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, which nudged up to 12.4% in April, 2025. Other top content providers’ shares were relatively unchanged. Unrelated, we also touch on Google’s new AI video generator Veo 3 and other video AI tools, which look poised to have a significant impact on the market.   

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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 of ad tier and ad free subscribers are almost identical, debunking the traditional view that higher income consumers “buy out” of ad experiences. Retention is also similar across demos. Jonathan shares his insights on these findings and more. The report can be downloaded here.  

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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 leaves cord-cutters and cord-nevers as the primary targets, as well those who will take ESPN as part of a discounted package with Disney+ and Hulu. How many of them will subscribe? We explore these questions, as well as the return of “HBO” to Max’s branding and a few NewFronts items.  

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