The Dan Rayburn Podcast

This week, we cover the news from the Upfronts, with Netflix and Amazon announcing updated ad-tier user numbers, YouTube disclosing ad conversions on Shorts, and some of the new ad formats coming to OTT platforms. We also detail the upcoming DTC offerings from ESPN and FOX and YouTube's plans to stream an exclusive NFL game for free in September. Finally, we highlight Charter's announcement of its plans to buy Cox Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery rebranding Max to HBO Max this summer, and Sony announcing updated Crunchyroll subscriber numbers. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we highlight the key Q1 earnings numbers from Disney, WBD, Paramount, AMC Networks, Altice, EchoStar, Vimeo, Kaltura, Akamai, Fastly and Cloudflare. We detail the numbers tied to DTC subscribers additions/losses, profitability, bundling, capex and content spend, and the impact of earnings on stock prices. We also break out the 1.73M cord cutters across pay TV providers and vMVPDs, along with sports news from MLB, NFL, MLS, FanDuel Sports Network, JioStar, Disney and Comcast.Correction: Disney has not announced a spinout of its linear assets.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Roku's revenue growth of 16% YoY, with the number of streaming hours growing by 5.1B hours YoY. We also highlight Roku's announcement that more than a third of streaming households in the U.S. streamed monthly from its content row in Q1, with a total of more than 125 million people every day. We detail Fubo's earnings, with North America subscribers declining 2.7% YoY to 1.47M and a net profit for the quarter of $188.5M, due to the positive impact of the Venu Sports litigation. Finally, we touch on revenue numbers tied to AWS and Harmonic, some new TikTok data, and why Nielsen's new Gauge chart tied to ad-supported streaming services is flawed and misrepresents the streaming market. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Comcast's Q1 earnings, including Peacock's sub gains, thanks to the Charter bundle, with revenue up 16%, on an EBITDA loss of $215M, down from $639M YoY. We also cover all the pay TV losses from Comcast, Verizon, and Charter in the quarter, as well as Comcast's worst broadband losses ever in a quarter. We highlight MSG Networks deal with its lender JPMorgan that allows the RSN to avoid bankruptcy, and the NFL's Commissioner stating that he expects the NFL to return to scheduling a Christmas Day tripleheader in the future. Finally, we discuss Max's password sharing crackdown, YouTube's announcement of 20 million videos uploaded daily, and Twitter having been found guilty of patent infringement relating to streaming technology involving Vine and Periscope. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Netflix's Q1 earnings, including its free cash flow, content spending, and 2025 guidance forecast of $43.5-$44.5 billion. We highlight all of Netflix's comments around its ad tech platform, Netflix Ads Suite (NAS), and why Netflix says owning the tech stack is foundational to its long-term ads strategy. We also mention Netflix's comments about video podcasts and why it doesn't see YouTube as a competitor, saying Netflix is a "better service for a certain class of creators and certain types of storytelling." Finally, we cover the latest sports news from the NFL, Formula 1, MLB, and ESPN, and funding and acquisition news from FloSports, Hydrolix, Touchstream, and Simply TV.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

For this special podcast, Mark Donnigan and I recap key takeaways from the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas, discussing what we heard on the show floor and in sessions. We detail the NAB's attendance numbers and the impact I saw on the number of attendees due to the uncertainty in the financial market. We also highlight the many different metrics that exhibitors, sponsors and attendees use to determine the success of shows. We discuss what messaging we think worked best from vendors and key points made by speakers and presenters around CDN, AI, CTV, niche OTT services and where we see the need for improvement in transparency across the industry. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we highlight DIRECTV's expanding RSN bundling options, which cover 18 MLB, 16 NBA, and 10 NHL franchises and the addition of Max Basic with Ads to its MyEntertainment Genre Pack. We also highlight the MLB TV streaming outage on opening day, JioHotstar's announcement that JioHotstar now has over 100 million subscribers, and Netflix's news that it is now streaming HDR10+ content for AV1-enabled devices. Finally, we detail the launch of EdgeCast Cloud Services from Parler Cloud Technologies and Bitmovin's news of reaching free cash flow in 2024, with 2025 revenue expected to be in the $30M+ range.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss JioHotstar's live stream of the ICC Champions Trophy Final, with a reported 60 million concurrent streams and why the industry needs to stop putting so much clout on concurrent or AMA numbers without any other details on the quality of the stream. We also detail the F1 TV Premium tier, offering 4K video and multiview functionality for an additional $6 monthly, and Comcast's deal with the International Olympic Committee to keep NBC and Peacock as the U.S. TV and streaming home of the Olympic Games through 2036. Finally, we detail some new platform improvements rolled out by Max and why it doesn't matter if Apple loses money on its Apple TV+ service.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we talk about the problems with Hulu's Oscars live stream and why streaming cannot take the place of broadcast distribution in terms of scalability and dependability. We also point out the likelihood of MSG Networks and/or its affiliates declaring bankruptcy and the potential consequences for their streaming business. We discuss the announcement that all Elite Wrestling PPV events will soon be available on Prime Video, and Netflix plans to live stream another boxing match later in the year. Lastly, we discuss Fox Nation's new subscriber figures, the largest CTV device botnet ever discovered and made public, and MLB's commissioner's difficulties in getting all the teams to cooperate for a new DTC MLB service without blackout restrictions.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss the Q4 earnings numbers tied to subscribers and profitability from Fubo, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount, and EchoStar. We also highlight the latest sports news from Disney, DAZN, LALIGA, Fox, LFP, and Sky. We detail the new $35 entertainment package from DIRECTV that includes 43 linear channels and Disney+, Hulu+ and Max streaming services. Finally, we cover the news that Amazon will launch a live, linear TV channel for Prime Video members in Germany and Austria and highlight how CDN77's revenue grew to $175 million in 2024 while being cash-flow positive.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss all the latest sports news, including ESPN and MLB ending their contract early, the excellent looking live stream of the NASCAR Daytona 500 on Max and SURJ's investment in DAZN, rumored to be $1 billion. We also highlight the news that DIRECTV's MySports package will include 140 NBC affiliates, Prime Video offering Ligue 1 matches via PPV, reports that ESPN has walked away from F1 negotiations, and Bassmaster tournaments now streaming on the Roku Channel. Finally, we cover Q4 and full-year earnings from Akamai, who provided an update on its delivery business for 2025 and beyond. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we review FOX and Tubi's Super Bowl stream, detailing the video quality, latency, playback, viewership numbers and overall event success. We also detail Q4 and full-year earnings from Roku, AMC Networks, Altice, Fastly and Harmonic, which saw mixed results. We highlight the launch of JioHotstar, which resulted in the merger between Hotstar and JioCinema, subscriber numbers from Philo, the Apple TV app launching on Android and the changes taking place at Brightcove due to the acquisition by Bending Spoons.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail the launch of competing $70 sports streaming packages from Comcast's Xfinity and DirecTV and FOX's plans to launch a DTC streaming service. We also cover the latest earnings from Comcast, Disney and Alphabet, with Disney+ losing 700,000 subscribers, Peacock's DTC business losing $436M, and YouTube seeing advertising revenue of $10.4 billion, with growth driven by the 2024 U.S. election. We also discussed the latest cord-cutting numbers from Charter, Comcast, and Verizon, which have lost nearly half a million cord-cutters combined. Finally, we detail Parler's $7.5 million acquisition of select Edgio assets.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss all the latest NFL streaming news, including Amazon's exclusive NFL Wild Card playoff game, which reached an all-time high of 24.6M viewers, details from FOX on their 1080p upscaled 4k HDR stream and their plans to make the stream available on Tubi. We also detail the network shutdown of Limelight Networks as part of Edgio's bankruptcy, what it means for the CDN industry, and the thousands of employees who have worked at the company over the past 23 years. Finally, we cover some news about Apple TV+, Altice, and the launch of a new video distribution patent pool by Access Advance.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I discuss the Disney and Fubo deal, what it means for subscribers and the impact of Venu Sports no longer launching in the market. I detail the deal terms and what's being misreported, separating facts from guesses. I also discuss viewership numbers from Netflix's debut of WWE's Monday Night Raw, final global viewership numbers for Netflix's NFL games on Christmas and complete NFL season viewership data on Peacock. Finally, I highlight Diamond Sports Group's emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy, DAZN's plans to acquire Foxtel, MSG Networks blackout dispute with Altice and TV news from the CES show.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

For this special podcast episode, we review Netflix's streaming of the NFL games on Christmas, detailing some tech details related to the stream quality, latency, player functionality, reported user feedback, and viewership statistics for the U.S. market. We compare the 27 million peak viewers in the U.S. stat to previous NFL games across broadcast, Prime Video and Peacock and why viewership was down compared to broadcast. We also discuss why Netflix's success on Christmas wasn't just a big day for the company individually but for the entire industry.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail the news of more layoffs by streaming vendors and what it means for the industry going into the new year as everyone looks to be more operationally efficient in their spending. We also cover the latest price increase by YouTube TV, pushing the service to $82.99 a month, FIFA's broadcast deal with DAZN, and Amazon's latest TNF viewership numbers of 18.48 million viewers, making it the most-watched TNF on Prime. Finally, we discuss WBD's plans to create a new corporate structure that separates linear networks from streaming and studios, which is expected to be completed by mid-2025.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail Akamai's successful $125 million bid for customer contracts from Edgio's security and content delivery businesses as part of Edgio's bankruptcy auction. We discuss Akamai's projected $89-$111 million in revenue over the next five quarters from the contracts and what the deal means for the broader CDN market. We also debunk some reported comments associated with the news and the impact on Microsoft's Azure CDN. Finally, we discuss news involving the Venu Sports and Fubo dispute, Netflix's commercial distribution agreement with EverPass Media for its NFL games on Christmas and quick highlights of some OTT and broadcast announcements.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

In regulatory filings, more details have emerged in Bending Spoons plans to acquire Brightcove, including some terms for employees who stay on with the new company, the number of aggregate shares of company common stock tied to RSU awards, the exact number of Brightcove employees, a disclosure of a "material weakness in internal control over financial reporting,” and other company details. In this special podcast episode, we discuss all the numbers and provide insights into what the deal could mean for Brightcove's future.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 114: This week, we detail all the misinformation after Netflix's live boxing event, the danger of not checking sources, and who you trust for news. We discuss the current state of Netflix's business and how the company is playing the long game - chess over checkers. We also highlight the latest content news from JioCinema, MLB, Sling TV, Disney, Amazon, NBA and Hulu. Finally, we focus on the latest broadcast TV news, which includes Comcast's decision to spin out its NBCU cable assets and DirecTV abandoning its acquisition of Dish assets.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail all the important numbers from Q3 earnings tied to profitability, capex spending, MAUs and subscriber additions tied to streaming services from Paramount, Tubi, AMC Networks and Vizio, along with infrastructure players Vimeo, Brightcove, Akamai, Fastly and Cloudflare. We also discuss the latest content news from UFC, The Tennis Channel, Netflix, Sky and FOX and highlight CDN Medianova's round of funding. Finally, we break down the impact of the Fed's interest rates on your job and your employers' ability to borrow capital and expand their workforce, invest in R&D and launch new products and services versus not being able to afford interest payments and doing layoffs. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I recap all the streaming subscriber and pay TV numbers from Q3 earnings and profit and loss financials from Roku, Fubo, Peacock, YouTube, Sky, Verizon and others. I also highlight cloud services revenue from Amazon, Microsoft and Google, with AWS hitting a record $100 billion in revenue for the past 12 months. I discuss why Instagram lowers video quality for unpopular videos and disagree with their statement that people interact with videos based on their content, not their quality. I detail the report that Disney's exclusive NFL game on ESPN+ peaked at only 1.8M viewers and Roku's decision to stop reporting quarterly updates on streaming households and, by extension, ARPU, beginning with Roku's Q1 2025 earnings results.- Peacock added 3M subscribers, but

This week, we discuss the key takeaways from Netflix's earnings tied to its upcoming first-party ad tech platform, subscriber gains in the quarter, and its latest reported engagement metric of two hours a day per paid membership. We also cover the latest news from the messy world of RSNs, including the new report that Peacock will begin offering NBC-owned RSNs in early 2025 and the terrible launch of the Gotham Sports App by YES Network and MSG Networks. In basketball news, we detail the new player features coming to the NBA League Pass for the 2024-25 season that will allow users to watch up to four games simultaneously with multiview, and we highlight WNBA Playoffs viewership stats from ESPN. Finally, we discuss how using AI to generate a podcast equals poor results since it is not authentic, won't resonate with listeners and doesn't build a relationship with the audience.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss DirecTV's plan to launch a FAST platform and how it might benefit its brand even as it joins a crowded market of FAST services. We also highlight why it's smart for Apple to make Apple TV+ content available to as many viewers as possible via its deal with Prime Video, which will go live as a Prime Video channel later this month. We provide some of the new details released by ESPN's president about their ESPN app due to launch in 2025, which will offer multiview, sports betting capabilities, fantasy data, advanced stats, and ticketing and merchandise. Finally, we discuss the merger of JW Player and Connatix, which shared no details on the deal, making it unclear what the short or long-term value might be for the combined entity.Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor: Integrated Digital SolutionsPodcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss what could happen to DTC services Sling TV and DIRECTV STREAM if the planned deal for EchoStar to sell Dish to DirecTV gets approved. We also highlight the news that Skydance is in talks with the NFL to purchase the NFL Network and the latest on Diamond Sports Group's decision to release all but one of its MLB contracts in the hopes of getting approval for its bankruptcy reorganization plan. We detail Paramount Global's decision to drop Nielsen as its main viewer measurement currency in certain instances, with Paramount saying that in some cases, Nielsen's fees already exceed the total advertising revenue of the network being measured.We detail the misconceptions about Netflix and Amazon's advertising businesses and discuss why Prime Video is expected to add more ad inventory to Prime Video while not changing its plans to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. Finally, we give out some numbers tied to the news that Comcast will deploy Qwilt's open caching platform inside its network at hundreds of locations over the rollout, with the first locations going live in the next 1-2 months.Thanks to this week's podcast sponsors: Integrated Digital Solutions and Netskrt Systems.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, Mark Donnigan and I recap news from IBC about using cloud-based compute services for video workflows, encoding optimization, AV1/codec adoption, live encoding use cases, and AI's potential impact on encoding platforms. We also give updates on the Venu/Fubo lawsuit, price increases for NBA League Pass, the upgraded Roku Ultra device, Google rebranding their FAST channels, and some viewership numbers from Peacock. Finally, we discuss some interesting statements from Netflix regarding their ad tier, the NFL games on Christmas and how they view one-off sporting events versus full seasons.Companies mentioned include Akamai, Amagi, AOM, ATEME, AWS, Bitmovin, Brightcove, CDN77, Disney+ Hotstar, Dolby, Edgio, Harmonic, iSIZE, Neilsen, Netflix, NETINT, NVIDIA, THEO Technologies, Visionular, WaveOne, YouTube.Thanks to this week's podcast sponsors: Integrated Digital Solutions and Netskrt Systems.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, I break down news related to the start of the NFL season, including audience figures from NBC Sports, ESPN, and Amazon, as well as my testing of NFL streaming on Peacock, YouTube TV, Fubo, YouTube TV, Paramount+, Sling TV, and FOX Sports. I also review the most recent information regarding the Venu Sports injunction appeal expedited hearing, for which the opening brief is due this week. The specifics of the distribution agreements between Disney and DirecTV, as well as WBD and Charter, are also discussed. In conclusion, I address Edgio's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, how the procedure works, and the potential results for the company and its business lines. I also address several misunderstandings around the filing, what it means overall for the CDN industry and what the outcome could be.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail the latest updates surrounding the Paramount and Skydance merger, the Fubo and Venu Sports pretrial conference on September 12 and the NBA asking New York's Supreme Court to dismiss Warner Bros. Discovery's matching rights lawsuit against the league. We highlight the report that Amazon no longer plans to invest $115 million into Bally Sports, Diamond Sports Group agreeing to honor its legacy TV agreements with most of its NBA and NHL partners and Disney's decision to close all its TV Everywhere apps later this month. Finally, we break out the new multiview options for NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers, Twitch's plans to raise the cost of new Tier 1 and gift subscriptions and why Netflix's stock price hit a three-year high in August.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Michelle Noon, founder and managing partner of private equity firm Clearhaven Partners, joined me for a detailed conversation on the current state of the financing market tied to valuations, interest rates, and balance sheets. Michelle discusses how operators and investors balance growth versus profitability, the importance of recurring revenue with high predictability, the true cost of debt and how the market is now rewarding companies for generating cash flow. Michelle discusses how management teams are now being forced to focus on managing their capital structures at the potential expense of business operations and how this can impact focus and business results. Finally, Michelle lays out a perspective on valuation multiples based on various business factors, touches on how she sees the investments in AI playing out and explains why Clearhaven invested in SundaySky, Wowza and recently acquired Zixi.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week we discuss the latest temporary injunction against Venu Sports and what it may mean for Disney, FOX, WBD and Fubo. We also cover the latest pricing increase from YouTube's NFL Sunday Ticket and new Sling TV and Verizon bundling options. We detail the layoffs at Paramount and the closing of Paramount Television Studios and how many in the media continue defining the "success" of streaming services while neglecting their financials. Finally, we highlight some Olympic viewing numbers across NBCU digital platforms and Disney's new hire for their chief product and technology officer for entertainment and ESPN.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we recap the key points from Q2 earnings involving media companies and vendors, highlighting DTC subscriber additions and losses, profit and loss, cord-cutting, WBD and Paramount writing down the value of their TV businesses, and highlight how media stocks have performed over the past 12 months. We also explain crucial financial terms like GAAP, non-GAAP, EBITDA, OIBDA, and EPS, making it easier to understand how these companies report their finances to Wall Street.On the vendor side, we detail how security and compute revenue now represent 66% of Akamai's total revenue, Fastly cutting full-year guidance and laying off 11% of the company, Brightcove and Kaltura's revenue growth being flat and the challenges some vendors are having in growing their media businesses while continuing their efforts to keep costs down. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail the key data and numbers from Roku, Comcast, Charter, Fubo, Vimeo, Harmonic, and Alphabet's Q2 earnings. We also discuss the most recent developments in content news, including Venu's pricing, the NBA agreement that permits Disney to air alternate broadcasts, the $4.7 billion antitrust conviction against the NFL that was overturned, and Diamond Sports' agreement to bring its RSNs back to Comcast's cable TV subscribers.We also detail Netflix's news that it is seeking to raise $1.8 billion in a new debt offering, Disney's price increases, Dolby suing Roku, Amazon suing Nokia, Gcore raising $60 million in series A funding, and Dolby acquiring THEO Technologies.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail all of the numbers you need to know from Netflix's Q2 earnings and discuss why Netflix's ad business is not struggling like some in the media suggest. We also highlight interesting comments from Netflix about their upcoming live events, their lack of need to bundle with other services and how fast their ad business is growing. We also review all the headlines related to European football, such as the partnership between CBS Sports and Serie A, the acquisition of Ligue 1 by DAZN and beIN, and FIFA's Club World Cup rights auction. We also dissect the data from FOX Sports, which released information on streaming viewership for the UEFA EURO 2024 Finals independently of pay TV for the first time. Lastly, we showcase the newest streaming services and packages from Verizon, Optimum, and MAX.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss the reports that the NBA has concluded agreements totaling $76 billion that would keep ABC/ESPN as the home of the NBA Finals for 11 seasons while adding NBC and Amazon Prime Video as new partners. But the completed contract must still be sent to TNT Sports, giving WBD five days to match Amazon's offer. We also point out a number of the unanswered questions surrounding the merger of Skydance Media and Paramount Global, such as the NFL's ability to renegotiate its contract with CBS at its discretion under the new ownership.We also detail the new streaming service from Hallmark+ and EverPass Media news that will offer NFL ‘Sunday Ticket' streaming in bars, restaurants and other businesses. Finally, we give a rundown of the witness list DOJ published by the DOJ for its upcoming antitrust trial against Google late last week and give out some of the latest pay TV and streaming viewership numbers from ITV, ESPN, FOX Sports, and CBS.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we highlight all the sports news related to FIFA, FOX, Disney, NHL, WBD and ITV. We also delve into the NFL's ongoing legal battle over its Sunday Ticket trial, emphasizing the significance of the league's decision to appeal the ruling, which could potentially extend the case until 2026. We break down the latest rumors around Paramount Global and discuss their new Paramount+ pricing, which kicks in on August 20th. We also detail the latest pay TV and streaming viewership numbers from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals (7.7 million viewers, peaking at 10.3 million), England's match with Slovenia on ITV and ITVX (9.2 million viewers), and CNN's presidential debate (8.7 million on pay TV, 2.3 million concurrent streaming).Finally, we discuss Twelve Labs raising $50 million in series A funding in June after raising $17 million through seed rounds. I also highlight what impressed me from my day-long visit with Tata Consultancy Services Media & Entertainment Business Unit and the scale of the projects they are involved in, especially around data, advertising and AI.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

In this comprehensive podcast update on the CDN market, I separate facts from opinions, providing a detailed analysis of the latest trends. I cover everything from CDN pricing trends, market sizing (about $5.3B in 2023), traffic and revenue growth rates, DIY initiatives (TikTok, Disney, Apple, Netflix), tech trends and demands across 4K, ULL, CMCD, bitrate optimization, multi-CDN, Open Caching deployments, changes in performance testing, to unique delivery challenges in regions like India.Revenue numbers for CDN vendors, including Akamai, AWS, Cloudflare, CDN77, Edgio and Fastly, are broken out, along with where the numbers come from. Other CDNs discussed include Comcast Technology Solutions, Google Cloud Media CDN, Netskrt, Orange, Qwilt, Tata and others. I discuss the potential impact of market consolidation, Netflix streaming NFL games on Christmas, and the trend that will continue with customers looking to save on delivery costs. I also highlight bad data and red flags within reports in the market so you know what to avoid and data to stay away from.I mentioned many numbers in the podcast, nearly all from public sources, and I believe I got them right. But if I misspoke, I welcome any corrections. If you have any questions, please put them in the comments section or contact me anytime. (dan@danrayburn.com)My thanks to the nearly twenty CDN vendors, customers, sports leagues, OTT platforms, carriers and DIY content owners I spoke to in the week before the podcast.The podcast transcript provided by my podcasting platform has many mistakes, so I will work on editing it and posting a transcript when I can.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss ad tech and how some SSPs are packaging CTV inventory into curated, omnichannel deals, resulting in CTV inventory being attached to less desirable content. While SSP auctions allow buyers to tailor bids to media quality, buyers could bid highly on packages with only some premium inventory. We also detail the report that Disney has been striking deals that call for significant rollbacks in CPM rates, discounting them by as much as 10-15%. With Amazon Prime Video's recent decision to make its basic streaming service ad-supported and Netflix offering ads, there is a significant increase in digital ad inventory available, driving down pricing.We also show that nothing comes close to the TV viewership of NFL games compared to sports viewership numbers from the NHL, MLB, WNBA, NBA, Formula 1, U.S. Open, Indy 500, UFL and Premier League. We break out the average TV viewership numbers for NFL games across all broadcast channels for the 2022-2023 season and what will change this year when both NFL Christmas games will be on Netflix, resulting in what we expect to be the largest live-streaming event ever in the US.Finally, we talk about the history of StackPath and its announcement it has shut down the company and will liquidate its assets.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we recap details from the ongoing Sunday Ticket trial, including the news that the NFL rejected ESPN's proposed reduced price of $70 for the entire 2023 season for Sunday Ticket, along with single-team packages. Trial evidence also showed that Fox considered Sunday Ticket an "existential threat" to its business, asking the NFL in 2021 that Sunday Ticket not be allowed to grow more than 20% of subscriptions beyond its current level. We also discuss the contents of a second letter from House Representatives to Disney, Fox, and WBD about Venu Sports' business, deeming Venu Sports' response to their first inquiry "insufficient" on collusion, privacy, and pricing concerns. In addition, we highlight Private Equity firm Clearhaven Partners' acquisition of IP video transport vendor Zixi and CTV-focused DSP Madhive's acquisition of omnichannel marketing platform Frequence. Finally, we break down all the latest content licensing deals from Netflix, WBD, Showmax, INDYCAR, Rogers, Warner Bros. Discovery and the new advertising network from Google TV.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we recap all the recent sports news involving FIFA, DAZN, IPL, NBA, WNBA, Apple TV, NBA, NHL, Peacock, Indianapolis 500, U.S. Soccer, WBD, Wimbledon, Sky Sports and the Olympics. We highlight some of the recently released sports viewership stats across streaming and pay TV, discuss the recent price hikes by Max and Spotify, and Amazon's acquisition of video streaming service MX Player. Finally, we explain why the number of app downloads is a worthless metric for tracking usage, ARPU, engagement, subscriber lifetime value, or any other real metric tracked and utilized by streaming companies with Wall Street.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss some of Netflix's latest data on its ad-supported business, including usage, monthly active users and the news that it will launch an ad tech platform to control its ad buying, placement, and targeting. We also cover news from YouTube's Brandcast, announcing that viewers watch more than 1 billion hours of content on TV screens daily. We discuss why FOX's CEO said 90% of viewing time on Tubi comes from VOD content, not their FAST channels and why I think FAST won't be profitable for all but the major content owners. We break out the nearly 2 million live linear TV losses in Q1 across pay TV and vMVPDs and how consumers continue to move from a deep linear channel lineup to specific live content. Finally, we discuss why Nielsen's new Media Distributor Gauge is flawed in viewership data when Nielsen compares companies, like The Walt Disney Company, to single streaming services, like Prime Video. We also quickly recap earnings from Vizio, Brightcove, Akamai, WBD, and EchoStar and highlight a new patent lawsuit filed against Google regarding caching and content delivery methods dating back to Sandpiper Networks. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

With all the recent sports streaming news, co-host Mark Donnigan and I did a special “Sports Streaming Podcast Episode” this week. We discuss the upcoming Venu Sports offering (Disney/WBD/FOX sports JV) and the limitations we expect the service to have when it launches. We weigh in on some of the tech behind the scenes and consider whether a 'beta' label could soften the blow for fans expecting a fully polished service from day one.We also cover Netflix's deal with the NFL, including its importance as the first global licensing deal with no blackout restrictions and how the agreement is structured. Finally, we highlight the NFL's 2024 fragmented distribution strategy across broadcast and streaming, which is great for the NFL's revenue but terrible for fans. (Correction: I say on the podcast the games will be on seven broadcast networks and platforms, but it's ten or eleven, depending on if you separate ESPN from ABC and add in YouTube TV.)Also briefly discussed are Roku's deal with MLB for Sunday morning baseball games, Sky Sports+ launching this August, and how, months later, Max's Bleacher Report (B/R) Sports Add package is still free for users.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we breakdown all the P&L numbers from the Q1 earnings across OTT platforms and streaming vendors. We highlight that while Disney+ and Hulu had an operating income profit of $47M, the rest of Disney's business didn't fare well, with linear TV operating income slumping 22% and linear network revenue across Disney's portfolio fell 8% (excluding ESPN). We discuss why simply cutting costs isn't enough and that Wall Street wants to see growth, which is why Disney's stock was down 10% after earnings. We detail Vimeo's Q1 earnings but, more importantly, debate what the future holds for the company. While Vimeo expects an operating loss of only about $3 million for full year 2024, their projected revenue guidance means revenue would be down 8% to 4% year over year. We review all the infrastructure numbers from Fastly, Cloudflare and AWS, with Fastly breaking out revenue for the first time based on three services and lowering full year guidance, sending their stock down 27%. We also detail how AWS's growth rate puts it on a $100 billion annual revenue run rate. Also interesting to note was Amazon's CEO saying that AI will drive "tens of billions of dollars" of revenue in the next several years.Finally, we quickly recap news from Paramount, Roku, Altice, Crunchyroll, Fubo and Netskrt.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Fubo's Co-Founder and CEO, David Gandler, sits down for an in-depth discussion about their lawsuit filed against Disney, FOX, and WBD, its Q1 earnings numbers, industry challenges around content licensing pricing and bundling and Fubo's goal to get to profitability in 2025. David defines antitrust, why Fubo believes the JV is anticompetitive and how the suit's outcome could impact the entire industry. We also highlight why so many carriage disputes are happening, leading to a fragmentation of sports content and an unfriendly fan experience. We discuss the pricing and bundling of vMVPD services, including how Fubo picks RSNs to work with and why pricing for OTT services never goes down.Finally, David recaps Fubo's most recent earnings, including its subscriber growth numbers, lower net loss, the recent reduction of its debt, and Fubo's operating plan as they work towards profitability.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we recap all the Q1 subscriber and P&L numbers you need to know across Peacock, Paramount+ and Roku, breaking down profitability, losses, subscriber additions, ARPU and free cash flow. We cover the latest cord cutting numbers from Verizon, Comcast and Charter, who lost 938,000 pay TV subs in the quarter combined. We also discuss some recent numbers from WBD about their expansion of Max in LATAM, Prime Video getting the National Monday Night NHL Games in Canada, and the latest RSN and sports news.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we did a mini-review of the NAB Show Streaming Summit and some topics we heard discussed around the difficulty in scaling streaming services for low latency and QoE. We also cover Netflix's Q1 earnings and excellent user growth, adding 9.3 million subs, which was tempered by the news that they will stop reporting quarterly membership numbers and ARM a year from now. We highlight the latest rumors about Paramount Global, with it being reported that Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global are interested in the company, and detail the restrictions and complications on the companies if such a deal were to occur. Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we discuss the latest news around Disney, including their plans to crack down on password sharing in June in a "few" countries and markets, with a "full" rollout in September. We detail how complex ESPN's DTC offering is becoming, with Disney announcing that its new ESPN streaming service will launch in the fall of 2025 and will be offered as part of the Disney+ bundle, which will give Disney three separate ESPN sports streaming services in the market. We also detail sports news from Formula One's US-based owner, Liberty Media, announcing a takeover of MotoGP's parent company and the "rumor" that Amazon might get the rights to take over the entire NHL Monday night package from Rogers in Canada, including playoffs, for the remaining two years of Rogers' contract. Finally, we highlight the NBA teaming up with Roku to launch its first-ever FAST channel, Diamond Sports Group renewing its distribution deal with Charter Communications, and DAZN announcing an exclusive deal with the PGA TOUR across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Step up to the plate with us this week as we tackle the complex maze of baseball streaming. We cover the latest baseball streaming news with Fubo adding RSNs, Hulu+ Live TV adding the MLB Network, and discuss the terrible fan experience with some MLB teams requiring fans to access five different networks to stream games. We also highlight other sports news, including Peacock's exclusive streaming deal for the NFL's first-ever regular-season game in Brazil and Amazon's sublicensing deal with Viaplay to broadcast 38 live Premier League games a season in Sweden and Denmark. We break down the launch of Hulu on Disney+ in the U.S. for Disney bundled subscribers, and why we think the report that YouTube TV will reach profitability in 2024 isn't accurate. Finally, we debunk the ridiculous report suggesting that because Bitmovin's live encoder is now deployed on Akamai, it "raises M&A eyebrows" for them to be acquired.   Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail WBD's planned international expansion of Max, which will make the OTT service available in 25 countries in Europe and 65 countries and territories worldwide. We also highlight comments made by the NFL's Chief Business Officer regarding the newly announced WBD, FOX and Disney sports JV, which is missing over half of all NFL games. We discussed the latest rumors regarding a potential sale of Paramount Global, with Skydance still conducting due diligence and having yet to submit a final offer. We detail the new YouTube TV multiview functionality on iPhones and iPads and Peacock's new upcoming enhanced four-view experience called "Discovery Multiview," coming in time for the Olympic Games in Paris that will be supported across smart TVs, streaming devices, web browsers and tablets. Finally, we discuss Kingsoft Cloud's Q4 CDN revenue, which decreased by nearly 10% compared to the previous quarter and some changes coming to Comcast's internal CDN.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This special podcast takes you inside the NAB Show Streaming Summit with a preview of all the content, speakers and expert strategies you'll learn at the event. Hear what the keynote fireside chats will cover with Paramount Global, Prime Video and NBCU. We also give an overview of the new AI Demo Track and break down all the sessions tied to sports, content bundling, churn and retention, and streamlining video workflow strategies. Finally, we highlight case studies from NFL, SiriusXM, Disney+ Hotstar, and Sinclair and detail why you can't miss the day one Happy Hour event. And if you're feeling the sting of recent layoffs or seeking career growth, join me for an empowering talk on how to find a job, advance your career, set yourself up for success and stand out amongst the crowd.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we detail how SeaChange, which once dominated the cable TV operator market and had over $216 million in revenue, will have its assets acquired for $30 million. We break down the numbers you need to know from Fubo's full-year 2023 earnings, ending with 1.61M subscribers and reaffirming their expectation to reach positive cash flow and adjusted EBITDA in 2025. We also detail Paramount's full-year 2023 earnings, ending with 67.5M subscribers and DTC losses of $1.6B, forecasting profitability for Paramount+ domestically in 2025. Finally, we discuss some of the latest news from Disney, including Bog Iger's remarks about the mistakes they made around the launch of Disney+, including not having the right tech to lower customer acquisition and retention costs and acknowledging that the company is behind Netflix in terms of technical capabilities.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

This week, we break down all the numbers from Warner Bros. Discovery's full year 2023 earnings, including DTC profitability in 2023, exclusive NBA negotiations, international expansion of Max, and their disciplined approach to investing in subscriber growth, mindful of lifetime value to subscriber acquisition cost ratios. We also highlight why Fubo is suing Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery over their recently announced JV deal to offer a sports streaming service and the overlapping distinct authority that the FTC and DOJ have to challenge anti-competitive practices. Finally, we detail earnings from Vimeo, which projects only 4-8% of revenue growth in 2024 and Brightcove, whose projected 2024 revenue growth would be flat or slightly down over 2023.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media