蘑菇AV

OTT video鈥攊ncluding YouTube, subscription OTT, AVOD, and free ad-supported streaming TV鈥攊s extremely popular in nearly all forms. But traditional pay TV continues to reach new lows.

The trend: Gen Z is opting out of both traditional pay TV and ad-supported streaming tiers, signaling deeper changes in viewing behavior. Just 42% of Gen Z subscribers use ad-supported SVOD, while less than half of all US households now maintain a pay TV subscription. Our take: Streaming鈥檚 future depends on reaching the next generation, but current models鈥攅specially ad-supported tiers鈥攁ren鈥檛 meeting Gen Z where they are. With only 1.3 hours of streaming and 0.8 hours of traditional TV per day, Gen Z prefers social video, gaming, and music. To stay relevant, platforms must prioritize native formats, interactivity, and creator integration over legacy ad models.

Digital eclipsed traditional pay TV among live sports viewers in 2023. As that lead grows, the growth of women鈥檚 sports and betting apps provides marketers with opportunities to reach new audiences.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss why households with no pay-TV (traditional or digital) will be the majority and if livestream shopping in America can become habitual. Tune in to the conversation with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson, Principal Forecasting Writer Ethan Cramer-Flood, and Senior Director of Forecasting Oscar Orozco. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.

Video's near-future trends are taking shape鈥攁s digital pay TV loses its momentum, livestreaming ecommerce is gaining traction.

DirecTV wants a piece of the post-Venu streaming world: The pay TV provider is repositioning itself, but pricing could be a hurdle.

The news: Disney and Universal are suing AI startup Midjourney, alleging copyright infringement. The lawsuit states that Midjourney pirated their content libraries and continues to produce 鈥渋nnumerable鈥� copies of their characters, including Shrek, Homer Simpson, and Darth Vader. Our take: A victory for the studios could cut off AI companies鈥� access to media libraries, accelerate a shift toward paid content licensing deals, and set legal precedents to help web publishers and IP owners protect their content from data scraping.

YouTube鈥檚 hiring of ESPN veteran Justin Connolly triggers a Disney lawsuit: The clash underscores rising tensions over live sports streaming supremacy.

Disney introduces perks programs for Disney+, Hulu: The programs aim to entice new subscribers and keep existing subscribers around if budgets tighten.

The news: Meta is planning another VR headset, codenamed Loma, to compete with Apple鈥檚 beleaguered Vision Pro, per The Wall Street Journal. The product will look similar to its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses鈥攔ather than a traditional headset goggles design鈥攁nd feature higher-fidelity video than the Quest line of headsets. Meta is offering millions of dollars to Disney, A24, and others for exclusive IP-based gaming content to avoid the Vision Pro鈥檚 pitfall of lacking compelling content. Our take: Meta鈥檚 renewed headset push shows the company is learning from past missteps, but success will hinge on whether Loma can offer must-have experiences at a justifiable price.