Tag: subscriptions

Skip analyzes Apple TV+’s $1 billion annual losses and argues that the service isn’t about streaming dominance—it’s a high-end marketing expense. Despite 45 million subscribers and billions spent on originals, Apple TV+ remains a mid-tier player, serving more as a…

Major League Baseball has expanded its DTC streaming availability, with 26 of 30 teams now offering in-market streaming options. New additions include teams broadcast by NBC Sports regional nets and SportsNet LA, with subscription prices ranging from $19.99 to $29.99…

New research from Bango shows that the Subscription Wars have ended, with 68% of U.S. subscribers now getting at least one service through a bundle rather than a direct subscription. DTC models are shrinking, with only 16% of streaming subscribers…

Universal Music Group reported a 6.5% revenue increase in 2024 to $12.8 billion, with subscription revenue up 8.2% despite a 5.1% drop in streaming revenue. Cost-cutting through layoffs boosted profits, with adjusted EBITDA rising 13.8% to $2.88 billion. UMG emphasized…

YouTube has expanded its $7.99 Premium Lite plan to the U.S. while surpassing 125 million paid subscribers across YouTube Premium and YouTube Music, a 25% increase in a year. The Lite tier offers ad-free video but lacks ad-free music, offline…

YouTube has overtaken traditional TV by dominating watch time without ever spending billions on original content. At MIP London, YouTube’s VP Pedro Pina confirmed the platform has "no interest whatsoever" in originals—because it doesn’t need them. In January, YouTube accounted…

Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming unit posted a $409 million quarterly profit, a sharp turnaround from last year, while total subscribers hit 116.9 million—including HBO cable users. Meanwhile, linear networks saw a 5% revenue drop, with ad revenue plunging 17%. Despite…

NESN just slashed the price of its NESN 360 annual plan, making it a much better deal than paying month to month. On top of that, they’re throwing in Red Sox tickets for some subscribers. Kirby unpacks why this move…

Formula 1 is shopping for a new U.S. media rights deal after ESPN’s exclusivity window expired, aiming for a massive jump to $160M–$180M per year. ESPN is still in the mix but isn’t rushing to meet that price, especially with…

The Streaming Wars’ first live webinar explored key industry trends, including the evolution of bundling beyond video, the role of live events on FAST, and the challenges of tracking churn across aggregators. Experts also discussed hybrid monetization, subscription flexibility, and…