• by Alex Weprin , May 29, 2018

Streaming and over-the-top video is boosting the brand value of many technology and entertainment companies, and is forcing legacy providers to shift their video strategies, according to the 2018 BrandZ World’s Most Valuable Brand Ranking, from WPP and Kantar Millward Brown.

“Over-the-top services are a game-changer as TV networks and online video platforms compete for market share,” says Peter Walshe, BrandZ global strategy director for Kantar Millward Brown, explaining the results of the survey. “For brands being squeezed in slow-growth categories such as telecoms, the only solution has been to tear down traditional category walls, as curators, creators and providers of content meet in what has become an epic entertainment battle for our eyes and ears.”

The BrandZ survey, which is now 30 years old, seeks to quantify the value that a brand name brings to a company.

In the rankings, legacy players such as AT&T and Disney are remaining relatively flat, with AT&T’s brand value dipping by 7% to $107 million and Disney’s rising by 3% to $54 million. For comparison, Netflix’s brand value rose 73% year over year to $21 million, while YouTube’s rose by 37% to $23 million. 

Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook also saw double digit growth in brand value, suggesting that high-profile scandals about d privacy, data and brand safety may not have made a lasting impact on consumers.

The full ranking of brands can be viewed here.