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Netflix added 13.1 million global subscribers in Q4 ’23, its best fourth quarter ever. As we discuss, the company is capitalizing on the introduction of paid sharing and a lower priced ad-supported tier. Paid sharing, which requires those who were using someone else’s login credentials to start their own subscription, has been especially effective. Netflix designed a smart strategy to eliminate...
In Q2 ’23 Comcast lost 543K domestic video subscribers, up from a loss of 521K a year earlier. In total, for the past 6 quarters, Comcast has lost almost 3.2 million subscribers, or nearly 18% of the 18.2 million subscribers it had on December 31, 2021, to bring it to just under 15 million currently.
On the brighter side, Peacock continues to make progress, adding another 2 million...
This week we focus on the role of TV operating systems in influencing viewers’ programming choices. Recently Hub Entertainment Research provided insights on OS market share of various streaming media players (Roku’s OS led with a 59% share). Colin shares his experiences searching for TV shows across the big 6 operating systems and how widely the results vary by OS, in turn guiding viewers’...
First up this week we discuss Tubi’s plan to stream the Super Bowl in UHD, a bold move by Fox’s free ad-supported TV service. As we discuss, it’s further evidence of how premium streaming sports experiences are continuing to improve. Next Amazon Prime video set a new viewership record for itself with last weekend’s NFL wild card game. We dive into its ratings gains.
Hub Entertainment...
Colin was at NABShow for a couple days and on this week’s Inside the Stream we discuss some of his top takeaways. No surprise AI was everywhere at NAB, as was blockchain. We discuss companies including Moments Lab, Obvious Future, LivePeer and others. Finally Colin learned some neat tricks for all of us to be greener with our big screen TVs, which he shares.
Listen to the podcast to learn...
This week we’re pleased to interview Ben Serridge, Director of Product Management, Google, who is focused on Google TV’s content and monetization. Ben explains what Google TV is and how it’s being positioned in a highly competitive TV OS market. He also details how Google TV is working with various TV OEMs. In particular, Ben emphasizes how Google TV anchors on personalized content...
First up this week on Inside the Stream we discuss YouTube’s advertising revenue for Q1 ’23, which was $6.7B, down 2.6% from Q1 ’22 of $6.9B. Obviously growth, not contraction, is the goal, but given the huge headwinds blowing through the ad business, in my view, a slight dip can rightly be considered a clear win. And the quarters that YouTube is now lapping were extremely strong to begin with...
First up this week, A+E Global Media, which is co-owned by Disney and Hearst, is the latest group of cable TV networks for sale or spinoff, as media companies rush to divest themselves of troubled assets. We discuss the reasons behind the divestments, including the steep drop-off in viewership over the past four years.
Next, Netflix is once again the number one ranked “must keep” brand in...
Colin was at NAB Show this past week and on today’s podcast we discuss some of the things that caught his attention. One is how Eluvio is enabling global distribution of live content using its new release. An early user example is European Pro Club Rugby. Next we discuss several AI innovations Colin saw in action. Last up are audio innovations from Xperi DTS without a soundbar.
Listen to the...
Talk about events moving fast. Not long after Colin and I recorded and posted this week’s podcast about the Disney-Fubo deal from earlier this week, the three Venu Sports JV partners said they were cancelling the service.
At the end of the podcast we cautioned that with DirecTV and EchoStar raising the possibility of a renewed Venu litigation, the JV partners might have second thoughts....