Episode 145: Detailing WBD, Netflix, and Roku's Balance Sheets; Disney's DTC Price Increases; Netflix and MLB News

This week, we highlight all of the comments from Netflix's co-CEO regarding its upcoming release of five Party Games designed for connected TVs. We also detail his remarks on why Netflix doesn't bid for an entire season of NFL games, why Netflix doesn't want to acquire WBD, the impact of their new UI/UX and why trying to copy YouTube is the "dumbest move" a company can make. We also cover some announcements made during Advertising Week NY, with news from NBC, Paramount Skydance, Roku, Snap, The Trade Desk, Sky Media and Fox.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we highlight the stocks of WBD, Disney, Roku, Paramount, Apple, Fubo, and others, which have all increased by at least 25% over the past six months, with WBD leading the way at 112%. We detail all the latest news related to Peacock, Max, FOX, Fubo, Disney, Versant, Prime Video, the NBA, and YouTube TV, as well as rumors that Yahoo is in advanced talks to sell AOL to Bending Spoons. Finally, we discuss some tips and tricks for increasing exposure on LinkedIn, including recent best practices from the company regarding content focus, length, reposts and new analytic metrics.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we highlight the balance sheets of WBD, Netflix, and Roku, including their market capitalization, debt, cash, and profit and loss statements, as we examine some of the high-level rumors of mergers in the industry, where no one seems to be considering the financials. We also discuss Disney's DTC price increases and the ridiculous comparisons about Kimmel's monologue viewership numbers between TV and YouTube, as some claim Disney has seen "mass" cancellations. We cover the unconfirmed news that MLB has agreed to a three-year deal with Netflix for games that include the Home Run Derby and the 2026 opening day game, and highlight how Apple used iPhone 17 Pros to capture and stream live footage of their last Friday Night Baseball game on Apple TV+. Finally, we discuss Roku's unusual comparison, declaring "FAST is the new cable," in their latest report, and highlight the revenue and profit disclosed from vendor Cleeng.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I highlight where the hype lies in AI, where there is opportunity, and why an "AI-first native strategy" by vendors is the wrong approach. I also explain the importance of AI use cases that help boost efficiency, versus those that are more disruptive to a given industry and how AI is truly upending the news media industry. I detail the new financial details released by Versant Media Group, Comcast’s spinoff of the majority of its NBCU cable network portfolio and the importance of understanding the difference between free cash flow and profitability.I also break down the viewership numbers from Netflix’s Canelo vs. Crawford boxing event, Amazon’s TNF kickoff NFL game, and YouTube’s exclusive live global stream of the NFL game from Brazil, which YouTube originally misreported, resulting in updated numbers that increased by two million viewers a few days later. Also covered are Sky's plan to lay off 600 employees, the NBA's investment arm investing in MediaKind, and why Antenna's numbers of ESPN Unlimited and Fox One sign-ups should not be trusted.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I cover the viewership stats from YouTube’s exclusive NFL live global stream, breaking down what the numbers really mean, since many in the media misreported them. I discuss the challenges that the NFL, FOX and ESPN say they have in working with Nielsen, who once again, announced it is changing the way it measures viewership, which is absent of impartiality and transparency. I also detail the latest news and rumors involving WBD, the upcoming TNT Sports app, and the news that the HBO Max platform will lose live sports in the US next year. Also covered are the rumors that Paramount Skydance wants to make a bid for WBD, and I detail why, if a deal were to happen, it would be far more complex than most realize and would not quickly raise ARPU and reduce churn like some suggest.Amazon's quality stream for the season kickoff of Thursday Night Football is discussed, along with DISH price increases, DAZN's new multiview feature for select NFL Game Pass subscribers and news that Walmart+ members can choose between the ad-supported plans of Paramount+ and Peacock and switch every 90 days at no additional cost. Finally, I provide context around the news that Vimeo has agreed to be acquired by Bending Spoons in an all-cash transaction that values Vimeo at approximately $1.38 billion and detail the numbers from Vimeo's balance sheet that most are not looking at, but should be.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

The OpenMOQ Software Consortium has launched as a new effort among vendors and content owners, focused on advancing MOQ-based technology through open-source software. The consortium is tasked with developing high-performance software that will enable the next generation of media contribution, distribution, and playback. OpenMOQ is a collaborative effort to accelerate development, enhance interoperability and share cost between vendors, distributors and in some cases, even competitors. In this interview, Will Law from Akamai and Tomas Kvasnicka from CDN77 discuss the formation of OpenMOQ and its goals. https://openmoq.orgPodcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I cover the launch of Fox One and ESPN Unlimited, which appeared to go smoothly, with few user issues reported. I detailed the news of the week, including price increases for Apple TV+ and BritBox, the launch of a new $20 bundle from Sling TV, and news from Netflix, YouTube, MLB, Fubo and NBC Sports. Finally, I discuss the expected upcoming layoffs at Paramount and their implications for the industry.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Marty Kagan, co-founder and CEO of Hydrolix, joined me for a detailed conversation on the importance of delivering better end-user QoE with real-time telemetry and the challenges that come with CDN observability. Marty highlights why more hot data is crucial for AIOps and challenges that M&E customers face today, including the need to discard data due to storage costs. Marty presents a compelling argument against the notion that most data is irrelevant and that content owners only need to retain a small percentage as a sample. We also discuss why Hydrolix isn’t an AI company and Marty's plans to continue growing its streaming data lake platform in verticals outside of video.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Paramount Global's seven-year deal with TKO for the rights to stream UFC fights, the impact on ESPN+ and UFC's approach to move away from PPV to expand its audience. We also discussed the new Disney and Fox bundle launching on October 2nd, which combines ESPN+ and Fox One for a discounted rate. Additionally, we list out why not all pay TV customers will have access to ESPN's new DTC service for free when it launches on August 21st. We covered Netflix's pricing increase in Australia, Sling TV's new daily, weekend, and weekly pricing models, as well as the changes to Sky Sports' coverage of the 2025/2026 Premier League season. Finally, we detail what it takes to produce quality content on LinkedIn, how to build a brand, and why to ignore many of the so-called content and SEO experts on LinkedIn.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail all the news from Disney's earnings, its proposed deal between ESPN and the NFL and the launch of ESPN's new DTC service this month. We also discuss the impact of Disney's decision to no longer report paid subscribers or ARPU numbers for Disney+ and Hulu, and will cease reporting ESPN+ numbers as of next month. We also discuss all the essential numbers from Q2 earnings for WBD, Paramount Global, Fubo, Altice, Akamai, Fastly, Vimeo, and highlight the upcoming launch of FOX One on August 21st, as well as recent news from Roku and MLS.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media