Inside The Stream

YouTube’s TV share jumped to 15.8% in August, nearly as much as all of broadcast TV combined. Plus, Peacock subscriber growth has stalled, and Disney’s Super Bowl will be everywhere.

Research from Bango shows short-form’s increasing importance. YouTube’s ecosystem continues to expand and to influence traditional media. And Netflix cuts headcount.

Merging or bundling streaming services, job cuts, and film profitability are some of the big questions swirling around Skydance. Disney and Netflix’s smart new partnership. And the Emmys go to Amazon.

Netflix seems to have lost the script for how to reaccelerate growth, as became clear in an interview this week with Co-CEO Ted Sarandos at Bloomberg Screentime. You can hear the full Bloomberg interview here.  

California’s Rob Bonta and 11 other Attorneys General signed a consent decree clearing the way for Paramount Skydance to acquire WBD. Now the hard part starts for David Ellison.

Amazon is making all the right moves in streaming by launching a new SVOD bundle, investing in sports to drive Prime, pushing into video podcasts, short-form, commerce video, and more.

Ampere Analysis’s Rahul Patel joins us exclusively to discuss his new research detailing why launching a free ad-supported tier is a huge untapped opportunity for SVOD providers.

Lots of new streaming dynamics unfolded this summer, including YouTube’s growing dominance and Netflix rivalry, YouTube creators’ box-office smashes, the Paramount-WBD drama, and much more. We dig into all.

Ampere Analysis research reveals the widening price gap between SVOD services’ ad-free and ad-supported tiers. But is there a limit? Meanwhile, more evidence of YouTube’s dominance.

Antenna’s VP, Strategy, shares insights from new research on specialty SVOD services, showing robust growth, strong Amazon Channels dependence, and a couple of breakout successes.

Tubi’s latest engagement metrics and revenue suggest the streamer is firing on all cylinders. Meanwhile, YouTube is further upping its game, with a UI overhaul and new creator minimums.

WBD’s Q2 earnings further illustrate the company’s declining fundamentals, casting more doubt on the Paramount deal closing. Meanwhile, Disney+’s value proposition expands.

What are the risks and opportunities for NBCUniversal in the Peacock-YouTube Premium bundle launching in 2027? And why we believe the Paramount-WBD deal will likely collapse.

The World Cup’s success flowed through to Fox One and Peacock, both of which enjoyed subscriber gains. And YouTube ad revenue surged past $11 billion in Q2, with AI gains kicking in.

On its Q2 earnings call, Netflix management tamped down recent engagement concerns and also addressed revenue growth, programming strategy, distribution, AI’s role, and more.

Amid viewership challenges, Netflix continues to diversify into creator content, video podcasts, and more. Is Netflix trying to YouTube-ify itself, and if so, will it work?

Comcast’s decision to split off NBCU highlights the company’s many strategic missteps with streaming video.

In a surprise move, Fox is acquiring Roku for $22 billion. Is it a good deal, bad deal, or something in between? We discuss from all angles.

Vionlabs’ Founder Arash Pendari explains how AI-enhanced metadata boosts the value of video assets, fits into business workflows, and improves viewer engagement.

Two horror movies from YouTubers are beating out Disney at the box office. TV OS’s are gaining importance. And Congress is scrutinizing the NFL’s media rights deals.

Netflix has added another big podcast to its roster, YouTube enhances AI disclosures, Roku revamps its home screen, Xfinity offers YouTube TV, and the FCC faces challenges with vMVPDs and NextGenTV.  You can find a transcript of this podcast here .

New research from Omdia, Hub, and Antenna underscores the growing importance of advertising in streaming, across FASTs and premium SVOD.

New Disney CEO D’Amaro intends to turn Disney+ into a central hub for Disney fans to engage with all the company’s content and experiences, complete with interactivity. ParamountSkydance has a far less expansive view of Paramount+.

YouTube’s Q1 ad revenue approached $10 billion, up 11%, with subscriptions also growing strongly. And Howdy hit 1 million subscribers, as Roku flexes its distribution muscles.

Netflix reported more steady growth in Q1 as it transitions to maturity. But from advertising to gaming, and live sports to video podcasts, Netflix is staying opportunistic.