蘑菇AV

Although Substack is ad-free, for now, it鈥檚 a valuable channel for brands and companies to reach niche audiences and engage with consumers in a trusted, more personal environment.

While von Ahn鈥檚 transparency helps explain the company鈥檚 reasoning, it may harm consumer trust, and any cost savings from automation could be offset by canceled subscriptions.

Netflix鈥檚 strategy of rolling out a lower-cost ad-supported tier in conjunction with its password-sharing crackdown worked well on the business side as subscriptions and revenues increased. But the new cohort of ad-viewing subscribers appear to be watching less Netflix than higher-paying ad-free viewers.

Meta recently appealed to President Donald Trump鈥檚 administration to push back against the EU over a suit alleging that Meta created a 鈥減ay or consent鈥� model with its ad-free subscription tier that violated the Digital Markets Act. TikTok was sued by Texas in October over claims that the app illegally sold and shared teens鈥� personal data.

In 2025, its priority is to make AI-powered conversation features more interactive and differentiate its premium Duolingo Max subscription offering. Its cost of revenues in 2024 grew to $203.6 million, up 43% YoY, due to increased generative AI (genAI) expenses. Revenue from subscriptions in 2024 increased 50% YoY to $607.5 million and daily active users in Q4 hit 40 million, up 51% YoY.

Amazon Music is bundling subscriptions with Audible for possible audience discovery and cross-pollination. These strategies are innovative but also limited to very specific niches such as audiophiles, classical music superfans, and those interested in audiobooks.

That鈥檚 due to the higher ad loads there and the commonality of ad-free streaming. Ad load estimates for linear TV vary, but generally the average is about 15 minutes of ads per hour. Streaming ad loads are much lighter, although they vary significantly, ranging from nearly 9 minutes per hour to 1 minute per hour, according to MediaRadar.

Gen Z Technology and Media Preferences (蘑菇AV subscription required). The Travel Media Network Explainer 2024 (蘑菇AV subscription required). Note: Data was provided to 蘑菇AV by Comscore.

The vast majority of Netflix viewing is still happening ad-free. A note on our forecast: Our US CTV ad spending forecast was issued in March 2025, before many of the Trump-imposed tariffs on foreign goods went into effect. The forecast reflects some economic disruption and assumes limited tariffs targeting only select trading partners.

Viewers may face higher subscription costs if tariffs increase the cost of streaming devices. While viewers increasingly prefer AVOD, services might have to increase ad frequency to compensate for lower ad rates, leading to a more disruptive streaming experience. Higher prices could further the shift toward FAST options as consumers cut down on costs.

This is the first quarter Netflix has not disclosed subscriber counts; however, subscription research firm Antenna estimates that the platform lost subscribers in Q1. Netflix also announced that former executive chairman Reed Hastings has transitioned to chairman of the board and a non-executive director.

Back to the drawing board: Consumer backlash has already led some manufacturers to backtrack on connected car subscription-based features. BMW abandoned its subscription model for heated seats after customers expressed outrage. General Motors (GM) faced legal issues over collecting and sharing driver data without consent.

It鈥檚 not just Charter Spectrum鈥攁 similar dynamic played out last month with DirecTV and Disney, resulting in DirecTV offering Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions. Linear pay TV services are stuck between a rock and a hard place in these negotiations: Streamers like Disney, Paramount, and NBCU also own some of the most-viewed channels on linear TV and can withhold access if their terms aren鈥檛 met.

US Digital Grocery Forecast 2025 (蘑菇AV subscription required). US CPG Industry Ad Spending 2024(蘑菇AV subscription required). Methodology: Data is from the Placer.ai report titled "Quarterly Retail Review: Q4 2024." Placer.ai analyzes 1.5+ billion monthly visitors across 20 million devices, 13+ million venues, thousands of segments, and 500+ mobile apps.

US Privacy Trends 2024 (蘑菇AV subscription required). The First-Party Data Opportunity(蘑菇AV subscription required). Methodology: Data is from the January 2025 Proximic report titled "2025 State of Programmatic." Over 150 US advertising decision-makers were surveyed during November 5-22, 2024. Respondents included brands, agencies, and publishers.

If its initial launch is promising, Digg could consider options like subscription-based models to sustain growth without oversaturating the platform with ads鈥攂ut whether that will be profitable in the long term remains to be seen.

Traffic loss: The shift away from organic search to AI-driven results raises concerns for content creators who rely on organic search traffic for revenue and visibility, potentially decimating ad revenues and subscriptions. Content scraping: AI models may pull data from creators鈥� work without proper attribution or compensation.

US TV and Connected TV Ad Spending Forecasts H2 2024 (蘑菇AV subscription required). Digital Video Forecast and Trends Q1 2025 (蘑菇AV subscription required). Methodology: Data is from the January 2025 Nielsen report titled "Engaging Black Audiences: How Brands Impact, Grow and Win With Inclusion."

US Luxury Consumers and Their Path to Purchase (蘑菇AV subscription required). Luxury Ecommerce 2024 (蘑菇AV subscription required). Note: For this study, luxury goods are defined as products that are priced at a premium and positioned with a higher level of quality, craftsmanship, exclusivity, and/or scarcity relative to the majority of goods in a given product category.

If LinkedIn can keep layering in value鈥攙ia tools, subscriptions, and creator-driven content鈥攊t won鈥檛 just retain relevance. It鈥檒l become a must-buy for advertisers who care more about outcomes than impressions.

The news: Apple TV+ is losing more than $1 billion annually, making it Apple鈥檚 only unprofitable subscription service. Those losses are adding up despite Apple TV+ reaching 45 million subscribers in 2024, per The Information. Only 22% of connected TV (CTV) users watched Apple TV+ in 2024, per LG, compared with 45% for Hulu, 61% for Amazon Prime Video, and 66% for Netflix.

Consumers are finding increased value in spending on AI apps, which could lead to an increase in subscriptions and in-app purchases in the segment. The genAI mobile app revenue surge is a result of increased competition and AI鈥檚 move from browsers to apps.

As the largest subscription streamer, what happens at Netflix ripples through the rest of the market. Bundles typically offer a steep discount to viewers who select ad plans. The past year has also seen some streaming services eliminate their cheapest ad-free plans and raise prices more on their ad-free plans than on their ad-supported ones.

While margin expansion may slow in 2025, Spotify has multiple levers to drive revenues, from additional price increases to new subscription models and ad-supported innovations. The UMG deal underscores the power struggle between streaming platforms and record labels, with investors eager to assess its financial impact.

Cost-cutting advice or services, such as easy visibility into subscriptions or recurring costs. Products that help customers save faster. Advice on how to navigate the upcoming changes. And for businesses, that could include products and services like:. Tools that optimize cash flow. Flexible lines of credit.