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First up this week, A+E Global Media, which is co-owned by Disney and Hearst, is the latest group of cable TV networks for sale or spinoff, as media companies rush to divest themselves of troubled assets. We discuss the reasons behind the divestments, including the steep drop-off in viewership over the past four years.
Next, Netflix is once again the number one ranked “must keep” brand in...
This week we’re pleased to share our interview with Roku’s Senior Director, Global Ad Platform Partnerships and Business Development Miles Fisher. We do a deep dive into Roku’s recently announced partnership with Amazon Ads, which appears to be a potentially significant milestone in CTV realizing its ultimate potential as a full funnel medium.
As Miles explains, key to the partnership’s...
In May, 2025 a milestone was reached according to Nielsen’s The Gauge: total streaming viewership surpassed total broadcast plus cable viewership for the first time. Streaming had a 44.8% viewership share while traditional TV had a 44.2% viewership share. To put these numbers in context, back in May 2021 streaming had a 26% share and traditional TV had a 64% share.
As we discuss, there have...
This week we dissect the big news that Warner Bros. Discovery is going to split into two companies, one that will hold its global cable networks and the other that will hold the Warner Bros. and HBO/Max assets.
It has been a long, winding path for the Time Warner assets, starting with AT...
New data from Looper Insights illustrates how meaningful percentages of both video executives and viewers now see YouTube as an appealing destination for long-form content, including for premium content - as well as a viable alternative to major streaming platforms. The data underscores YouTube’s amazing evolution from a primarily UGC, short-form outlet to a genuine competitor for premium...
This week we discuss key findings in Gracenote’s Data Hub, including SVOD content libraries’ composition, genre, mood, exclusivity and geographic production. The data is sorted in a number of helpful ways that reveal the strategies and strengths of the top SVOD providers.
We then shift to new data from Nielsen’s The Gauge, showing YouTube’s continued dominance in aggregate TV/video viewing,...
Connected TV (CTV) has quickly become a centerpiece of modern advertising, especially for brands seeking performance at scale. The promise is tantalizing: premium TV content, streamed across devices, delivered with the targeting precision of digital platforms. But as new self-serve platforms race to capitalize on this momentum, a fundamental question arises: Are these tools truly delivering...
We’re pleased to be joined once again by Antenna’s co-founder and CEO Jonathan Carson, who discusses highlights of the firm’s Q2 ’25 State of Subscriptions report “Adds and Ads.” Fully 71% of new SVOD subscribers in the past 2 years are on an ad tier, speaking to the outsized impact that advertising has had on the streaming industry.
Another finding that’s remarkable is that the demographics...
This week we discuss the new ESPN direct-to-consumer app, which was announced this week. Colin thinks that at $30 per month it’s too expensive relative to other streaming services, yet given the breadth of content and features, I think the price seems fair or maybe even low.
A big question is how wide the adoption will be as most hardcore sports fans still have a pay-TV subscription. That...
Disney reported its fiscal second quarter results this week, showing continued direct-to-consumer profitability, as well as modest subscriber gains for both Disney+ and Hulu. Given last year’s second half performance, it’s likely Disney will achieve DTC profitability for the full 2025 fiscal year, a first.
On the earnings call, Disney also noted that next week the branding and pricing for “...