Last week underscored that distribution, discovery, and monetization systems have become the most valuable assets in streaming, not the content itself. Roku, DAZN, ESPN, Netflix, Amazon, and YouTube all made moves to control the viewer entry point, compress decision-making, and…

Roku’s platform business crossed $1.13 billion in Q1 revenue, up 28%, as advertising and subscriptions scaled together and pushed the company to $86 million in net income. Roku’s results show its platform model’s getting more durable, with distribution, monetization, and…

DAZN’s acquisition of ViewLift positions it to operate as both a rights buyer and a full-stack streaming provider as U.S. local sports distribution undergoes rapid disruption. The move gives DAZN immediate DTC infrastructure capabilities at a time when teams are…

YouTube’s Q1 ad revenue rose 11% to $9.9 billion, putting it near a $10 billion quarter as Alphabet reported 22% overall revenue growth and 350 million paid subscriptions. YouTube’s scale on TV screens, low-content-risk economics, and behavioral bundle across ads,…

Roku’s Howdy has surpassed 1 million subscribers within its first year, with Antenna data showing strong early growth and a roughly 51% retention rate that outpaces typical streaming benchmarks. The $2.99 ad-free service leverages Roku’s owned distribution ecosystem and licensed…

ESPN and The CW are turning CW Sports into a broader distribution play, with more than 800 hours of live sports heading to ESPN’s Unlimited tier while CW entertainment programming lands free on The Roku Channel the day after broadcast.…

Skip explains that streaming services prioritize episodic content because it drives longer engagement, more ad inventory, and stronger retention than films. Shows extend viewing sessions, create repeat entry points, and generate multiple monetization cycles, while movies typically deliver a single,…

YouTube and creators like Dhar Mann are reshaping ad spending by offering brands measurable outcomes instead of just reach, turning content into a direct driver of traffic, engagement, and sales. Creator-led media operates as vertically integrated businesses that control production,…

Streaming services have lost the front door. Devices, TV operating systems, aggregation layers, and AI-driven discovery now shape what gets surfaced before an app opens, which weakens services’ control over selection, monetization, and ad pricing power.

Skip breaks down how CTV operating systems now control discovery, monetization, and viewer decision-making, pushing streaming services into a fulfillment role within OS ecosystems. As home screens become the primary interface, services are optimizing for placement and visibility instead of…