VideoNuze Posts

Ten years after Amazon launched Prime Video Channels, giving Prime users the ability to easily discover and sign up for subscription streaming services, Comcast has belatedly launched StreamStore, its own streaming app store. 

As we discuss, unfortunately for Comcast, Amazon dominates this space with 58% share, according to recent Antenna data. Even Roku, with its 90+ million users, only has a 6% share. As always in the Internet Economy there’s a cost to sitting on your hands too long. StreamStore’s ability to achieve meaningful share in this space seems unlikely.

Other topics in our grab bag this week: Jeff Bezos is considering buying CNBC, NBC is likely to launch a linear sports network including its Peacock rights, and traditional TV is still holding onto a large chunk of ad impressions, though it’s only decreasing from here. We explore all of these and more. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more (29 minutes, 33 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts 

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

CTV ads are booming, with the IAB releasing new data this week forecasting a 13% increase in 2025 to $26.6 billion. As we all know, within that very large number are many buyers, sellers, formats, activations, KPIs, etc. Buyers and sellers are racing to figure out how to optimize CTV ad performance across the full funnel. 

But recently Colin had an experience with his Google TV-powered Sony TV that felt to him like a bridge too far. A Target takeover ad when he turned on the TV morphed into a video ad with audio on when he tried to click past it. Another click defaulted to a static Coke ad “thinly disguised as a promotion for Star Wars movies on Disney+” as Colin described it. Exasperated, Colin is now contemplating switching to the ad-free Apple TV. 

In the fast-moving multibillion dollar CTV ad business, it is exactly these type of ad and user interface decisions that will determine the eventual winners and losers. On this week’s podcast we debate the tension for TV OSs of driving profitability from their captive on-screen real estate vs. providing a pristine UI. And what about viewers? Are they resistant, compliant or somewhere in between?

Listen to the podcast to learn more (34 minutes, 5 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts 

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

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 TV according to research from The Strategic Counsel. We explore what Netflix doing so well to keep retaining the top slot. 

Rounding out, HBO Max is, HBO Max again, after a two year distraction as Max, a branding no man’s land. And Apple is eyeing F1 streaming rights, another potential foray into sports. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more (25 minutes, 16 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts 

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

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 opportunity is the scale that both companies bring; Roku has 125 million logged in viewers per day on its devices, while Amazon has massive Prime program as well as other user data. Advertisers will be able to tap this impressive scale to target specific viewers with tangible performance outcomes. Roku and Amazon first-party data will be integrated through a custom identity resolution service.   

Roku has been focused on driving CTV to become a performance medium for a while, including programmatic (see panel with Roku and Walmart executives at VideoNuze’s June ’23 CTV Ad Summit). Miles said the companies have conducted early tests of the integration with positive tests. This is a partnership is definitely one to keep an eye on.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (26 minutes, 37 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts 

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

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 been 4 main drivers of these seismic changes: (1) YouTube’s ascent as the number one destination for streaming content on CTVs, (2) the complete collapse of cable TV viewership, down from 39% four years ago to 24.1% now, driven in part by the disinvestment in cable TV networks by media companies in favor of their streaming services and (4) the rise of free ad-supported streaming services “FASTs” which have become broadly popular, especially among viewers 65 and over, with Tubi alone now having 100 million active viewers per month.

The combination of these factors has upended the TV industry. As we discussed on last week’s podcast, “Dissecting Warner Bros. Discovery’s Split,” Wall Street has taken notice. Just two companies - YouTube and Netflix - now have an estimated combined market value of over $1 trillion. Meanwhile the rest of the industry’s value has atrophied, with media companies now spinning off their cable TV networks. 

Listen to the podcast to learn more (32 minutes, 25 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts 

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

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&T’s proposed acquisition back in 2016. As Colin and I discuss, there have been a litany of questionable strategic and product/streaming decisons that have led to a significant decline in Warner Bros. Discovery’s valuation. As I detail, WBD’s decline starkly contrasts with the massive appreciation Netflix has experienced since 2016. 

Importantly, we also discuss the structural change that’s occurred in the media industry since 2016. Netflix is now valued at around $500 billion while YouTube’s imputed value - if it were a standalone company - is now around $500-$700 billion. So just two companies have a combined value of over $1 trillion - no doubt way more than the entire media industry’s value pre-streaming. Net, net, Netflix and YouTube have dramatically expanded the value of media pie, but have kept the vast majority of that increase themselves. 

Last but not least, at the beginning of the podcast we quickly review the final decision in the Disney-Comcast arbitration over Hulu’s valuation. I can’t resist mentioning that way back in 2018 I was advocating for Comcast to acquire all of Hulu (here and here). Instead they launched Peacock and have lost billions since.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (36 minutes, 55 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts 

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

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 streaming on the big screen. The Looper data aligns with our podcast last week about Nielsen’s The Gauge data, which showed YouTube’s increasing share of TV viewing time.  

Part of the consequence of YouTube’s ascendance is the decline of broadcast and cable TV networks’ viewership. In the podcast we discuss continuing retrenchment at Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney and NBCU. We wrap up with a discussion of new Magna-Roku data and the Fubo-DAZN sports cross-licensing partnership.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (23 minutes, 41 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS

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.   

Listen to the podcast to learn more (25 minutes, 18 seconds)

Browse all previous podcasts

Subscribe to Inside the Stream
Apple Podcasts  Google Podcasts  Spotify  Amazon Music  RSS