Platform strategy now spans four business models at once: OTT, SVOD, AVOD, and FAST. This category covers recommendation engines, content discovery, CTV app experience, player SDKs, and the subscriber engagement data that tells you whether a feature actually worked.
Apple has announced plans to introduce an integrated video podcast experience within its Apple Podcasts application. The new feature is scheduled to roll out later this spring and is positioned as a competitive move against platforms like Spotify and YouTube, which already offer video podcasts.
Comcast's Versant Media Group has signed an agreement to add its Free TV Networks FAST channel portfolio to the vMVPD service Philo. The deal expands the distribution of Free TV Networks' channels onto the Philo platform.
WWE's developmental league, NXT, will begin airing its Premium Live Events (PLEs) on The CW broadcast network for the first time. The events, which will be free to watch, are leaving the Peacock streaming service and YouTube.
A new poll conducted by Fox News found that 72% of sports fans believe major sports events should be required to be available on free broadcast television. The finding indicates significant consumer dissatisfaction with the trend of moving sports content exclusively to streaming services.
The Q Branch Police CID in Tamil Nadu, India, has dismantled a large-scale illegal IPTV operation that allegedly had thousands of subscribers. The racket, linked to a UAE-based handler and a broader cable piracy network, involved the distribution of illicit set-top boxes. The investigation, which was assisted by the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF), used forensic watermarking to identify the source of the pirated content and found payments were made via domestic QR codes.
Fubo has upgraded its iOS and Android apps to optimize the mobile sports streaming experience. The enhancements include making its "Team Channels" feature available in a vertical orientation, which uses proprietary AI to create highlight playlists, as well as adding alerts for key moments and auto-playing live video on the home screen carousel for faster content discovery.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has secured a media rights deal with FIFA for the Women's World Cup. The agreement covers multiple European markets and ensures that at least one game per day will be covered on the channels of EBU members.
ITV is launching its streaming service ITVX as an in-car entertainment option for BMW, Mini, and Mercedes-Benz vehicles. The launch is facilitated through a partnership with technology company Xperi.
Apple conducted a media briefing to present its plans for Formula 1 coverage. The company described the planned viewing experience as "everything, everywhere, all at once."
Netflix is increasing subscription prices across all of its plans in the United States. The company, which has over 325 million subscribers, had previously discontinued its cheapest ad-free plan, 'Basic,' in 2023.
Amazon is increasing the price of its ad-free Prime Video offering by $2 per month and rebranding it as "Prime Video Ultra." Concurrently, the company will remove 4K video support from the standard ad-supported plan. The changes are set to take effect next month.
WWE and ESPN announced that WWE Premium Live Events will be distributed on ESPN platforms in the United States, starting with the inaugural 'Wrestlepalooza' event on September 20. According to the announcement, this debut on ESPN is earlier than previously planned.
CBS will air 20 WNBA games on its broadcast television network beginning in the 2026 season. The agreement provides the league with a significant presence on network TV.
NBA viewership is up by a double-digit percentage entering the All-Star break. The growth is reportedly led by the league's linear television partners, NBC and ESPN/ABC.
Sky and Disney have signed a multi-year distribution agreement to offer the Disney+ service to Sky customers in the U.K. and Ireland. The deal is part of a broader strategy from Sky, which is also offering a streaming bundle that includes Netflix, HBO Max, and Hayu.
Fubo has announced agreements to add regional sports networks (RSNs) for three Major League Baseball teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and Atlanta Braves. The new channels will be added to the vMVPD service in time for the 2026 MLB season.
According to an analysis of Nielsen data for 2026 compiled by TV Grim Reaper, cable television viewership declined by 3.2% over the year, with its share of total viewership falling to 20%. During the same period, broadcast networks ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC reportedly experienced a jump in their viewership.
Sling TV launched a new subscription plan, "Sling Essentials," on April 9, 2026. The service is priced at $19.99 per month and delivers a stripped-down channel lineup that includes ESPN.
Nvidia is reportedly considering a refreshed version of its Shield TV streaming device. The potential new model is said to include support for the AV1 codec, as well as Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
According to a Looper Insights analysis using its proprietary "Dollar Media Placement Value" ($MPV) metric, The Roku Channel secured the #1 individual title spot with "Good Morning Football: Overtime" generating $1.06M in value. While HBO Max remained the top platform with $2.04M in total MPV, driven by "The Pitt" ($1.03M) and "Euphoria" ($1.00M), the report highlights the growing ability of FAST platforms to compete with SVOD services for prominence on the CTV homepage.
This trend analysis piece argues that live sports and advertising dollars are increasingly moving to Free Ad-supported Streaming Television (FAST) as viewership on these platforms grows. It uses The E.W. Scripps Company's recent launch of the Scripps Sports Network (SSN) with PWHL and NWSL games as a primary example. The article also weighs the opportunities of growing CTV ad spend against the current commercial challenges, such as revenue-share models and low rights fees, exemplified by MLB's reported ~$10 million deal with Roku for its 'Sunday Leadoff' package.
Nvidia's cloud gaming service, GeForce Now, is set to launch in India with a beta program starting on April 16. The service enables users to stream high-end games by leveraging Nvidia's RTX servers for processing.
Apple Inc. has announced plans to introduce an integrated video podcast feature within its Apple Podcasts app. The launch is scheduled for spring 2026 and is framed by the source as a competitive move against platforms like Netflix, YouTube, and Spotify.
The Hindi film 'Dhurandhar' has become the most-watched Indian film on Netflix, accumulating 31.1 million views in its first 10 weeks since its January 30 release. This viewership figure surpasses other major Indian titles on the platform, including 'RRR' (Hindi), 'Animal', and 'Jawan'. The article attributes the film's streaming momentum to the recent theatrical success of its sequel, 'Dhurandhar 2', which reportedly renewed audience interest in the original installment.
Warner Bros. Discovery has launched its HBO Max content catalog in India exclusively on the JioHotstar platform, as of April 15, 2026. The agreement makes all Warner Bros. Discovery content, including HBO, Max Originals, and DC Studios, available on a single platform in India for the first time. Following the launch, the film "Zack Snyder’s Justice League" reportedly became number one on JioHotstar’s Top 10 Movies list.
JioHotstar is launching an HBO Max hub on its platform in India, deepening its partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery. The hub, which includes content from HBO, Max Originals, and Warner Bros., will be offered as an add-on pack starting at ₹49 per month. The launch builds on a 2023 licensing agreement between Warner Bros. Discovery and Reliance-controlled Viacom18.
Major streaming platforms in India, including ZEE5, JioHotstar, and Prime Video, are increasingly investing in regional language content to drive viewership growth. According to a Ficci-EY report cited in the article, regional content constituted 56% of total content produced for digital platforms in 2025, surpassing Hindi. This strategy includes significant financial commitments, such as JioHotstar's ₹4,000 crore investment in southern markets, and efforts to build local creator ecosystems.
German CTV technology provider Foxxum has signed Videociety, operator of the VOD service maxdome, as the first customer for its new Foxxum Core OTT platform. Videociety will use the platform to launch and manage its apps globally across CTV, mobile, and web devices from a single backend. The platform is offered under a subscription model that includes updates, support, and distribution.
Major streaming services including Disney+, Netflix, Peacock, and Paramount are rolling out short-form vertical video feeds within their mobile apps. These features are currently positioned as content discovery engines to promote existing libraries and, according to the platforms, do not yet include advertising opportunities. The article questions the strategy, exploring the related "microdrama" trend and suggesting the streamers' push into vertical video may be too late to capture audience attention or replicate the financial success of dedicated short-form apps.
Paramount is shutting down the BET+ streaming service, which has around 3.5 million subscribers, in June. This follows Paramount's buyout of Tyler Perry Studios' 25% stake in the service. The majority of BET+ content will be moved to Paramount+, which currently has 80 million subscribers, where it will be featured in a branded BET Hub.
Creator Jimmy Donaldson (MrBeast) hosted a streaming event titled "50 YouTubers Fight for $1,000,000," which involved 50 streamers competing in a series of challenges for a $1 million prize. According to the article, the video achieved 70 million views in its first 24 hours. The piece highlights the event's success on platforms like YouTube and also discusses the role of the Kick streaming platform, where many participants, including MrBeast, maintain a presence.
Screen Daily has compiled a list of high-end television and film productions currently shooting in the UK and Ireland. The list provides details on projects for major streamers including Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, and HBO, alongside titles for traditional studios. For each production, the report includes information on shooting schedules, locations, producers, distributors, and key cast members.
Fubo announced it is expanding its user-configurable Multiview feature to select LG smart TVs, allowing subscribers to watch up to four live channels at once. The feature will be rolled out to 2024, 2025, and newer 4K and 8K LG TV models, with completion expected before the start of the 2026 American football season. Fubo aims to be the first vMVPD to offer this type of customizable multiview on the LG platform, expanding beyond its prior availability on Apple TV and select Roku devices.
Netflix is increasing its monthly subscription prices, effective March 2026. The Standard With Ads plan will rise to $8.99 (+$1), the Standard Without Ads plan to $19.99 (+$2), and the Premium plan to $26.99 (+$2). The article notes that Netflix plans to spend approximately $20 billion on content in 2026 to justify the increases, while also referencing subscriber criticism over content quality.
Netflix has removed the James Bond film catalog from its U.S. service as of April 21 following the expiration of a temporary licensing agreement. The entire series, from "Dr. No" to "No Time to Die," had been on the platform for a few months. The article suggests the franchise will likely return to Prime Video, as it is owned by Amazon.
The article analyzes the competitive landscape for anime streaming, identifying Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video as the dominant 'Big Three' in 2026. The report details Crunchyroll's 17 million subscribers and deep studio integration, Netflix's massive audience with 8.9 billion anime hours watched in 2025 and exclusive production deals like its partnership with MAPPA, and Amazon Prime Video's strategy of securing global distribution rights and localized content. The analysis highlights increased investment in original anime production from all three platforms as a core pillar of their future content strategies.
South Korean telecom operator KT has launched a new bundle plan that includes YouTube Premium Lite, which provides ad-free YouTube viewing without access to YouTube Music. The plan offers subscribers a choice between a Genie Music subscription or a Millie’s Library subscription. The move is viewed as a key test of whether unbundling YouTube Music from the core ad-free video offering can help domestic music streaming services regain market share from the dominant YouTube Music.
Disney+ has launched a promotional pricing event in the UK for new subscribers signing up before May 6, 2026. Under the offer, the Disney+ with Ads plan is reduced from £5.99 to £3.99 per month. The Standard plan is discounted to £6.99 and the Premium tier to £9.99 per month.
ABC News has launched 'What You Need to Know', its first original daily news show created exclusively for Disney+. Hosted by James Longman and Rachel Scott, the short-form series provides a news roundup in under 10 minutes. New episodes are released on weekdays and Saturdays on the streaming platform.
France Télévisions has formed a strategic partnership with YouTube to expand the digital distribution of its news content as part of a streaming-first strategy. The French public broadcaster will make thousands of hours of news and current affairs programming available on the platform, with its ad division, France TV Publicité, directly selling the advertising inventory. The two companies will also collaborate on tools to counter misinformation, including support for YouTube's Likeness ID system for detecting AI-generated content.
According to a new Omdia report, emerging TV operating systems like VIDAA, Titan OS, and TiVo are projected to capture 30% of the European TV OS market by 2030, up from an expected 21% in 2025. This growth is driven by their open revenue-sharing models for advertising, lightweight software performance, and the brand control they offer TV manufacturers, challenging Google TV's current market leadership. Omdia forecasts the combined shipments of these platforms will reach 12.4 million units in Europe by 2028.
A TVREV analysis argues that the technical capabilities of ATSC 3.0 ("NextGen TV") could enable a successful version of the hybrid broadcast/subscription model attempted by the failed service USDTV in the mid-2000s. The piece suggests a model using the standard's IP delivery and encryption to offer a free, ad-supported tier of channels alongside premium, subscription-based packages. This approach would also leverage IP capabilities to support targeted advertising on the broadcast layer.
This article outlines the broadcast and streaming schedule for the 2026 NBA Playoffs, illustrating how games are distributed across multiple platforms in the U.S. Linear channels ABC, ESPN, and NBC will carry games, while Amazon's Prime Video and NBC's Peacock will have exclusive streaming rights for specific matchups. The schedule details which games are assigned to each service, with Prime Video carrying several exclusive weekday first-round games and Peacock streaming select games on weekends and weekdays.
An article detailing the hypothetical 2026 NBA Playoffs schedule highlights a new, fragmented media rights landscape. A landmark deal is described as splitting broadcast and streaming rights between ESPN/ABC, NBC/Peacock, and Prime Video. Under this model, the Play-In Tournament moves exclusively to Prime Video, early-round games are distributed across all three partners, and the NBA Finals remain exclusively on ABC.
Walmart's US e-commerce sales have surpassed $100 billion, fueled by its Walmart+ membership program attracting more affluent households previously loyal to Amazon. The article details how Walmart is leveraging its 4,700-store footprint for fast grocery delivery and using benefits like a bundled Peacock subscription to compete with Amazon Prime. While Amazon's e-commerce dominance remains, Walmart's strategy has resulted in 11 consecutive quarters of double-digit e-commerce growth, with households earning over $100,000 accounting for 75% of recent market share gains.
NBCUniversal and Roku have reached a new agreement to make Peacock's ad-free tier, Premium Plus, available through Roku Premium Subscriptions. Priced at $16.99 per month, the tier allows downloads and access to local TV stations and is slated to launch on the platform in the coming weeks. The deal expands on previous collaborations and follows recent Peacock distribution agreements with Amazon Prime Video Channels and YouTube PrimeTime Channels.
Streaming platforms are increasingly using live sports and esports to retain subscribers, a trend now evident in markets like South Korea. CJ ENM's Tving has seen a 30% year-over-year viewership increase from streaming the Korea Baseball Organization league, while Disney+ is focusing on esports with events like the KeSPA Cup. The article also notes global moves, such as Netflix acquiring exclusive rights for the 2026 World Baseball Classic in Japan.
Scripps Sports and Ally Financial have partnered with the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) to facilitate the league's first US national television broadcast. The March 28 game will air on Scripps' ION network, which is available over-the-air and on pay TV, connected TV, and free, ad-supported streaming platforms, reaching a potential 126 million US households. Ally Financial will be the presenting sponsor for both the game and the broadcast.
The OTT rights for the film 'Dhurandhar 2' have reportedly been sold to JioHotstar for approximately Rs 150-155 crore, one of the largest digital acquisitions for a Hindi film. This represents a platform shift from Netflix, which streamed the first installment, as co-producer Jio Studios aims to drive subscriber growth on its own service. The film is expected to debut on the platform in late May or early June 2026.
Netflix has announced the broadcast team for its first live MLB game. The on-air talent will include host Elle Duncan, play-by-play announcer Matt Vasgersian, reporter Lauren Shehadi, and analysts CC Sabathia, Hunter Pence, Albert Pujols, and Anthony Rizzo. Comedian Bert Kreischer will also be a contributor, and the article speculates Barry Bonds may be a special guest.
