The Dan Rayburn Podcast

Episode 179: Recapping Earnings from Paramount, WBD, Fubo, Roku, Fox, EchoStar; News from Disney, Netflix, Apple and NFL

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 21:00:00 -0400

This week, we cover the Q2 earnings numbers you need to know from WBD, Roku, Paramount Skydance, Fubo and EchoStar, including net profit and subscribers. We discuss the latest bundling and content deals from Disney, Netflix, Philo, Apple TV, and Google TV.

We also detail the technical issues NFL+ experienced during week one of preseason games, the layoffs at Scripps and VideoAmp, and Dolby's acquisition of 250 patents that are at the heart of the technology that contributed to VVC.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 178: YouTube's Peacock Deal; Gotham Sports App Shutting Down; Infrastructure Earnings from Amazon and Microsoft

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:00:00 -0400

This week, discuss the news that eligible YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. will gain access to ad-supported Peacock Premium in 2027 at no additional charge and debate if this means NBCU will become a content arms dealer. We detail the plan for NFL Ticket to come back to DIRECTV for businesses through a new licensing deal, and DAZN plans to acquire EverPass Media.

We also highlight the YES Network and MSG Networks news that will make DAZN the exclusive home for their content, replacing the Gotham Sports App, which will be shut down. We touch on the latest news from HBO Max, Roku, Disney, SiriusXM, Prime Video, and Rogers Communications. Finally, we cover all the Q2 earnings numbers you need to know from Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Meta and AMC Global Media.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 177: Roku's Hardware Price Increase; Peacock Turns a Profit; Final FIFA World Cup Numbers from YouTube, TikTok, Fox and Telemundo

Wed, 29 Jul 2026 15:00:00 -0400

This week, I detail Comcast's Q2 earnings, which, for the first time in six years, showed Peacock had a positive quarter, with $189 million in EBITDA. This positive news was offset by the loss of 280,000 cable TV subscribers and 167,000 broadband residential customers, with total company revenue down 1.2% YoY.

I discuss the news that Roku is raising the MSRP of its streaming sticks and boxes from $10-$50, depending on the model, noting that the largest portion of Roku's overall device unit volume comes from the sale of third-party Roku-made TVs by OEM partners, not Roku boxes.

Finally, I detail the final FIFA World Cup viewership numbers from YouTube, Cazé TV, TikTok, Fox/FOX One, and Telemundo/Peacock, highlighting the different measurement methodologies used, and mention Telemundo becoming the exclusive U.S. Spanish-language rights holder for the next UEFA men's club competitions.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 176: Netflix Q2 Earnings, Industry Doom and Gloom Overrated; Fandango to Compete in the FAST Market

Sun, 19 Jul 2026 17:00:00 -0400

This week, I discuss Netflix's earnings, the new numbers it disclosed regarding live streaming, confirmation that engagement didn't decline, double-digit revenue growth in all regions, and the largest share buybacks in company history. I explain that while some suggest that Netflix's business is "broken" or "collapsing," none of it is based on facts or supported by any actual numbers. (Nielsen's don't count)

I also cover Fandango's push to become a FAST platform, with its owner, Versant, having acquired rights to air Bundesliga games in the U.S., some of which stream on Fandango. I also talk about the company's goal of having what they say will be a better FAST experience, with lower ad loads and its claims that it has a unique advantage in bringing audiences in through recent theatrical releases.

Finally, I cover why I don't think a streamer will secure U.S. rights to the 2030 FIFA World Cup, since the largest viewing audience will require a combination of linear TV and streaming.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 175: Comcast to Split Business; ITV Sells to Sky; Meta Planning Cloud Business

Thu, 16 Jul 2026 14:00:00 -0400

This week, I discuss Comcast's plans to split its media and technology businesses, spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky into a separate publicly traded company. I questioned why it didn't happen sooner, since for years we've seen from its balance sheet and stock price that combining its content and distribution pipelines hasn't added value. Also related to Comcast, I cover the news that ITV has agreed to sell its Media and Entertainment division, covering the ITV channels, the ITVX streaming platform, and the advertising business that funds them, to Comcast-owned Sky for up to £1.6 billion.

I discuss Meta's plans to launch a cloud business to sell AI computing power and why it makes sense, when Meta is spending so much on capex without a clear path to directly monetize it. I also use the example of Meta taking a page from Google's playbook, which successfully diversified revenue beyond just advertising by growing their cloud services over many years. Other Meta news covered is that the company took a patent license covering AV1 and VP9 from the Access Advance VDP Pool.

Finally, I cover the latest news from Netflix, which will add video content from new publishers, ranging from 3 to 20 minutes in length, and why this is not a sign that Netflix is trying to be YouTube.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 2: The Sports Streaming Podcast, with Dan Rayburn & Eric Black

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:00:00 -0400

This month, Eric Black and Dan Rayburn talk about World Cup viewership, breaking down the numbers between linear and streaming, and the problems posed by the lack of a standard measurement. They also cover World Cup latency, including on airplanes, and question if viewers would be willing to pay more for Dolby Vision HDR, Atmos surround sound and lower latency. Or, similar to customers gravitating to ad-supported subs for a lower cost, would they do the same for less interactivity?

They also cover other live streams, including the Tour de France, WNBA, Wimbledon and MLB and debate how these leagues can elevate their visibility during competing top-tier events. Also discussed was the price increase for Apple TV, now priced at $199, making it unlikely to grow in the market, since less than 5% of live streams already go to Apple TV hardware. Finally, they covered the news that Fubo CEO and co-founder David Gandler is leaving the company and why the upcoming UFC Conor McGregor fight on Paramount+ might see the largest viewership on the platform, outside of NFL games.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 174: TF1 Channels Go Live on Netflix in France; Meta Enables AV1 Across RTC Apps; Apple TV Hardware Now Costs $199

Mon, 29 Jun 2026 18:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss the launch of TF1 Groupe programs and live TV channels on Netflix in France, the first such deal for Netflix. We detail the available content and explain why we think TF1 dramas, reality shows, news and sports could help limit churn among existing Netflix subscribers. We also cover viewership numbers for Paramount's UFC Freedom 250 event at The White House, review the latest World Cup viewership stats, and discuss Snap's plans to spin off an internal team that was working on AI-powered generative video into a separate company.

Finally, we cover news from Meta that AV1 is now enabled on the majority of mobile devices in Meta Real-Time Communication (RTC) applications, Apple raising the price of the Apple TV to $199, and debunk some of the latest rumors of the announced Fox and Roku deal.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 173: Fox and Roku Deal Facts and Numbers; World Cup Viewership Stats; Numbers From Bending Spoons IPO Filing; Latest Codec News

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 13:00:00 -0400

This week, we separate facts from opinions on the news that Fox Corporation has agreed to acquire Roku. We break down all the numbers, the impact on Tubi and The Roku Channel, Roku's hardware business, and all the other details you need to know. We also cover World Cup TV and streaming viewership stats released by Fox Sports, ITV, NBC Sports, STV, and others. We detail the revenue and profit numbers from Bending Spoons' SEC filing, which plans to go public this year. Finally, we go through the latest codec and protocol news, including Apple's HTTP Live Streaming enhancements, the Alliance for Open Media publishing AV2 specs, and the impact on OTT services from current codec and ABR patent suits.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 1: The Sports Streaming Podcast, with Dan Rayburn & Eric Black

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Sports streaming is kind of a big deal. So, Eric Black and I have teamed up to record a new monthly podcast breaking down the Business and Technology of Sports Streaming. Giving listeners insight into the latest content deals, viewership numbers, user experiences and technical workflows, without any hype.

In episode one, Eric and I talk about the World Cup's streaming quality, latency, piracy, free trials across OTT services and discuss the streaming rollout across FOX, ZEE5, Peacock, and FIFA+ on DAZN. We detail the renewed distribution deal between NBCU and Fubo, Fox’s expanded deal with the NFL that will bring games to Mexico, and Disney's new partnership to carry L’équipe’s TV channel in France on Disney+.

We highlight a recent interview with MLS's Commissioner, who admitted that the added paywall and timing weren’t right for the market, as well as the impact on MLS within the Apple TV ecosystem. We also discuss the impact of RTL's acquisition of Sky Deutschland on sports content, which combines Sky’s premium sports rights with RTL’s entertainment and news brands, forming the strongest local competitor to Netflix in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Finally, we recap comments from those who testified at the congressional hearing on the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961, and I question why EverPass Media has been so quiet about providing any technical details to businesses or integrators who are still in the dark about how the NFL Sunday Ticket will be rolled out later this year.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 172: World Cup Preview; Peacock's Vertical Video; NFL Streaming Schedule; Prime Video's Profitability

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0400

This week, special guest Eric Black and I discuss the upcoming World Cup, detailing streaming and pay TV viewership numbers from the 2022 event and what to expect this year. We also discuss the MLS game that used Apple iPhones for video capture, noting that they were used only as camera sensors and image processors. We review the NFL's 2026-2027 schedule, calling out the newly announced exclusive games on Netflix and Peacock and detail Netflix's newly extended media rights deal with the NFL through the 2029-30 season.

We discuss the growth of Prime Video and Amazon's disclosure that Prime Video, as a stand-alone business, is profitable, without knowing how Amazon accounts for costs to the business. Eric details his recent experience with Peacock's vertical video stream, noting quality differences when the video source is Peacock versus a third party. Finally, we recap some numbers from Netflix on its monthly active viewers for its ad-supported plan, new price increases for DirecTV streaming packages, and a YouTube stat that two billion hours of Shorts are streamed on TVs each month.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 171: Infrastructure News from Akamai, Fastly and Cloudflare's Earnings; Anthropic and OpenAI Cloud Spend; Disney, WBD and Fubo Earnings

Mon, 11 May 2026 22:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss a wild week in infrastructure news, with Akamai, Fastly and Cloudflare reporting earnings, sending all three companies' stock up or down by at least 30%. We detail Cloudflare's announcement that it will lay off over 1,100 employees, Akamai's new $1.8 billion seven-year contract for Cloud Infrastructure Services for AI modeling, and Wall Street's lack of understanding of the CDN business. We highlight reports suggesting that contracts involving Anthropic and OpenAI now ‌account ⁠for more than half of the $2 trillion in backlogs at major cloud providers, and how Google and Amazon reported a surge in profits in their Q1 earnings, based on the valuation of the stock they bought in Anthropic, and not any actual net profit.

We also detail the latest numbers you need to know from WBD, Disney, and Fubo earnings, and how, with WBD no longer breaking out streaming subs and Fubo no longer breaking out Hulu+ Live TV subs, it's now almost impossible to compare DTC service growth quarter to quarter. Finally, we break out the pay TV losses by Optimum and discuss the unconfirmed reports that Netflix will get two additional NFL games starting in the 2026-27 season. Finally, we highlight Sky Sports' announcement that it will remain the exclusive home of Formula 1 in the UK and Ireland until 2034 and in Italy until 2032, which prevents Apple from securing the rights to stream F1 content in those countries.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 170: Q1 Earnings Data from Roku, Peacock, Amazon, Microsoft and AI Capex Spend; YouTube Custom Multiview; Amazon's Fire OS Confusion

Sun, 03 May 2026 20:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail the numbers you need to know from Q1 earnings from Roku, which, for the first time, separated out revenue for its advertising and subscription business. We also cover earnings from Comcast, the latest Peacock numbers, cord-cutting at Charter, and the massive capex spend in the quarter from Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon, with AWS revenue growth at its fastest in 15 quarters.

We detail YouTube's Q1 revenue, which was down from the previous quarter and highlight YouTube TV's launch of a fully customizable multiview, including some device and content limitations. Moving on to NFL news, we also mention a rumored deal between the NFL and YouTube for a long-form contract review of a five-game package, and Comcast dropping the NFL Network and RedZone Channel from its Xfinity service due to a carriage dispute.

We share live sports viewership numbers from April, including the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game and NBA on Amazon Prime, and discuss a hardware failure that caused one of Prime's games to lose video for 20 seconds during gameplay. Finally, we discuss why Amazon’s newly announced Fire TV Stick HD, which runs its Vega operating system, is not good for customers, and how Fire TV's lack of explanation of its Fire OS strategy to the market is bad for developers and consumers.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 169: Special NAB Show Recap: Content, Themes, Messaging and Lessons Learned

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 11:00:00 -0400

This week, we recap what we saw and heard at the 2026 NAB Show, covering themes, content, the West Hall exhibit floor, and the speakers at the Streaming Summit. We highlight some of the topics discussed most, including sports, workflow orchestration, MOQ, scaling live events, multiview, UI/UX, and how AI tech is being implemented into the video stack. I also cover what I want to improve at the Streaming Summit next year, what exhibitors can do to improve their messaging and booth presence, and where we both see room for improvement in the attendee experience.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 168: NFL and DOJ News Overblown; New Amazon AI Revenue Data; YouTube Raises Premium Pricing; Sling TV/FOX/Fubo/Disney+ News

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail YouTube's upcoming price increase across all U.S. YouTube Premium plans, Sling TV's new $20 monthly plan that includes ESPN, and FOX's announcement that it will shut down the Fox Sports app for smart TVs and connected devices. We also discuss Fubo's newly released set of long-term financial targets, which projects positive free cash flow by fiscal 2027, and why the news that the DOJ is exploring whether the NFL is engaging in anti-competitive tactics isn't a surprise.

Finally, we discuss AI news, including Amazon's newly released revenue data for its AI business, which shows AWS’s AI revenue run rate is over $15 billion. We break down Amazon's plans to double its total power capacity by the end of 2027, its $20 billion in revenue for its chip business, and its stated model of investing disproportionately behind what matters and pulling back when something isn’t working.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 167: Latest Sports Streaming Viewership Numbers; Oracle Layoffs; The Problem With AI Capex Spending

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail viewership numbers from Netflix, NBC Sports and Peacock for MLB's opening week, highlighting the multiple issues with how the data is collected and presented, leading to impossible comparisons. We also discuss OpenAI's hiring of Indian streaming giant JioStar to lead its Asia-Pacific operations and news that Main Street Sports Group lenders have formally signed paperwork to close the business after the first round of the NHL playoffs.

Finally, we discuss Oracle's recent round of layoffs and break down the balance sheet numbers that led to them, including $58 billion in new debt, net income, operating cash flow and $50 billion in capital expenditures expected during fiscal 2026. Dan argues that all this reckless spending on AI isn't innovation but rather financial engineering dressed up as leadership, with no accountability, no consequences and a lack of leaders who manage with discipline.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 166: Netflix's MLB Opening Night Stream and Newly Announced Price Increase; News Recap from OpenAI, YouTube TV, DAZN, Roku, Fubo and NFL

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 13:00:00 -0400

This week, special guest Eric Black and I discuss Netflix's opening-night MLB stream, which received many negative reviews for its production, relentless, intrusive promotions and poor video quality. We also discuss Netflix's price increases across all its packages and the 18.4 million global viewers who watched the BTS concert live stream. We also highlight the launch of HBO Max in the UK and Ireland, the launch in 12 new markets in the APAC region, and the news that WBD will hold the Special Meeting of Shareholders to vote on the merger with Paramount Skydance Corporation on April 23.

We discuss why OpenAI shut down Sora, the lack of a business model behind the service and why it makes sense for OpenAI's bottom line. We do a quick roundup of the latest news from YouTube TV, DAZN, Roku, Fubo, NFL and Epic Games. Finally, we mention the newly appointed CEO at Deltatre, prompting me to ask whether this now means the company will explain its strategy and focus and tell the market what it wants to be known for.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 165: JioHotstar Hits 72.5M Concurrent; NFL Sunday Ticket for Businesses Goes Streaming Only; New Netflix Data Released

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 21:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss JioHotstar's recent live stream of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which set a global streaming record with a peak of 72.5 million concurrent viewers. We detail some of the tech specs from the event, including the split between mobile and TV viewing and the rebuffer rate. We cover EverPass Media's news that it will be the exclusive commercial option for the NFL Sunday Ticket package this season, with DIRECTV no longer having a license to carry the games. This change raises many questions, including how the streaming video will sync across multiple TVs streaming the same game.

We highlight Spectrum's launch of its new multiview feature in the Spectrum TV App, noting that at launch, viewers can't select their own games and must choose from pre-curated options. We share a few new numbers from Netflix's Next on Netflix summit, including that subscribers watch about 7 movies a month and that the company will invest in original storytelling and a renewed focus on theatrical comedy and content for young adults. Finally, we detail new technology in the video streaming pipeline, including MoQ, AV1/2, VVC, SGAI, and ULL, to refute an analyst's claim that there is "no more to get out of the core technology of video streaming."

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 164: Peacock Rolling Out Vertical Video for NBA Games; NFL Starts Renegotiating Broadcast Contacts Early; Disney+ Tests Vertical Video

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 10:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss reports that the NFL has begun renegotiating its $110 billion in domestic broadcast agreements ahead of the 2026 season, seeking a 50% increase with some broadcasters, if accurate. We also explain why it's gotten so hard to compare big live streaming events to one another when viewership numbers alone don't provide a clear picture. We use NBCU as an example: it released a rebuffer rate for the Super Bowl stream but did not provide viewership numbers, while JioHotstar provided viewership numbers for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, but not the rebuffer rate.

On the vertical video front, we detail news from both Peacock and Disney, which are rolling out trials of the new viewing format. Peacock will debut a new vertical video option for all live NBA broadcasts, not just highlights, powered by AI that performs real-time cropping and is optimized for phone screens. Disney+, meanwhile, has rolled out Verts, letting users swipe through a stream of scenes and moments from Disney+ movies and shows, add them to their Watchlist, or jump directly into playback.

Finally, we discuss Apple's claim that viewership for the first weekend of the F1 races was "up year over year" compared with ESPN's coverage, but provided no numbers, as well as the latest on the WBD and Paramount Skydance merger.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 163: An HBO Max and Paramount Platform Merger is Difficult; Sling TV Losses; Versant Earnings; F1 Launches on Apple TV

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 22:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss why a "unified streaming stack" is not the same as combining two streaming services, despite media reports that HBO Max and Paramount+ will merge into a single DTC service shortly. As we break down the latest details of the proposed Paramount and WBD deal, we speculate on the layoff impact across both companies, as Paramount tells bankers it expects to see billions in cost savings while telling employees the savings target will be realized mostly through non-personnel means.

We also cover the launch of F1 on Apple TV, Versant Media's full-year 2025 earnings, Sling TV losing 167,000 subs in Q4, NBCU not planning to publish Super Bowl viewership numbers for Peacock/digital, and YouTube in talks to stream four more live NFL games. Finally, we detail that, due to rising costs for servers, RAM, SSDs, and energy, Akamai has notified customers and partners of upcoming surcharges and contract renewal adjustments.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 162: Olympic Viewership Numbers; Apple TV F1 and MLS News; Akamai Earnings; OpenAI Ads Wrongly Compared to Netflix

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 18:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss the latest Olympics viewership numbers on Peacock and debate whether Peacock's offer to give me a 72% discount on the service for six months to keep me as a subscriber is beneficial to the company's long-term viability. We cover the latest Apple TV news, including MLS, which kicked off the season this week; Apple's launch of its new dedicated Formula 1 channel in the Apple TV app; and the news that IMAX will show five major Formula 1 Grands Prix in its theatres.

We also detail the new ultra-low-latency technology behind Comcast’s 30 Mbps upscaled 4K Super Bowl Stream, called RealTime4K, the workflow, and the supported devices. Finally, on the infrastructure side, we cover the latest numbers from Akamai's Q4 and full-year 2025 earnings, as well as the news that it will no longer break out delivery revenue. In addition, we detail the numbers from CDN Netskrt, which has broken out its network capacity, capital-to-revenue ratio, and the unique factors behind its underlying costs.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 161: Roku, AMC Networks, Fastly, Cloudflare Earnings; New Bundles from YouTube TV, HBO Max, Sky; Peacock's Super Bowl Stream

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 14:00:00 -0500

This week, I discuss my review of Peacock's Super Bowl stream, which was executed flawlessly, along with some of the limited viewership numbers released to date. I also detail the new live TV bundles from YouTube TV, the launch of HBO Max in the UK and Ireland and a new bundle from Sky that includes Disney+, HBO Max, Netflix, and Hayu. I cover earnings results from Roku (full-year revenue up 15%), AMC Networks (AMC+ price increase), Optimum (lost 49,000 pay TV subs), Amagi (which had its IPO last month) and positive earnings from Fastly and Cloudflare, with Fastly stock up 116% in the week of earnings.

Finally, with the hyperscalers projected to collectively spend close to $700 billion in capex in 2026, I break down what we are seeing in the bond market for their capital raise, the risks, and why analysts expect free cash flow to plummet this year.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Brightcove's GM Gives Update on the Size of the Business, Product Roadmap, Bending Spoons Ownership, and GTM Strategy

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 13:00:00 -0500

Filippo Maria De Salazar, General Manager of the Brightcove business, sat down with me for a detailed conversation on the state of the business, one year after the Bending Spoons acquisition. Filippo discusses Brightcove's size, its structure under the Bending Spoons umbrella, and the benefits Brightcove derives from being part of a larger software and engineering company.

We also discuss Brightcove's business, including OTT services for media customers and video use cases for enterprise customers tied to marketing and communications. Finally, Filippo details Brightcove's roadmap, highlighting the new functionality already added to the platform and the 2026 product roadmap they released publicly earlier in the month.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 160: Earnings Numbers from Disney, Fubo, FOX, YouTube, Comcast, Netflix; NFL and ESPN Deal Terms; Vimeo, Brightcove and Gcore Vendor News

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0500

This week, I detail the numbers you should know from Q4 2025 earnings results from Netflix, Amazon, Fubo, FOX, YouTube, Comcast, and Disney. I cover subscriber additions, profit and loss, Fubo's plans for a reverse stock split, the latest on its carriage dispute with NBCUniversal, and the latest cord-cutting numbers. With the NFL and ESPN deal now closed, giving Disney control of the NFL Network and other NFL Media assets, I break down the terms, the additional content Disney gets, the deal’s value, and how it is structured. I also cover viewership numbers from Paramount's first UFC stream, with 7 million households in the U.S. and Latin America having tuned in, and Crunchyroll raising prices across some of its tiers in the U.S. Finally, I give the latest news on the Netflix and WBD deal, with Netflix's co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, testifying before the US Senate’s antitrust subcommittee.

On the vendor side, I detail the exact extent of Vimeo's layoffs, share my thoughts on Brightcove's 2026 product roadmap, and provide financial figures for CDN and infrastructure provider Gcore, which showed significant revenue growth over the past two years.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 159: Prime's NFL Wild Card Viewership; Amazon's New Content Deals in Europe; Stats Perform Acquires Assets of Phenix Real Time Solutions

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 11:00:00 -0500

This week, I detail viewership numbers from Prime Video’s exclusive stream of the NFL Wild Card playoff game, making it the most-streamed NFL game in the U.S., as well as those from Peacock’s exclusive NFL game on December 27th. I also review the latest subscription numbers for RTL+ and TF1+, as well as the recent price increases from Paramount+ and Spotify. Additionally, I discuss the new Amazon content deals with M6 in Europe and RTVE in Spain, involving live linear channels. Finally, I explain why the Metaverse was never real and just a fantasy of executive egos with money to burn, and detail Stats Perform's acquisition of the assets of the ultra-low-latency tech company Phenix Real Time Solutions for approximately $7 million.

Added Jan 20th: Correction: I misspoke regarding Paramount's efforts to compel WBD to disclose additional financial information. The judge has not rejected Paramount's efforts but has instead rejected the motion to expedite the trial.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 158: Portions of FIFA World Cup to Stream on TikTok, NFL/NBA Viewership Stats, News Roundup from Dish, WBD, Disney, and Versant

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss news that FIFA has partnered with TikTok to allow select media partners to live-stream parts of matches from the FIFA World Cup, with limited details about exactly what that means. We also review the latest viewership numbers for NFL and NBA games across Netflix, Peacock, and Prime Video, while noting that ESPN (Disney), CBS (Paramount), and FOX don't disclose the percentage of NFL regular-season viewership that comes from streaming. Finally, we cover Dish countersuing Walt Disney Co. and ESPN, Comcast spinoff Versant going public on the Nasdaq, and WBD’s board once again rejecting Paramount's latest bid.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 157: Year-End Wrap Up; Review of NFL Streams on Christmas and ESPN's Data-Enhanced MNF Telecast

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:00:00 -0500

This week, I wrap up the year with a review of NFL streaming during the holiday week across Netflix, Prime Video, ESPN and Peacock, with no major QoE issues reported. I also highlight ESPN's data-enhanced MNF telecast, featuring a well-designed stats overlay that was informative and not obtrusive. Finally, I wrap up with a few news items from Amazon, Sling TV, and Netflix, a recap of traffic to my posts, and a thank you to readers and listeners for what has been 30 years for me in the streaming media industry.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

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

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 17:00:00 -0500

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

Executive Interview: Tiledmedia's Founder Discusses the Latest OTT Multiview Offerings and Technical Implementations

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:00:00 -0500

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, how to customize multiview layouts, and the challenges of offering a scalable, personalized multiview option.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 155: NBA and NFL Viewership Stats from Thanksgiving Weekend; Netflix Removes Casting; Versant Media Group Finances; Bending Spoons Closes on Vimeo Acquisition

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 20:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail the viewership 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 acquisition 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

Episode 154: Breaking Down the Netflix and WBD Deal: The Facts, The Numbers, and What We Don’t Know

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 13:00:00 -0500

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

Episode 153: Detailing the Latest Sports Streaming Deals from Paramount, MLB, Apple; Price Increases and Industry Layoffs (with special co-host Eric Black)

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 19:00:00 -0500

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

Episode 152: Key Details from Disney and Paramount Earnings; MLS Season Pass Ending; New Prime Video Viewership Numbers

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

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 meant when he said that short-form gen-AI 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 all MLS games will be streamed on the Apple TV service at no additional cost, potentially increasing 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

Episode 151: Earnings Roundup from WBD, Xperi, EchoStar, Altice, Akamai, Fastly; Latest on News from Amazon, ITV, YouTube and Disney

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 12:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail Amazon's confirmation that it has begun blocking sideloaded apps on Fire TVs it deems used for piracy, in an effort to restrict users' access to 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

Episode 150: Netflix to Implement DAI for NFL on Xmas; YouTube TV and Disney Carriage Dispute; Earnings Data from Fubo and Fox; Layoffs and AI

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 15:00:00 -0500

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 and churn reduced by 50% year over 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 partner with Disney to expand internationally over the next 18 to 24 months.

Finally, we discuss 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 and Harmonic, Qwilt's new CEO, and Bending Spoons' $710 million equity raise at a $11 billion pre-money valuation.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 149: Netflix's Earnings and Gen AI Usage; Latest WBD News and Max Price Increases; NBA Streaming Across Peacock and Prime

Mon, 27 Oct 2025 22:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 148: Review of Amazon's New Vega OS-based Fire TV Stick; Latest News from Apple/F1, WBD, Netflix, Roku, and Ad Tech Industry Challenges

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 18:00:00 -0400

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 the case for prioritizing outcomes over impressions in the CTV industry.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 147: Netflix's CEO on Gaming, WBD and UI/UX; News Roundup from Ad Week NYC; DAZN Financial Details

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 146: Media Stocks up 25% in the Past Six Months; Latest News from Peacock, Max, FOX, Fubo, Disney, Versant, Prime Video, the NBA, and YouTube TV

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 15:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight the stocks of WBD, Disney, Roku, Paramount, Apple, Fubo, and others that have 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

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

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 18:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight the balance sheets of WBD, Netflix, and Roku, including their market capitalizations, debt, cash, and profit and loss statements, as we examine some high-level merger rumors 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 by vendor Cleeng.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 144: Debunking AI News; The Challenges in Live Viewership Data; Versant Discloses Revenue; NBA Invests in MediaKind

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:00:00 -0400

This week, I highlight where the hype lies in AI, where the opportunities lie, and why an "AI-first native strategy" by vendors is the wrong approach. I also explain the importance of AI use cases that 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’s investment in MediaKind, and why Antenna's numbers for ESPN Unlimited and Fox One sign-ups should not be trusted.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 143: YouTube's NFL Stream Viewership Numbers; Latest WBD News; Vimeo to Be Acquired

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 19:00:00 -0400

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, which once again announced it is changing the way it measures viewership, a change that is devoid 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 as 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 on the news that Vimeo has agreed to be acquired by Bending Spoons in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.38 billion, and I detail the numbers from Vimeo's balance sheet that most people are not looking at but should be.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Special Podcast: New OpenMOQ Software Consortium Launches to Advance MOQ-based technology

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 09:00:00 -0400

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 costs 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.org

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 142: News Recap from FOX, Disney, Fubo, Apple TV, BritBox, Netflix, and Upcoming Layoffs from Paramount

Mon, 01 Sep 2025 11:00:00 -0400

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

Executive Interview: Hydrolix's CEO Details the Changing Economics of Big Data and Real-Time Observability for Streaming

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 17:00:00 -0400

Marty Kagan, co-founder and CEO of Hydrolix, joined me for a detailed conversation about the importance of delivering better end-user QoE through real-time telemetry and the challenges of CDN observability. Marty highlights why more hot data is crucial for AIOps and the 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

Episode 141: Paramount's UFC Deal; Disney and FOX Bundle; Starz Declining Subs; New Features Coming to Sky Sports Premier League Coverage

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 18:00:00 -0400

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 explain why not all pay TV customers will have free access to ESPN's new DTC service when it launches on August 21st. We covered Netflix's price increase in Australia, Sling TV's new daily, weekend, and weekly pricing models, and 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

Episode 140: Disney Earnings and NFL/ESPN News; Latest Numbers from WBD, Fubo, Altice and FOX One Launch

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:00:00 -0400

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 to 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

Episode 139: Earnings Recaps from Comcast, Roku, Fubo, EchoStar, Spotify, Meta and Amazon

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 11:00:00 -0400

This week, I outline the key numbers you should know regarding subscriber gains and losses, as well as the profitability of D2C businesses for Peacock, Roku, Paramount, Sling TV, and Fubo. I also cover revenue growth from cloud providers Amazon and Microsoft and break out capex for Meta and the hyperscalers, which total more than $250 billion this year and are driven by AI-related infrastructure. Finally, I highlight some news relating to Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, Instagram and DAZN's deal with the NHL.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 138: MLS Discloses Sub Numbers; YouTube Earnings; Latest News from Disney, ESPN, NBC, MAX and Paramount

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 21:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight the details surrounding the MLS commissioner's disclosure that MLS Season Pass is averaging 120,000 unique viewers per match on Apple TV, representing a nearly 50% increase from 2024. For earnings, we cover Q2 ad revenue on YouTube, up 13% YoY, and Alphabet's plan to increase capex in 2025 to approximately $85 billion, as well as cord-cutting numbers from Charter and Verizon. We cover the latest rumors about the NFL’s interest in acquiring an equity stake in ESPN, HBO Max's expansion into more than 90 markets, and the FCC's approval of Paramount and Skydance's merger.

We detail viewership figures from Netflix's latest boxing event, along with TV and streaming viewership numbers across baseball, golf, tennis, car racing and hockey, as well as DAZN's video workflow for its successful stream coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup. Finally, we discuss why companies conduct layoffs even amid record profits, the impact of AI investments, and why, despite many talking about strategy, a company's culture eats the best strategy all day.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 137: Detailing Netflix's Q2 Earnings; Deltatre Plans to Acquire Endeavor Streaming

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 15:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight the key numbers and comments from Netflix's Q2 earnings, covering financials, ad growth, live-event strategy, competition, AI, and content strategy. We detail the financial metrics tied to revenue, free cash flow, debt, and estimated full-year 2025 revenue guidance. We discuss all the comments from Netflix's management team regarding measuring household engagement, its upcoming interactive ad launch, the impact of the recent price hike, its deal with TF1, and the acquisition of content assets. We also detail NBCU's decision to raise Peacock’s monthly subscription fee by $3, as well as the BBC's new US-based SVOD service. Finally, we discuss Deltatre's plans to acquire Endeavor Streaming, which raises questions about the state of Deltatre's business, as no metrics have been provided since Deltatre's 2022 acquisition.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 136: Disney's Latest Content Deals; Apple and F1 Rumors; Ultra Low Latency Deployments

Tue, 15 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight Disney's new content bundling deals with Charter and ITV, as well as Paramount's new agreement with DIRECTV. We discuss Amazon's investment in AI to help remaster SD content into HD, and what we think the impact of AI can be in the video streaming workflow. We also discuss why the media is getting it wrong when they suggest that Google has won the living room, as YouTube tightens the enforcement of its monetization guidelines. We break down the latest rumors that Apple will acquire Formula 1 content and explain why Apple's F1 movie was about more than just content, since it ties into iPhone hardware. Finally, we discuss recent online comments about ultra-low-latency deployments for media use cases that overlook any tangible or measurable business benefits.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Special CDN Podcast: The Latest on Delivery Pricing, Capacity Planning, DIY, Latency and Bitrate Trends

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 16:00:00 -0400

This special CDN-focused podcast details the latest on delivery pricing and industry trends. I discuss delivery commitments, QoE measurement, DIY deployments, HD/HDR bitrates, and the impact of vendors exiting the market. I also cover how content owners perform capacity planning at the ASN level, leaching, latency, and why multicasting and P2P won't positively impact the industry. The data comes from my CDN pricing survey, as well as hosting panels and private events at the NAB Show Streaming Summit in April, which included OTT platforms, content owners, broadcasters, sports leagues, and others.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 135: Disney Layoffs; Sports Streaming News; BBC Low Latency Trial; Wowza Makes AI Tech Acquisition

Fri, 27 Jun 2025 12:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight sports news from Peacock, Pac-12, ESPN, Optus Sport, Amazon, IMG, and NASCAR, including viewership stats and new licensing deals. We also cover the recent layoffs at Disney, the BBC's low-latency live streaming trial and the current ad loads on Max, Prime Video and Peacock. Finally, we cover some vendor news, including Wowza's acquisition of AI tech company AVA Intellect, and discuss some recent data I collected on the use of AI in the streaming video workflow.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 134: Recapping News From WBD, Disney, Netflix, YouTube, Amazon, F1 and Streaming Vendors Qwilt, Phenix and Brightcove

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 11:00:00 -0400

This week, we cover a lot of news, stats and numbers across WBD, Disney, Netflix, YouTube, MGM, Amazon, F1, DAZN, NFL, Verizon, Starz, Roku, TikTok, Apple TV, Premier League, JioHotstar, Paramount and other sports and OTT services. We also discuss the changes taking place at Qwilt, including the appointment of a new CEO, the auction of Phenix Real Time Solutions' assets, and Bending Spoons' plans for Brightcove’s product roadmap. Correction: About 14 minutes in, while discussing WBD, I said "Disney+" when I meant to say "Discovery+." My apologies for the confusion.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 133: New Ad Tier User Numbers; FOX and ESPN DTC News; YouTube Gets Exclusive NFL Game

Sun, 18 May 2025 16:00:00 -0400

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 new ad formats coming to OTT platforms. We also detail the upcoming DTC offerings from ESPN and FOX, as well as YouTube's plans to stream an exclusive NFL game for free in September. Finally, we highlight Charter's announcement of its plans to acquire Cox Communications, Warner Bros. Discovery's rebranding of Max to HBO Max this summer, and Sony's announcement of updated subscriber numbers for Crunchyroll.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 132: Key Q1 Earnings Numbers from Disney, WBD, Paramount, AMC Networks, Altice, EchoStar, Vimeo, Kaltura, Akamai, Fastly and Cloudflare

Mon, 12 May 2025 16:00:00 -0400

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, as well as 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

Episode 131: Key Takeaways from Roku, Fubo, Amazon, Apple, and Harmonic's Q1 2025 Earnings

Mon, 05 May 2025 16:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail Roku's 16% YoY revenue growth, with streaming hours up 5.1B 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 more than 125 million people streaming each day. We detail Fubo's earnings, with North American subscribers declining 2.7% YoY to 1.47M and a net profit of $188.5M for the quarter, driven by 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

Episode 130: Q1 Earnings; Peacock Gains 5M Subs; 851,000 Pay TV Subs Lost; NFL Streaming News; Max Password Sharing Crackdown

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 19:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail Comcast's Q1 earnings, including Peacock's subscriber gains thanks to the Charter bundle, with revenue up 16% and 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, which allows the RSN to avoid bankruptcy, as well as the NFL Commissioner's statement that he expects the league to schedule a Christmas Day tripleheader in the future. Finally, we discuss Max's password-sharing crackdown, YouTube's announcement that 20 million videos are uploaded daily, and Twitter's being found guilty of patent infringement related to streaming technology involving Vine and Periscope.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 129: Netflix's Q1 Earnings; Latest Sports News; Funding and Acquisition Deals

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 11:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 128: NAB Show 2025 Recap and Key Takeaways

Tue, 15 Apr 2025 17:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 127: MLB Opening Day Outage; More RSN Streaming Options; EdgeCast Relaunch; Bitmovin Reaches Free Cash Flow

Tue, 01 Apr 2025 10:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 126: JioHotstar’s 60M Concurrent Cricket Stream; F1 TV’s New 4K Tier; Why Apple TV+ Losses Don’t Matter; Max Platform Updates

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 14:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 125: Hulu's Oscars Stream; MSG Networks Likely Bankruptcy; CTV Botnet Discovery; MLB's Streaming Challenges

Sun, 09 Mar 2025 18:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 124: Fubo, WBD and Paramount Q4 Earnings; Amazon Launching Live Linear Channel; DIRECTV's New $35 Entertainment Package

Mon, 03 Mar 2025 17:00:00 -0500

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, which includes 43 linear channels and the streaming services Disney+, Hulu+, and Max. 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

Episode 123: Sports News Roundup From ESPN, Netflix, Max, Prime, DAZN, DIRECTV, Roku, F1 and Akamai's Q4 Earnings

Tue, 25 Feb 2025 21:00:00 -0500

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 news that DIRECTV's MySports package will include 140 NBC affiliates, that Prime Video is offering Ligue 1 matches via PPV, reports that ESPN has walked away from F1 negotiations, and that Bassmaster tournaments are now streaming on the Roku Channel. Finally, we cover Q4 and full-year earnings from Akamai, which provided an update on its delivery business for 2025 and beyond.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 122: Tubi's Super Bowl Stream Recap; Detailing Roku, Fastly, and Harmonc's Q4 Earnings

Sun, 16 Feb 2025 23:00:00 -0500

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 led to the merger of 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

Episode 121: Comcast and DirecTV Launch $70 Sports Packages, Peacock and Disney Earnings, Parler Buys Select Edgio Assets

Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:00:00 -0500

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 collectively lost nearly half a million cord-cutters. Finally, we detail Parler's $7.5 million acquisition of select Edgio assets.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 120: Super Bowl and NFL Streaming News from Amazon and FOX; Limelight's Network Goes Dark

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 12:00:00 -0500

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 4 K 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 news about Apple TV+, Altice, and Access Advance's launch of a new video distribution patent pool.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 119: Disney and Fubo Deal; Netflix's WWE Debut; Peacock Viewership Data; CES TV News

Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:00:00 -0500

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

Episode 118: Special Podcast; Netflix's NFL Christmas Gameday Recap

Sun, 29 Dec 2024 21:00:00 -0500

For this special podcast episode, we review Netflix's streaming of the NFL games on Christmas, detailing technical aspects related to 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

Episode 117: Vendor Layoffs; YouTube TV Price Increase; WBD Separates Linear from Streaming

Sat, 28 Dec 2024 18:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail more layoffs among streaming vendors and what they mean for the industry 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, 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

Episode 116: Akamai Acquires Contracts From Edgio's Bankruptcy Auction: Roundup Of OTT and Broadcast News

Wed, 18 Dec 2024 22:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail Akamai's successful $125 million bid for customer contracts from Edgio's security and content delivery businesses in 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 about the news and its 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

Episode 115: The Numbers and Details Behind Bending Spoons Plans to Acquire Brightcove

Mon, 02 Dec 2024 22:00:00 -0500

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: Unraveling The Misinformation from Netflix's Boxing Event; All the Latest Broadcast, TV and Content News

Wed, 27 Nov 2024 17:00:00 -0500

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, including Comcast's decision to spin out its NBCU cable assets and DirecTV's abandonment of its acquisition of Dish's assets.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 113: Earnings Recap from Paramount, Tubi, Vizio, Vimeo, Brightcove, Akamai, Fastly, Cloudflare

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 15:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail all the important numbers from Q3 earnings related to profitability, capex, MAUs and subscriber additions for 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, expand their workforce, invest in R&D, and launch new products and services, versus not being able to afford interest payments and having to lay off workers.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 112: Q3 Earnings Recap: Roku, Fubo, Comcast, Amazon, Alphabet, Sky, Harmonic, Verizon, Charter, Microsoft and Meta

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0500

This week, I recap all the streaming subscriber and pay TV numbers from Q3 earnings and the 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 claim that people interact with videos based on content, not 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 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 $𝟰𝟯𝟲𝗠
- Fubo's Sports FAST channel 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 in Q3
- Verizon, Comcast and Charter 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝟳𝟮𝟳,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝗧𝗩 subs in Q3
- AWS hit $𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗕 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 for the past 12 months
- As Amazon builds out for AI, it 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 $𝟮𝟮.𝟲𝗕 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘅, up 81% YoY
- The average Roku household streams 𝟰.𝟭 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆
- Since 2020, Meta's Reality Labs unit has had an operating 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 $𝟱𝟴 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻
- 𝟯𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 spent on YouTube watching the Olympics was on TV screens
- Sky UK had an 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 £𝟮𝟮𝟰𝗠, nearly doubling its 2022 loss of £111M
- Samsung says it has 𝟴𝟴𝗠 𝗠𝗔𝗨𝘀 for its Samsung TV Plus FAST service
- Fubo had a 𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 $𝟱𝟰.𝟳𝗠 in Q3, up from a net loss of $25.8M in Q2

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 111: Exploring Netflix's Q3 Success; The Latest Sports and RSN News, and The Impact of AI on Podcasts

Fri, 01 Nov 2024 21:00:00 -0400

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 2 hours per paid membership per day. 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 NBA League Pass for the 2024-25 season, including the ability to watch up to 4 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

Episode 110: DirecTV's FAST Service; Apple TV+ Coming To Amazon Prime Channels; JW Player and Connatix Merger

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 17:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss DirecTV’s plan to launch a FAST platform and how it might benefit its brand, even as it enters a crowded FAST market. We also highlight why it’s smart for Apple to make Apple TV+ content available to as many viewers as possible through its deal with Prime Video, which will launch 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 about the deal, leaving unclear what the short- or long-term value might be for the combined entity.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor: Integrated Digital Solutions

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 109: EchoStar and DirecTV Deal; Paramount Drops Nielsen; Netflix and Prime Video's Ad Business

Mon, 07 Oct 2024 12:00:00 -0400

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 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 hopes of securing 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 while not changing its plans to have fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers meaningfully. Finally, we share some numbers tied to the news that Comcast will deploy Qwilt’s open caching platform within its network at hundreds of locations over the course of the rollout, with the first locations going live in the next 1-2 months.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor: Integrated Digital Solutions

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 108: IBC News Recap: Edge Compute Video Workflows, Codecs, and AI's Impact on Transcoding

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 17:00:00 -0400

This week, we recap news from IBC on 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, Google rebranding its FAST channels, and 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, Nielsen, Netflix, NETINT, NVIDIA, THEO Technologies, Visionular, WaveOne, YouTube.

Thanks to this week's podcast sponsor: Integrated Digital Solutions

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 107: Analyzing NFL Streaming; Edgio's Bankruptcy Filing; Latest Sports Viewing Metrics

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 20:00:00 -0400

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, Paramount+, Sling TV, and FOX Sports. I also reviewed the most recent information regarding the expedited hearing on the Venu Sports injunction appeal, 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 Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, how the process works, and the potential outcomes for the company and its business lines. I also address several misunderstandings about the filing, what it means for the CDN industry overall, and what the outcome could be.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 106: Disney Shuts Down TV Everywhere Apps; Latest Venu, NBA and WBD Legal News; Netflix Stock Hits Three-Year High

Thu, 05 Sep 2024 19:00:00 -0400

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

Executive Interview: Michelle Noon of PE Firm Clearhaven Partners Discusses Video Infrastructure Software Valuations, Acquisitions and Cash Flow

Mon, 26 Aug 2024 20:00:00 -0400

Michelle Noon, founder and managing partner of private equity firm Clearhaven Partners, joined me for a detailed conversation about the current state of the financing market, including 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 AI investments playing out and explains why Clearhaven invested in SundaySky, Wowza and recently acquired Zixi.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 105: Venu Ruling; Paramount Layoffs; Higher NFL Sunday Ticket Pricing; Disney's New CTO

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 10:00:00 -0400

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 to define 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 chief product and technology officer for entertainment and ESPN.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 104: Recapping Q2 Earnings Numbers from WBD, Paramount, Disney, EchoStar, Vizio, Akamai, Fastly, Brightcove and Lionsgate

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 14:00:00 -0400

This week, we recap the key points from Q2 earnings among 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 media stocks' performance over the past 12 months. We also explain crucial financial terms such as GAAP, non-GAAP, EBITDA, OIBDA, and EPS, making it easier to understand how these companies report their financial results 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

Episode 103: Key Earnings Data from Roku, Comcast, Fubo and The Latest Content and Sports News

Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:00 -0400

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

Episode 102: Netflix Earnings Recap; European Football Streaming News; FOX Sports Discloses Streaming Numbers

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 13:00:00 -0400

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 data from FOX Sports, which released streaming viewership for the UEFA EURO 2024 Finals, independent 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

Episode 101: The Latest Pay TV and Streaming Viewership Figures, The Unknowns of the Skydance Media and Paramount Global Merger, and NBA Licensing Insights

Thu, 18 Jul 2024 14:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss reports that the NBA has finalized agreements totaling $76 billion, keeping 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 the DOJ published 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

Episode 100: OTT Price Increases; NFL Loses Sunday Ticket Trial; Sports News From FIFA, FOX, Disney, NHL, WBD and ITV

Fri, 05 Jul 2024 17:00:00 -0400

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 its 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, following $17 million raised through seed rounds. I also highlight what impressed me from my day-long visit to the Tata Consultancy Services Media & Entertainment Business Unit and the scale of the projects they are involved in, especially in data, advertising and AI.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Special CDN Podcast: The Latest Data on Pricing, Market Size, Tech Trends, DIY, Revenue, and Performance

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 13:00:00 -0400

See my blog post at www.cdnmarket.com for a detailed breakdown on market sizing.

In this comprehensive podcast update on the CDN market, I separate facts from opinions and provide 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 down, along with the sources of the numbers. 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 in market reports, so you know what to avoid and which data to steer clear of.

I mentioned many numbers on the podcast, nearly all of them 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 transcript provided by my podcasting platform contains many mistakes, so I will work on editing it and posting a corrected transcript when I can.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 99: CTV Ad Buying Issues With SSPs; NFL Dominates All TV Sports Viewership; StackPath Shuts Down Company

Tue, 25 Jun 2024 17:00:00 -0400

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 10-15%. With Amazon Prime Video’s recent decision to make its basic streaming service ad-supported and Netflix's introduction of ads, there is a significant increase in available digital ad inventory, driving down prices.

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 that it has shut down the company and will liquidate its assets.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 98: Latest on the NFL Sunday Ticket Trial, Venu Sports Launch and Content Deals From Netflix, FOX, WBD and NBCU

Sun, 16 Jun 2024 13:00:00 -0400

This week, we recap details from the ongoing Sunday Ticket trial, including the news that the NFL rejected ESPN's proposed $70 price for the entire 2023 Sunday Ticket season, as well as 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 the acquisition by Private Equity firm Clearhaven Partners of IP video transport vendor Zixi and the acquisition by CTV-focused DSP Madhive 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

Episode 97: The Latest Sports News and Viewership Stats; Price Increases; and Why App Download Metrics are Worthless

Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:00:00 -0400

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 95: Netflix's AVOD Plans, Why FAST Isn't Profitable, Earnings Recaps from Vizio, Brightcove, Akamai, WBD, and EchoStar

Fri, 17 May 2024 20:00:00 -0400

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 for 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 over caching and content delivery methods, dating back to Sandpiper Networks.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 96: "Special Sports Episode"; The Impact on the Netflix and NFL Deal, Venue Sports Expected Offering and the Frustration Fan Experience

Fri, 17 May 2024 20:00:00 -0400

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 face at launch. 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 said on the podcast the games will be on seven broadcast networks and platforms, but it's ten or eleven, depending on whether 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+ ' launch 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

Episode 94: All The Latest Q1 Data From Disney, Fubo, Vimeo, Amazon, Fastly and Cord Cutting

Sun, 12 May 2024 08:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail 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 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 falling 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 the 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 by service for the first time and lowering full-year guidance, sending its stock down 27%. We also detail how AWS's growth rate puts it on a $100 billion annual revenue run rate. Also interesting was Amazon's CEO saying that AI will drive "tens of billions of dollars" in revenue over the next several years.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Fubo's CEO Gives Business Update on Growth, Earnings and Lawsuit

Fri, 03 May 2024 15:00:00 -0400

Fubo’s Co-Founder and CEO, David Gandler, sits down for an in-depth discussion about their lawsuit against Disney, FOX, and WBD, their Q1 earnings, industry challenges in content licensing, pricing, and bundling, and Fubo’s goal of reaching profitability in 2025.

David defines antitrust, explains 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 selects RSNs to partner with and why OTT service pricing never goes down.

Finally, David recaps Fubo’s most recent earnings, including its subscriber growth, lower net loss, recent debt reduction and Fubo's operating plan as it works towards profitability.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 93: Recapping Q1 Subscriber and P&L Numbers From Peacock, Roku and Paramount along With Cord Cutting Numbers From Verizon, Charter and Comcast

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 19:00:00 -0400

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, which lost 938,000 pay TV subs combined in the quarter. 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

Episode 92: Recap of the NAB Streaming Summit; Netflix Earnings; Latest OTT/Sports News

Sat, 20 Apr 2024 10:00:00 -0400

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 reports that Sony Pictures Entertainment and Apollo Global are interested in the company, and detail the restrictions and complications for the companies if such a deal were to occur.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 91: Disney’s Upcoming Password Sharing Crackdown; Latest Sports News from DAZN, Prime Video, NHL, NBA, Formula One and Diamond Sports Group

Sun, 07 Apr 2024 11:00:00 -0400

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 be offered as part of the Disney+ bundle, giving 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

Episode 90: MLB's Streaming Fan Experience Stinks; Sports News From Fubo, Hulu, Amazon and Peacock; Reported YouTube TV P&L Numbers are Flawed

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 09:00:00 -0400

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, including Fubo adding RSNs and 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" about their acquisition.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 89: Latest Sports News; YouTube TV and Peacock Add Multiview Capabilities; NFL Doesn't See Value in Newly Announced Sports JV Service

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 14:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail WBD's planned international expansion of Max, which will make the OTT service available in 25 European countries 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 about a potential sale of Paramount Global, with Skydance still conducting due diligence and not yet having submitted a final offer. We detail the new YouTube TV multiview functionality on iPhones and iPads, and Peacock's upcoming enhanced four-view experience, called "Discovery Multiview," coming in time for the Olympic Games in Paris, which 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% from the previous quarter, and some changes coming to Comcast's internal CDN.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Preview: Inside the NAB Show Streaming Summit: AI Innovation, Industry Trends, and Expert Strategies for Career Growth

Sun, 24 Mar 2024 13:00:00 -0400

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 provide an overview of the new AI Demo Track and break down all the sessions on sports, content bundling, churn and retention, and streamlining video workflow strategies. Finally, we highlight case studies from the 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

Episode 88: Disney's CEO Says They Are Behind Netflix in Terms of Tech; Detailing Fubo and Paramount Full Year Earnings, SeaChange Sold for $30M

Sun, 17 Mar 2024 11:00:00 -0400

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, which ended with 1.61M subscribers and reaffirmed their expectation to reach positive cash flow and adjusted EBITDA in 2025. We also detail Paramount's full-year 2023 earnings, which ended with 67.5M subscribers and DTC losses of $1.6B, and forecast profitability for Paramount+ domestically in 2025. Finally, we discuss some of the latest news from Disney, including Bob Iger's remarks about the mistakes they made around the launch of Disney+, such as not having the right tech to reduce customer acquisition and retention costs, and acknowledging that the company is behind Netflix in terms of technical capabilities.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 87: Warner Bros. Discovery’s Full Year 2023 DTC Numbers; Fubo Sues Disney, Fox, and WBD Calling Them a Cartel; Brightcove and Vimeo Q4 Earnings

Sun, 25 Feb 2024 13:00:00 -0500

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% revenue growth in 2024, and Brightcove, whose projected 2024 revenue growth would be flat or slightly down from 2023.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 86: Infrastructure News and Earnings from Akamai, Fastly, Broadpeak; Roku Earnings and Stock Drop; Super Bowl Streaming Viewership

Sun, 18 Feb 2024 17:00:00 -0500

This week, we cover infrastructure news and Q4 and full-year earnings from Akamai, Fastly, and Broadpeak, highlighting overall CDN industry revenue growth, pricing trends, and Akamai's continued dominance of the content delivery market. We also discuss the Super Bowl stream on Paramount+, my 8.5 million AMA viewership, and the reported news that Amazon secured an exclusive NFL playoff game for Prime Video in 2025.

We detail why Roku's stock is getting hammered, even with the company beating all of the street's expectations in its Q4 earnings results with revenue up 14% year-over-year, active accounts growing 14% year-over-year to 80 million, and its achievement of positive adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow for the full year 2023, ahead of schedule. Finally, the plot thickens as we examine the Disney, Fox, and WBD streaming partnership, the DOJ's potential scrutiny, and predictions of how giants like the NFL might play their hand next.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 85: Dissecting Disney's Financials and Sports JV News; YouTube TV's Subs; Comcast, Verizon and FOX Earnings

Sun, 11 Feb 2024 13:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss the key numbers from Disney's latest earnings, including subs, ARPU and D2C profitability projections. We detail what the ESPN brand could look like, citing their comments that they will bring their ESPN DTC app to market in the fall or late August of 2025, including integrated fantasy betting. We debate what their newly announced plans to offer a joint sports streaming service with Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery mean for the streaming and pay TV industry and why they made a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games.

Finally, we break down all the cord-cutting numbers from Comcast, Charter, and Verizon, highlight YouTube TV's subscriber count of 8 million and discuss MLB's goal of introducing a DTC streaming package that would include, at a minimum, roughly half of the teams by 2025.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 84: Decoding Q4 Earnings From Apple, Amazon and Alphabet; Lumen Shuts Down CDN; More Industry Layoffs Coming

Wed, 07 Feb 2024 11:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss the key takeaways from Q4 earnings across OTT platforms and streaming vendors, including Apple seeing a "huge opportunity" with AI, YouTube's 15% ad revenue growth, and AWS closing out 2023 with $90.8 billion in cloud revenue. We discuss new numbers released by Amazon, which spent $18.9 billion on content in 2023, of which "approximately $7 billion" was spent on Amazon originals and live sports.

We also highlight the latest pay TV losses from Charter, nearly 1 million Xumo Stream Boxes deployed, Plex's new round of funding, and Harmonic's update on the strategic review process of its video business. As Lumen officially shuts down its CDN and sells off some assets, we detail the history of its CDN business and its contributions to the industry over the years. Finally, we discuss why 2024 is going to be a much worse year for layoffs across the video industry, including streaming, pay TV, vMVPDs, broadcasters, and content owners.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 83: Netflix’s Record Q4, Their WWE Deal, Content Focus, Ad Strategy and How They Will Continue to Dominate

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 19:00:00 -0500

The Netflix episode "Woooooo!" This week, we discuss Netflix’s record Q4 earnings, its free cash flow of $6.9 billion for 2023, its growing AVOD business and its off-the-top rope deal with the WWE as they continue to dominate the industry. We discuss how the WWE deal with "scripted entertainment” differs from sports content, how it will expand Netflix’s advertising business, and what it might mean for a more significant content deal with the WWE when Peacock’s domestic WWE Network deal expires in March 2026.

We highlight new data from Netflix showing that 40% of all Netflix sign-ups are for its AVOD plan in markets where it is offered, and why Netflix plans to retire its Basic plan in some of its ad countries. We debate Netflix's growth prospects with AVOD in the short and long term, especially with T-Mobile having just converted Netflix users to the ads plan in its "Netflix On Us" bundle.

Finally, we discuss what Netflix said about their shift in the mix of content spend, their historical bias toward building rather than buying content assets, why they are not interested in some of the big linear assets being shopped and the work they are doing to improve ad targeting, relevance and measurement.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 82: Diamond Sports Group Still Uncertain Future, Qwilt Deploys Edge CDN in LATAM With Cirion, Apple Vision Pro Use Cases

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 12:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss the use cases for Apple Vision Pro and why it will not become the future of video viewing for consumers at scale. We also break down the Diamond Sports Group complex proposed restructuring plan, Amazon's commitment to make a minority investment, and the potential repercussions for Prime Video customers who will be able to purchase DTC access to stream local Diamond channels at a still-to-be-announced price. Finally, we highlight the deal between Qwilt and Cirion Technologies, which will result in Qwilt taking over the former Lumen CDN PoP infrastructure and running its edge cache software and cloud services across the former Lumen CDN footprint in LATAM.

We also mention some executives with new positions, including Walker Jacobs at DAZN, Michal Tsur leaving Kaltura, Stephanie Mitchko at AMC Networks, and Courtney Sanchez at Tubi.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 81: Latest ARPU and Sports Viewership Numbers, Fubo Price Increase, Super Bowl Will Stream in 1080P60 HDR

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 21:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down all the latest sports viewership numbers from ESPN, FOX Sports, CBS Sports, and NBC Sports. We also highlight the new joint venture between YES Network and MSG Networks, the launch of an Innovation Lab by Major League Soccer, and details about the Super Bowl stream, which will not stream in 4K on Paramount+ and will be in 1080P60 HDR.

We detail the latest ARPU numbers across the primary OTT services and why, with all the OTT price increases in 2023 and the recent launch of new AVOD tiers, the ARPU metric is becoming one of the most critical data points Wall Street is closely tracking. We also mention Fubo's $5/month price increase and Sony's latest stat that Crunchyroll has 13 million paid subscribers.

Finally, we discuss Netflix's 23 million global monthly active users on its advertising-supported plan and the statistic that 85% of Netflix's AVOD subscribers stream for more than 2 hours per day.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 80: The Streaming Economics Driving Layoffs, Debt Restructuring and Cancelled Mergers

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 21:00:00 -0500

This week, we review what's behind all the industry layoffs as companies reset the cost bar for CAPEX and OPEX. With full-year 2023 financials in the books, some companies didn't hit the revenue, efficiency, and cost savings goals they had expected, prompting layoffs to start the year. We also detail how some vendors are restructuring their debt with Fubo, the most recent example, which will pay a higher interest rate in exchange for pushing debt out by three years and getting to profitability faster.

We detail the 2023 domestic box office revenue numbers, which topped $9.03 billion, an improvement over the $7.4 billion in ticket sales from 2022 and a great year for IMAX. On the sports front, we discuss the NCAA's nearly billion-dollar handshake with ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery's plans to continue giving away its B/R Sports Add-On for several more months before it starts charging consumers.

Finally, we mention some executive changes at VideoAmp, Prime Video, Brightcove and Edgio.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 79: Peacock's NFL Gamble; Why Sports Streaming Doesn't Work Financially; A WBD and Paramount Merger Isn't Practical

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0500

This week, I reviewed Peacock's exclusive NFL game stream, noting that some users had a poor-quality video experience and detailed why I think Peacock's strategy failed with its ad-free fourth quarter. I also break down the viewership numbers reported by NBC Sports and highlight how sports is a costly and unproven part of Peacock's subscriber acquisition strategy, with no ability to scale sports content globally.

I discuss, with numbers, why the rumors of Warner Bros. Discovery buying Paramount would not make sense from a financial standpoint, since the deal would likely be stock-for-stock and the combined company would have about $60 billion in debt. I also detail how, from a regulatory standpoint, it would involve merging two of the five remaining major movie studios and two major television studios, resulting in a very high concentration of linear network ownership and significant consolidation of major sports rights.

Finally, I highlight the changes I would like to see in the streaming media industry in 2024, including greater innovation in the pricing and packaging of streaming content and greater professionalism within the industry.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 78: Detailing Paramount's Financials; Sky Secures Premier League Rights Over Streamers

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 11:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss how, in a blow to Amazon and DAZN, pay TV broadcaster Sky won the broadcast rights to show a record number of Premier League matches in a new four-year deal. We also break down Paramount’s balance sheet to refute reports that they are nearing bankruptcy and highlight Peacock’s latest data: 30 million paying subscribers, $10 ARPU, and two upcoming exclusive NFL games. We detail Twilio’s announced layoffs and the shutdown of its Programmable Video product, Spotify's 17% workforce reduction, Netflix's recent outage, and the lack of transparency in its "What We Watched” report.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 77: Aggregation and Bundling, NFL Black Friday Viewership Numbers, Latest DTC Profitability

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 13:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss some of the latest news and rumors around bundling and aggregation of streaming services, the impact of wholesale rates on DTC profitability, and the lack of market data to prove that bundling reduces churn. We also cover viewership numbers for Prime Video's first NFL Black Friday game, Amazon's new licensing deal with NASCAR, and Charter's recently launched mobile broadband service, which limits video streaming quality to 480p.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: WBD's CTO and CPO Discuss Building Out Max for Live News, Sports, and Enhanced Discovery

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 13:00:00 -0500

Avi Saxena, CTO and Tyler Whitworth, CPO, at Warner Bros. Discovery, join me for a detailed conversation about the technical video stack at Max. Learn how they approach the user experience for their apps, latency, adding live sports and news to the platform, device support, 4K, advertising, personalization, and how they measure QoE. We also discuss what’s ahead for the service, the technical challenges in ad delivery, expansion into LATAM, and the skills they look for when hiring developers and engineers across the WBD organization.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Comcast Discusses Ad Measurement Challenges; The Soon-To-Disappear Cookie, and Cohesive, Cross-Media Measurement and Innovation

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 13:00:00 -0500

Larry Allen, VP/GM of Data and Addressable Enablement at Comcast Advertising, joins me for a detailed discussion on how the shift in viewing habits to all screens is making it difficult to provide cohesive cross-media measurement. We discuss the impact of the loss of third-party cookies, the challenges and opportunities in measurement at scale, including with FAST services, and the potential role of AI tech to fill measurement gaps. Finally, we highlight why the industry needs a clear set of guidelines on how it wants to approach measurement across inventory owners and distributors to provide a common language for measurement across platforms.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 76: Special Sports Episode! All The Latest Sports Streaming News, Viewership Stats and Content Deals

Sun, 19 Nov 2023 20:00:00 -0500

This week, we cover all the latest news in the world of sports streaming from Apple, Amazon, ESPN, Disney+, Hotstar, Fubo, Max, Peacock, and YouTube TV. We also discuss content licensing and viewership stats across the NFL, NBA, Formula 1, and MLS. Some highlights include:

Apple reported that they had more than a million viewers to watch the biggest MLS games this season, and the rumors that Apple is eyeing Formula 1 as its next big sports investment
The latest in the NBA media negotiations and why the NBA needs to package national TV rights with local-market rights
Peacock's first-ever exclusive live-streaming NFL Playoff game on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, and what the viewership might be
Disney+ Hotstar news that they hit 59 million concurrent viewers for the World Cup 2023 cricket finals on November 19
NBC Sports' latest stats on the largest streaming audience ever for a regular-season Sunday NFL game on NBC Sports (1.85M AMA) and their most-streamed college football simulcast (605,000 AMA)
Comcast reported that Amazon's TNF games comprise roughly 25% of all Internet traffic on Thursday nights across their network
Fox is saying it has no intention of taking its premium sports content DTC any time soon, with cable revenues continuing to deliver a lucrative revenue stream for the broadcaster

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 75: ESPN+ and WBD's DTC Turn a Profit; Streaming Vendors Low on Cash; Other Q3 Earnings Data

Sat, 11 Nov 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This week, we examine the Q3 financial results of OTT industry heavyweights Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, DISH, and Vizio, as well as streaming providers Akamai, Brightcove, Kaltura, Comscore, and Vimeo. We go over some of the most important conclusions, such as Disney+ having 5 million AVOD customers and ESPN+ making $33 million in profit. We go into detail on how WBD paid off an astounding $12 billion in debt this year and anticipates producing at least $5 billion in free cash flow. The company is attempting to position itself as an acquirer, as evidenced by the $111 million in positive EBITDA generated by its DTC sector during the quarter. We conclude with all the P&L data from streaming providers in the industry you should know, including an examination of CDN77's remarkable revenue growth and the potential impact of the current macroeconomic environment on the industry.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 74: Key Q3 Earnings Data From Paramount+, Peacock, Fubo, AMC+, Roku, Brightcove; Latest Pay TV Losses and Sports News

Sun, 05 Nov 2023 06:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail the Q3 earnings numbers you need to know tied to Paramount+, Peacock, Fubo, AMC+, Roku and Brightcove, including subscriber counts and DTC profit and loss. We also draw attention to the roughly 1 million new pay TV customers from Comcast, Verizon, Charter, and Altice who have cut the cord. We talk about the announcement from Netflix that their ad tier now boasts 15 million monthly active users worldwide; Harmonic's strategic review of their video division; Bitmovin revealing that their revenue for the upcoming year will be in the 30s of millions; and Nokia suing Amazon and HP for allegedly violating patents related to H.264 and H.265 video decoding.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 73: Netflix’s AVOD Business; ESPN’s Balance Sheet; and Lumen Exits the CDN Market

Sun, 22 Oct 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week we break down the numbers from Netflix’s Q3 earnings, their content spend for 2024, what their ad business looks like today and the reasons why many are undervaluing Netflix's prospects for AVOD in the coming years. We also discuss YouTube's statement that it most likely won't participate in the upcoming round of bidding for NBA broadcast rights, and we highlight ESPN's newly released revenue figures. In conclusion, we discuss Lumen's departure from the CDN sector and the recent patent litigation filed by Sling TV and Dish Network against BritBox.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 72: Exploring Apple's Formula One Bid; Candle Media's Poor Revenue Forecast; Taylor Swift’s Media Domination

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss rumors that Apple is considering an annual bid of $2 billion for Formula 1, with the option to purchase global rights after five years. We also detail that Candle Media's earnings are expected to be between $140 and $170 million, which is below the initial $330 million expectation. According to reports, Candle Media spent $900 million on Hello Sunshine and $3 billion on Moonbug Entertainment. Finally, we detail how Taylor Swift has already sold more than $100 million worth of advance tickets at AMC Theatres as she continues her worldwide domination across all forms of media.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview, Datazoom: The Complex Road Ahead for Ad Measurement Data and Metrics

Sun, 08 Oct 2023 18:00:00 -0400

Diane Strutner, CEO of Datazoom, joins me for a detailed discussion on the current state of advertising data and the complex road ahead as inventory moves to digital and CTV. We discuss the seismic industry shift from siloed to converged currency models and the ensuing challenges in valuing digital and streaming ad impressions. Learn the crucial distinctions between accreditation and certification, particularly in relation to how they relate to audience measurement and the impact on advertisers.

The conversation takes a turn towards transparency, or lack thereof, in Nielsen's methodology and their conspicuous absence from new industry initiatives and committees. Diane emphasizes understanding true ROI, the inherent risks of decision-making without adequate revenue insights, the lack of data behind enormous funding decisions, and publishing and media & entertainment’s push for profitability.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 71: No Viewership Transparency Included in The WGA Deal Terms; Court Rules Netflix Infringed on Broadcom's HEVC Patent

Tue, 03 Oct 2023 14:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail the language in the new terms announced by the WGA in their deal with the studios (AMPTA) that resulted from the writers' strike. The new deal provides no real transparency into viewership numbers beyond total hours streamed, and only for self-produced, high-budget streaming programs. We also discuss Amazon's news that starting in early 2024, Prime Video shows and movies will include limited advertisements. Finally, we provide details on a recent ruling by a German court that Netflix is infringing Broadcom's HEVC video patent.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 70: The Impact of The Current Economic Climate on the Streaming Media Industry: Budget Constraints, Longer Sales Cycles and Higher Funding Costs

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 07:00:00 -0400

This week, I break down the economic and financial factors directly impacting growth and constraints in the streaming media industry. Learn why companies are doing more with less, reducing and consolidating their spending on services like storage and delivery, and the market factors that are influencing their decisions. With rising interest rates on new money, tighter budgets, and longer sales cycles, this new way of doing business is now the norm.

I also cover some recent comments from ESPN’s chairman on the importance of linear to US sports broadcasters, the triggers that would prompt ESPN to move faster to DTC, and why he says ESPN doesn’t necessarily feel any urgency. His overall takeaway is that professional sports leagues say they prioritize linear because of exposure and reach, yet the same leagues are taking big money from Amazon, Apple, and Google while giving them some games as streaming exclusives.

Also mentioned: Amazon and Nielsen’s Thursday Night Football stats; Warner Bros. Discovery’s new sports tier for Max; and SK Telecom and Netflix’s new partnership that has ended their dispute over network traffic costs.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 69: NFL Streaming Kickoff: Detailing How YouTube, ESPN, Peacock, Amazon and Xfinity Did With Opening Weekend

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 20:00:00 -0400

This week, I recap the opening weekend of the NFL season, reviewing the streaming services across YouTube (NFL Sunday Ticket), ESPN (Monday Night Football), Amazon (Thursday Night Football), and Peacock (Sunday Night Football). I document why YouTube came out on top, the problems Amazon and Peacock faced, and the complete outages on Xfinity and Shaw.

I also discuss the patent suit that Sling TV and DISH Technologies filed against fuboTV alleging infringement of eight patents related to multi-bitrate streaming, with the oldest patent dating back to Move Networks technology. And I briefly cover news from Apple that the new A17 Pro chip will support AV1 video via a dedicated AV1 decoder in the new iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 68: The Implosion of The Pay TV Market as Blackouts, Increasing Carriage Fees and Cord Cutting Destroy Legacy Business Models

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 18:00:00 -0400

This week, we detail how the current model of licensing broadcast networks to pay TV distributors is completely broken. With a recent blackout on Spectrum due to a licensing dispute with Disney and a current blackout on DISH due to their dispute with Hearst, the methodology for valuing content needs to change. We discuss what consumers want from streaming services, how they want to aggregate them, which business models work best, and the ridiculous fragmentation fans experience when watching sports-related content.

We also highlight the recently announced layoffs at Roku and Nielsen, as well as the new financial numbers from Warner Bros. Discovery, Netflix and others tied to revenue and free cash flow, due to the impact of the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Roku Discusses the Latest Advertising Metrics, Formats and Trends Across FAST and AVOD

Sun, 10 Sep 2023 21:00:00 -0400

Dan Robbins, VP of Ad Marketing and Partner Solutions at Roku, joins me for a discussion about the latest challenges and opportunities with advertising across SVOD and FAST services. We discuss the measurement side of advertising, the powerful role of big data and integrated platforms in delivering accurate and consistent results and what brands are demanding for targeting. Dan also details Roku's vision for TV advertising, new creative ad formats and why Roku decided to build Roku-branded TVs with a third-party manufacturer. Learn the complexities of the rapidly evolving advertising market and the multitude of opportunities waiting to be seized.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 67: Nielsen's Flawed Comparison of Pay TV to Streaming Services

Thu, 24 Aug 2023 13:00:00 -0400

This week, we expose the flawed comparisons of bundled streaming services to pay TV, with Nielsen improperly comparing linear TV to YouTube while excluding vMVPD services like Sling TV and Hulu + Live TV from its ratings. We also break down the new NFL Sunday Ticket bundle with Max, new student pricing, and multi-view combinations, and speculate on the future potential for platform customization and interactive features available on mobile and TV. Wrapping up our discussion, we consider the potential for streaming services to achieve profitability and the possible future in which pay TV operators stop making profits from pay TV services.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 66: Analyzing Disney's Financials; Max to Add Higher Priced Sports Tier; Sling TV Loses Subs; NFL+ Price Increase

Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Disney's recent financials and news from their earnings, including their DTC revenue and losses; subscriber churn; the announcement of higher pricing for their ad-free tiers, ESPN+ and Hulu + Live TV; as well as their plans to crack down on password sharing next year. We also detail the numbers from other earnings, including Paramount’s addition of 700,000 Paramount + subs, Sling TV’s loss of 97,000 subs, and Vizio’s AVOD revenue of $142.3M, which was up 28% from the previous year.

Also discussed is the latest sports streaming news across the industry, including the report that Warner Bros. Discovery plans to simulcast live MLB playoffs on cable TV and Max streaming in October, as the debut of a new sports tier, called Bleacher Report, and plans to charge users more if they want to watch sports on Max. We also detail the latest from the NFL, which is raising the monthly prices of its NFL+ plans and, for the first time, will allow NFL Network and NFL RedZone to be viewed on a TV and PC.

Finally, we touch on funding news by Visionular, Akamai's impressive Q2 earnings and Everpass Media's distribution deal with NBCUniversal.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 65: Q2 Earnings Recap Numbers for Peacock, Max, Roku, Fubo, Brightcove, Vimeo and Fastly

Tue, 08 Aug 2023 20:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down all the important numbers you need to know regarding Q2 earnings from OTT platforms and streaming vendors. Hear about profitability/loss and subscriber gains/losses for Warner Bros. Discovery (Max), Comcast (Peacock), Fubo, Roku, Brightcove, Vimeo, Verizon, Charter, Kaltura, Fastly and Cloudflare. We also pose tough questions about New Relic's valuation following its acquisition, as well as the implications for other vendors in the industry.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 64: Analyzing the Future of Streaming: Netflix’s Crackdown and Disney’s Linear and Streaming Strategy

Thu, 27 Jul 2023 10:00:00 -0400

This week, we deliver fresh insights on Netflix's password-sharing crackdown, analyzing the effects of introducing the ad-supported tier, adjusting pricing and plans and how consumer behavior and engagement metrics are driving their decisions. We also discuss the news around Disney's intention to pull back spending and content creation for the Star Wars and Marvel franchises, along with Bob Iger’s comments that linear TV channels like ESPN and ABC “may not be core" to their business. Learn how these industry powerhouses are strategically working to bundle, package, and license content while keeping their audiences engaged.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Dr. Fou Details YouTube’s Ad Scandal and the Complexities of Fraud in the Online Video Advertising Market

Mon, 17 Jul 2023 00:00:00 -0400

This episode offers a deep dive into the murky waters of ad fraud, detailing the allegations against YouTube. Dr. Fou, an expert in ad fraud, joins me as we head straight into the eye of the storm, exploring the latest report alleging Google's TrueView ads appear muted and on autoplay on third-party websites. Discover how these misrepresentations are impacting advertisers' trust, why YouTube's reply to the allegations ignored the issues, and what this could mean for YouTube's revenue.

We also detail challenges in the overall video advertising industry when it comes to detecting ad fraud, why advertisers don’t have much incentive to fix it, the lack of clear measurement, methodology, and transparency in reporting and the impact of AI on the market.

If you're interested in understanding the complexities of ad fraud in the online video advertising market and the challenges and trust issues that plague the industry, or if you're an advertiser wanting to ensure your campaigns are not misrepresented, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

Research report and data from Adalytics: https://adalytics.io/blog/invalid-google-video-partner-trueview-ads

Google's reply to the data: https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/transparency-and-brand-safety-on-google-video-partners/

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 63: FAST is Popular, but Not Profitable; Microsoft to Shut Down Azure Media Services

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 18:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss FAST and how, as an industry, we have almost no details on revenue growth across FAST platforms. With Plex’s recent round of layoffs and too many FAST channels in the market, we argue that popularity without profitability is a problem for FAST operators. We also discuss YouTube TV's business, including its outage during the NBA playoffs, its decision to drop SNY and MLB Network, and YouTube's experiments with ad blockers. Finally, we break down why Microsoft announced it will shut down Azure Media Services in 2024 and exit the video workflow business.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 62: YouTube TV's Challenges With Sunday NFL Ticket; Interactive Sports Stats; Netflix's Advertising Plans; and The ISP/Content Debate in Europe

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 10:00:00 -0400

This week, we peel back the layers of the NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV, dissecting the potential implications and benefits for the streaming media industry. We discuss the criticality of promptly addressing technical glitches before mainstream media taints the image of streaming technology. Learn how YouTube TV's new 'multiview' feature could amp up the NFL Sunday Ticket experience, or just add another layer of complexity.

We also scrutinize Netflix's future advertising plans and its proposed creation of a new ad format, similar to a half-hour commercial stretched out over days. Also covered is the rollout of YES Network's single-screen interactive stats on connected devices in partnership with Ease Live. Tune in as we delve into the fiery debate in Europe, with ISPs suggesting that content providers, including Netflix, Apple, and Google, should pay ISPs to carry their video traffic.

I also call out Sandvine for continuing to publish garbage data on the topic, stating opinions as facts, using high-level marketing terms with no definitions, and using the debate to push the need for companies to pay them to use their platform - a severe conflict of interest.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 61: How Users Are Consuming Long-Form Content on TikTok; OTT Platforms Aggressively Cutting Workflow Costs; Navigating AI Hype in the Video Industry

Tue, 20 Jun 2023 12:00:00 -0400

What do TikTok's video lengths and user engagement tell us about the future of content consumption? Join us this week as we uncover the surprising data behind this social media giant and its innovative audience. We'll also dive into the growing trend of long-form content, including movies and TV shows, being chopped up into bite-sized pieces for a more interactive and engaging viewing experience.

As the demand to achieve profitability with DTC services grows, content owners are slashing millions in infrastructure costs by optimizing their video workflows, especially in encoding, storage and delivery. We discuss how advanced codecs and content-adaptive technologies are enabling lower bit rates without sacrificing quality. You will also learn about Netflix's multi-year technology and workflow transformation and the increasing importance of purpose-built silicon in the race for 4K streaming.

Lastly, we tackle media inaccuracies and AI hype within the industry. From the sensationalized reporting surrounding Disney's CFO's leave of absence to Microsoft's questionable AI claims, we emphasize the importance of accurate information and transparency. Discover the potential impact of AI on the streaming industry and Microsoft's relationship with OpenAI – all in this eye-opening episode.

Articles mentioned in the podcast:

TikTok's becoming a TV platform. One pirated clip at a time
https://www-cbc-ca.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6874102

With Streaming Services Cutting Bitrates to Save Money, Vendors That Bet on 4K for Revenue Growth Have Lost
https://www.streamingmediablog.com/2023/06/cutting-bitrates-4k.html

MSVP: Meta’s first ASIC for video transcoding
https://ai.facebook.com/blog/meta-scalable-video-processor-MSVP/

Questions or feedback? Contact: dan@danrayburn.com

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 60: Netflix's Stock Rockets; Telly's Free Dual-Screen TV is Pointless; Detailing Orange's New CDN Offering

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 15:00:00 -0400

This week we discuss the recent increase in Netflix's stock price, which hit a 52-week high, all based on "assumptions" about new sign-ups, drawn from four days’ worth of data from the third-party firm Antenna. We also question whether YouTube TV is cracking down on password sharing ahead of the NFL Sunday Ticket, with more users reporting pop-up messages reminding them to return to their home location. We discuss how Telly, the company that plans to give away a dual-screen TV for free, can deactivate the TV if consumers don't use it as they want them to. Finally, we detail the launch of a new commercial CDN offering from Orange, specifically for CDN services within France.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Amazon, Disney, Orange, IPL, Antenna, YouTube TV, NFL Sunday Ticket, Telly, Vizio, Vimeo, Edgio.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 59: Netflix's Password Sharing Chaos; Max Rolls Out; Twitter Spaces Fails for the Ron DeSantis Live Stream

Wed, 31 May 2023 08:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss the Netflix password-sharing notifications that have started rolling out in 103 countries and territories, and the challenges users are having understanding how Netflix will enforce the rules and what exactly constitutes a violation. We also detail the rollout of Max, with less than 0.1% of HBO Max accounts experiencing technical issues and highlight new details from YouTube TV regarding NFL Sunday Ticket, including simultaneous stream counts, multiview and video quality. We also break down the laughable comments from Elon Musk and others on Twitter who suggested they "broke the internet" and "melted their servers" due to 600,000 users trying to stream live audio of Ron DeSantis announcing his 2024 presidential bid on Twitter Spaces.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Disney, Twitter, Max, YouTube TV, Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max, AOM, Beamr.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 58: YouTube TV, Apple TV and Netflix Suffer Live Streaming Outages; Disney's Earnings Numbers; Netflix's AVOD News

Fri, 19 May 2023 17:00:00 -0400

This week, I discuss the technical issues that YouTube TV, Apple TV and Netflix all had during a live event/stream on their platforms in the past 30 days. I also break down all the key numbers from Disney’s earnings, including the 3.8 million sequential decline of Disney+ Hotstar subs, their comments that the price increase for Disney+ without ads had no meaningful negative impact on churn, and the latest non-news on ESPN going DTC. Also highlighted are comments from FOX’s CEO on why they don’t have a D2C sports offering and Netflix’s announcement that their ad-supported plan has nearly 5M monthly active users globally.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Disney, ESPN, Hulu, Peacock, NFL, IPL, FOX, Apple TV, YouTube TV, MLS Season Pass.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 57: Q1 Earnings Recap: Brightcove’s Layoffs; Vimeo's CEO Bonus; Latest Cord Cutting Numbers; Resumes and Job Hunting In Today’s Market

Mon, 08 May 2023 12:00:00 -0400

This week we highlight the Q1 earnings news from Brightcove (will lay off 10% of company), Vimeo (CEO could get $800,000 bonus), Paramount (+ added 4.1M subs), Comcast (Peacock subs up 2M), Warner Bros. Discovery (expects DTC business to be profitable this year) and the latest cord cutting numbers with over 1M pay TV losses in Q1.

We also discuss problems we are seeing with many resumes and LinkedIn pages by those looking for new jobs in the industry. We share feedback on what you should do if you are looking for a new job and how you should set yourself up for success.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 56: NAB Show Highlights, Earning Numbers from Roku, Netflix, Comcast and Amazon

Sun, 30 Apr 2023 20:00:00 -0400

This week, we highlight some of the news from the NAB Show and detail the technologies and business models we heard discussed most. We also discuss the trends we saw at the show, vendor messaging, specific data shared from speakers and what impressed us. We also cover some numbers you need to know about cord cutting, P&L and ARPU from earnings reports for Roku, Comcast (Peacock), Amazon, Verizon, Meta, Netflix and others.

Companies and services mentioned: Roku, Netflix, Amazon, Verizon, Peacock, HBO Max, Comcast, Brightcove, Harmonic, Haivision, Amagi, IMAX, Bitmovin.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 55: Breaking Down IPL's 16M Concurrent Stream Count; Apple Acquires Wave One and Their AI-Based Video Compression Tech

Mon, 10 Apr 2023 13:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Viacom18's 16 million concurrent streams for the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Jio Cinema, noting that the bitrate was around 1 Mbps, making comparisons to other events difficult. We also discuss potential new DTC streaming strategies that the WWE and UFC could pursue, since their rights deals with ESPN, FOX and NBCUniversal all expire by 2026. We recap some industry news that Apple has acquired Wave One, a startup specializing in AI-based video compression with a method for analyzing video files and learning the best way to compress them. And the news from AMD is a new media acceleration solution targeting video streaming applications that are highly personalized and interactive by nature, demanding low-to-ultra-low latency.

Companies and services mentioned: Viacom18, Jio Cinema, Endeavor, UFC, WWE, NBC Universal, Peacock, FOX, Disney, MLB, WWE, CBS, Pac-12, Roku, Apple TV, Netflix, Wave One, Apple, AMD, IMAX.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 54: YouTube TV Price Increase; Problems at Twitch; Apple TV+ Content Might Come to Theatres

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 13:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss the recent price increase at YouTube TV, which will now start at $73 a month, which in some cases, is only a few dollars cheaper than cable TV in a triple-play bundle. We also highlight some recent news from Apple including rumors they may be partnering with studios to put more titles in theaters; Paramount+ announcing it will offer mobile-only plans in Brazil and Mexico; a detailed report on the challenges Twitch is facing; and a notice of proposed rulemaking from the FTC it dubs “click to cancel,” requiring companies to make ending a subscription equivalently simple to signing up for one.

Companies and services mentioned: Apple TV+, Paramount+, YouTube TV, Twitch, Netflix, Microsoft, MLB, Fire TV, MLB, FTC.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Eric Black Discusses the Latest Business Models and Technical Challenges in The Sports Streaming Market

Wed, 29 Mar 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Eric Black, who for more than 20 years was a leader in NBCUniversal’s media technology strategy across a host of digital properties during pivotal moments in the evolution of live streaming, joins me for a discussion about the sports streaming market. We discuss licensing costs, bundling and packaging of sports content, user personalization, the impact of low- and ultra-low-latency streaming, and the focus of his new job as CTO and GM of Media at Edgio.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 53: Reviewing Netflix's First Live Streaming Event; Disney's CEO Discusses Pricing, Hulu and DTC Growth

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 16:00:00 -0400

This week, we review Netflix’s first live event from both video quality and user interface standpoints and discuss what live streaming means for Netflix’s business, since most consumers are not going to regularly tune in to Netflix at a scheduled time. We also highlight many interesting comments from Disney’s CEO on the pricing and bundling of Disney+, how they are "very carefully” studying the streaming business to decide what to do with Hulu, and his thoughts on what growth for Disney’s DTC business looks like going forward.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, ESPN, HBO Max, Warner Bros. Discovery, TikTok.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 52: Earnings Recap from Warner Bros. Discovery, fuboTV, DISH, Brightcove, Vimeo + Sports Streaming News

Mon, 06 Mar 2023 13:00:00 -0500

This week, we detail the numbers you need to know from the Q4/full-year earnings of Warner Bros. Discovery, Vimeo, fuboTV, Vizio, Brightcove, DISH and Altice. We highlight revenue growth, free cash flow, pay TV subs lost, streaming subs gained and ARPU. We also cover news on sports streaming and OTT services from MSG+, RSN licensing, the NFL Sunday Ticket and the Indian Premier League.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, HBO Max, fuboTV, Warner Bros. Discovery, MSG+, Brightcove, Vimeo, DISH, Altice, YouTube TV, Tubi, Tubular Labs and Chartbeat.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 51: Netflix Account Sharing Problems; Super Bowl Latency Doesn’t Matter; Earnings Recap from Roku, Paramount, Akamai, Fastly

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 17:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down the problems Netflix is having in Canada with its new account-sharing rules, which are confusing, incomplete and conflicting. We also discuss the latency of the Super Bowl stream and why lower latency doesn’t equal more viewers, longer viewing times, or more ads delivered. Also detailed are all the numbers you need to know from Paramount, Roku, Akamai and Fastly’s earnings, including subscriber growth, year-over-year revenue growth and P&L.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, FOX Sports, Roku, NBC Sports, FanDuel, NFL, Paramount, Nielsen, Amazon Fire TV, Disney, YouTube, DIRECTV, Akamai, Fastly.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Harmonic Discusses the Latest Challenges and Opportunities in Cloud Workflows

Thu, 16 Feb 2023 13:00:00 -0500

Gil Rudge, SVP, Video Products and Solutions at Harmonic, joins me for a discussion about some of the latest deployment trends for cloud-based video workflows. We discuss the lack of adoption of 4K; the complexity of live sporting events; the trade-off between on-premises and the cloud; and the success Harmonic has shown in diversifying its revenue from hardware to the cloud.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 50: Key Takeaways from Disney Earnings; Sling Launches FAST Offering; Pay TV Isn't Dead

Mon, 13 Feb 2023 11:00:00 -0500

This week we breakdown all the numbers from Disney's Q4 calendar 2022 earnings including subscriber losses with Disney+ (2.4M); Gains at Hulu (800K) and ESPN+ (600K); announcement of 7,000 layoffs; loss of $1.1B from DTC business; latest ARPU numbers; the re-org of Disney into three divisions and the CEO's comments that Disney is not considering a spinoff of ESPN. We also discuss Sling's newly launched FAST service, "Sling Stream," and why pay TV will not be "dead" in three years, as some executives suggest.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Disney, AMC Theaters, Sling, Amazon Prime Video, Yahoo, Zoom, ESPN, Hulu.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 49: Key Takeaways From Earnings Recap of Google, Amazon, Apple, Comcast, Verizon

Sun, 05 Feb 2023 19:00:00 -0500

This week we highlight the key numbers you need to know from Q4 2022 earnings results from Google (YouTube revenue growth declined), Amazon (AWS revenue growth of 20%), Comcast (now has 20M Peacock subs but lost $978M), Apple (Revenue down 5% y/o/y), Verizon (Lost 80, 000 pay TV subs), Charter (Lost 145,000 pay TV subs) and additional news around Netflix, Paramount+, World Cup, Liliac Cloud and Harmonic.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Comcast, Apple, YouTube, Amazon, Peacock, Paramount+, Showtime, World Cup, F5, Struum, Liliac Cloud, Verizon, Charter, Harmonic, AWS, Prime Video, CloudFront.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Executive Interview: Vevo Discusses Their FAST Offering, Monetization, Engagement and User Experience

Wed, 01 Feb 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Kevin McGurn, President of Sales and Distribution at Vevo, joins me for a discussion around Vevo's FAST strategy. Kevin discusses the success Vevo is seeing in its content programming and how it varies by region; its monetization strategy through advertising; how they are achieving such high engagement numbers; the importance of multi-platform distribution; and why the largest share of their viewership occurs on the large screen.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 48: The Key Takeaways From Netflix’s Earnings; Reviewing HBO Max’s First Sports Event; Content Deals by Viacom18 and NBCUniversal

Wed, 25 Jan 2023 13:00:00 -0500

This week, I highlight all the key numbers you need to know from Netflix’s earnings, including subscriber numbers, free cash flow, paid sharing and projected AVOD revenue. I also give my review of HBO Max's first live sporting event on the platform with the US women's national team soccer match against New Zealand. Finally, I run through all the new sports licensing deals with NBCUniversal (U.S. Soccer Federation) and Viacom18 (Women’s Indian Premier League), as well as the rumors that Apple will bid for the Premier League domestic television rights that come up for renewal in 2025.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, HBO Max, Nielsen, JW Player, InPlayer, DAZN, Amazon Prime Video, NBCUniversal, Peacock TV, Viacom18, Apple, Sky Sports, BT Sport, Alphabet, Microsoft.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 47: Super Bowl Won't Stream in Native 4K; DAZN Discloses Sub Numbers; How Many FAST Channels Are Too Many?

Sun, 15 Jan 2023 18:00:00 -0500

This week we highlight the price increases from fuboTV, DirecTV Stream and HBO Max’s ad-free plan, with many live linear plans now being more expensive than cable TV. We also discuss news from FOX Sports, which said its NFL Playoffs/Super Bowl broadcast schedule will not be broadcast or streamed in native 4K, but will instead be captured and produced in 1080p HDR and upscaled to 4K. We break down DAZN's new subscriber numbers and its announcement that it now has 15 million premium-paying subscribers, and highlight the financial numbers reported by the media. Finally, we debate how many FAST channels are considered too many, with Samsung announcing that its Samsung TV Plus service now has over 1,800 channels globally and more than 200 in the US alone.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, HBO Max, fuboTV, DirecTV Stream, DAZN, Curiosity Stream, Samsung TV Plus, NBC Sports, Sunday Night Football, FOX Sports, BSD Crown, Amazon, Twitch, DirecTV.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 46: Industry Layoffs; Latest ARPU Data; Fragmented Video Advertising Metrics

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 15:00:00 -0500

This week, we highlight some of the layoffs across the industry (Vimeo, Amazon, Kaltura, Amdocs, JWP) and why getting to positive cash flow for vendors is and should be the number one goal in 2023. We also detail the latest ARPU numbers from OTT services and some TV news from CES, including Roku announcing the first-ever smart TV designed and built by Roku and a still-unnamed partner. Finally, we discuss the extremely fragmented landscape of video advertising metrics, the news about Nielsen ONE, and how every major media company has struck deals with measurement firms like VideoAmp, EDO, Comscore, and iSpot to replace or supplement Nielsen.

Companies and services mentioned: Vimeo, Kaltura, JPW, Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Nielsen, Videoamp, Amdocs, Transmit Live, Warner Bros. Discovery, Roku, Samsung, Google TV, EDO, Comscore, iSpot.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 45: Ramp, Qumu and The Switch Acquired; NFL Sunday Ticket Tech Specs; 2023 Market Drivers and Restraints

Mon, 02 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0500

This week, we highlight some of the tech details released around the NFL Sunday Ticket package coming to YouTube TV, which won't allow consumers to purchase the package per team or per game. We also discuss YouTube confirming that 4K video quality was not required as part of their deal with the NFL and what we think that impact could be. Also covered are the acquisitions of eCDN Ramp by Vbrick, The Switch by Tata Communications and Qumu by Enghouse Systems. We close out the podcast with our thoughts on how companies will grow in 2023, what the market drivers and restraints will be and how companies can and will grow in the New Year.

Companies and services mentioned: YouTube TV, Netflix, NFL Sunday Ticket, Amazon Prime, Comcast, Disney, Apple, ESPN+, JioCinema, Video, Qumu, Ramp, Vbrick, The Switch, API. video.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 44: Netflix's AVOD Model Not Struggling; HBO Max Original Content Licensed to FAST Services; fuboTV Suffers Cyber Attack

Mon, 19 Dec 2022 09:00:00 -0500

This week, I highlight some recent news about Netflix's AVOD business and the media's ridiculous suggestion that Netflix is struggling after only six weeks. I also discuss why Warner Bros. Discovery has recently decided to license certain HBO and HBO Max original programming to third-party FAST services, as a smart way to save on residuals while earning money from syndication. Also detailed are news items from Peacock TV, fuboTV, Edgio, and Vimeo.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Peacock TV, HBO Max, fuboTV, Edgio, Vimeo, Warner Bros. Discovery, JetBlue.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 43: Netflix Says Sports Isn’t Profitable; Paramount Warns of Declining Ad Revenue; Caesars Sportsbook App Streams a Low Latency NFL Game

Mon, 12 Dec 2022 10:00:00 -0500

This week we breakdown the launch of AVOD on Disney+; the news by Paramount’s CEO of declining advertising revenue in this quarter; Netflix’s comment that licensing sports content isn’t profitable; NBCU’s announcement that Peacock has more than 18 million paid subscribers; how Netflix’s open source deal with GPAC gives them a competitive advantage for video packaging; and we detail Caesars streaming an NFL game via live low latency in the Caesars Sportsbook app.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, Netflix, Peacock TV, Apple, Paramount, Microsoft, Caesars, Activision Blizzard, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, FTC.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 42: Breaking Down the World Cup TV and Streaming Viewership Numbers

Mon, 05 Dec 2022 14:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down many of the World Cup TV and streaming viewership numbers from around the world, as most outlets do not break out streaming-only data. We also discuss the latest comments from the CEOs of Disney and Netflix on their ad-supported models. Also covered: Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Diamond Sports Q3 earnings (Net loss of $1.2B); Yahoo's 30-year deal with Taboola; NFL TV viewership numbers and the latest conflicting churn figures.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, Netflix, Apple, MLB, Sinclair, Diamond Sports, Ballys Sports+, Yahoo, Taboola, Paramount, Antenna, Warner Bros Discovery, World Cup, BBC, FOX Sports, NBC Sports, NFL.

Link to World Cup numbers: https://www.streamingmediablog.com/2022/12/worldcup-viewership.html

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 41: Bob Iger Comes Back As CEO of Disney, Why It Matters; Apple Details MLS Pricing and Video Quality

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 08:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss Bob Iger returning to Disney as CEO and the impact it could have on Disney’s DTC business, including bundling, pricing, sports licensing and improving Disney's balance sheet. We also highlight the new details Apple released about their MLS streaming service, MLS Season Pass, which will offer 1080p/60 video and launch in February for $15 a month or $100 for the year. Also included in the discussion is a list of all the Black Friday streaming deals and their negative impact on ARPU for streaming services.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Disney+, Apple TV+, MLS, MLB, Hulu, Peacock TV, Paramount+, Discovery+, Roku, DISH, Amagi.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 40: Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney CEO's Discuss Churn, Pricing, Bundling and Focus on Profitability, Not Sub Count

Mon, 14 Nov 2022 07:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss the recent comments from Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO regarding profitability, retention, windowing, bundling and pricing for HBO Max and Discovery+. Profitability, not purely sub count, is how they benchmark for success. We also discuss his comments on how collapsing all windows, starving linear and theatrical and spending money with abandon, while earning only a fraction in return for the service of growing sub numbers, has ultimately proven deeply flawed. On the topic of churn, we point out what the industry is getting wrong with its assumptions and highlight the recent comments from Disney’s CEO, who said that price increases don’t meaningfully increase churn or cancellations. We also recap Q3 earnings from Disney, Vizio, Akamai, Edgio and Kaltura.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Paramount+, Peacock TV, Vizio, LG, Akamai, Amagi, Edgio, Kaltura, FTX.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 39: Q3 Earnings Recap from Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Roku, Fubo, WarnerBros. Discovery, FOX, Vimeo, Brightcove and Fastly

Mon, 07 Nov 2022 00:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down all the key numbers you need to know from Q3 2022 earnings from OTT companies and streaming vendors, including Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Roku, Fubo, Warner Bros. Discovery, FOX, Vimeo, Brightcove, Fastly, Cloudflare, Altice, DISH, Lionsgate and AMC Networks. Learn the latest D2C subscriber numbers, ARPU per user and how much money OTT platforms are still losing (Disney lost $1.47B, Paramount lost $343M).

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, Netflix, Paramount, Roku, Fubo, Warner Bros. Discovery, FOX, Vimeo, Brightcove, Fastly, Cloudflare, Altice, DISH, Lionsgate, AMC Networks, Charter, Xumo, Tubi, NPR+.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 38: Why Micro-Wagering Within Sports Streaming Services Is a Fantasy; Updated Sports Viewing Numbers

Sun, 23 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Fubo's decision to close and exit the Sportsbook market, along with DAZN's comments that betting within streaming services isn't a reality in the next few years. We also highlight some new sports viewership numbers from NBC Sports and the NFL; cover recent pay TV losses by pay TV providers; detail Apple's new Apple TV boxes; and discuss the NBA's new app, which has 12 seconds of latency. Finally, while almost no video vendors are profitable, let alone seeing a positive return on their stock price over the past 12-18 months, we detail the numbers that make Harmonic the exception.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, NBC Sports, Apple TV, Harmonic, Vimeo, NBA, NFL+, MLB, Amazon Prime Video, Verizon, DAZN, Fubo, Disney.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 37: Netflix Announces New AVOD Tier With 720p Video; Are Consumers Willing to Sacrifice Video Quality for Price?

Sun, 16 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Netflix's soon-to-be-released AVOD offering and note that video quality is limited to 720p, with no ability to download. Are consumers willing to sacrifice video quality for price? Will the streaming industry need to rethink how they define video "quality" if consumers are willing to accept 720p as "good enough"? We also discuss Netflix's measurement deals announced with Nielsen, BRB, IAS and DoubleVerify and what this means for advertisers. We also cover what some of the largest live-streaming events on the Internet have generated in terms of viewership.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Peacock TV, Nielsen, DoubleVerify, Beamr, Roku, Apple TV, Disney+, BBC, Integral Ad Science, NBC Sports, Amazon Prime Video, Riot Games, Akamai, IPL.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 36: Nielsen’s Confusing Streaming Ratings; Google's Cloud Deal With MLB; Vizio FAST Ad Revenue; Vendor Layoffs

Sun, 09 Oct 2022 19:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Nielsen’s confusing streaming rankings, which don't accurately compare shows using the same metrics. We also highlight Peacock's latest paid sub numbers (15 million); Google's expanded cloud deal with MLB; Mux's recent round of layoffs; Vizio's FAST ad revenue and Roku's removal of all SDK1 channels. We also discuss how many companies hiring for new positions are not doing a good job following up, listing jobs that are no longer open, and need to do a better job of putting people first.

Companies and services mentioned: Peacock, Comcast, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, MLB, Google Cloud, Nielsen, Netflix, Disney+, PlayStation 5, ByteDance, Vizio, Roku, Amazon, eBay, Mux.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 35: Amazon NFL Viewership Numbers; HEVC Support Added to Chrome; IMAX Buys SSIMWAVE; Twitch Encoding Costs

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 08:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down the viewership numbers from Amazon’s first Thursday Night Football game and the differences among the reported numbers. (11.8M, 13M, 15.3M) We also discuss the news that Google is adding HEVC support in Chrome and some cost details from Twitch about how expensive it is to deliver HD, low-latency, always-available live video to nearly every corner of the world. Finally, we highlight IMAX’s acquisition of SSIMWAVE and its goal to bring a specific level of video quality to consumers at home.

Companies and services mentioned: Amazon Prime Video, NFL, NBC Sports, DIRECTV, NFL+, NFL Sunday Ticket, CBS Sports, Bally Sports, Twitch, Chrome, IMAX, SSIMWAVE, Diamond Sports, Nielsen.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 34: Recapping The Good and Bad From Amazon's NFL Thursday Night Football Stream

Fri, 16 Sep 2022 19:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Amazon's stream of its NFL Thursday Night Football game on September 15th and the wide variety of user experiences reported, both good and bad. We discuss the issue that some ISPs had, resulting in poor video quality, the terrible job by Amazon support, a large group of people reporting audio and video issues and a host of other comments from viewers. We also highlight how the Amazon game illustrates why streaming will not replace cable TV as a broadcast medium with the same reliability, scalability and stability.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 33: Special Interview With Barry Tishgart (Former SVP/GM, Disney Streaming) On The Current State of The Sports Streaming Market

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 15:00:00 -0400

This week I’m joined by a special guest, Barry Tishgart, who just left Disney Streaming Services as a SVP and GM of Technology Services. Barry joins me to discuss the current state of the sports streaming business, including RSN licensing, bundling, pricing, distribution, video quality and what the consumer sports experience will look like in the future.

Companies and services mentioned: Amazon Prime Video, NFL, ESPN+, MLB, Nielsen, Peacock TV, NBC Sports, Bally Sports+, Sinclair Broadcast Group.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 32: The Problem With Third-Party Viewer Measurement Platforms; Previewing NFL on Amazon Prime

Sun, 21 Aug 2022 17:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss recent news about Amazon’s plans to use Nielsen for TV measurement of Thursday Night Football on Prime Video and highlight the problems the streaming industry faces in defining what success looks like. With no standards or agreed-upon methodologies, definitions or user metrics, the streaming industry is struggling to measure and define viewership across services. We also recap the Walmart+ and Paramount deal; new sports licensing deals with the Big Ten Conference and the UEFA Champions League; and discuss more of what Netflix’s AVOD offering could look like.

Companies and services mentioned: Amazon Prime Video, NFL, Netflix, Walmart, Nielsen, FOX, CBS, Disney, Peacock, Lionsgate, Big Ten Conference, ESPN, Paramount+, UEFA Champions League, DAZN, fuboTV.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 31: Q2 Earnings Recap From Disney, Akamai, Edgio, Vizio, Trade Desk

Sun, 14 Aug 2022 18:00:00 -0400

This week we recap all the news from Disney's April-June earnings, including their D2C business losing over $1B in the quarter; their addition of 14.4M Disney+ subs globally; Hulu and Disney+ price raises; Hulu losing 3.4M SVOD subs and 100,000 Live TV subs and their launch of Disney+ with ads in December. We also cover the numbers you need to know from Akamai (Revenue up 6% y/o/y), Edgio (Initial 2023 revenue outlook of between $550-$560 million), Vizio (Platform+ net revenue up 69% y/o/y), and Trade Desk earnings (revenue grew 35% y/o/y).

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, Netflix, Hulu, Tubi, Fox, ESPN+, Paramount+, Disney+ Hotstar, Indian Premier League, Vizio, The Trade Desk, Edgio, Akamai, Roblox, Coinbase.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 30: Why FAST Is Overrated; Earnings Recap from Paramount, Fubo, Warner Bros. Discovery, AMC, Lionsgate, Fastly, Vimeo

Sun, 07 Aug 2022 20:00:00 -0400

This week we discuss why FAST services are overrated; the news that HBO Max and Discovery+ will launch as a single service in the U.S. next summer; we highlight the key data you need to know from Q2 earnings from Paramount (added 4.9M Paramount+ subs), fuboTV, (lost 70,000 subs), Lionsgate (added 1.8M Starz subs) and cover earnings from streaming vendors including Fastly, Brightcove and Vimeo. We also discuss why WPP, the world's largest advertising agency group, raised its revenue growth targets for 2022.

Companies and services mentioned: Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max, Discovery+, fuboTV, Netflix, Tubi, Pluto TV, Paramount+, Sling TV, AMC Networks, F1, Lionsgate, Starz, Roku, Canal+, WPP, Liberty Media, Altice, Fastly, Cloudflare, Vimeo, Brightcove.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 29: Earnings Recap; Key Takeaways from Roku, Amazon, Apple, Charter, YouTube, Microsoft and Comcast

Sun, 31 Jul 2022 22:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down the key numbers you need to know from Q2 earnings at Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Comcast, Roku, Charter, Meta, Microsoft and Samsung. We cover the "significant slowdown in TV advertising” seen by Roku and others; Meta's price per ad falling by 14%; Peacock TV subs being flat quarter-over-quarter; cord cutting from Charter (lost 240,000 pay TV subs) and Comcast (lost 521,000 pay TV subs); and YouTube's slowest ad revenue growth in over two years.

Companies and services mentioned: YouTube, Netflix, Apple, Meta, Comcast, Charter, Peacock TV, Alphabet, Microsoft, Panopto, Kaltura, Shopify, Google Cloud, Quest 2, Samsung, AWS, Roku, Amazon, Apple TV+, NFL, Amazon Prime Video.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 28: Extending Video Delivery To Rural ISPs; Snap and Twitter See Declining Ad Growth; Verizon Cord Cutting Accelerates

Sun, 24 Jul 2022 19:00:00 -0400

This week we discuss the latest advertising numbers from Twitter and Snap's Q2 earnings, which saw slowing demand for their platforms and had declining revenue. We also highlight Verizon's cord-cutting rate, with the company losing 86,000 pay TV subscribers in Q2 and now having lost 8.1% of all its pay TV subs in the last 12 months. Also discussed: Qwilt's deal with the NCTC to deploy CDN caches within 100+ rural ISPs that, combined, reach 34 million households.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney, ESPN+, Apple TV, fuboTV, Verizon, Twitter, Snap, MLB, ESPN+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Qwilt, Vimeo.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 27: Netflix Q2 Earnings Recap: Sub Counts; Balance Sheet; Ad-Supported Tier Opportunity

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 23:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss the key takeaways from Netflix's Q2 earnings report, including subscriber losses for two consecutive quarters, Netflix's growth outlook, and the current state of Netflix's balance sheet. We also detail what we've learned about their plans to offer an ad-supported tier and why we believe this is a real opportunity for Netflix, rather than a challenge, as some suggest.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 26: Previewing Netflix's Earnings; Why Disney Passed on IPL Cricket Rights

Sun, 10 Jul 2022 21:00:00 -0400

This week we break down a preview of what to look for in Netflix’s Q2 2021 earnings, including subscriber losses/gains, ARPU and an expected update on their advertising strategy. We also discuss the potential impact of Stranger Things Season 4 on churn and retention, as Netflix has split the series' release across two financial quarters. We also detail the IPL Media streaming rights (2023-2027) auction, which Viacom18 won and why Disney said they didn't compete for the rights at the price needed to win, citing the content not offering enough long-term value to their Disney+ Hotstar service.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Disney, Viacom18, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Fire TV.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 25: Deltatre To Get Acquired; Pixelot Raises $161M; Free Peacock for Comcast Subs Will Expire; Latest Sports Viewership Numbers

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 16:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down some financial news, including the proposed sale of Deltatre, which is expected to generate $180 million in revenue in 2022, and Pixelot's $161 million funding round. We also discuss Limelight’s final sale price for Edgecast, which valued the company at $135 million. Mark and I also break down Netflix’s confirmation that it is not buying Roku, discuss how the Apple and MLS deal will work for viewers, and highlight what NBCUniversal’s CEO said about Peacock no longer being free for Comcast customers.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Roku, Peacock, Deltatre, Endeavor Streaming, Firstlight Media, Edgio, Pixelot, Apple, MLS, Bally Sports Plus, NBC Sports, ESPN+, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, Sling TV, Adobe.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 24: Cable TV Seeing Record Sports Viewership; VC Investors Pulling Back on Funding

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 14:00:00 -0400

In this episode, we discuss how sporting events (NBA, NHL, Indy 500, PGA, Premier League) are seeing record viewership on cable TV, while sports leagues and broadcasters make no mention of streaming viewership. We also discuss the new NESN 360 sports streaming service and the potential loss of the IPL (Indian Premier League) for Disney, which would affect Disney+ Hotstar’s growth. We also talk about funding problems some streaming vendors are facing, with the broader impact on financial markets making it difficult to secure capital.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney+, Netflix, NESN 360, Netflix, Roku, NBA, NHL, Indy 500, PGA, Premier League, Apple TV+, Melvin Capital, Tiger Global Management.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 23: The Latest ARPU Numbers From Streaming Services; Setting Proper Growth Expectations in the Market

Fri, 27 May 2022 13:00:00 -0400

With more streaming services adding AVOD plans, this week we break down ARPU amongst streaming services, which now have to be properly compared between SVOD, AVOD and a combo of the two. We also highlight new information from Disney and Netflix about their ad-supported plans, Telestream's acquisition of Encoding.com, the new NFL+ service, and Paramount's thoughts on the windowing of movies. We also detail some of the problems companies across all sectors face when setting proper growth expectations on Wall Street and why some companies are being forced to cut costs, lay people off or slow hiring.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, NFL+, Netflix, Roku, HBO Max, Vizio, Paramount, Peacock TV, fuboTV, Spotify, Pluto TV, Telestream, Akamai, Encoding.com, FIFA, Snap, Edgecast, Limelight Networks, Melvin Capital.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 22: The Latest Engagement Data and Earnings Recap from Disney, Fubo and DISH

Sun, 15 May 2022 20:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Q1 2022 calendar earnings from Disney, fuboTV and DISH, including subscriber gains/losses, ARPU and revenue growth rate. We also detail engagement numbers that highlight what engagement looks like across gaming (Roblox, Activision Blizzard), trading (Robinhood, Coinbase), social (Facebook), and other platforms, showing how consumer behavior has changed since the pandemic.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Disney, fuboTV, DISH, Sling TV, AMC, Hulu, EPSN+, Hotstar, YouTube TV, Vizio, Facebook, Roblox, Peloton, Carvana, Coinbase, Activision Blizzard, Robinhood, Charter, Call of Duty.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 21: Earnings Recap; Paramount, Roku, Comcast, Akamai, Limelight, Google, Amazon, Brightcove, Fastly, Vimeo, Charter, Verizon

Sun, 08 May 2022 19:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down the key numbers you need to know from Q1 earnings reports, including updated subscriber and ARPU numbers from Paramount+, Roku, Peacock TV and cord-cutting numbers from Charter, Comcast and Verizon. We also detail the revenue growth rate and GAAP net loss/gain from cloud and streaming vendors, including Akamai, Alphabet, Brightcove, Fastly, Limelight, Microsoft and Vimeo. Come up to speed on important Q1 earnings you should know about, all in 30-minutes.

Companies and services mentioned: Comcast, Peacock TV, Paramount+, Roku, Amazon, Fastly, Limelight, Akamai, Brightcove, WicketLabs, Microsoft, Amazon Prime Video, NFL, Alphabet, YouTube TV, Vimeo, Charter, Verizon.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 20: NAB Show Special, Thoughts and News From The Event

Sat, 30 Apr 2022 09:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss some of the news from the NAB Show, detail some of the products and services we saw on the exhibit floor and talk about the hottest topics discussed at the Streaming Summit. We also detail attendee numbers, some of the NAB's plans for the new show in NYC in October, how engineering teams are building out video applications and what the future of the media business looks like.

Companies and services mentioned: Meta, Agora, FOX Sports, LaLiga, Hulu, Sling TV, Netflix, HBO Max, Eluvio, Livepeer, Brightcove, Mux.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 19: Special Interview With Google About Their New Media CDN Offering

Sun, 24 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0400

On Monday April 25th, Google announced a new commercial CDN offering called "Media CDN", as part of their Google Cloud platform. For this special podcast, I sat down with David Reisfeld, Customer Engineering Manager and Network Specialist at Google, to discuss the news. We cover why Google is entering the CDN market, what their new service consists of, how Media CDN is leveraging YouTube's infrastructure, the importance of Media CDN to Google's Cloud platform and what their product roadmap looks like for the rest of the year.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 18: Detailing The Challenges and Opportunities in Roku’s Business

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 08:00:00 -0400

This week, we break down Roku’s business model, discussing their challenges but also the large opportunity they have in the market when it comes to the strength of their advertising platform. We also discuss Roku’s ARPU, international growth and the success they have seen in their OS platform for TV manufacturers. We also highlight some AVOD news in the market and discuss Netflix's plan to add an ad-supported tier (before Netflix earnings came out).

Companies and services mentioned: Roku, HBO Max, Hulu, Netflix, Apple, Facebook.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 17: Debating The Holy Grail Of The Streaming Industry, OTT Service Aggregation

Sun, 10 Apr 2022 19:00:00 -0400

This week we discuss the holy grail of the streaming media industry, a single platform to aggregate streaming media services. With new Discover and Universal Watchlist functionality from Plex and news from Verizon about its +Play platform to centralize subscription services, we debate what might really happen in the market. We also cover some streaming viewership numbers from March Madness, the news that Disney+ is getting live content with Dancing With the Stars, and break down some of the technical limitations of the MLB stream on Apple TV+.

Correction: The MLB games on Apple TV+ will be free for the "first 12 weeks", not just the first game as I suggested.

Companies and services mentioned: Apple TV+, MLB, Disney+, Plex, Verizon, Netflix, Peacock TV, NFL.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 16: The MLB and NFL Are Chasing “Streaming” Money, At The Risk of Losing Viewers and Fans

Sun, 03 Apr 2022 22:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss the complex streaming sports-licensing business and the challenge sports fans now face in finding and consuming games from MLB and the NFL. With both leagues pursuing exclusive streaming-only distribution deals, many consumers will now need cable or cable-like bundles to access all games. With MLB on Apple TV+, Peacock, ESPN, TBS and some RSN services, it's getting to be a complex mess. The NFL is also getting more complex, with Thursday night games now exclusive to Amazon Prime Video and not broadcast anywhere else, even in local markets. We debate the potential impact on the NFL and MLB regarding the future of fan viewership and engagement.

Companies and services mentioned: Apple TV+, MLB, NFL, Amazon Prime Video, MLB.TV, Sinclair, Peacock, ESPN, TBS, MoviePass.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 15: Debating The Impact of Password Sharing and Free Trials; Questioning Who’s Watching AVOD Services; The Financial Impact of Lower Priced Ad-Supported Tiers

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 23:00:00 -0400

This week, we debate the real impact password sharing could have on streaming services' revenue and ARPU. We also try to decipher confusing data from the antenna on the conversion rate from free trials to paid subscribers. We question who’s watching AVOD services when so much of the content is old and not exclusive to any single platform, and discuss the potential financial impact on OTT services of adding a lower-priced ad-supported tier. And we touch on the launch of CNN+ and wonder who the target demographic is for the service, given that so much news content is now just commentary.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Antenna, YouTube TV, Pluto TV, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+, CNN+, Roku, Xumo, Tubi, IMDb TV, Vizio, Discovery.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 14: NAB Show Streaming Summit Preview; Discussing the Future of Conferences and Hybrid Events

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0400

This week, we preview some of the speakers and content at the NAB Show Streaming Summit, taking place April 25-26 in Las Vegas. Hear what companies like Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+, Disney, Fire TV, FOX, MotorTrend, La Liga, DAZN and others will be discussing, along with some of the main topics that will be covered in the program. We also discuss how industry conferences have changed since the pandemic, the role of hybrid events, what show organizers are doing well, and what others need to improve.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, HBO Max, Paramount+, Disney, DAZN, fuboTV, Oracle, Red Bull Racing, AWS, Salesforce, Korea Content Platform, Adobe, Dolby, Samsung, LG, Demuxed, Roku, Fire TV, Vizio.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 13: Breaking Down The Apple TV+ and MLB Deal; Verizon Launches New Aggregation Platform +play, Hulu Makes Unlimited DVR Free

Sun, 13 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0400

This week, we discuss the Apple-MLB deal and debate the importance of sports streaming to Apple TV+'s content strategy going forward. We also highlight what the deal might mean for other sports streaming companies, such as Sinclair’s DTC service, which will have go-fenced games from some MLB teams, and we discuss the difficulty consumers have in finding sports content from a single league on a single platform. The discussion also breaks down Verizon's news about a new platform called +play, which will allow consumers to purchase and manage some of their favorite subscriptions across entertainment, audio, gaming, fitness and music, all with a single point of billing.

Companies and services mentioned: Apple, MLB, Sinclair, Apple TV+, MLB.TV, Netflix, Hulu, Verizon, Roku, Vizio, LG, Samsung, CNN+, Verizon Fios, Disney, NBCU, Peacock TV, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, Antenna, FOX Nation, Sony.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 11: Interview with Limelight’s CEO Bob Lyons on Their Acquisition of Edgecast, Plans to Rebrand as Edgio and Current State of The CDN Market

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 20:00:00 -0500

For this special edition of my podcast, I sit down with Limelight’s CEO, Bob Lyons, to discuss the details of their acquisition of Edgecast from Apollo Funds in an all-stock deal valued at approximately $300 million (1x Edgecast revenue) and rebranding the combined companies as Edgio. We also discuss the current state of the CDN market, including the competitive landscape, pricing trends, the expected mix of Limelight's revenue between CDN and security, and what Limelight’s product strategy looks like going forward.

Note: The podcast was recorded the night before the news was announced, so any impact on Limelight's stock price on Monday, March 6th is not covered. The new website for the combined companies will be www.edg.io

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 12: HBO Max Gets Into Live Sports; The Challenges and Opportunities for CTV; Vizio’s AVOD Revenue Growth

Sun, 06 Mar 2022 19:00:00 -0500

This week, we highlight HBO Max's entry into the live sports market, with the news that it will broadcast more than 20 U.S. Men’s and Women’s National Soccer matches each year. We also discuss what Disney’s new ad-supported subscription for Disney+ might look like when the option launches in late 2022. We also break down AppLovin’s acquisition of CTV platform Wurl for $430 million, based on projected 2023 revenue of $75 million and the challenges and opportunities for the entire CTV market going forward.

Companies and services mentioned: HBO Max, WarnerMedia, Netflix, Turner Sports, Disney+, Paramount+, Netflix, Vizio, Pluto TV, AppLovin, Wurl, Human, fuboTV, Roku, Samsung, LG, NBC Sports.

Articles Mentioned
- Vizio Q4 Earnings: Platform+ revenue of $105.1M, up 74%; SmartCast Active Accounts grew 24% to 15.1M; ARPU of $21.68, up 67%; Total revenue of $628.8M, down from $734.3M y/o/y.

- Turner Sports and the U.S. Soccer Federation have reached an eight-year multimedia rights agreement that will make TNT/TBS and HBO Max the exclusive English-language home to more than 20 Women’s and Men’s National Team matches each year.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 10: Sling TV Loses Subs; DAZN Raises $4.3B; Streaming Vendors Project Slowing Year-Over-Year Revenue Growth

Sat, 26 Feb 2022 11:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down the 70,000-subscriber losses at Sling TV in Q4, the $4.3B injection into DAZN, and the upcoming soft launch of the Bally Sports RSN streaming service. We also cover the key numbers you need to know from FuboTV, which ended 2021 with 1.13M subs and Discovery, which wrapped up 2021 with 22M D2C subs. We also discuss what’s behind so many streaming vendors slashing revenue growth projections for this year when compared to 2021.

Companies and services mentioned: DAZN, FuboTV, Sinclair, Bally Sports, BT Sports, DISH, Sling TV, Discovery, HBO Max, Sabio, Vidillion, Haivision, AVIWEST, Kaltura, Brightcove, Fastly, Vimeo, Agora, Limelight Networks, Akamai, Qumu, Hopin.

Articles Mentioned
- Discovery Q4 2021 Earnings: Gained 2M paying D2C subs, ended 2021 with 22M; Expects merger with Warner Bros. to close in Q2
- DISH Q4 2021 Earnings: Lost 70,000 Sling TV subscribers in Q4 to end 2021 with 2.49M Sling TV subscribers; Total revenue in Q4 of $4.45B, flat y/o/y
- FuboTV Full Year 2021 Earnings: Ended 2021 with 1.13M subs; Projects to end 2022 with 1.74M total subs; Total 2021 revenue of $637M, up 144% y/o/y; Net loss of $383M for the year
- Sinclair says the DTC “soft launch" of 5 Bally Sports RSNs with MLB teams is expected in Q2 of this year, with full launch and the addition of NBA and NHL teams to take place in Q3 of this year

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 9: Confusing Super Bowl Streaming Numbers; Earnings Recap From Roku, Paramount, Fastly, Akamai and Brightcove

Sun, 20 Feb 2022 16:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down the confusing streaming numbers given out by NBC Sports from the Super Bowl and cover what you need to know about revenue growth, profit/loss, market cap and revenue guidance based on earnings from Roku, Paramount, Fastly, Akamai and Brightcove. We also call out Phenix for their bogus ultra-low-latency claims around the Super Bowl and the narrative they are pushing with the media, claiming “sports streaming is broken” when it isn’t. Finally, we cover the latest impact on streaming media-related stocks, which had another bad week, with some seeing big declines in their stock price.

Companies, services and people mentioned: NBC Sports, Peacock TV, Paramount+, AMC Networks, Roku, Akamai, Fastly, Brightcove, Kaltura, Phenix, Chas Mastin, Alex Zambelli, Will Law, Catie Keck.

Articles Mentioned
- Q4 Earnings: Key Numbers From Brightcove, Akamai, Fastly, Cloudflare and Vimeo
- NBC Sports Confusing Super Bowl Streaming Numbers
- The Super Bowl Didn’t Offer Ultra-Low Latency Streaming Because There Was No Business Value In Offering It

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 8: Disney Earnings Recap; Problems With Vimeo's Business; Brightcove Gets a New CEO

Sun, 13 Feb 2022 10:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down earnings from Disney, including the new subscriber numbers and ARPU they announced for Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, while also noting a $593 million loss in their D2C business in Q4 2021. We also detail earnings at Vimeo, along with some major problems in their business and multiple changes they announced regarding their go-to-market strategy. Other news highlights include revenue numbers from FOX Corporation, new bundling pricing from fuboTV, Brightcove's appointment of a new CEO, and the problem many in the media and industry have separating facts from opinions.

Companies and services mentioned: Disney+, ESPN+, Hulu, Disney Streaming Services, FOX Corporation, Tubi, Vimeo, Brightcove, fuboTV, Needham & Co., Netflix, Allure Security, Discovery, WarnerMedia, Innovid, TVSquared, Roku, Peloton.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 7: Earnings Recap from Meta, Google, Amazon, Starz; Latest Ad Revenue from YouTube and Amazon; Brightcove and Dolby Make Acquisitions

Sun, 06 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down earnings from Amazon, Meta and Alphabet, including Amazon's disclosure of revenue from its fast-growing advertising business, AWS's 40% revenue growth, and Amazon raising its Prime membership fee. We also cover Apple’s negative impact on Meta’s business, estimated at $10 billion in 2022, and YouTube's ad revenue of $8.6 billion, up 25%. We also cover Brightcove's acquisition of audience insight platform Wicket Labs and Dolby’s acquisition of ultra-low-latency video platform Millicast.

Companies and services mentioned: Amazon, Meta, Alphabet, YouTube, Discovery, HBO Max, Starz, Brightcove, Millicast, Lionsgate, Apple, Wicket Labs, Dolby, AWS, Instagram, BT Group, WarnerMedia, Comcast.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 6: New Numbers From Peacock, HBO Max and Latest Pay TV Losses (Earnings Recap Apple, Comcast, AT&T, Verizon)

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 09:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down Q4 earnings data from Comcast, Verizon, Apple, AT&T, and Charter and discuss pricing and bundling trends in OTT services. We also highlight new subscriber numbers reported by Peacock TV and HBO Max, as well as the latest pay TV loss numbers reported by cable operators. We also debate the global TAM for streaming media households, estimated by Netflix at 600-800 million, and question why, if that number is accurate, Netflix is struggling to grow faster in low-penetration regions such as Europe and APAC.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Comcast, Peacock TV, Apple TV+, Verizon, Charter, HBO Max, Discovery, Disney+, Spotify, AT&T, Hulu.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 5: Netflix Earnings and Competitive Pressure; DOJ and FTC’s Potential Impact on Microsoft Acquiring Activision Blizzard

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 13:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down Netflix's Q4 earnings after the stock dropped over $100 the next day, also setting new 52-week lows for stocks from Disney, Roku and fuboTV. We also discuss the proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, announced on the same day that the DOJ and FTC announced plans to update and modernize merger enforcement guidelines, which could mean more rigorous scrutiny of major tech and media transactions. Other news highlights include Limelight Networks earnings, the rumor that DAZN is in talks to acquire British channel producer BT Sports for $800 million, and fuboTV raising its RSN Fee in New England.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, Disney, Roku, fuboTV, Limelight Networks, DAZN, Microsoft, Activision Blizzard, Discovery, WarnerMedia, Amazon, MGM, Vimeo, Peacock TV, Apple, Amazon, NHL.

Executives mentioned: Bryan Walls, Eric Iverson, Eric Black, Lexie Knauer, Lisa Bennett.

Links to articles mentioned:

Netflix Q4 2021 Earnings: Added 8.3M subs; has 222M total subs. Forecasts Q1 2022 paid net adds of 2.5M. Full-year revenue of $30B
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danrayburn_netflix-streamingmedia-activity-6890038907413876737-pHIp

Limelight Q4 2021 Earnings: Revenue of $62.9M, up 14% y/o/y, GAAP net loss of $7.7M; Total 2021 revenue of $217.6M
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danrayburn_limelight-networks-reports-record-fourth-activity-6890320324928634881-i2b-

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 4: Netflix's Price Hike; New Churn and Retention Data; Latest Sports Licensing Deals (Sinclair, ViacomCBS)

Sun, 16 Jan 2022 19:00:00 -0500

This week, we talk about industry challenges with churn and retention and highlight some of the major problems with the methodology used to compare services. We also discuss Netflix's recent price increase and its potential impact on subscriber growth. We also cover the recent sports licensing deals, including news that ViacomCBS secured the exclusive rights to stream English Premier League soccer; Sinclair announced a new distribution rights agreement with the NBA; and we've read rumors that Apple is talking to MLB. We also highlight new subscriber numbers from fuboTV, the growth of IMAX's revenue in 2021 and our take on the attendance numbers from the CES Show.

Companies and services mentioned: Netflix, ViacomCBS, Paramount+, Discovery, Sinclair Broadcast Group, fuboTV, IMAX, Vimeo, Roku, NBA, Apple, MLB, V-Nova, Disney, Salesforce.

Links to articles mentioned:

Over 58% of OTT Services Surveyed Have “Limited” to “No” Insight Into the Main Reasons for Churn
https://www.streamingmediablog.com/2022/01/churn-retention-challenges.html

LCEVC must compete against all other standards, starting with AV1, which is a royalty-free codec
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6887822698634870784/

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 3: Latest HBO Max Numbers; Debating the Growth of vMVPDs; Fire TV and Google TV Data from CES

Sun, 09 Jan 2022 23:00:00 -0500

This week, we break down the latest HBO Max/HBO subscriber numbers just released by AT&T and question how the industry should define subscriber growth. While 73.8M sounds like a big number, the service had 61M at the end of 2020 and won’t have day-in-date releases this year. We also debate some of the latest “estimates” released on vMVPD subscriber growth and highlight the challenges faced with vMVPD packages now averaging $65 a month. We also touch on some of the latest numbers announced at the CES show, including Fire TV device sales and Google TV adoption.

Companies and services mentioned: HBO Max, Fire TV, Peacock TV, Sling TV, Hulu, Disney, Netflix, Discovery, WarnerMedia, Apple, Roku, Samsung, TCL, Google TV, YouTube TV, fuobTV, Philo, DIRECTV STREAM, PlayStation Vue, ESPN+, Comcast, AT&T, Fastly, Cloudflare, Brightcove, Limelight Networks, Haivision, Kaltura, Qumu, Vimeo, Twitter, Akamai.

Executives mentioned: Jay Utz, Noah Levine, Robert Coon, Guy Paskar, David Belson.

Links to articles mentioned:

AT&T says they ended 2021 with "approximately 73.8 million total global HBO Max and HBO subscribers
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danrayburn_hbomax-streamingmedia-activity-6884528669679747072-gVXM

Growth of vMVPD Services Stalling: Sling TV Added Only 260,000 Subs in 4 Years
https://www.streamingmediablog.com/2021/02/vmvpd-stalling.html

Amazon says they have now sold over 150 million Fire TV devices globally
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danrayburn_fire-tv-is-on-the-move-in-2022-activity-6884522654821302272-BgbL

NBCU says that Premium Peacock customers will be able to stream every minute of every live event of the 2022 Winter Olympics, "All in One Place"
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danrayburn_peacocktv-nbcuniversal-nbcsports-activity-6884599211048890369-ZtmV

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 2: Poor Video Advertising Experiences; Growth of AVOD Services; Potential Content Roll-up in 2022 (Starz, AMC, ViacomCBS)

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 12:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss how the industry gushes about video advertising growth, without really addressing the problems around personalization, measurement, formats and low CPM rates. We also discuss the growth of AVOD services and question how many can exist when they offer essentially the same thing — a bundled package of free networks with a lot of old movies, TV shows and syndicated programming. We also debate which content companies might get acquired in 2022, including Starz, AMC and ViacomCBS.

Companies and services mentioned: Tubi, Pluto TV, Starz, AMC Networks, ViacomCBS, TikTok, Noggin, Comcast, Sony Pictures, MLB.TV, Amazon IMDb TV, Roku, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Samsung TV, LG, Amazon, MGM.

Executives mentioned: Darren Lepke, Stephen Condon, Yueshi Shen, Andy Beach.

Links to articles mentioned:

Video Advertising Experiences Got More Annoying and More Frequent in 2021
https://www.streamingmediablog.com/2021/12/video-ad-experiences.html

Streaming wars drive media groups to spend more than $100bn on new content
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danrayburn_streaming-wars-drive-media-groups-to-spend-activity-6882089080708972544-c7D1

Ad-Supported Video On Demand Is The TV Disruptor For 2022
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jeremiahmcmillan_ad-supported-video-on-demand-is-the-tv-disruptor-activity-6881641152739733504--dKA

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media

Episode 1: Metrics, Churn and Retention; Unified Video Stacks; Unrealistic Vendor Valuations; Roku and Google Dispute

Sun, 19 Dec 2021 17:00:00 -0500

This week, we discuss the problem with Nielsen's reporting and how the industry should define churn and retention; the importance of HBO Max and Disney defaulting to a single video stack; how some vendors are overestimating their valuations; and why Roku and Google's dispute isn't over.

Companies and services mentioned: Roku, Google, Disney Streaming Services, Hulu, HBO Max, NFL, ESPN, Amazon, YouTube, WarnerMedia, Discovery, Nielsen, SiriusXM, Vudu, Hive Streaming, Firstlight Media, Vimeo, Mux, Hopin, Brightcove, Fastly, Panopto.

Executives mentioned: Joseph Inzerillo, Jonathan Stock, Rick McConnell, Mike Green, Nathan Veer, Doug Castoldi, Tony Miranz.

Podcast produced by Security Halt Media