The Dan Rayburn Podcast

This week, we discuss the key takeaways from Q4 earnings across OTT platforms and streaming vendors, including Apple seeing a "huge opportunity" with AI, YouTube's 15% ad revenue growth, and AWS closing out 2023 with $90.8 billion in cloud revenue. We discuss new numbers released by Amazon, which spent $18.9 billion on content in 2023, of which "approximately $7 billion" w...

The Netflix episode "Woooooo!" This week, we discuss Netflix’s record Q4 earnings, its free cash flow of $6.9 billion for 2023, its growing AVOD business and its off-the-top rope deal with the WWE as they continue to dominate the industry. We discuss how the WWE deal with "scripted entertainment” differs from sports content, how it will expand Netflix’s advertising business, and wha...

This week, we discuss the use cases for Apple Vision Pro and why it will not become the future of video viewing for consumers at scale. We also break down the Diamond Sports Group complex proposed restructuring plan, Amazon's commitment to make a minority investment, and the potential repercussions for Prime Video customers who will be able to purchase DTC access to stream local Diamond chann...

This week, we break down all the latest sports viewership numbers from ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports. We also highlight the new joint venture between YES Network and MSG Networks, the launch of an Innovation Lab by Major League Soccer, and details about the Super Bowl stream, which will not stream in 4K on Paramount+ and will be in 1080P60 HDR.  We detail the latest ARPU numbers acr...

This week, we review what's behind all the industry layoffs as companies reset the cost bar for CAPEX and OPEX. With full-year 2023 financials in the books, some companies didn't hit the revenue, efficiency, and cost savings goals they had expected, prompting layoffs to start the year. We also detail how some vendors are restructuring their debt with Fubo, the most recent example, which...

This week, I reviewed Peacock's exclusive NFL game stream, noting that some users had a poor-quality video experience and detailed why I think Peacock's strategy failed with its ad-free fourth quarter. I also break down the viewership numbers reported by NBC Sports and highlight how sports is a costly and unproven part of Peacock's subscriber acquisition strategy, with no ability to...

This week, we discuss how, in a blow to Amazon and DAZN, pay TV broadcaster Sky won the broadcast rights to show a record number of Premier League matches in a new four-year deal. We also break down Paramount’s balance sheet to refute reports that they are nearing bankruptcy and highlight Peacock’s latest data: 30 million paying subscribers, $10 ARPU, and two upcoming exclusive NFL games. We detai...

Avi Saxena, CTO and Tyler Whitworth, CPO, at Warner Bros. Discovery, join me for a detailed conversation about the technical video stack at Max. Learn how they approach the user experience for their apps, latency, adding live sports and news to the platform, device support, 4K, advertising, personalization, and how they measure QoE. We also discuss what’s ahead for the service, the technical chall...

This week, we discuss some of the latest news and rumors around bundling and aggregation of streaming services, the impact of wholesale rates on DTC profitability, and the lack of market data to prove that bundling reduces churn. We also cover viewership numbers for Prime Video's first NFL Black Friday game, Amazon's new licensing deal with NASCAR, and Charter's recently launched mo...

Larry Allen , VP/GM of Data and Addressable Enablement at Comcast Advertising, joins me for a detailed discussion on how the shift in viewing habits to all screens is making it difficult to provide cohesive cross-media measurement. We discuss the impact of the loss of third-party cookies, the challenges and opportunities in measurement at scale, including with FAST services, and the potential role...

This week, we cover all the latest news in the world of sports streaming from Apple, Amazon, ESPN, Disney+, Hotstar, Fubo, Max, Peacock, and YouTube TV. We also discuss content licensing and viewership stats across the NFL, NBA, Formula 1, and MLS. Some highlights include: Apple reported that they had more than a million viewers to watch the biggest MLS games this season, and the rumors that Apple...

This week, we examine the Q3 financial results of OTT industry heavyweights Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, DISH, and Vizio, as well as streaming providers Akamai, Brightcove, Kaltura, Comscore, and Vimeo. We go over some of the most important conclusions, such as Disney+ having 5 million AVOD customers and ESPN+ making $33 million in profit. We go into detail on how WBD paid off an astounding $12...

This week, we detail the Q3 earnings numbers you need to know tied to Paramount+, Peacock, Fubo, AMC+, Roku and Brightcove, including subscriber counts and DTC profit and loss. We also draw attention to the roughly 1 million new pay TV customers from Comcast, Verizon, Charter, and Altice who have cut the cord. We talk about the announcement from Netflix that their ad tier now boasts 15 million mon...

This week we break down the numbers from Netflix’s Q3 earnings, their content spend for 2024, what their ad business looks like today and the reasons why many are undervaluing Netflix's prospects for AVOD in the coming years. We also discuss YouTube's statement that it most likely won't participate in the upcoming round of bidding for NBA broadcast rights, and we highlight ESPN&apos...

Diane Strutner, CEO of Datazoom, joins me for a detailed discussion on the current state of advertising data and the complex road ahead as inventory moves to digital and CTV. We discuss the seismic industry shift from siloed to converged currency models and the ensuing challenges in valuing digital and streaming ad impressions. Learn the crucial distinctions between accreditation and certification...

This week, we discuss rumors that Apple is considering an annual bid of $2 billion for Formula 1, with the option to purchase global rights after five years. We also detail that Candle Media's earnings are expected to be between $140 and $170 million, which is below the initial $330 million expectation. According to reports, Candle Media spent $900 million on Hello Sunshine and $3 billion on...

This week, we detail the language in the new terms announced by the WGA in their deal with the studios (AMPTA) that resulted from the writers' strike. The new deal provides no real transparency into viewership numbers beyond total hours streamed, and only for self-produced, high-budget streaming programs. We also discuss Amazon's news that starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and mo...

This week, I break down the economic and financial factors directly impacting growth and constraints in the streaming media industry. Learn why companies are doing more with less, reducing and consolidating their spending on services like storage and delivery, and the market factors that are influencing their decisions. With rising interest rates on new money, tighter budgets, and longer sales cyc...

This week, I recap the opening weekend of the NFL season, reviewing the streaming services across YouTube (NFL Sunday Ticket), ESPN (Monday Night Football), Amazon (Thursday Night Football), and Peacock (Sunday Night Football). I document why YouTube came out on top, the problems Amazon and Peacock faced, and the complete outages on Xfinity and Shaw. I also discuss the patent suit that Sling TV an...

This week, we detail how the current model of licensing broadcast networks to pay TV distributors is completely broken. With a recent blackout on Spectrum due to a licensing dispute with Disney and a current blackout on DISH due to their dispute with Hearst, the methodology for valuing content needs to change. We discuss what consumers want from streaming services, how they want to aggregate them,...

Dan Robbins, VP of Ad Marketing and Partner Solutions at Roku, joins me for a discussion about the latest challenges and opportunities with advertising across  SVOD and FAST services. We discuss the measurement side of advertising, the powerful role of big data and integrated platforms in delivering accurate and consistent results and what brands are demanding for targeting. Dan also details Roku&...

This week, we expose the flawed comparisons of bundled streaming services to pay TV, with Nielsen improperly comparing linear TV to YouTube while excluding vMVPD services like Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV from its ratings. We also break down the new NFL Sunday Ticket bundle with Max, new student pricing, and multi-view combinations, and speculate on the future potential for platform customization a...

This week, we break down Disney's recent financials and news from their earnings, including their DTC revenue and losses; subscriber churn; the announcement of higher pricing for their ad-free tiers, ESPN+ and Hulu + Live TV; as well as their plans to crack down on password sharing next year. We also detail the numbers from other earnings, including Paramount’s addition of 700,000 Paramount +...

This week, we break down all the important numbers you need to know regarding Q2 earnings from OTT platforms and streaming vendors. Hear about profitability/loss and subscriber gains/losses for Warner Bros. Discovery (Max), Comcast (Peacock), Fubo, Roku, Brightcove, Vimeo, Verizon, Charter, Kaltura, Fastly and Cloudflare. We also pose tough questions about New Relic's valuation following its...

This week, we deliver fresh insights on Netflix's password-sharing crackdown, analyzing the effects of introducing the ad-supported tier, adjusting pricing and plans and how consumer behavior and engagement metrics are driving their decisions. We also discuss the news around Disney's intention to pull back spending and content creation for the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, along with...