蘑菇AV

Warner Bros. Discovery posted strong Q2 2025 results, with studio revenues rising 55% YoY to $3.8 billion and HBO Max adding 3.4 million subscribers. A major company split is planned for 2026, separating Max and the studio from WBD鈥檚 legacy TV networks. Max is gaining momentum in a crowded market, with restrained ad loads and projected 85% growth in US ad revenues by 2027. With $10.76 billion earmarked for original content next year and major IP releases coming, WBD is positioning Max and its studios for standalone success. The split could offer investors a clearer, more compelling growth story.

Peacock is joining Prime Video鈥檚 ecosystem, giving viewers access to the service as an add-on with Prime subscriptions, per an Amazon announcement. The ad-free version of Comcast鈥檚 streaming platform will cost the same on Prime Video as it would individually. Peacock joins the likes of Paramount+, Apple TV+, and HBO Max in becoming part of Prime鈥檚 ecosystem. Peacock鈥檚 integration into Prime Video turns a mid-tier streamer struggling with profitability into part of a premium bundle, giving advertisers access to a larger, more engaged audience part of Amazon鈥檚 high-value ecosystem.

The news: Live-streamer Sling TV debuted day, weekend, and weeklong streaming passes as monthly subscription costs escalate. Consumers can buy a Day Pass for $4.99, a Friday-Sunday pass for $9.99, or a Week Pass for $14.99. Passes don鈥檛 auto-renew. All three passes offer access to the same 34 channels on Sling鈥檚 Orange package, including ESPN, TNT, A&E, Comedy Central, and more. Our take: If its short-term passes are successful, we can expect more streamers to follow suit and potentially offer popular IP for rent鈥攖hink 鈥淪quid Game鈥� on Netflix or 鈥淭he Gilded Age鈥� on HBO Max. That would allow advertisers to target specific, price-conscious audiences.

A new Adalytics investigation reveals that YouTube served ads from major brands like Disney, HBO Max, and Hulu alongside thousands of pirated films, live TV broadcasts, and exclusive streaming content鈥攔acking up over 250 million views. The report highlights systemic failures in YouTube鈥檚 content moderation and ad placement transparency, leaving advertisers with little visibility and minimal recourse for refunds. Worse, some studios may have inadvertently paid to retarget users who pirated their own content. As copyright enforcement lags and automation is gamed, brands and rights holders face financial, reputational, and legal risks in one of digital media鈥檚 biggest ecosystems.

The news: Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) plans to split into two separate public companies by 2026, one focused on streaming and studios and the other on global cable networks, the company announced. Its streaming company will include HBO Max and WBD鈥檚 movie properties, while the global networks company will include TNT Sports, Discovery, and CNN. Our take: WBD鈥檚 move emphasizes that sticking with a one-size-fits-all model is no longer viable given traditional TV declines and the rise of streaming. Managing decline while pursuing growth requires two fundamentally different playbooks.

HBO was synonymous with high-end content. Key consequences of the rebrand:. Confusion reigned. Viewers couldn鈥檛 tell what kind of service 鈥淢ax鈥� was or how it differed from HBO. Prestige was diluted. The cultural weight of 鈥淗叠翱鈥� was lost, hurting its perception as a premium offering. Critics pounced. From social media mockery to harsh press, the move became a case study in brand mismanagement.

With the cheaper ad-supported bundle tier for Disney, Hulu, and HBO, subscribers saved up to 43% compared with subscribing to each service individually, emphasizing the savings potential that makes bundles attractive for consumers looking to cut costs.

Juicing growth: It was only a matter of time before Amazon joined Netflix, Disney+, and HBO in restricting access to paying subscribers鈥攊n large part because the retailer has been so successful in getting consumers to sign up. Nearly 70% of the US population has a Prime membership, per our forecast, limiting growth opportunities.

For example, American Express鈥� recent White Lotus collaboration capitalized on the zeitgeisty HBO show by offering travel packages to the Four Seasons resort in Thailand where some of season three was filmed. Our take: Capturing expensive travel purchases is critical to reinforcing issuers鈥� card volume as economic anxieties make consumers spend less.

This was Northwell Health鈥檚 approach when developing the HBO documentary 鈥淥ne South: The Portrait of a Psych Unit,鈥� which features young adults undergoing treatment for mental health challenges at one of its facilities. Mental health is the top value Gen Z wants brands and companies to support, per a March 2023 ISC and Big Village study.

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.

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.

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.

This report compares our 2025 US ad spending and time spent with media forecasts. It identifies incongruities between how marketers are spending ad dollars and where consumers are spending their time.

While HBO hasn鈥檛 integrated these partnerships into the show itself, they could be a preview into how retail and Connected TV (CTV) will continue their convergence. 62.7% of US consumers discover new brands or products from TV, and well over a third (38.7%) searched online to consider buying something that they saw on TV, per a September 2024 蘑菇AV survey conducted with Shopsense AI.

Gone are the days when Netflix, HBO Now (now Max), and Prime Video prohibited ads. Every service publicly broken out by the Nielsen Gauge now sells advertising. Apple TV+ is the largest holdout in streaming advertising, and many insiders believe it, too, will eventually offer an ad tier. It is rare for subscription streaming services to not sell advertising.

Ad-supported streaming now drives most new subscriptions: Platforms are embracing ads as a primary monetization strategy, not a fallback.

Fubo debuts biddable pause ads: The move is the first time a CTV platform has offered biddable pause ads, but will require rapid scaling to remain effective.

Some high-engagement platforms are still undermonetized鈥攃reating opportunities for advertisers to connect with audiences in less-saturated environments.

Discord's first Quest, a partnership with HBO for a "Dune" trailer, had an 85% video completion rate, according to their internal data. And 100% of those who completed a quest redeemed their avatar decoration. Millions of people joined a Quest around the popular title Genshin Impact, which led to an 80% increase in user gameplay hours the week that the Quest was active.

Our midyear report revisits the top trends we named in early 2025 to see what鈥檚 shaping the market, evolving fast, or fading in the rearview mirror.

What do brands need to know about the next wave of digital growth?

Our latest forecasts for CTV and digital video viewers in Canada show that audiences are now a match for linear TV and exceed it in some age groups.