Distribution

Hollywood for Sale (Again): Political Favor, Regulatory Blindness, and the High-Cost Collapse of Legacy Media

Warner Bros. Discovery is barreling toward its fourth ownership change in seven years, a span marked by extraordinary value destruction, unchecked executive churn, and an industry unwilling—or unable—to confront the structural failures hollowing out the U.S. media sector. Instead of stabilizing long-term businesses, these megadeals have become vehicles for a handful of executives, financiers, and political allies to trade century-old cultural institutions like poker chips.

Streaming

Beyond Binge Watching: Ads, Sports, and Telecoms Are Steering Streaming Back to Cable’s Playbook

The U.S. streaming market is saturated, with 96% of households subscribed to services, prompting a shift from acquisition to retention strategies. Ad-supported models are gaining traction as affordability overshadows uninterrupted viewing. Live sports and telecom partnerships are key growth areas, while brand ecosystems are vital for subscriber retention in this maturing landscape.

Distribution

2024 in Review: Netflix Reigns, Roku Rises, Theaters Falter, and Trends Shaping 2025

In 2024, the media industry faced significant challenges, with domestic box office revenues falling sharply due to delays and a lack of original content. Contrarily, free ad-supported streaming platforms like Roku gained traction, indicating a shift towards cost-effective viewing. The industry grapples with evolving strategies amid ongoing mergers and the rise of library content.

Broadcast & PayTV

Splitting the Difference: Why Warner Bros. and Comcast Are Carving Up Their Empires

Warner Bros. Discovery and Comcast are restructuring to separate their declining linear TV networks from streaming divisions, signaling the end of linear television’s dominance. This strategy, framed as a means to enhance value, highlights the sector’s collapse as advertisers and viewers shift to digital platforms. Mergers or sell-offs are imminent.

Distribution

Content Spending Slumps in the Post-Peak Television Era

After reaching unprecedented heights, the film and television market is now charting a more cautious path in the post-peak television era. Several recent forecasts shed light on the slowdown in television content spending, emphasizing the shift in priorities and austerity for major media companies.

Streaming

Navigating the Siren Song of Streaming as Studios Get Caught in the Undertow

Hollywood’s approach to thriving in streaming has taken a sharply negative turn in the past few years. Initially, the strategy involved pouring resources into content to lure subscribers and ending profitable licensing agreements with aggregators like Netflix, banking on eventual profitability.

Broadcast & PayTV

The Future Will Have Ads

In a recent survey of over 5,000 active online subscribers in the United States and Canada, 81% of respondents wished that paid streaming services like Netflix or Amazon Prime Video offered a free, ad-supported option.

Streaming

The Paradox of Choice

The major studios sabotaged the dream of a la carte programming and are now attempting to transform streaming into cable television via an ethernet connection instead of coaxial.

Streaming

AVOD Market Heats Up

Several media companies are holding discussions to acquire advertising-supported video streaming services. Fox Corp is in talks with Tubi, and NBCUniversal is considering Vudu.

Broadcast & PayTV

Cord-Cutting Gains Momentum

In the fourth quarter, two million US subscribers cut the cord on traditional television packages from AT&T, Comcast, Charter, and Verizon, up from 1.7 million in the third quarter.

Streaming

Disney Aims At Netflix

Disney+ nearly triples its subscriber base since launching in November. Through January, the streaming service has 28.6 million subscribers, up from 10 million weeks after it debuted.