Business

Roku, Apple, Scripps, and ChatGPT all made moves last week that reinforce one theme: control has replaced scale as the core competitive advantage in streaming. The leverage battle isn’t about content volume anymore. It’s about who controls billing, discovery, rights,…

ByteDance is facing legal pressure from Disney, Paramount Skydance and the Motion Picture Association after its Seedance 2.0 AI video tool generated recognizable Hollywood characters and celebrity likenesses from simple prompts. The dispute isn’t just about copyright, it’s about who…

Warner Bros. Discovery’s board is weighing whether to reengage with Paramount Skydance after it submitted a revised $30 per share offer that covers the $2.8 billion Netflix break fee, backstops refinancing, and adds shareholder protections. WBD remains under agreement to…

Basics of Streaming explains rights management as the operational framework that translates licensing contracts into real-time enforcement across geography, time windows, devices, and monetization models. It outlines how platforms automate territorial restrictions, windowing schedules, device-level controls, and revenue permissions to…

Roku reported its first full-year profit in 2025, driven by 18% Platform revenue growth, record premium subscription additions, and continued expansion in streaming hours. The company beat fourth-quarter expectations and guided to $5.5 billion in 2026 revenue, signaling sustained margin…

The E.W. Scripps Company is restructuring its local broadcast operating model around AI, automation, and centralized production to drive $125 million to $150 million in incremental annualized EBITDA by 2028. With Q3 2025 revenue down 19% and local media revenue…

From the Archives revisits Sling TV’s 2015 debut, when Dish Network launched a $20 internet-delivered bundle that kickstarted the skinny bundle era. By pairing major networks like ESPN with modular add-ons, Sling reset how live TV was packaged and distributed,…

Structural leverage is replacing raw scale as the defining source of power in today’s media business. Vertical integration, like a potential Netflix-Warner combination, equity alignments such as Disney and the NFL, control of billing relationships, influence over ad tech standards,…

AMC Networks crossed a major inflection point as streaming became its largest source of U.S. revenue in Q4, with streaming revenue up 17% to $177 million and now surpassing affiliate fees. The growth was driven primarily by price increases across…

Skip confirms AI’s full entry into the media economy, competing directly with publishers, platforms, and streaming services for brand dollars. Conversational AI captures sustained intent and high-density first-party signal, turning interaction data into premium inventory and shifting leverage to whoever…