Myths in Streaming argues that the industry’s rush to scale during the growth-at-all-costs era created a structural weakness called metadata debt. As margins tighten, fragmented and vendor-defined metadata now creates operational inefficiencies, limits ad revenue potential, increases compliance risk, and…
OpenAI is launching its advertising business using external partners before building its own internal ad stack, mirroring the strategy used by Netflix. Early discussions with Criteo and The Trade Desk would give OpenAI immediate access to advertiser demand, measurement and…
YouTube generated an estimated $62B in 2025 revenue, surpassing Disney’s $60.9B media segment, according to MoffettNathanson. The milestone highlights a structural shift in media where distribution scale and the ability to aggregate global audience attention are becoming more powerful than…
Hub Entertainment Research’s latest survey shows sports fans have access to more games than ever, but fragmented rights across broadcast, cable, and streaming have made figuring out where to watch increasingly frustrating. The findings highlight the growing importance of discovery…
Netflix is turning an Atlético Madrid match into a marketing activation for Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man, transforming the club’s stadium into an immersive promotion during the March 14 game against Getafe CF. Kirby highlights how Netflix is tapping live…
Mexico’s streaming market is shifting toward a subscription rotation model as households increasingly cancel and re-add services based on price, content availability, and release timing. New data from The Competitive Intelligence Unit shows 14% of Mexican subscribers canceled at least…
Skip examines a Netflix exec's recent claim that Paramount’s $6B in projected merger synergies are “code for job cuts,” arguing the framing is designed for regulatory and competitive impact rather than financial precision.
Paramount’s proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery puts David Ellison’s $6 billion synergy target into a media labor market that’s already structurally smaller after years of elevated layoffs. Ellison said most savings will come from non-labor sources, but history shows…
YouTube is pulling away in video podcasts as the format hits mainstream scale. Ampere Analysis reports that 20% of global internet users watched a video podcast in the past month, including 11% on YouTube alone, positioning long-form, low-cost talk content…
Streaming’s competitive center of gravity is shifting from subscriber growth to engagement velocity, especially across mobile-native, vertical environments. Microdrama apps like ReelShort are outperforming major SVOD services in daily mobile watch time per active user, signaling that frequency and habit…
