Posts for 'Podcast'

Netflix reported a strong 2025 though Colin calculates engagement per viewer seems to have lightened up. The jockeying for WBD continues with Paramount. Meanwhile BBC is going to start making shows specifically for YouTube. This comes in the wake of last week’s report that by certain metrics YouTube viewership is eclipsing BBC’s in the UK. 

Then we discuss the demise of Sony’s TV business, which was spun into a JV with TCL this week. Finally, Amazon is on a streak, recently recording a new record for live-streaming an NFL game.

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The YouTube colossus rumbles on as new data shows YouTube with 51 million viewers in the UK in Q4 ’25, just edging out the BBC with 50.8 million viewers. The caveat is that this is for three minutes only, with an expanded 15 minute definition still showing the BBC ahead. 

Meanwhile ad-tier usage among paid streaming services continue to increase across the board. Netflix has 40% of its active accounts using its ad plan, while Disney+ has 44% and HBO Max has 28%, all up year-over-year. Last we discuss the impact of Peacock of losing Versant content. 

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In our first podcast of 2026 we discuss Comcast’s spinoff of Versant, which was finalized earlier this week. So far Wall Street has been cool to the stock, indicating further concern about cable networks’ future. Next, Colin shares his observations on news from CES related TV OEMs and AI. The NFL continued its streak of record viewing on Christmas with Netflix, and on Thursday Night Football with Amazon. Last, we explore Disney’s plan to sunset the Hulu app.


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YouTube will begin streaming the Oscars globally in 2029 per a new deal with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As Colin and I discuss, it’s another indicator that streaming platforms’ financial clout and distribution reach have become critical differentiators for marquee events. 

Next we discuss Netflix’s further push into video podcasts following announcements with iHeartMedia and Barstool Sports this week. Finally, we explore Google and YouTube’s return to Movies Anywhere and the ongoing WBD acquisition saga. 

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In a bold move, Disney has licensed 200 of its characters for use in OpenAI’s Sora. In today’s podcast we discuss the benefits and risks of the deal, which opens a new chapter of collaboration between rights holders and AI platforms. We like Disney’s openness to user-generated content to better compete with YouTube, but are cautious about the effectiveness of the proposed guardrails in deterring misuse of Disney’s prized characters. 

Then we shift focus to the battle to own Warner Bros. Discovery. Colin thinks Netflix is likely to prevail, while I think Paramount has the edge. We explain why. 

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This week on Inside the Stream, we start with MS NOW’s plan to evolve into a streaming and community hub for progressive activism. Given cord-cutting and the decline of linear TV news consumption by younger viewers, we see it as a positive move. Next, we discuss why data indicates engagement with Prime Video is far lower than other streaming services. Finally, microdramas continue their growth and monetization. 

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This week on Inside the Stream, Canela Media’s global president Philippe Guelton joins us to talk about how the company is tapping AI for content and character creation, user experience and monetization. Canela Media target the U.S. Hispanic market with culturally relevant content. As Philippe describes, a key initiative is Club Canela, a loyalty program which features an AI-generated virtual host named Diego. AI is also leaning into creating microdramas, and using data to better understand its audiences. 

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Fubo’s deal with Disney has closed and during this week’s earnings call Fubo outlined the path forward. We discuss the four areas of benefit which were identified and what the future might look like. 

Then we explore Netflix’s new Monthly Active Viewers metric, which is defined as those who watched at least one minute of ads on Netflix per month, multiplied by Netflix’s estimated average number of people in a household. Netflix said it now has 190 million MAVs globally. We explore whether this a valuable metric or not. Last, we dig into new data from Gracenote which shows FAST growth and viewers’ frustrations. 

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First up this week, Fox reported that Tubi turned profitable for the first time this past quarter, with revenue up 27% and view time up 18%. Tubi has been a major ad-supported streaming success story.  

Speaking of success stories, next we discuss YouTube, which keeps growing. Alphabet reported that YouTube’s ad revenue in Q3 was $10.3 billion, up 15% vs. the prior year. Shorts is a particular highlight for the company, which separately announced voluntary buyouts this week. 

On the flip side, we discuss how Peacock’s subscribers have been stuck at 41 million for the past 3 quarters. In fact they’re up just 7 million since the end of Q1 ’24. While losses have declined, the $2.5 billion per year NBA rights deal is going to weigh on future profitability. And as we discuss, it’s not clear how many longer term subscribers the NBA games will drive.  

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Netflix reported Q3 ’25 results this week and said it expects advertising revenue to more than double in 2025 vs. 2024. As Colin and I discuss, it wasn’t that long ago that Netflix rejected the idea of offering an ad-supported tier at all; now that tier is driving significant growth for the company. 

Meanwhile, with the NBA season underway, games on NBC and Peacock are being broadcast and streamed. But, we’re skeptical that the $27 billion 11-year rights deal is likely to pay off for Peacock in sustainable subscriber growth or significantly increased time watched. 

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Antenna’s CEO Jonathan Carson joins us this week to explain his firm’s new product, Subscriber Views, which reveals programming’s true value for streaming services. Subscriber views marries licensed ACR data with Antenna’s own streaming subscriber data to derive viewers’ behavior around specific pieces of content. Subscriber Views then creates metrics for programming’s value in driving subscribers’ acquisition, retention and engagement.

As Jonathan explained, big streaming services have sophisticated analytics teams who understand the value of their own programming, but Subscriber Views provides a competitive intelligence tool to better understand viewers’ behavior on other services. Subscriber views data helps streamers better target their programming investments, schedule their releases and inform bundling options. 

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Netflix is getting closer to achieving parity revenue on subscribers to its ad-supported tier compared to subscribers to its ad-free. Colin shares his detailed analysis outlining the numbers. Then we discuss updates in the TV OS world including The Trade Desk inking a deal to bring Ventura OS to DIRECTV and Amazon launching Vega OS, which will replace Android on its Fire TVs. Last we explore the benefits of Fubo’s new deal to ingest ESPN content into its app.  

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New data from Wurl shows encouraging signs about FAST adoption, but accompanied by ongoing monetization challenges. The number of monthly active households watching FAST channels increased by 12% (though Wurl doesn’t disclose how many MAUs that translates to). In addition, average daily hours of viewing per household increased by 16% (again Wurl doesn’t share how many hours that is). Combined Wurl says the increase in total hours of viewing was up 29% in the past 12 months. 

But while viewership is up, monetization remains challenged. In particular, Wurl reported that ad fill rates continued their downward trend. As we discuss, monthly fill rates were down in six of the first eight months of 2025 vs. 2024, after having declined in 11 of the 12 months of 2024 vs. 2023.

Content choices are exploding, distribution platforms are proliferating and people are watching more content for free. All that is creating disequilibriums in FAST monetization.  

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Antenna reported that ESPN and Fox One gained one million subscribers in their first 10 days, with ESPN gaining the majority. Colin and I discuss whether that’s a lot, or not. We continue to be challenged to understand just how big the target market is for these two sports streaming services. Antenna also said 60% of Fox One’s subscribers came in via Amazon, underscoring its importance to the ecosystem. 

Meanwhile YouTube held its annual “Made on YouTube” event, where it disclosed it has paid out a whopping $100 billion to creators in the past four years. We wonder how that compares to what TV networks and studios have paid out to their creators over the same period? YouTube also shared a number of product updates. 

Last, we delve into ongoing innovations at Amazon and - given its aggressiveness and heft - speculate on whether Super Bowl LXXV in 2041 will actually be known as “Amazon Super Bowl LXXV” (not that far-fetched).

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On the last podcast we did a deep dive interview with The Trade Desk’s SVP of Ventura TV OS Matthew Henick. Because we both believe this initiative has real potential to impact the CTV/streaming industry, this week we’re circling back to share our key takeaways from the interview.

At a high level, we agree with Matthew’s situation analysis of the TV OS market and the pain points for all constituents (TV OEMs and retailers, advertisers, streaming service providers and viewers). We also agree with The Trade Desk’s initial focus on TV OEMs and retailers.

However, we observe these are challenging deals to get done given entrenched TV operating systems and inertia, company politics and all-too-often hesitation to adopt new technology, irrespective of its potential superiority to incumbents. 

Nonetheless Ventura offers key competitive advantages, and the pain points appear to be getting more acute, thereby enhancing Ventura’s opportunity. We also discuss the advertiser, streaming service provider and viewer benefits. Add to all this The Trade Desk’s successful track record of creating software at scale and its extensive industry relationships and Colin and I agree it’s going to be a lot of fun to watch Ventura develop. 

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Colin and I are excited to welcome The Trade Desk’s SVP of Ventura TV OS Matthew Henick to the podcast for a deep dive interview about the company’s entrance into the ultra-competitive TV OS industry. Matthew explains why the Ventura OS is strategic to The Trade Desk’s core Demand-Side Platform, intended to drive more transparency in the CTV ad supply chain. 

Matthew’s perspective is that current operating systems’ lack of transparency creates pain points across the CTV industry, for advertisers, streaming providers, TV manufacturers, retailers and importantly viewers. For The Trade Desk the keys to resolving these pain points are enabling TV manufacturers with a sustainable, recurring business model while empowering streaming providers to optimize the value of their inventory. With a transparent TV OS, The Trade Desk’s DSP can further leverage its clients’ CTV ad spend. 

Matthew gets into the fine details of Ventura’s competitive advantages and how it will be distributed to traditional TV manufacturers, retailers and hardware providers, plus new segments like hospitality, airlines and others. Last but not least, Matthew asserts The Trade Desk’s commitment to objectivity means that unlike other TV OS providers, it will never build its own CTV, start its own streaming service nor present at a NewFront. 

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Sports streaming continues to boom, as Paramount signed UFC to an exclusive 7-year deal worth $7.7 billion that will feature 43 events per year. It was the latest in a string of deals  that have seen enormous increases in fees paid to sports leagues and teams. New to the Paramount-UFC deal is that pay-per-view (a staple of UFC, wrestling and boxing for years) is being phased out in favor of the flat monthly subscription rate. We discuss the implications. 

Meanwhile ESPN and Fox One (both launching on August 21st) are creating a bundle for $40 per month, discounting the combination of their standalone services by $10 per month. Interesting for Colin and me is that the $40 per month price point is approximately the $43 per month that the ill-fated Venu Sports was priced. 

Last we explore the growth of “micro dramas,” short-form, serialized dramas that are proliferating on social media. Do they have staying power, or are they just a “Quibi 2.0,” that will flame out?

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Disney released a flurry of announcements this week - deeper integration of Hulu and Disney+, international brand transition from Star to Hulu, ESPN acquiring NFL Network and Red Zone, NFL investing billions in ESPN, and ESPN acquiring rights to stream major WWE events. 

We break it all down and handicap what it likely means to Disney’s future success. One thing that’s for certain: starting on August 21st, when the new ESPN direct-to-consumer streaming app launches, we will all begin to get the most authentic view yet of what ESPN is actually worth in the open market. 

After 45 years of ESPN’s expensive monthly rate being buried inside pay-TV’s multichannel bundle, along with speculation as to what sports fans would actually pay if charged directly, we will all find out. Disney has a lot riding on things turning out well in this new D2C approach. 

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First up this week, YouTube continued its strong ad revenue growth in Q2 2025, with revenue rising 13% to $9.8 billion, ahead of its forecast. There’s plenty of growth still ahead as Shorts gain traction, advertisers tap conversion opportunities and AI permeates both content and monetization. 

Meanwhile Samsung signed a number of creators to put original content on its Samsung TV Plus FAST service. But as we discuss, there seems to be a looming decision for creators whether they should simply focus on their YouTube channels as YouTube becomes increasingly dominant on TV screens. 

Last but not least, we dig into the challenges that both HGTV and Peacock are experiencing. 

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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. 

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