streaming wars

Why are there so many loss-leading streaming services? Blame it on Bob Iger, says LightShed’s Rich Greenfield.

Streaming services must juggle subscriber growth and ad revenue – an ongoing struggle that produced a mixed bag of Q4 earnings results. But there’s a reason why it seems like Netflix is coming out on top.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. The AI A/B Google Ads industry liaison Ginny Marvin was called out during a recent Q&A session hosted on an SEO-focused Discord server.  SEO folks had spotted instances where Google clearly A/B tested different ad copy options without a brand’s awareness or approval, Search […]

By guest artist Nate Fakes A weekly comic strip from AdExchanger that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem…

Netflix reported its first earnings on Thursday since launching ads late last year. The results? AVOD seems to have helped grow Netflix’s profitability in the short term. The streamer reported 7.7 million net new subscribers in Q4, a 4% year-over-year increase in paid memberships, which boosted quarterly revenue by 2%. But it was a good […]

2022 will stand out as the year that AVOD took center stage. Ad-supported video viewership growth surpassed subscription-only streaming and overall streaming viewership overtook cable for the first time.

The latest weapon in the streaming wars is HBO’s “House of the Dragon.” But behind the glamour of this high-profile project, the bean counters are busy cutting costs, as streaming services rationalize after the pandemic. Plus: the lowdown on the latest privacy lawsuit against Oracle.

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Ecommerce Byte? TikTok parent company ByteDance is looking to take on Amazon and Alibaba with its own global ecommerce platform, Business Insider reports. The company hopes to expand its online shopping platform outside of China, which could launch as a stand-alone app or within […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Searching Social Google is negotiating potential deals with the parent companies of TikTok and Instagram, ByteDance and Facebook, respectively, to index posts on those platforms in Google search results, The Information reports. Right now, social video search responses are almost entirely sourced from YouTube. […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Big Discovery Fresh off the news that it will merge with WarnerMedia next year to create a media behemoth, Discovery Inc. reported powerhouse earnings in Q2. Discovery ended Q2 with 17 million direct-to-consumer subscribers, up from 11 million last quarter, netting the company $400 […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Behind Bars The beta version of Safari available for iOS 15 users could seriously hamper online ad performance. Typically, iOS updates undercut online advertising when Apple makes it difficult (or impossible) to track users around the web or attribute campaign conversions. This Safari change […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Power Player Can Amazon get any bigger? Per CNBC, the planned acquisition of MGM Studios for $8.45 billion marks the company’s boldest move yet into the entertainment industry and is expected to turbocharge its streaming ambitions. The deal gives Amazon access to MGM’s huge […]

WarnerMedia and Discovery held separate Upfront presentations this week, just days after AT&T announced it would combine the media assets of the two companies in a deal worth $43 billion. The move, which shocked the industry – and even the topmost executives at WarnerMedia – could position the new company as a major force in the […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Mountain Of Money When ViacomCBS promoted Paramount Plus ahead of its launch, subscribers were promised “a mountain of entertainment.” And the company is continuing to put a mountain of money behind that tagline. The company said Monday that it’s looking to raise $3 billion […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Bring It, Joe  Google is certainly going through the ringer this week, especially with a House judiciary antitrust subcommittee hearing that will look into whether laws should be bolstered  to better address monopoly power. But apparently the increased regulator pressure is nothing new. That’s […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. A Short Stint The average tenure of CMOs in the United States dropped again in 2019, to 41 months from about 43 months in 2018. That’s the lowest number on record since 2009, according to a report from executive search firm Spencer Stuart. The […]

NBCUniversal’s Fandango snapped up Vudu from Walmart for an undisclosed price Tuesday, making it the latest independent streaming service to get gobbled up by a big media player. “We are moving into the consolidation phase of the streaming business,” said Forrester principal analyst Jim Nail, citing this deal and Fox’s acquisition of Tubi in March. […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. The Latest Contender Fox Corp. didn’t have its own streaming platform, so it used the sale of its stake in Roku to buy Tubi. The $440 million acquisition puts Tubi’s ad-supported streaming platform in direct competition with ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV, Comcast’s Xumu and Sony’s […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. The Fox And The Tubi Fox has reportedly expressed interest in buying Tubi as the streaming wars kick into high gear. The deal could be valued at more than $500 million, sources tell The Wall Street Journal. The purchase would put Fox in the […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Us Too Newly merged ViacomCBS will throw its hat into a crowded ring of streaming services with a new service that spans its whole content portfolio, joining its current OTT vehicle CBS All Access. Nothing is set in stone, but executives are considering an […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Wind In DTC’s Sails Procter & Gamble’s acquisition of Billie, a shaving and body care startup focused on women, has given a boost to the DTC entrepreneur and investor community. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, so it’s unclear if it even was […]

Xumo – an early streaming platform that offers an ad-supported, linear-like streaming experience with branded channels – isn’t worried about the new competition entering the market. “Streaming is a growth sector,” said CEO Colin Petrie-Norris. “More users are getting familiar with streaming as an option. And in the ad-supported space, the people providing an ad-supported […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Bloomberg’s Big Play Presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg is set to unload a 60-second ad spot critical of President Donald Trump in the upcoming Super Bowl. The New York Times estimates that the former NYC mayor shelled out $10 million for the privilege, also noting […]

“On TV and Video” is a column exploring opportunities and challenges in advanced TV and video. Today’s column is written by Brienna Pinnow, co-founder at Blinc Digital Group. Looking back on 2019, any TV media professional will tell you the past year has been anything but “same ’ol, same ’ol.” Everything from acquisitions to tech […]

Here’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Culture Clash TikTok may be the hottest new social media app of 2019, but it’s not winning any “client of the year” awards. Agencies that have worked with TikTok as a client complain of unrealistic briefs and timelines, high turnover and abrupt project cancellations […]

“On TV and Video” is a column exploring opportunities and challenges in advanced TV and video. Today’s column is written by Mike Bloxham, senior vice president of global media and entertainment at Magid. With all the talk of the streaming wars and the arrival of services from the leviathans of the media business, it’s easy […]

Roku is sitting in a nice position as the streaming wars kick off. The OTT platform reported on Wednesday net revenue growth of 50% year over year to $260.9 million in Q3. And it will benefit from the proliferation of both ad-supported and non-ad-supported services. More high-profile streaming services will drive more engagement on Roku, […]