The Streaming Wars

Disney's considering thousands of job cuts, with some managers tasked with finding up to 20% in annual cost savings. CEO Josh D'Amaro aims to redirect spending toward high-value franchises, streaming, and Experiences, concentrating investment on fewer projects while raising the…

Looper Insights' Francesca Pezzoli identifies a critical ownership gap in CTV merchandising that leaves streaming services unable to verify promised home-screen placements, often mistaking weak exposure for poor marketing performance. She calls for a single accountable owner and real-time monitoring…

Fox One returned Fox to subscriber growth, with 97% of new subscribers coming from outside the cable bundle. After an estimated 2.8 million World Cup sign-ups in June, retention, acquisition costs, and distribution fees will determine profitability and shape Fox's…

Roku's advertising business drove 76% of its Q3 platform gross profit growth, with ad margins expanding to 63.2%, while subscription margins fell and device losses doubled. The results underscore advertising's importance to Roku's profitability as FOX prepares to acquire the…

DAZN has reportedly secured an exclusive option for global streaming rights to the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup, sidelining rival bidders as it evaluates the return on its $1 billion 2025 investment. FIFA gains a potential buyer but no guaranteed…

DoorDash's planned $17 billion Instacart acquisition would combine businesses representing 77% of tracked delivery retail-media ad impressions and expand purchase-based targeting and measurement across CTV. The deal could strengthen DoorDash's position against Amazon and Walmart while giving it greater influence…

Roblox plans to test skippable pre-roll ads during game loads, creating new advertising inventory across its platform without requiring developer integration. The company will share revenue with creators and exempt Plus subscribers, but undisclosed payout terms and frequency limits leave…

Reddit plans to test login requirements in select international markets as Google's AI search cuts referrals and raises user acquisition costs. With 59% of its daily audience logged out, Reddit's betting stronger ad monetization, better retention, and tighter data control…

SiriusXM counted 230,000 free Companion net additions across Q2 and Q3, offsetting roughly 203,000 net losses elsewhere and delivering just 27,000 overall self-pay gains. The program pressures ARPU while its retention benefits remain unquantified, with SiriusXM's outlook implying roughly 217,000…

Kirby examines how record political ad spending is driving battleground CTV CPMs to $43 and pushing regular advertisers out of premium inventory. With streaming offering more options and national TV ad rates falling, local stations risk losing year-round advertisers once…

Amazon's Full-Funnel Campaigns put Prime Video in competition with sponsored products for AI-managed ad budgets, strengthening Amazon's control over spending and attribution. Independent CTV sellers can compete by proving incremental sales across retailers and buying platforms, protecting their pricing power…

From the Archives revisits BBC iPlayer's 2007 launch, which made free catch-up viewing a consumer expectation and pressured traditional TV rights models. Now generating 8.9 billion annual requests, iPlayer faces growing funding challenges and increased dependence on third-party platforms like…