordinary endurance, Ginsburg has reportedly never missed a day of oral arguments in the 25 years she has spent on the court, despite her numerous health scares.

The nodules are Ginsburg’s third encounter with cancer, after being treated for colorectal cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009, according to National Public Radio.

The court will next meet on January 7.

SEE ALSO: Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery to remove cancerous growths from her lung, Supreme Court announces

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NOW WATCH: The world's largest cruise ship just landed in Miami — here's what it's like on board

• Republican state Sen. Michael Williams was accused of lying to Georgia authorities about his whereabouts when he reported that his campaign office in Gainesville was burglarized in May.
• Williams reportedly said he was at home when about $300,000 worth of computer servers were allegedly stolen.
• His former campaign manager described the indictment as a "political witch hunt."
• Williams made headlines during his campaign for governor in Georgia by driving a bus dubbed the "deportation bus," the outside of which was covered with controversial messages.

The Republican Georgia state senator who steered his controversial campaign for governor with a "deportation bus" was jailed Wednesday after he was indicted on insurance-fraud charges and other crimes.

Michael Williams turned himself in on Wednesday, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is accused of lying to Georgia authorities about his whereabouts when he reported that his campaign office in Gainesville was burglarized in May.

Williams reportedly said he was at home when about $300,000 worth of computer servers at his office were allegedly stolen. The machines, according to Williams' former campaign manager, Seth Weathers, were used for mining cryptocurrency, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

Weathers described Williams' indictment as a "political witch hunt."

The indictment did not mention what ultimately happened to the servers, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Williams' attorney said his client is expected to leave jail "soon" after posting bond and said he "looks forward to his day in court."

"It is a one-sided story presented to a group of people," Williams' attorney, AJ Richman, reportedly said of the indictment, "with the accused being unable to respond."

Williams, who placed last among five Republican gubernatorial primary candidates, briefly made headlines after he hit the campaign trail with his "deportation bus tour." The gray-colored bus was covered in several controversial signs, including "FOLLOW ME TO MEXICO" and "FILL THIS BUS WITH ILLEGALS."

"We're not just gonna track 'em, watch them roam around our state," Williams said, referring to undocumented immigrants, in a campaign video. "We're going to put 'em on this bus and send them home."

"If you're as tired as I am with politicians that do nothing but talk, and you want to see this bus filled with illegals, vote Michael Williams," he said.

SEE ALSO: Trump-backed Republican who allegedly shared questionable content about 'Bigfoot' on social media won a House seat in Virginia

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NOW WATCH: Anthony Scaramucci claims Trump isn't a nationalist: 'He likes saying that because it irks these intellectual elitists'

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here. Current subscribers can read the report here.

The consumerization of healthcare — a fundamental shift in patients’ preferences, behaviors, and demands around healthcare services — is threatening hospitals' bottom lines. For the first time, patients are transforming from passive recipients of healthcare services to active participants in their own health. They're flocking to online review sites to choose which doctor to see, skipping hospital visits in favor of a health clinic in their local CVS, and aren't afraid to ditch providers that don't offer them an engaging experience.

The superior customer service expectations of millennials, declines in hospital profitability, and threats from startup providers and retail pharmacies intensify the need for providers to revamp the patient experience. Providers' current engagement capabilities are weak, and deficiencies around scheduling, appointment wait times, and billing are dragging on patient satisfaction, driving patients elsewhere and draining provider revenue.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence explores the trends that are driving providers to revamp their care services. We then outline how patients' expectations for transparency, convenience, and access are transforming the way they interact with providers across each stage of care. Finally, we detail strategies health systems and hospitals can implement to create a consumer-centric patient experience that fosters satisfaction, loyalty, and patient volume. 

The companies mentioned in this report are: 98point6, BayCare, Cleveland Clinic, CVS, Integris, Kaiser Permanente, Luma Health, New York-Presbyterian, One Medical, Publix, Target, Walgreens, Walmart, Yelp, and Zocdoc.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

SEE ALSO: Top 5 Healthcare Startups & Digital Health Tech Disruptors in 2018

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This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence,  Business Insider's premium research service. To learn more about Business Insider Intelligence, click here.

In recent years, we've seen a ballooning of activity in fintech — an expansive term applied to technology-driven disruptions in financial services. And 2018 has been no different, with fintechs' staggering influence on the market evidenced by record funding levels for the industry — by Q3 2018, overall funding was already up 82% from 2017’s total figure, according to CB Insights.

Additionally, this year marked a watershed moment for the industry, with the once clear distinction between fintechs and financial services proper now blurred significantly. Virtually every incumbent financial institution (FI) is now looking inward and engaging in an innovation drive, spurred on by competition from fintechs. As such, incumbents are now actively investing in, acquiring, and collaborating with their fintech rivals.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence details recent developments in fintech funding and regulation that are defining the environment these startups operate in. We also examine the business model changes being employed among different categories of fintechs as they strive to embed themselves further in mainstream finance and prove sustainability. Finally, we consider which elements of the fintech industry are rapidly rubbing off on incumbent financial services providers, and what the future of fintech will look like.

The companies mentioned in this report are: Funding Circle, GreenSky, Transferwise, Ant Financial, Nubank, Cellulant, Oscar Health, Stripe, One97, UiPath, LianLian Pay, Wacai.com, Gusto, Toast, PingPong, Flywire, Deposit Solutions, Root, Robinhood, Atom, N26, Revolut, OneConnect, PolicyBazaar, WeCash, Zurich, OneDegree, Dinghy, Vouch Insurance, Laka, Cleo, Ernit, Monzo, Moneybox, Bud, Tandem, Starling, Varo Money, Square, ING, Chase, AmEx, Amazon, Monese, Betterment, Tiller Investments, West Hill Capital, Square, Ameritrade, JPMorgan, eToro, Lendy, OnDeck, Ripple, Quorom, Chain, Coinbase, Fidelity, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Bank of America, TransferGo, Klarna, Western Union, Veriff, Royal Bank of Scotland, Royal Bank of Canada, Facebook, ThreatMetrix, Relx, Entersekt, BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank, Gemalto, Lloyd's of London, Kingdom Trust, Aviva, Symbility LINK, eTrade, Allianz, AXA, Broadridge, TD Bank, First Republic Bank, BBVA Compass, Capital One, Silicon Valley Bank, Credit Suisse, Ally, Goldman Sachs.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• Fintech funding has already reached new highs globally in 2018, with overall funding hitting $32.6 billion at the end of Q3.
• Some new regions, including South America and Africa, are emerging on the fintech scene.
• We've seen considerable scaling in older corners of the fintech ecosystem, including among neobanks and alt lenders.
• Some fintechs, including a number of insurtechs, have dipped into new markets to escape heightened competition.
• Emergent areas like blockchain and distributed ledger technology (DLT), as well as digital identity, are gaining traction.
• Many incumbents are undertaking business transformations that aim to reimagine everything from products and services to front-end systems and back-end processes.

 In full, the report:

• Details the funding and regulatory landscape in the US, Europe, and Asia.
• Gives an overview into a number of fintech segments and how they've changed over the past year.
• Discusses how incumbents are reacting to fintechs in order to stay relevant in the changing financial services sector.
• Evaluates what the future of fintech will look like and what trends to look out for in the coming year.
  

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SEE ALSO: How the largest US financial institutions rank on offering the mobile banking features customers value most

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• Next year should be a good one for Apple's stock, said Gene Munster, a managing partner at Loup Ventures.
• The company's shares should outperform its peers among the most widely watched big tech companies, said Munster, a longtime Apple analyst.
• The changes the company is making to its financial reporting, and a new upgrade in wireless technology, should help boost its stock, he said.

This year was a tough one for Apple. But things could get a whole lot better for the company in 2019.

Apple's stock is well positioned to outshine its peers among the big tech companies, said Gene Munster, a managing partner at Loup Ventures and a longtime tech stock analyst.

Changes in the way Apple reports its financial results, in the regulatory landscape, and in wireless technology will all benefit the company in the coming year, allowing it to distance itself from the other companies in the group of FAANGs — Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google parent Alphabet — he said. 

"Apple will be the best performing FAANG stock in 2019," Munster said as part of a blog post laying out Loup's predictions for the tech industry for the coming year. 

That would be a welcome relief for the company's investors. Despite a rebound on Wednesday, Apple's stock is down 5.7% in the year to date and has underperformed the broader market as well as all of its big-tech peers except for Facebook.

Apple's reporting changes could be a good thing for its stock

Part of what has worried investors of late has been the company's iPhone sales. The company sold fewer smartphones than Wall Street expected in its most recent quarter, and the number it sold in its most recent fiscal year was barely more than in sold in its previous year. 

Adding to those concerns, the company announced last month that starting next year it would stop disclosing the number of iPhones it sells each quarter. Many investors and analysts interpreted that announcement as a sign that the company believed its smartphone sales would start to decline. 

But Munster thinks the changes Apple is making to its financial reporting will benefit the company and its stock by focusing investors attention on its overall revenue and earnings growth, rather than on how many iPhones it sells each quarter.

The changes should also highlight the growing importance of Apple's services business, he said. That business promises to be more profitable than its device sales. As investors start to focus on that business, they should start to accord Apple a higher price-to-earnings multiple that takes into account the services segment's growth and profit potential, he said. 

"We believe the theme of Apple as a Service will slowly take root in 2019," Munster said. 

Read this: Investors focused on Apple's disappointing iPhone sales are missing the company's hidden goldmine

Apple's going to benefit from not being Facebook or Google 

Apple will also benefit from simply not being Facebook, Google, and Amazon, he said. All three of those companies are facing increasing regulatory scrutiny over their data-collection practices and market dominance. Munster's Loup colleague, Doug Clinton, forecasts that the US will pass a data privacy law next year that will constrain Facebook and Google in particular. Such a prospect could hinder their stocks, but likely would have little affect on Apple, whose business model is not built around similar data collection.

"Facebook, Google, and Amazon will be facing regulatory headwinds," Munster said.

The iPhone maker could also benefit from the wireless industry's latest technological evolution. Carriers are starting to roll out their 5G — or fifth generation — networks, which promise much faster speeds and much greater capacity.

Investors are going to get excited about 5G

Apple isn't expected to roll out its first 5G phones until 2020 at the earliest. But investors will likely start getting excited next year about what the new technology will mean for the company's future smartphone sales. That's because the ability to connect to the fast new networks will be big deal for the company's customers, Munster said. 

"5G will be the biggest new iPhone 'feature' since the larger-screen iPhone 6 in 2014," he said.

The release of that phone spurred record unit sales for Apple that the company has yet to surpass.

A big year next year isn't a sure thing for Apple, of course. An economic downturn would hit the company just like many others, Munster acknowledged. Even so, he still think the company will stand out from the pack.

"If there's a prolonged slowdown, it will be negative for shares of AAPL, but we would still expect Apple to 'outperform' the rest of FAANG," he said. 

• Read more about Apple, the tech stocks and 5G:
• A top tech analyst is betting on a rebound, not a recession, and says these stocks are his best bets after the market's correction
• A longtime investor shares his 3 picks for tech stocks to bet on in these tough times for the market
• 5G wireless service is coming, but don't expect it to super-charge your smartphone's internet anytime soon
• These 5 charts show why Apple's big bet on services just doesn't make any sense

SEE ALSO: An Amazon bull says the company's stock is his 'best idea' for 2019. Here's why.

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NOW WATCH: How Singapore solved garbage disposal

• A tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption hit the two most-populous Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra on December 22.
• The waves killed more than 400 people and injured more than 1,400.
• This one was thought to have occurred after the Anak Krakatau volcanic island erupted and partially collapsed into the sea, sending waves in the Sunda Strait — up to 10 feet — without warning.
• Here are nine organizations that are helping assist people affected by the tsunami.

A tsunami triggered by a volcanic eruption hit the two most populous Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra on December 22. The wave left over 400 dead and more than 1,400 injured.

The tsunami was the second to hit the country this year. This one was thought to have occurred after the Anak Krakatau volcanic island erupted and partially collapsed into the sea sending waves in the Sunda Strait — up to 10 feet — without warning.

SEE ALSO: Indonesia asks people to avoid coast near erupting volcano

Oxfam

Oxfam is raising money to support local partners with "critical aid, helping to provide clean water, build toilets, and distribute hygiene kits that include blankets and soap," according to the organization's website. Oxfam was rated 3 out of 4 stars from the website Charity Navigator.

Source: The New York Times

Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is working to bring disaster relief to those in West Java and Sumatra. They have a 4 out of 4 rating from Charity Navigator

Source: Fast Company

Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières)

Doctors Without Borders— which has a 4 out of 4 star rating from Charity Navigator — has three teams in the area. Two teams are supporting health centers in the Pandeglang district; a third team is mobile traveling to those who cannot make it to health centers.

Source: Fast Company

The smartphone is an essential part of our everyday lives.

But as with all technology, things change. So the question becomes: What will be the next smartphone?

Will it be the connected car? Or the smart speaker? What about the smartwatch?

Find out which device, if any, will take over the smartphone's role with this brand new slide deck from Business Insider Intelligence called The Next Smartphone.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

• Smartphones are the fastest adopted tech in the U.S.
• Whichever device becomes the next smartphone needs to go everywhere
• Consumer expectations around the smartphone are changing
• And much more

To get your copy of this FREE slide deck, simply click here.

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In an increasingly digitized world, brick-and-mortar retailers are facing immense pressure to understand and accommodate their customers’ changing needs, including at the point of sale (POS). 

More than two years after the EMV liability shift in October 2015, most large merchants globally have upgraded their payment systems. And beyond upgrading to meet new standards, many major retailers are adopting full-feature, “smart” devices — and supplementing them with valuable tools and services — to help them better engage customers and build loyalty.

But POS solutions aren’t “one size fits all.” Small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) don't usually have the same capabilities as larger merchants, which often have the resources and funds to adopt robust solutions or develop them in-house. That's where app marketplaces come in: POS app marketplaces are platforms, typically deployed by POS providers, where developers can host third-party business apps that offer back-office services, like accounting and inventory, and customer-retention tools, like loyalty programs and coupons.

SMBs' growing needs present a huge opportunity for POS terminal providers, software providers, and resellers. The US counts roughly 8 million SMBs, or 99.7% of all businesses. Until now, constraints such as time and budget have made it difficult for SMBs to implement value-added services that meet their unique needs. But app marketplaces enable providers to cater to SMBs with specialized solutions. 

App marketplaces also alleviate some of the issues associated with the overcrowded payments space. Relatively new players that have effectively leveraged the rise of the digital economy, like mPOS firm Square, are increasingly encroaching on the payments industry, putting pricing pressure on payment hardware and service giants. This has diminished client loyalty as merchants seek out the most affordable solution, and it's resulted in lost revenue for providers. However, app marketplaces can be used as tools not only to build client loyalty, but also as a revenue booster — Verifone, for instance, charges developers 30% of net revenue for each installed app and a distribution fee for each free app.

In this report, Business Insider Intelligence looks at the drivers of POS app marketplaces and the legacy and challenger firms that are supplying them. The report also highlights the strategies these providers are employing, and the ways that they can capitalize on the emergence of this new market. Finally, it looks to the future of POS app marketplaces, and how they may evolve moving forward.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• SMBs are a massive force in the US, which makes understanding their needs a necessity for POS terminal providers, software providers, and resellers — the US counts roughly 8 million SMBs, or 99.7% of all businesses.
• The entrance of new challengers into the payment space has put pricing pressure on the entire industry, forcing all of the players in the industry to find new solutions to keep customers loyal while also gaining a new revenue source.
• Major firms in the industry, like Verifone and Ingenico, have turned to value-added services, specifically app marketplaces, to not only build loyalty but also giving them a new revenue source — Verifone charges developers 30% of net revenue for each installed app and a distribution fee for each free app.
• According to a recent survey by Intuit, 68% of SMBs stated that they use an average of four apps to run their businesses. As developers flock to the space to grab a piece of the pie, it's likely that increased competition will lead to robust, revenue-generating marketplaces.
• And there are plenty of opportunities to build out app marketplace capabilities, such as in-person training, to further engage with users — 66% of app users would hire someone to train and educate them on which apps are right for their businesses. 

In full, the report:

• Identifies the factors that have changed how SMBs are choosing payment providers.  
• Discusses why firms in the payments industry have started to introduce app marketplaces over the last four years.
• Analyzes some of the most popular app marketplaces in the industry and identifies the strengths of each.
• Breaks down the concerns merchants have relating to app marketplaces, and discusses how providers can solve these issues.
• Explores what app marketplace providers will have to do going forward in order to avoid being outperformed in an industry that's becoming increasingly saturated. 

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Hello! Here's everything you need to know on Thursday.

1. The US president is on the way back from a surprise trip to Iraq.Trump paid a visit American troops in a war zone for the first time.

2. The Dow blasts past 1,000 points in a session to post its biggest point gain ever.After five days of turmoil, stocks have come storming on back from Wall Street's worst-ever Christmas Eve.

3. Trump reaffirms decision to pull US forces out of Syria.Trump has said that "the generals" asked for more time on the ground to fight Islamic State militants, but Trump resisted.

4. Amazon won Christmas in 2018.The universal marketplace said it sold a record number of smart home devices among a stack of other merchandise over the 2018 holiday season.

5. Japan is hunting whales for money again.But amid the uproar, a former Australian environmental minister says they "never put their harpoons down."

6. The 'deportation bus' politician from Georgia is behind bars.Republican state Sen. Michael Williams was jailed after being indicted on insurance-fraud charges.

7. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been discharged from the hospital after surgery for lung cancer.The indefatigable octogenarian Supreme Court justice is recuperating at home.

8. An impeachment-originated market implosion is 'something you really can't model for'. Hedge funds are scrambling at the sudden prospect of a Trump impeachment and how to play it.

9. A longtime Apple analyst thinks 2019 will feature a comeback. Next year could be when the iPhone maker reclaims its crown as top tech stock, according to Gene Munster, a managing partner at Loup Ventures.

10. NASA captured images of a massive 'blue' sand dune sprawling across Mars. And the photos are actually quite something.

And finally ...

Business Insider's international correspondent Harrison Jacobs says the $1 billion hotel considered 'the most luxurious in the world' definitely lives up to the hype.

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NOW WATCH: Why Harvard scientists think this interstellar object might be an alien spacecraft

This is a preview of a research report from Business Insider Intelligence. Current subscribers can read the report here.

As streaming becomes an increasingly mainstream behavior among consumers, the video industry has produced new combinations of streaming video programming services to prepare for the progressive overhaul in how media is distributed.

These streaming bundles have emerged in response to the problems of media fragmentation, cord-cutting, and high consumer costs. Declining usage of traditional TV across every demographic, particularly among young viewers, has also demanded new solutions to the traditional distribution model that is pay-TV.

Although streaming media bundles are still evolving, four distinct models have emerged:

• Skinny bundles — Cheaper, streaming versions of the traditional pay-TV bundle, but with fewer channels.
• SVOD aggregators — Facilitate a la carte sign-ups to third-party streaming services through a central user portal. The primary example so far is Amazon Channels, Amazon's SVOD partner program. 
• SVOD integrations — SVOD services like Netflix that bring their offerings to a traditional operator's service.
• Streaming service partnerships — Combine one or more streaming services under a single offering, at a lower cost than the total price separately.

In the SVOD Bundling Report, Business Insider Intelligence examines the state of the US video ecosystem and how media companies are refining their distribution strategies to meet the changing needs of consumers. The report situates each of the four bundle model types within the overall SVOD market, and investigates the overarching advantages and challenges each faces. Finally, we predict how player dynamics might transform and adapt, outlining best practices for providers to succeed within the new TV landscape.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the report:

• SVOD bundles partake in a growing SVOD market in the US. Business Insider Intelligence estimates that the SVOD market totals $13.6 billion in 2018, primarily driven by uptake on services from SVOD giants Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video. 
• Streaming video accessed on over-the-top (OTT) platforms is going mainstream, while consumers — particularly younger viewers — are reducing usage on live, linear TV. Traditional TV usage among viewers ages 18-24 has dropped 48% since 2011, 35% among 25-34 year olds, and 18% in the 35-49 demographic. 
• Skinny bundle services are growing in popularity, with 7.2 million subscribers in the US, but they suffer fundamental financial sustainability problems. 
• Distributors with at-scale platforms and powerful back-end tech can capitalize on the growing consumer demand for content consolidation among consumers. Faced with a fragmented and expanding universe of content options, more than two-thirds of consumers say they would prefer to get all their services from a single source, per Hub Entertainment Research. 
• Winners in the bundling shakeout will have prioritized internet-connected tech, an effective user experience, reasonable pricing, and content diversity. 

In full, the report:

• Identifies the four SVOD model types that have emerged as alternatives or supplements to traditional distribution.
• Investigates the top advantages and challenges of each model type.
• Outlines strategies that players across media and distribution companies can use to address business or market challenges.
• Explores how the dynamics of each model type will evolve as services converge under new bundled offerings.

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• The Internet of Things is fueling the data-based economy and bridging the divide between physical and digital worlds.
• Consumers, companies, and governments will install more than 40 billion IoT devices worldwide through 2023.
• The next five years will mark a pivotal transformation in how companies and jurisdictions operate, and how consumers live.

Being successful in the digital age doesn’t just require knowing the latest buzzwords; it means identifying the transformational trends – and where they’re heading – before they ever heat up.

Take the Internet of Things (IoT), for example, which now receives not only daily tech news coverage with each new device launch, but also hefty investments from global organizations ushering in worldwide adoption. By 2023, consumers, companies, and governments will install more than 40 billion IoT devices globally. And it’s not just the ones you hear about all the time, like smart speakers and connected cars.

To successfully navigate this changing landscape, individuals and organizations must understand the full extent and functionality of the “Things” included in this network, the key drivers of each market segment, and how it all relates to the work they do every day.

Business Insider Intelligence, Business Insider’s premium research service, has forecasted the start of the IoT’s global proliferation in The IoT Forecast Book 2018— and the next five years will be transformational for consumers, enterprises, and governments.

• Consumer IoT: In the US alone, the number of smart home devices is estimated to surpass 1 billion by 2023, with consumers dishing out about $725 per household — a total of over $90 billion in spending on IoT solutions.
• Enterprise IoT: Comprising the most mature segment of the IoT, companies will continue pouring billions of dollars into connected devices and automation. By 2023, the total industrial robotic system installed base will approach 6 million worldwide, while annual spending on manufacturing IoT solutions will reach about $450 billion.
• Government IoT: Governments globally are ushering in IoT devices to spur the development of smart cities, which would be equipped with innovations like connected cameras, smart street lights, and connected meters to provide a real-time view of traffic, utilities usage, crime, and environmental factors. Annual investment in this area is expected to reach nearly $900 billion by 2023.

Want to Learn More?

People, companies, and organizations all over the world are racing to adopt the latest IoT solutions and prevent growing pains amidst a technological transformation. The IoT Forecast Book 2018 from Business Insider Intelligence is a detailed three-part slide deck outlining the most important trends impacting consumer, enterprise, and government IoT — and the key drivers propelling each segment forward.

Representing thousands of hours of exhaustive research, our multipart forecast books are considered must-reads by thousands of highly successful business professionals. These informative slide decks are packed with charts and statistics outlining the most influential trends on the leading edge of your industry. Keep them for reference or drop the most valuable data into your own presentations to share with your teams.

Whether you’re newly interested in a topic or you already consider yourself a subject matter expert, The IoT Forecast Book 2018 can provide you with the actionable insights you need to make better decisions.

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