Posts for 'TikTok'

Warner Bros. Discovery reported its Q2 ’26 earnings this week, revealing continued healthy growth in its Streaming segment, but significant declines in revenue and earnings in both its Studios and Global Linear Networks segments. 

As we discuss, the new report further illustrates how WBD’s value continues to slide compared to February, 2026 when the Paramount deal was announced. As such, lenders and equity contributors to the deal should be re-evaluating their participation and terms with a fresh set of eyes. 

Further, in light of a trial that won’t even start until March, 2027, Larry Ellison, who has by far the biggest financial exposure on the deal, would benefit from reconsidering whether this deal, particularly on its current terms, is still worth pursuing. We reiterate that we see no better than a 25%-30% chance the deal will actually close. 

We then turn our attention to Disney, which struck a partnership with TikTok this week and appears to be considering launching some type of free streaming service. We discuss the merits of both of these moves. 

Listen on to learn more (33 minutes, 9 seconds)

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This week on Inside the Stream Colin and I cover a number of different topics that have been in the news. First up, NASCAR has signed new rights deals with TV and streaming partners for nearly $8 billion, a huge increase from its current deals.

Next we discuss new research indicating that non-pay-TV viewers will outpace traditional pay-TV viewers by the end of the year. Then, TikTok is encouraging creators to make longer videos, in a move to compete with YouTube. Last, Hub reports that built-in apps on Smart TVs get greater usage.

Listen to the podcast to learn more (36 minutes, 54 seconds)

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If you were one of the 14,000 attendees of last week’s NewFronts presentations, a central message that you couldn’t miss was that streaming has become an essential way for advertisers to reach 18-49 year olds. The coveted age group, which has long been the bread and butter for TV networks, is rapidly shifting its video consumption behaviors, and NewFronts presenters wanted ad buyers to know that they can either follow the eyeballs or risk losing access to this huge cohort.

Presenters expressed the message in different ways, but here are a few that caught my attention:

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