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Disney and NBCU signal a major shift in CTV ad buys: Both are working with The Trade Desk to make inventory available programmatically.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss how the upcoming giant sports streaming service from Fox, Warner Bros. Discovery, and ESPN benefits The Walt Disney Co.; what will happen when Hulu and Disney+ combine; and why Disney is now choosing to invest so much in Epic Games. "In Other News," we talk about what to make of Roku's current market position and what YouTube Premium has taught us about ad-free video. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Ross Benes.

The Walt Disney Co.鈥檚 recent moves, including the full acquisition of Hulu and adjustments in its content investment strategies, underscore a pivotal phase for the growth of the entertainment giant鈥檚 streaming business.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss what to make of Google deciding to keep cookies, whether a Spotify for movies service could work, if people will want to have a conversation with their newspaper, if Disney can be as addictive as Netflix, why there are more Olympic teams than countries, and more. Tune in to the discussion with host Marcus Johnson, our analysts Ross Benes and Blake Droesch, and vice president of content Paul Verna.

NBA lands historic media deals: New agreements with Disney, NBC, and Amazon promise expanded coverage and increased accessibility for fans.

WBD, Fox, Disney team up to shake up sports streaming: The companies will launch a Hulu-like streaming venture with access to each network鈥檚 linear sports content.

HBO and the Oscars fought for Sunday鈥檚 primetime viewers: The finale of blockbuster show 鈥淭he Last of Us鈥� aired during Hollywood鈥檚 biggest night.

Netflix will generate more than $14 billion in US OTT subscription revenues this year, more than any other company. Disney will come closest to Netflix, but that鈥檚 after Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+ revenues are combined. Netflix will account for more than one-fifth of total OTT subscription revenues this year; no other service comes close.

CTV ad spending is expanding because more services have adopted ads, streaming services have increased their ad loads, and people continue to spend more time streaming. Not too long ago, HBO, Netflix, and Disney+ featured no advertising. Now they all have ads. And some of the most popular ad-supported streamers, like Hulu, have increased their ad loads in recent years.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the largest discrepancies in terms of where folks spend their media time versus where advertisers spend their money, and how advertisers should adjust accordingly. "In Other News," we talk about the Comcast-Walt Disney Co. negotiations centered around Hulu's ownership and whether YouTube's new NFL Sunday Ticket features will be enough to attract viewers and advertisers. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood.

On today's special podcast episode, we continue our monthly show where we discuss the biggest trends of the moment and the newest research, sprinkle in some analysis, and bundle it up into a quiz. Every month, three of our analysts representing their respective coverage area teams compete against each other. (We also encourage you to play along at home.) We keep a running score and will crown a winning team at the end of the year. Today, we cover the triopoly's Q2 advertising performance, The Walt Disney Co.鈥檚 foray into sports betting, and who exactly are Gen Alphas? Tune in to the discussion with this month's contestants: our analysts Ross Benes and Zak Stambor and vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti.

Newsmax IPO is conservative media's moment: The network鈥檚 early success as a public company emphasizes advertiser confidence in right-leaning media.

HBO and Discovery+ going to the 鈥淢ax鈥�: Combined streaming service kicking off in May will bring new business leads for advertisers. Read online.

Streaming grew in March, but tariffs could threaten the CTV ecosystem: Despite upward trends, the CTV ad market could become stagnant in the year ahead.

Subscription OTT streaming is one of only a few media categories still seeing meaningful time spent growth in the US. The major platforms are heading in different directions, however.

CTV time鈥攚hich does not include traditional TV viewed via a CTV but does include all forms of streaming OTT, digital pay TV, apps, and audio accessed via a CTV鈥攈as risen rapidly in recent years. But it will still trail mobile device time by 1:45 per day and traditional TV time by 40 minutes.

Original content still drives growth: 鈥淎dolescence鈥� proves Netflix can win with high-quality dramas that spark cultural conversation and dominate viewer engagement.

As recently as 2018, the vast majority of US households had both a CTV device and a traditional pay TV subscription (cable, satellite, or telecom). Since then, traditional pay TV has declined precipitously, while CTV has climbed steadily. Digital pay TV viewership has also ascended in recent years, but nearly everyone in that cohort of households will be watching via a CTV device as well.

Streaming services are offering a multitude of bundles as they try to expand their ad-supported audiences.

Women's sports viewership continues its upward trajectory with the NCAA women's basketball championship game drawing over 8 million viewers and peaking at 9.8 million, per ESPN ratings. While that figure is down over 2024鈥檚 18.5 million, it represents a longer trend of sustained growth in women鈥檚 sports viewership. This phenomenon can no longer be attributed to one single star athlete鈥擟aitlin Clark鈥攂ut to an overall increase in women鈥檚 sports popularity.

Marvel falters while Neon surges: The weekend box office numbers might come down to marketing.

Hulu鈥檚 technical breakdown at the Oscars sparks backlash: Subscribers missed key moments as the stream crashed early, exposing the platform鈥檚 struggles with high-profile live events.