蘑菇AV

Discovery (WBD) ended Q4 2024 with strong streaming growth, a major sports pricing shift, and ongoing declines in traditional TV, Thursday鈥檚 earnings show. The company added 6.4 million streaming subscribers, increased direct-to-consumer (DTC) profits, and posted a deeper $494 million net loss. Studio revenues grew 15% as WBD restructured to address linear TV challenges. By the numbers:.

Disney adapts to industry challenges: House of Mouse emphasizes ESPN's sports offerings and nonscripted content at upfronts.

Will streamers band together to create a sports broadcast hub? ESPN is trying to persuade competitors to jump on board, and revenue pressures could sway them.

They had a lot of trouble re-signing some of their sports licenses, so they basically lost out to some of the big tech players when it comes to live sports. And they seem to be in a place where they're still prioritizing user growth. (14:44):.

Success during the NFL broadcasts could help Netflix recover from this setback, but another failure would likely severely limit its sports ambitions. The difference between streaming on-demand content and live sports has become painfully clear for Netflix.

The deal could increase Disney鈥檚 market power, which would likely incentivize the company to raise prices for consumers, limiting options and driving up costs in the live sports streaming market. Fubo had previously sued Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery over their plans for Venu, which was intended to be a sports-only streaming service.

Current affairs, culture, and sports programming are targeting a larger share of listeners digitally rather than over the air. Platforms like Spotify have capitalized on growing digital audio consumption. We forecast that there will be 13.0 million Spotify listeners in Canada in 2025, nearly 57% of whom will be paid premium subscribers.

The move rekindles interest among Gen Xers who remember Reebok鈥檚 heyday as a trendy sports brand. Listen to the full episode. This was originally featured in the Retail Daily newsletter. For more retail insights, statistics, and trends, subscribe here.

For awards shows and sports, real-time engagement is everything鈥攙iewers expect flawless live streaming, not just a replay. The Oscars meltdown is part of a broader trend of technical failures in live streaming. As platforms continue to replace traditional TV, ensuring reliability will be essential to retaining subscribers and securing exclusive event partnerships in the future.

This methodical descent is unlikely to ease, particularly as more live sports programming migrates to digital platforms. But the slowness of TV鈥檚 death presents a conundrum for marketers: It鈥檚 still a big chunk of daily time spent with media (2:45 per day in 2025). Among devices, mobile remains dominant, and CTV has almost caught up with regular TV.

Sports channels have also seen a notable 105% increase. An opportunity for advertisers: The breadth of niche content and channels available on FAST services makes it a valuable channel for marketers looking to target specific audiences. The number of US FAST viewers is expected to reach 115.6 million in 2025, per our forecast.

On today's tiny "Shark Tank"-style podcast episode, our contestants pitch their most interesting predictions for the rest of 2024 including how AI messaging will change, when Venu Sports will actually launch, and more. Tune in to the discussion with analyst Ross Benes and director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman.

Streaming has been a home run for sports-based advertising Through sports rights, new and niche content, and creative ad formats, every major streamer is attempting to grab a share of sports connected TV (CTV) ad spend.

Disney, Fox, and WBD unveil Venu Sports: New streaming service still has hurdles to overcome before fall 2024 debut.

Record viewership for women鈥檚 sports is finally making brands take notice: A coalition of brands and sports leagues is pressuring networks to give women鈥檚 sports primetime slots.

All eyes have been on streaming at this year鈥檚 upfronts. Sports are moving to digital, new (and old) trends are emerging for ad buying and delivery, and political advertising has been surprisingly quiet. Here are four themes that stood out this upfronts season.

Every major streaming company鈥攁nd some not so major ones鈥攊s investing in live sports. As they compete for broadcast rights, they鈥檙e seeking advertisers. Exclusive inventory is a draw, but benefits like first-party data and the ability to execute on lower-funnel objectives are also helping streamers woo live sports advertisers.

Fubo calls for Congressional oversight on a major streaming venture: claims it monopolizes 80% of US sports broadcasts.

On today's episode, we discuss how sports betting in the US became an overnight market and how many folks will own cryptocurrency going forward. "In Other News," we talk about Substack's new tweet-like feature "Notes" and how YouTube is pricing NFL Sunday Ticket. Tune in to the discussion with our director of forecasting Peter Newman and analyst Andrew Spink.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why supercharged online sports gambling is now everywhere, what the ecosystem looks like, and some hard truths about gambling addiction. "In Other News," we talk about the latest on writers' and actors' strike negotiations and how it is influencing advertising decisions and studio revenues. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Paul Verna.

Sports streaming momentum keeps building: Roku and NBA team up on FAST channel as Peacock and Prime Video win more exclusive streaming deals.

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.