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It鈥檚 becoming more expensive for streaming viewers to avoid advertising. Netflix, Disney+, and others have raised subscription prices over the past several months.

The majority of subscription video-on-demand sign-ups on Peacock and Hulu are ad-supported, according to Antenna, accounting for 69% and 58% of overall subscription plans, respectively.

Despite the Basic With Ads subscription tier being released just two weeks ago, we鈥檙e forecasting Netflix will see US ad revenues of $830 million in 2023, growing to $1.02 billion in 2024. It鈥檚 an impressive acceleration in ad revenues, but it puts the company behind a few streaming rivals.

Sunday Ticket propels YouTube TV to 48% growth: The pay TV service has seen subscriptions jump significantly since it acquired the costly streaming rights.

To build loyalty, brands first need to establish a foundation of trust by delivering on the basics. From there, brands can use subscription programs to ramp up purchase frequency and social media to engage with brand advocates. But to keep customers coming back, brands need to be constantly optimizing. Here鈥檚 some advice from executives at DoorDash and Taco Bell on how to build brand loyalty and what it takes to retain a loyal customer base.

On today's episode, we discuss whether Netflix's password-sharing crackdown is actually working out, why the company got rid of its basic ad-free plan, and whether sticking to sports-adjacent programming is the right move. "In Other News," we talk about whether The Walt Disney Co. might be bailing on TV too soon. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

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.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether this is the beginning of Amazon's decline, if the Internet is becoming more ad-free, whether shopping pairs well with streaming, where brands will shift their ad dollars during the Super Bowl as they lean away from X (formerly Twitter), ChatGPT creator OpenAI's deal with publishing giant Axel Springer, the most visited tourist attractions in the world, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Blake Droesch and vice presidents of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Paul Verna.

鈥淚 think it鈥檚 kind of a hard sell,鈥� said our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic of Netflix鈥檚 Basic with Ads tier. Existing Netflix users are used to ad-free content, and even a cheaper price won鈥檛 win most of them over, he said. Could a potential recession change that?

On today's podcast episode, we discuss whether X (formerly Twitter) can recover from its latest debacle, if folks will start buying cars on Amazon, whether ad-free social networks are inevitable, companies potentially ruining "buy one, get one free" deals, United Airlines weighing using passenger data to target ads on planes, how people feel about tipping in the US, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti and analysts Ross Benes and Bill Fisher.

Ad spend across digital channels has been mixed so far this year, with spend on social networks slowing and connected TV spend boosted by new ad-supported subscription tiers. Meanwhile, retail media is diversifying at a rapid rate as nonendemic retailers get in the game

Walmart lags behind Amazon in total ecommerce sales, retail media ad dollars, and retail subscriptions. But there may be ways for it to minimize the gap in certain areas, namely search and AI capabilities.

55% of Gen Z adults access streaming TV through someone else鈥檚 subscription, according to a December 2023 DISQO study.

On today's episode, we discuss what to make of Meta's new Threads app, whether the internet is becoming more like TikTok, the argument against "click to cancel," ad-supported versus ad-free video streaming, how shipping works, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our forecasting writer Ethan Cramer-Flood and analysts Zach Goldner, and Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

On today's episode, we discuss how recent YouTube TV price hikes will affect subscriptions, whether streaming TV actually costs less than cable, and if a sports streaming hub is a viable product. "In Other News," we talk about what Roblox's new ad rules will do to the metaverse and why Walmart+, Walmart's membership program, is resonating with high-income shoppers. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Daniel Konstantinovic.

Our take: Future opportunities within Apple鈥檚 and Google鈥檚 connected car ecosystems include in-car exclusives, new sports and game apps, and subscription services catering to drivers and riders.

On today's episode, we discuss the implications of the Federal Trade Commission thinking Amazon tricked customers into signing up for automatically renewing Prime subscriptions, whether it makes sense for companies to force livestream shopping on Americans, if speciality stores really work, the impact of Facebook and Instagram restricting news access in Canada, whether reduced inflation can save the day, what a real work-life balance looks like, and more. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian, vice president of Briefings Stephanie Taglianetti, and analyst Evelyn Mitchell-Wolf.

On today's episode podcast, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why Amazon is struggling to get Amazon Fresh off the ground, what it has going for it, and what would happen if Amazon broke out a separate subscription for grocery. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the other players that could offer lessons on how Amazon Fresh could compete with Walmart. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and director of content Becky Schilling.

Microsoft is the latest to resort to layoffs: The company is reducing its headcount by 5% as it pivots to plug AI into its key products, subscriptions, and cloud services. But AI still has a lot of hurdles to jump.

This content is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what鈥檚 happening in your industry. Not a subscriber? Click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.

This content is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what鈥檚 happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.

Over the years, Amazon has piled on perks and benefits including ad-free listening with Amazon Music, access to a vast collection of programming and live sports on Prime Video, and unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos.

For example, an AI bot from vibe-coding standout Cursor fabricated a policy change, triggering user backlash and subscription cancellations. Tools from DeepSeek and OpenAI are now more prone to factual errors than they were a year ago, researchers found. OpenAI鈥檚 o3 and o4-mini hallucinated 33% to 79% on benchmark tests, per the Times.

This content is part of 蘑菇AV鈥檚 subscription Briefings, where we pair daily updates with data and analysis from forecasts and research reports. Our Briefings prepare you to start your day informed, to provide critical insights in an important meeting, and to understand the context of what鈥檚 happening in your industry. Non-clients can click here to get a demo of our full platform and coverage.

The potential of AI-driven visual interactions: Cameras on smartphones and wearable devices can make AI more context- and location-aware and can drive interactions, user engagement, and subscriptions. Apple is reportedly considering adding cameras and visual intelligence features to its wearables, per Bloomberg. But given Apple鈥檚 recent AI shortcomings, these features could be at least a year away.