The Take

Netflix nearly doubled its 2026 upfront advertising commitments as its ad-supported audience grew to more than 250 million monthly active viewers globally. Strong demand for live programming, including sold-out sponsorships for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup, shows Netflix is…

Hallmark+ is emerging as Hallmark’s growth platform as cable declines, using exclusive scripted programming, live channels and retail benefits to turn streaming subscribers into broader customers across its media and consumer-products businesses. The service grew 31% year over year, while…

Ampere Analysis expects ad-supported tiers to account for 54% of North American subscription-streaming revenue in 2026, showing how quickly advertising has become central to the industry's economic model. Streaming economics are increasingly shifting from subscriber growth alone toward revenue per…

Major media companies are shifting the streaming conversation from scale at any cost to disciplined growth built around cash flow, monetization, and returns on capital. Across content, sports rights, advertising, distribution, and M&A, companies are prioritizing assets that can improve…

Paramount is offering AMC and Regal three-year contracts requiring a combined Paramount-Warner Bros. to release at least 30 films annually, with 45-day theatrical exclusivity and a 90-day subscription streaming holdback. The commitments could strengthen Paramount's defense of its $110 billion…

Disney+ is testing natural-language and voice search that turns a viewer’s immediate intent into customized content recommendations, while ESPN is using a related tool to connect sports questions with programming and other products. Disney can use those queries as a…

The Federal Communications Commission has repealed the rule preventing a single broadcaster from reaching more than 39% of U.S. TV households. The 2-1 vote replaces a fixed national ceiling with case-by-case public-interest review, removing one of the clearest barriers to…

Netflix is turning GTA 6 demand into subscriber inventory with a six-hour exclusive window for Rockstar’s August 27 presentation. Netflix gets appointment viewing, ad inventory and audience data around one of gaming’s biggest launches without funding the game or owning…

Charter's $34.5 billion Cox deal is becoming an operating contract in California, where regulators are tying approval to broadband pricing, network investment, outage credits and other customer protections that could constrain margins for years. Cox gives Charter more broadband scale…

Starz’s Q2 results showed its standalone strategy taking shape as total subscribers increased despite a June price hike to $11.99, while engagement reached the second-highest level in company history. Starz is cutting low-engagement programming costs, leaning into cheaper originals like…