Inside The Stream

Despite Netflix’s troubles, the SVOD market remains healthy with strong forecast growth and new entrants like the NFL. And a London conference this week showed how SVOD, AVOD, and FAST are combining to redefine entertainment.

SVOD providers have begun to realize subscriptions alone are not enough. Services like CuriosityStream, Netflix, and Disney+ are looking to AVOD and FAST linear to boost revenue.

9-in-10 people subscribe to a streaming service in the US, and half of those have three or more of the top five SVODs. Free ad-supported streaming looks like it will be just as popular.

Strong connected TV ad growth set the stage for this week’s NewFronts. Companies talked innovation and originals to woo advertisers. Roku’s presentation sparkled, but the company faces big challenges.

As Comcast’s cable TV business fades, it focuses on Peacock and the Roku model. YouTube continues its assault on the television screen. And NAB is back with new streaming media themes.

A tough quarter for Netflix has forced it to take even tougher decisions on the service’s direction. We discuss what impact ads, charging for password sharing, and content spending discipline will have.

The launch of Backlight brings together five cloud-based media software companies spanning the entire video lifecycle. In this interview, the company CEO explains how he plans to help them all grow.

We discuss Philo CEO’s pro-subscriber stance on price increases, unbundling, SVOD aggregation, and personalization. And look at Nielsen data packing big surprises for streamers.

CNN+ launched this week, but with weak connected TV coverage. Private investors bought Nielsen on the promise of staying number 1 in admeasurement. And the Oscar goes to Apple TV+, but will it help?

Are NBCU Checkout and Shoppable TV a better approach to TV commerce than ‘90s era interactive TV? And will it work on Peacock? New data shows Disney+ is better than Netflix at generating social buzz.