The Streaming Wars

Warner Music has turned its legal fight with Suno into a new AI licensing business, supplying music for Suno’s v6 models and opening a new revenue stream around generative AI. The bigger question is how that money gets calculated and…

Ask Skip argues that DTC only works when owning the customer generates more value than distributors, bundles, licensing, or free streaming. Versant shows the tradeoff by launching MS NOW at $7.99 while keeping USA Sports focused on linear, advertising, partnerships,…

Amazon and other scaled distributors are turning customer ownership into a priced part of streaming distribution. For specialty services, the direct subscriber relationship increasingly makes sense only when the added margin, data and control outweigh the cost of acquiring and…

Netflix's decision to report box-office grosses for six upcoming films signals a more formal theatrical strategy for select titles. Public results give exhibitors, talent and Netflix a shared benchmark for deciding whether theatrical revenue and awareness justify the added costs…

Microsoft is turning Xbox Cloud Gaming into a metered service, capping Game Pass cloud usage by plan and charging customers for additional time. The shift separates subscription access from cloud infrastructure costs, giving Microsoft more control over margins while opening…

India added nearly 78 million connected-TV viewers in 2026, lifting its CTV audience 60% to 206.9 million. The growth expands the opportunity for premium advertising, subscriptions and long-form viewing while giving TV platforms more control over discovery, billing and customer…

Streaming services are increasingly becoming retention tools for partners whose economics extend well beyond streaming. These deals can expand reach and lower acquisition costs, but streamers risk underpricing their content when distributors capture the broader value it creates across broadband,…

Basics of Streaming explains why streaming ad economics depend on yield, not CPM alone, as fill, pricing, eligible demand, ad load, and technology determine what each viewing hour is worth. As ad-supported inventory grows faster than demand in some markets,…

From the Archives revisits Locast’s attempt to stream local broadcast TV for free using a nonprofit copyright exemption, a model that collapsed once user payments began funding expansion. Locast also showed how free local feeds could give distributors leverage in…

VodafoneThree’s using Vodafone TV to make its broadband and mobile plans stickier by bundling Netflix with Ads, HBO Max with Ads, Freely and Android TV into one connectivity package. The strategy is built around customer acquisition, lower churn, upsells and…

Amazon’s turning Prime Video into the app store for local sports, letting teams sell subscriptions or bundle games with Prime while Amazon handles billing, accounts and distribution. The model positions Prime Video as the storefront for fragmented local sports without…

DAZN is turning team-controlled NBA broadcasts into a repeatable direct-to-consumer product, with the Cavs and Spurs producing games while DAZN handles subscriptions and streaming. Matching pricing and tiers show DAZN is building a scalable local sports model, with conversion and…