Episode 156: The Problems With AI; Instagram TV; NFL's Exclusive Xmas Games; Recap of Prime Video, YouTube TV and Netflix News

This week, we highlight the NFL's distribution strategy during the Christmas holiday, with five games played, none of which will be broadcast nationally on broadcast TV, during some of the year's largest viewership windows. We cover the news that Instagram is launching an app for TVs, rolling out first on Amazon's Fire TV devices in the U.S. and suggest that many in the media are making this out to be bigger CTV ad news than it is, when selling ads in an 8-minute video on YouTube and a 15-second video on Instagram are very different.We detail how Amazon Prime Video has removed AI recaps from certain shows after users reported errors and why AI is absolutely overhyped in its deployment in the streaming video stack, with almost no examples of how well it works, what it costs to implement, or proof that it works at scale. Finally, we cover the latest news about YouTube, ESPN, Netflix, JioStar, Crunchyroll, FIFA, Brightcove, and Fastly.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Rob Koenen, Founder and CBO of Tiledmedia, the company that built the multiview player for F1, joined me for a detailed conversation about the latest multiview deployments across the OTT industry. Rob and I discuss the different technical approaches to building multiview functionality, the trade-offs of each, and the challenges of delivering multiview across so many devices. We cover latency, the impact of limited bandwidth, customizing multiview layouts and the challenges in offering a multiview option that's scalable and personalized.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail the viewship stats from Amazon, ESPN, FOX, and Paramount for NBA and NFL games during the Thanksgiving holiday, as well as the changes we saw in Black Friday OTT discounts. We also discuss what we consider a bad decision by Netflix, removing support for casting shows from mobile devices to most TVs and streaming devices, thereby affecting users who stream Netflix in hotel rooms. We also cover NBC News' announcement that it plans to launch a new ad-free paid streaming service, live programming including CFL, PGA TOUR, Formula 1, and FIFA coming to Bell Media’s streaming service Crave, and Fubo's carriage dispute with NBCU.Finally, we do a news roundup of Versant Media Group's financials, and its acquisiton of Free TV Networks, Bending Spoons' acquisition of Vimeo closing, HP and Dell removing hardware decode support for the H.265/HEVC codec in several business and entry-level models, and CW Network calling out Nielsen for "lacking credibility" and being "fundamentally flawed" with regards to their viewership methodology.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

For this special podcast episode, we break down the deal numbers behind Netflix's plan to acquire Warner Bros. film and television studios. We focus on the facts rather than on many varying opinions about the deal, most of which are speculation, given the many unknowns. We detail the impact of the proposed agreement on Netflix's balance sheet, highlight the potential regulatory hurdles, and point out what some people are getting wrong about the news. Finally, we call out uncertainties not yet known, including the possible impact on content bundling, pricing, layoffs, and theatrical releases.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, special guest Eric Black and I detail the latest news in sports streaming and price increases. We cover the impact on UK sports fans, with Paramount Skydance having secured the bulk of UEFA Champions League rights in the UK and Ireland, starting in 2027. We also cover MLB's newly announced licensing deals for 2026-2028, which will feature new packages of games on NBC, Peacock, and Netflix, while ESPN is bringing back a smaller selection of games. We detail the new deal terms between MLS and Apple, with the contract ending three years earlier and payment terms altered and NBC Sports' upcoming "EA SPORTS Madden NFL Cast" stream on Peacock for Thanksgiving. We discuss T-Mobile and Xfinity price increases, with T-Mobile announcing it will charge $3 per month for the "On Us" Apple TV perk for all customers who previously received the streaming service for free. Similarly, Xfinity is raising the monthly cost of the Xfinity "StreamSaver" bundle by $3, from $15 to $18. Finally, we do a news roundup across Netflix, Verizon's layoffs, Amazon's CloudFront CDN, and the reported non-binding bids placed for Warner Bros. Discovery. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail all the numbers you should know from Disney and Paramount's earnings and the comments made by executives during the earnings calls. We discuss the latest subscriber numbers, DTC operating income, ARPU, content spending budgets, Paramount ending free trials and the upcoming Paramount+ price increase. We also debate what Disney's CEO might mean when he said that gen-AI short-form UGC will be available on Disney+ in the future. We also highlight that, starting in 2026, Apple's MLS Season Pass will be discontinued, and that all MLS games will be streamed on the Apple TV service at no additional cost, potentially bringing more exposure to MLS content. We break down Amazon's announcement that Prime Video now reaches 315 million monthly viewers globally, and why we don't know what it means, without any details on the methodology. To wrap up, we cover news related to Netflix, Roku, NBC, and Kaltura's plans to acquire eSelf.ai.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Amazon's confirmation that it has started blocking sideloaded apps on Fire TVs that it deems are being used for piracy, in an effort to restrict users from accessing pirated content. We also discuss ITV's confirmation that it is in talks with Comcast-owned Sky about a potential acquisition of its broadcast business, valuing the company at £1.6 billion. We review the latest financial numbers and subscriber counts from Q3 earnings reported by WBD (HBO Max), Xperi, EchoStar (Sling TV), Altice, and AMC Networks, and highlight the strong earnings results from Akamai and Fastly.Note: I incorrectly stated 'Hulu+ Live TV' when I meant to say 'YouTube TV', and on a second occasion, I meant to say 'YouTube' instead of 'Amazon'. My apologies for the confusion.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Netflix's plans to offer live, dynamic ad insertion (DAI) for NFL games on Christmas and why this is a significant development for the industry. We also debated their new ad viewing definition and the announcement that ads on Netflix now reach more than 190 million MAUs globally. We break down the latest developments on the YouTube TV and Disney Carriage Dispute and how both companies are being disingenuous with users. For Q3 earnings data, we highlight Fubo's improving balance sheet, with its net loss shrinking to $18.9 million, while also reducing churn by 50% compared to last year. We also detail how Disney will take over advertising sales across Fubo, with Fubo integrating its inventory into Disney’s ecosystem and ad server. Additionally, Fubo announced plans to utilize Disney to grow internationally over the next 18 to 24 months. Finally, we dicuss how, in their latest earnings reports, Meta, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon have announced plans to increase their AI spending in 2026 to a combined $ 400 billion, but with no details on what percentage of their AI spend is going toward internal projects, versus selling cloud AI services to other companies. Additionally, quick updates on earnings from Broadpeak, Harmonic, Qwilt's new CEO, as well as Bending Spoons' $710 million equity raise at a $11 billion pre-money valuation.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I detail Netflix's Q3 earnings, its new interactive ads rolling out this quarter, and discuss its current use cases for GenAI. I also cover the upcoming Max price hikes and the latest WBD acquisition rumors, focusing on the numbers that matter most —revenue, debt, and financial metrics. Also discussed is the new NBA season, with the NBA back on NBC for the first time since 2002, Prime as a new addition to the NBA party, and ESPN returning for its 24th straight season. Finally, I detail the recent F1 viewership numbers on ESPN, FOX Sports plans to stream the FIFA World Cup 26 in native 4K, and layoffs by Charter Communications and Meta, with more on the way.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we highlight my review of Amazon's new Vega OS-based Fire TV Stick, which claims to offer "remarkably fast app launches,” but when tested against the Fire TV Stick Max, I found there was no difference in speed. We also detail all the news from Apple regarding its deal with F1, Apple's services chief discussing how Apple approaches the live sports business and Apple's new bundle with Peacock. We also dispute Apple's odd claim that Apple TV has better video quality than other broadcasters because it doesn’t compress its video, and the news that Apple will stream Select Los Angeles Lakers games in Apple’s Immersive on Vision Pro. Also covered is the latest news from WBD regarding the launch of CNN All Access, Max now streaming in over 100 markets, and HBO Max ingesting the All Elite Wrestling PPV at native 1080p60 HDR (HLG source), transported at 425mbps JPEG XS and PCM audio directly from the venue. Finally, we cover some of my thoughts on my opening talk at the DanAds conference, where I reinforced why the CTV industry needs to prioritize outcomes over impressions.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media