Constellation Brands launches content studio with Tastemade

Constellation Brands is joining the streaming wars. The alcohol marketer and media company Tastemade have signed a “multi-million dollar, multi-year partnership” to produce and distribute original branded content, according to the companies. Although most streamers now offer ad inventory, TV viewers have never been as elusive as they are in the digital era. For example, Netflix made its long-desired audience available to marketers last year, but the platform’s ad tier currently accounts for only 1% of its U.S. subscribers, per research from analytics company Antenna. Brands have been employing creative solutions for reaching ad-averse viewers. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs Marketers have begun making content themselves to showcase their products as entertainment within premium content slates. Last year, Coca-Cola premiered a branded holiday anthology series on Amazon’s Prime Video platform. Last week, Insider reported Anheuser-Busch InBev will launch a production studio to create films, series and podcasts to sell to streaming companies and other distributors. “Constellation + Tastemade Studios” will develop series both to sell to streamers as well as for Tastemade’s owned channel, which is hosted on the Tastemade+ app as well as third-party platforms such as Roku, Tubi, Fubo and YouTube TV. It will also produce branded social content, influencer partnerships and experiential activations. Tastemade claims to have an audience of 300 million monthly active users across its streaming and social portfolio. The media company specializes in food, beverage and travel content featuring produced video, editorial and recipes and an influencer network called “Makers.” The first product of the relationship will be “Street Somm,” a series for Tastemade in which a sommelier will travel the U.S. to find local foods, document the story behind the dish and profile locals. In each episode, the host will pair the delicacies with wine—presumably from Constellation’s roster of brands. “Consumers today are in the driver’s seat and choose to engage with brands that not only deliver high quality, great tasting wines and spirits, but exciting and engaging experiences across modern channels,” said Robert Hanson, executive VP and president of Constellation Brands’ wine and spirits division, in a statement. “Our collaboration with Tastemade accelerates our consumer-obsessed strategy through rich storytelling, dynamic talent partnerships, and native social video content that we anticipate will win with consumers across the globe.” Other brands have pursued desirable streaming audiences by integrating into existing IP in partnership with media companies and their talent. For “Bel-Air,” Peacock gathered multiple brands for sponsored watch-alongs with actors from the show as well as opportunities to integrate products directly into storylines—such as an influencer-themed plot featuring Simply Spiked. Similarly, Molson Coors went big on its product placement strategy with Paramount as the official beer of “Yellowstone.”Read more: Simply Spiked and ‘Bel-Air’ team up Sign up for Ad Age newsletters From influencer marketing to agencies, get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox Click here

Constellation Brands launches content studio with Tastemade

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