NEW YORK—Comcast’s FreeWheel has launched Video Content Report, an insight tool available in FreeWheel Buyer Cloud (formerly Beeswax) that provides TV series-level data on where ad campaigns actually appeared.

Fueled by direct connection to FreeWheel Streaming Hub (FreeWheel’s ad server with natively built SSP), the report gives buyers detailed, series-level insight into post-impression delivery from premium publishers, including A+E Global Media, Spectrum Reach, Fuse Media, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Xumo.

By using publisher-sourced delivery data recorded directly through the ad server, Video Content Report gives buyers a clearer, reliable view of where campaigns ran across premium streaming environments, helping increase transparency and confidence in their CTV investments.

“CTV buyers need series-level transparency they can trust and use at scale,” said Jon Mansell, vice president, U.S. demand for FreeWheel. “What makes Video Content Report unique is the direct connection between Buyer Cloud and Streaming Hub, which enables publisher-permissioned, impression-level delivery insights from multiple premium publishers in one workflow. That gives advertisers a clearer view of where their campaigns ran while giving publishers control over how their content data is shared.”

Powered by Buyer Cloud’s connection to FreeWheel Streaming Hub and impression-level delivery data, Video Content Report provides scalable series-level transparency to confirm content alignment and brand safety, at no extra cost, while helping publishers prove the value of their premium content.

In announcing the new tool, FreeWheel stressed that it is designed to address the needs of advertisers.

Over 50% of CTV advertisers say they would shift spend to publishers that provide show- or series-level transparency, according to new research from Advertiser Perceptions. As demand for this level of visibility grows, FreeWheel said it is helping make series-level reporting even easier to access and apply at scale. By bringing publisher-sourced insights into a more consistent workflow, Video Content Report gives buyers a clearer way to understand delivery across partners and use those insights to guide future planning and investment decisions.

Some advertisers and agencies applauded the launch. “As investment in programmatic CTV continues to grow, we as buyers need transparency that is accurate, scalable and easy to access,” said Mike Treon, head of CTV and video strategy for PMG. “FreeWheel’s Video Content Report addresses a real gap in the market by giving us series-level visibility directly within Buyer Cloud, helping us better understand campaign delivery across premium video without relying on one-off reporting requests or adding unnecessary reporting steps.”

The launch builds on FreeWheel’s broader commitment to giving buyers more transparency, control, and customization through Buyer Cloud, in addition to direct publisher connections. As a customizable demand-side platform built for premium video and connected to FreeWheel Streaming Hub, Buyer Cloud gives agencies and advertisers direct access to FreeWheel’s premium supply, robust decisioning tools and exclusive reporting capabilities designed to support more informed, efficient, and accountable media buying.

Video Content Report is now available in Buyer Cloud for all clients at no additional cost.

IRVING, Texas—A new analysis from Horowitz Research highlights the importance of multicultural audiences for the record viewing seen during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which concluded with a historic final and record-setting audience engagement of nearly 63 million Americans watching the event.

In addition to the 38.9 million viewers turning into the English-language soccer telecast on Fox, an additional 23.9 million viewers watched the Spanish-language telecast on Telemundo.

At the same time, Telemundo and Peacock reported Spanish-language streaming engagement in the U.S, with group-stage digital average minute audience up 251% versus the tournament in 2022. These results reflect a broader transformation in the media landscape, where multicultural audiences and digital platforms are driving growth, Horowitz reported.

Those results confirmed longstanding research from Horowitz highlighting the importance of multicultural audiences, making clear that multicultural audiences are a central part of the sports audience. The scale of Spanish-language viewing and the outsized role of Hispanic fans highlight how deeply soccer is embedded in cultural identity and community connection in the U.S.

Horowitz Research’s latest study, "State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: Viewing Behaviors", which was conducted prior to the tournament, found that over half (54%) of Latinx consumers intended to watch the 2026 FIFA World Cup, significantly higher than the total market (42%). Those expectations were borne out in the intensity and consistency of engagement seen throughout the tournament.

“What we saw in 2026 is the full realization of trends we’ve been tracking for years,” said Adriana Waterston, executive vice president, insights and strategy lead for Horowitz Research. “The World Cup is where culture, community, and media converge. It is not just about the game on the screen, it is about identity, connection, and shared experience across platforms and languages. Our research at the intersection of cultural insights and sports is focused on helping media brands and their advertisers and sponsors maximize engagement among Hispanic audiences, multicultural audiences, and the sports audience overall.”

The 2026 tournament also marked a turning point for streaming as a primary platform for live sports and highlighted a number of trends that content providers and advertisers will need to embrace if they want to attract these audiences, the Horowitz analysis found.

For starters, digital viewership surged across matches and rounds, with fans seamlessly moving between traditional television and streaming services depending on context and convenience.

This behavior was anticipated by Horowitz’s pre-event research, which showed that a majority of prospective viewers expected to stream matches live and use multiple devices beyond the TV set. The World Cup demonstrated that live sports can successfully operate in an ecosystem where linear and streaming are complementary.

The result is a new model for major sporting events, one that demands integrated distribution strategies across broadcast, streaming, mobile, and social platforms, the Horowitz analysis stressed.

Beyond platforms and audiences, the 2026 World Cup reinforced the idea that sports fandom is inherently social. Fans gathered at home, in public venues, and online, engaging with content before, during, and after matches. Social media, second screens, and shared viewing experiences were not secondary behaviors but, rather, they were core to how the event was experienced.

In surveys prior to the event, Horowitz Research found that large portions of viewers planned to watch with friends and family, attend viewing events, and engage with World Cup content across social platforms. The tournament brought those behaviors to life, with fans using the World Cup to connect across geographies, cultures, and generations.

The scale and nature of engagement during the 2026 World Cup also reinforced the value of live, multicultural sports environments for advertisers. High levels of attention, emotional investment, and cross-platform engagement create conditions that are uniquely powerful for brand impact.

In addition, the momentum from the 2026 FIFA World Cup is already extending into the next chapter of global soccer. Horowitz’s research suggests meaningful continued interest in global soccer events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.

“If 2026 showed us anything, it is that the playbook has changed,” added Waterston. “The audiences driving growth are diverse, the platforms are fluid, and the experience is shared. The organizations that understand and embrace that reality will be the ones that win in the next era of global sports.”

For more information, visit www.horowitzresearch.com.

MIAMI, Fla.—Telemundo is reporting that its Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 set audience records at every stage of the tournament.

Overall, the tournament is the most-watched FIFA World Cup tournament in Spanish-language media history with an average Total Audience Delivery of 6.3 million viewers across the 104 matches, up +143% vs. the 2022 tournament (2.6 million). Each stage of the 2026 tournament set a new Spanish-language World Cup Total Audience record and delivered triple-digit growth versus the 2022 World Cup.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 also delivered impressive growth over 2022 in linear and streaming, with the linear match window average up +79% (3.2 million vs. 1.8 million) and the digital average minute audience (AMA) up +297% (3 million vs. 767K).

In addition, Sunday’s final battle, which saw Spain earn its second title as they dethroned reigning champions Argentina, delivered a 23.9 million Total Audience Delivery (TAD), becoming the most-watched soccer match ever in Spanish-language media history.

It also set numerous records for streaming, digital media and social media.

Combined with the 39.8 million who watched Fox Sports English-language coverage on Fox, 63.7 million Americans watched the final.

Telemundo produced more than 700 hours of original programming through the 39-day tournament.

Other data highlights included:

• The FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament delivered the 15 most-watched soccer matches in Spanish-language media history based on Total Audience, led by Spain vs. Argentina’s 23.9 million viewership in the Finals.
• The 77.2 billion total minutes consumed during the FIFA World Cup 2026 across Telemundo, Universo, Peacock, and Telemundo streaming platforms, surpassed the 43.2 billion total minutes consumed for the combined 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cup tournaments in Spanish by +79%.
• Mexico vs. England delivered 23.2 million viewers in Total Audience Delivery (TAD), making it the second most-watched soccer match ever in Spanish-language media history. On linear, the full program averaged 10.1 million viewers from 8:25–11:20 p.m. ET, making it the highest-rated telecast in Spanish-language TV history; viewership peaked at 11.7 million viewers at 10:45 p.m. ET.
• The France vs. England Third Place match delivered 7.7 million viewers in Total Audience Delivery, making it the most-watched Third Place game in Spanish-language media history, up +225% vs. the 2022 tournament (Croatia vs. Morocco, 2.4 million).
• 42 games had a Total Audience Delivery of at least 6 million viewers, up from two during the full 2022 tournament.
• Overall, streaming comprised 48% of Telemundo’s Total Audience Delivery for the FIFA World Cup 2026, up from 30% contribution in 2022. With an average minute audience (AMA) of 3 million viewers on Peacock and Telemundo streaming platforms, digital viewership grew +297% vs. 2022 (767,000).
• Spain vs. Argentina Finals on July 19, is the most-streamed World Cup match in Spanish-language history with an Average Minute Audience (AMA) of 13.9 million viewers, +370% over the most-streamed match of the 2022 tournament (Argentina vs. France Finals, 3 million AMA).
• There were 21 games that averaged 4 million or more streaming viewers, up from zero in 2022.
• Telemundo ranked as the #1 Spanish-language television network across all 34 matchdays (June 11 – July 19) during Total Day (7A-2A) with 1.9 million average viewers, and a share of 76% of the three Spanish-language networks. This Total Day delivery is up +300% vs. the network’s May 2026 average.
• June 2026 was Telemundo’s highest-performing month in network history with 1.4 million average viewers in Total Day, surpassing the previous World Cup highs set in June 2018 (954K) and December 2022 (837K).
• Sunday, July 5, set a new linear record with the highest Total Day average audience in Spanish-language television history with 3.6 million viewers, driven by the Mexico vs. England and Brazil vs. Norway Round of 16 matches.
• Throughout the duration of the FIFA World Cup 2026, Peacock drew four times its normal share of Hispanic viewers. Those viewers who watched World Cup also watched a variety of Peacock content, including Telemundo entertainment (e.g., El Señor de los Cielos), Peacock originals (e.g., Love Island USA, MIA, Five Star Weekend), Sports (e.g., MLB), and library content (e.g., Yellowstone, The Office).
• Cultural cross-over: While each of these cultural phenomena drew massive audiences on its own, 40% of Peacock viewers who watched Love Island USA also watched the FIFA World Cup 2026.
• On Peacock, one in three FIFA World Cup viewers are Gen-Z, and they are especially receptive to brands: +21% more likely to feel loyal to World Cup advertisers and +24% more likely to view World Cup advertising as more credible than other ads.
• The FIFA World Cup 2026 generated 2.25 billion video views across social platforms, more than 9x the combined total generated during the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
• The tournament generated 75.1M social actions across social platforms, nearly 3x the combined total generated during the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
• Round of 16 Match Day 26 became the highest social engagement day in Telemundo FIFA World Cup history, generating 5.28M social actions.
• Round of 16 Match Day 27 became the most-viewed social day in Telemundo FIFA World Cup history, generating 135.6M video views.
• On linear, the 26 Telemundo-owned stations reached 22.3 million total viewers through the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinals.
• The Telemundo-owned stations’ average audience through the FIFA World Cup 2026 Semifinals of 2.52 million viewers was +57% higher than the same period during the 2022 tournament (1.61 million) and +64% above 2018 (1.54 million).
• Eight Telemundo-owned stations captured 50 percent or more of the FIFA World Cup 2026 audience share in their markets, including in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Houston, and Phoenix, through the Semifinals.

YouTube has released a new study showing that in 2025, YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed over $60 billion to the U.S. GDP and supported more than 540,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

The economic analysis was done by Oxford Economics for the YouTube Report released on July 16.

The study also stressed that the impact is nationwide for both rural and urban areas. YouTube reported that currently all 50 states have at least 10 channels with over 1 million monthly views. Those views translate into business growth: 76% of small- and medium-sized businesses with a YouTube channel say YouTube played a role in helping them grow their customer base by reaching new audiences.

The study also found that 77% of creators say their media and entertainment career started on YouTube.

Other key findings include:

• 87% of viewers report watching music videos, music festivals, or awards ceremonies on YouTube in the last year and 67% of viewers report discussing a YouTube video together with a friend or family member on a monthly basis, rising to 72% for Gen Z.
• 94% of teachers who use YouTube report using YouTube content directly in their lessons and/or assignments, with 81% stating it provides access to educational content that students would not otherwise have. At home, 78% of parents who use YouTube say YouTube (or YouTube Kids for children under 13) provides quality content for their children's learning and/or entertainment.

The full report is available here.

Netflix is reporting record viewing levels in the first half of 2026, with its subscribers watching more than 97 billion hours of programming.

It also released its 10 most popular movies and shows.

Among the movies, "War Machine" was #1 with 147 million hours of viewing, followed by "The Rip" (136 million hours), "Swapped" (131 million hours), "KPop Demon Hunters" (130 million) and "Apex" (129 million hours.)

The ten most popular shows were led by “His&Hers” (104 million hours of viewing), “Bridgerton” season 4 (100 million hours) and “I Will Find You” (64 million hours).

Other highlights included:

• Netflix audiences love to discover and watch new series. Five of the top 10 most-watched shows premiered in the first half of this year, with I Will Find You (64 million) and Teach You a Lesson (48 million) from South Korea both reaching the top 10 less than a month after their releases. The streamer also reported big audiences for new stories such as His & Hers (104M) — the #1 most watched show in the half — along with Run Away (50 million) and Nemesis Season 1 (33 million), which was recently renewed for a second season.
• New seasons consistently drive discovery and viewing of past seasons of a series. The return of Bridgerton Season 4 (100 million) nearly tripled viewing of every earlier season of the franchise (including Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story), when compared to the second half of 2025. Together, the entire Bridgerton franchise brought 180 million views in the first half of this year. Netflix also saw a boost in viewership for past seasons of series including ONE PIECE (69 million views across seasons), The Night Agent (63 million views across seasons), Virgin River (54 million views across seasons) and The Lincoln Lawyer (59 million views across seasons).
• Netflix original films continue to draw in huge audiences across genres. The action film slate performed particularly well this half, with The Rip (136 million), Apex (129 million) and Thrash (100 million) among the most-watched. War Machine was the biggest title in the half with 147 million views. Animated films are becoming hits. Swapped came in at 131 million views in the half and is on track to become the second most-watched original animated film ever, behind KPop Demon Hunters (130 million) — which came in at #4 despite premiering over a year ago. Book-to-screen adaptations were also popular with successful films including People We Meet on Vacation (78 million) and Remarkably Bright Creatures (51 million). And Rom-coms like Office Romance (58 million) and Voicemails for Isabelle (53 million) also moved audiences.
• Non-English titles represent more than a third of all viewing on Netflix, with titles from South Korea, Japan and Spain among the most-watched. South Korea continues to deliver a strong slate of titles including Teach You a Lesson (48 million), Can This Love Be Translated? (29 million), The Art of Sarah (26 million), My Royal Nemesis (16 million) and the Season 2 return of the hit series Bloodhounds (24 million). Japan continues to drive viewing with original stories like Straight to Hell Season 1 (10 million) and Sins of Kujo Season 1 (9 million). Spain released several popular titles this half including Firebreak (34 million), The Marked Woman (26 million), Oasis Season 1 (10 million), and from the creators of Money Heist — Berlín and the Lady with an Ermine (28 million).
• India had its highest viewing for a half yet with hits like Dhurandhar (37 million) — the most-watched non-English film in this report — Accused (19 million), Made in Korea (18 million) and Taskaree: The Smuggler’s Web Season 1 (16 million). South Africa broke through with global successes like 180 (37 million) for film and The Polygamist Season 1 (17 million) for series. In addition, Netflix reported a number of stories that resonated locally and travel globally including Colors of Evil: Black (23 million) from Poland, Radioactive Emergency Season 1 (22 million) from Brazil, A Father’s Miracle (21 million) from Mexico, Jo Nesbø’s Detective Hole Season 1 (22 million) from Norway, My Dearest Assassin (18 million) from Thailand, The Big Fake (17 million) from Italy and The Chestnut Man: Hide and Seek (11 million) from Denmark.
• Members enjoy a variety of different programming. Must-watch live events brought audiences together in the first half for everything from Kevin Hart’s comedy spectacle with The Roast of Kevin Hart (21 million) to Alex Honnold’s thrill-seeking climb with Skyscraper Live (13 million) and BTS’ monumental comeback with BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE | ARIRANG (21 million) that thrilled fans around the world.
• More than half of its members today have watched at least one anime title, where we saw breakouts with new stories like BAKI-DOU: The Invincible Samurai Season 1 (8 million), STEEL BALL RUN: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (8 million) and Cosmic Princess Kaguya! (8 million).
• Documentaries of all kinds captivated viewers — from true crime stories like The Crash (65 million), to pop culture sensations like Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model Season 1 (22 million) and epic prehistoric tales like The Dinosaurs Season 1 (32 million).
• Kids & family continues to perform well, with creators like Ms. Rachel, the most-watched kids title at 69 million views across two seasons, plus Mark Rober's CrunchLabs (36 million across four seasons) and newcomers Salish & Jordan Matter (29 million across both seasons) and Danny Go! Season 1 (26 million).

PLANO, Texas—New research from Parks Associates' Broadband Market Tracker shows broadband subscriber losses among the largest cable providers continue to lessen as operators strengthen customer retention efforts and expand converged broadband and mobile offerings.

Leading cablecos, including Comcast, Charter Spectrum, and Altice, lost an estimated 280,000 combined broadband subscribers during the first quarter of 2026, an improvement from an estimated decline of 320,000 subscribers in Q1 2025.

During the same period, cable MVNOs added approximately 830,000 combined mobile subscriptions, highlighting continued consumer interest in bundled connectivity services.

"The competitive landscape has shifted from winning subscribers at any cost to keeping existing customers through better pricing, simplified service offerings, and integrated connectivity," said Kristen Hanich, senior director of research, Parks Associates. "Providers are investing in strategies that reduce churn while strengthening the value of broadband through mobile bundles and improved customer experiences."

The research also found that providers are introducing new programs designed to address key causes of customer churn, particularly during household moves and service transitions. Competition is also intensifying around pricing and bundled offerings.

"Optimum introduced a promotion guaranteeing $25 per month for 300 Mbps fiber service for five years for new customers, while encouraging additional savings through mobile and TV bundles," Hanich said. "Starlink replaced its $499 upfront hardware purchase with a monthly equipment fee, lowering the initial cost of adoption and shifting more expense into recurring monthly service."

The data from Park’s Tracker service also found continued momentum toward converged connectivity services. During the first half of 2026, both AT&T and Verizon introduced integrated home internet and mobile offerings that simplify billing and strengthen customer loyalty.

Current adoption of this bundle is now at 26% of all US households, according to Parks Associates. These unified service models reflect a broader industry strategy to increase customer lifetime value while reducing subscriber churn.

The Broadband Market Tracker provides ongoing analysis of broadband subscriber trends, competitive strategies, pricing, fiber, cable, fixed wireless, satellite broadband, and converged service offerings across the US market

While live sports have become a bulwark of broadcast programming, a new analysis of sports viewing shows that viewers of the NFL and other popular sports are skewing older, with more than half of the NFL’s casual viewers being older than 55.

According to S&P Global Market Intelligence, approximately three-quarters of Americans watch live sports, with football dominating viewership at 53%. The analysis reveals that casual sports fans, who watch less than five hours weekly, comprise 44% of NFL viewers and that these casual viewers represent a significantly older demographic, with half being adults over 55 years of age.

After football, the Winter Olympics (41% of Americans), Summer Olympics (38%), baseball (36%) and basketball (38%) were watched by the largest percentage of the population.

Other key highlights include:

• Casual sports fans dominate the NFL viewership landscape, accounting for 44% of all NFL viewers, the highest percentage among major professional sports leagues. These casual viewers, defined as watching less than five hours of sports per week, represent 53% of total sports viewers and demonstrate a distinctly older demographic profile, with 51% being adults aged 55 and older and only 18% being young adults under 35.
• Major league viewership shows consistent patterns across baseball, basketball, and hockey, with approximately one-third of MLB, NBA, and NHL viewers classified as casual sports fans. The NFL attracts 48% of US internet adults for regular-season games, followed by MLB at 34%, NBA at 29%, and NHL at 19%, demonstrating football's substantial lead in overall market penetration.
• Age distribution reveals stark contrasts between casual and engaged sports fans, as moderate sports fans (5-10 hours weekly) and avid fans (over 10 hours weekly) share very similar demographic profiles. Both segments consist of approximately one-third young adults under 35 and one-third adults aged 55 and older, contrasting sharply with the older-skewing casual fan base.
• Total media consumption correlates directly with sports viewing intensity, as avid sports fans spend an average of 7.2 hours per day watching TV and video programming compared to 4.9 hours for casual sports fans. The data indicates that increased sports viewing displaces entertainment content such as movies, TV series, and documentaries, while news programming consumption remains consistent across all fan segments.
• Football maintains its position as America's dominant sport, with 53% of Americans watching football (NFL or NCAA), significantly outpacing other major sports. Baseball and basketball each attract approximately 36% of Americans, while ice hockey draws 20% viewership. The recently-completed Winter Olympics attracted 41% of US internet adults, demonstrating strong interest in major sporting events beyond traditional league play.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.—Although CTV advertising continues to see rapid growth, a new survey indicates that buyers remain skeptical of some of the performance claims and increasingly are asking hard questions about measurement, accountability and business impact of their CTV ad campaigns.

These concerns stand in stark contrast to the longstanding claims that connected TV platforms can provide advertisers with clear and convincing data showing the impact of their ad campaigns.

While those claims have helped CTV platforms grab an every growing share of the ad market, new research from Jamloop, a performance CTV platform that connects streaming TV to real business outcomes, shows that CTV is winning a larger share of marketing budgets but not a lot of trust.

Based on a survey of 120 senior brand and agency marketers, the report, “CTV Is Winning Budget. Trust Is Still Catching Up” found that 50% of marketers say their CTV budgets increased year over year, and 63% say CTV already plays a strong performance role in their media mix or is becoming a more accountable performance channel.

However, only one in three buyers (33%) say they fully trust most platform-reported performance claims, while 62% express some level of skepticism.

Accountability standards also remain uneven: Only 42% say CTV is currently held to the same accountability standards as search and social. And, marketers still struggle to defend the spend internally. Only 39% say they feel very confident defending CTV investment to leadership based on current measurement and attribution.

The researchers suggest that better proof could unlock the next wave of growth: More than 70% say they would increase CTV investment if measurement, attribution, and proof of business outcomes improved. Respondents also said that trust concerns remain part of the performance story. More than 60% say they are concerned about fraud or misrepresented inventory in CTV environments.

“The industry has already proven that advertisers want CTV,” said Jeff Fagel, CMO at Jamloop. “What buyers are asking now is a tougher question: what business outcomes does CTV actually drive? Advertisers don’t need another dashboard. They need proof they can defend. The platforms that can prove business impact in ways marketers can actually see and feel, not just through dashboards showing media metrics moving in the right direction, will be the ones that win the next wave of CTV investment.”

The research also points to a broader shift in the media mix. More than 63% of respondents say they are seeing at least some diminishing returns from lower-funnel channels such as paid search and paid social, creating an opening for CTV to play a larger role in performance-focused strategies.

At the same time, marketers remain divided on what CTV performance should actually mean. While 35% prioritize qualified leads, 30% point to online sales and revenue, 30% define performance through revenue or sales lift, and 24% focus on store visits, appointments, or calls. That fragmentation makes it harder to establish common success metrics, compare results across campaigns, and build broader confidence in the category.

For many buyers, performance now means more than site traffic or media metrics alone. It means proving online sales, offline revenue, leads, visits, installs, or broader business impact in a way leadership teams can recognize and trust.

“CTV no longer needs to prove it belongs in the media mix,” Fagel added. “It needs to prove it belongs in the next wave of performance budgets.”

To download the full report, visit jamloop.com.

CAMBRIDGE, U.K.— New research commissioned by Bango, a U.K.-based provider of subscription bundling platforms, finds that 43% of Americans would switch their mobile, broadband, or TV provider for a better sports streaming bundle, putting more than four in ten customers up for grabs.

That churn risk is the clearest signal yet that sports has become a frontline battleground for telcos fighting for customers. With sports rights fragmented across streaming platforms, telco providers are becoming a trusted way for consumers to consolidate sports content, according to Bango, which cites that more than half (52%) say they would trust their own provider above anyone else to pull all the live sports they care about into a single bundle.

This fragmentation is on full display right now. To follow the 2026 World Cup in the US, English-language viewers are split across Fox and FS1, subscription service Fox One, and free ad-supported Tubi, while Spanish-language coverage runs on Telemundo and streams on Peacock. Even the biggest event in world sport has fans hopping between apps and subscriptions to follow a single tournament: exactly the kind of confusion consumers are looking to their telco to solve, Bango said.

The findings also indicate that sports content now influences telco choice nearly as much as price, with 45% of respondents preferring a provider with a strong sports streaming bundle over one with a lower monthly price. In fact, 42% would pay more to their current provider if it included the sports they care about, according to Bango.

Sports bundles are also a strong driver of loyalty and growth; 46% of Americans say a sports streaming bundle would make them more loyal to their current provider, and 49% say it would be more likely to recommend them. On the other hand, if telcos remove access to sports, 48% of Americans would then consider switching to a competitor.

Bango notes that these findings highlight an ongoing shift in the telco sector, with providers moving beyond connectivity to bundle the subscriptions consumers value most.

“Just like on the field, telcos can win or lose with sport, and the numbers make that impossible to ignore,” said Giles Tongue, subscription expert at Bango. “More than four in ten Americans would switch telco for a better sports bundle, and almost as many would walk if their provider lost access to the sports they love. Connectivity alone has never held that kind of power over customer choice.”

"This is the clearest commercial signal telcos will get. Sports rights are scattered across a dozen platforms, and consumers are looking to their provider to pull them back together. They'll pay more, stay longer, and recommend whoever does it first. In this fight, bundling is the weapon. The telcos that move fast to bundle sports will win the customer, but the ones that hesitate will spend the next decade defending against churn."

The research, commissioned by Bango and conducted by an independent research agency, is based on a representative sample of 2,500 American consumers aged 18 and over and was conducted in May 2026.

A newly released study argues that U.S. broadcasters face a content crisis, in part because up to 75% of journalists’ time is squandered on technical busywork.

Broadcast journalists are currently spending three-quarters of their time on technical workflows often referred to as busywork, according to a Caretta Research study sponsored by streaming technology firm Quickplay. That leaves just a fraction of their time available for doing what they’re best at, Quickplay said—delivering timely, accurate, trusted and relevant content to their local audiences.

This constraint is particularly troubling because it puts North American broadcasters at risk of losing viewers to third-party platforms, the researchers noted.

“When local broadcast journalists lose 75% of their days to technical workflows, they're not just facing a productivity problem, they're staring at an existential one,” Quickplay Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer Paul Pastor said. “While the demand for trusted and relevant local content remains high, new rules are in play for local broadcasters to survive.”

This “technical busywork…could be automated, accelerated and improved,” Ed Barton, research director at Caretta Research, added. “The shift to unified, software-orchestrated operations is no longer optional, it is the urgent step required to empower and accelerate key staff, enabling broadcasters to compete more effectively in the streaming age. The technologies enabling such a transition used to be expensive and required a lot of customization. However, vendors have worked hard to ensure adopting such capabilities is accessible to even the smallest broadcaster.”

The report, titled “The Broadcaster Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” examines how broadcasters can use their strengths—deep local knowledge, trusted brand equity and their content archives—to stay relevant and compete effectively as visual entertainment shifts decisively to streaming.

One major challenge is the fragmented state of broadcasters’ content archives, the report noted. Local stations hold vast amounts of content, but it is spread across many different media asset management systems and file types.

Without the right infrastructure, finding, retrieving and repurposing this content takes too long, the study reported.

Furthermore, many newsrooms and production teams lack a complete view of all their assets, according to the study, making the process of finding the right clip or footage too time-consuming for a busy news operation. As the report highlights, staff currently "just have to know where it is," often relying on the memory of experienced employees to locate specific video files.

Workflows designed for traditional linear broadcasting are too slow for the high volume and publishing cadence needed to satisfy the audiences and algorithms on social and third-party platforms, the study said.

Social media platforms reward consistent, relevant and rapid publishing that elicits engagement and reaction. Boadcasters who want to increase their video presence on these platforms, using the appropriate formats and distinct editorial voices expected by a given audience, need new workflows.

To address these issues, the study found broadcasters are increasingly adopting unified software or orchestration layers that offer visibility and control of their content, production and distribution workflows. Instead of risky “rip-and-replace” approaches to upgrading technology, such an approach reduces deployment, operational and economic risk while conferring significant performance and efficiency gains that quickly stack up, even in smaller operations.

By making core workflows visible and controllable from a single UI, or "one pane of glass,” editors and journalists can easily find, clip, package and distribute content without constantly switching between tools or moving files. This change transforms content archives from cost centers into potential drivers for audience engagement, enabling highly skilled staff to focus on doing what they do best. It also enables broadcasters to assert themselves and compete effectively on the platforms where their audiences spend the most time.

“Gone are the days where broadcast is always the first format and then recut for other platforms,” Pastor added. “Our digital-first world demands the flexibility to start with vertical before broadcast when appropriate. An orchestrated, content-to-value platform then turns one story into formats built for each of these platforms simultaneously, so broadcasters can compete at the same velocity and reach as anyone else without giving up their real superpower: local relevance."

For more information and to access the full research, click here.

DALLAS—In the wake of the news that Fox plans to pay $22 billion to acquire Roku, a new survey from Horowitz Research highlights how important streaming platforms have become in the connected TV ecosystem and reaffirms Roku's position as the most commonly used streaming platform among U.S. consumers.

According to "Horowitz Research’s State of Media, Entertainment, and Tech: State of Subscription’s 2026" report, nearly four in ten U.S. streaming platform users choose Roku to stream content, outpacing top competitors Amazon Fire TV and Samsung’s Smart Hub interfaces, each of which are used by almost one in three streamers.

While Roku leads in penetration and usage, the study also shows that consumers rate competing platforms more favorably across key experience measures.

For example, Amazon Fire TV outranks Roku on ease of finding content within the platform as well as lagging time, the ability to cast to screens, and the ad experience. Samsung outperforms on Wi-Fi connectivity and reliability. Both these systems outrank Roku on start-up speed and smart home integration.

While Google TV and Apple TV have less penetration within streaming households, both platforms fare better on key attributes compared to Roku.

“Roku’s acquisition by Fox is a strategic move designed to deliver younger viewers to the aging Fox demographic,” noted Adriana Waterston, executive vice president of insights and strategy for Horowitz Research. “But as the market for smart TV’s continues to evolve, we anticipate that consumers will increasingly choose their smart TV interfaces scrupulously, much like they do with their mobile devices. To continue to dominate the market, Roku will need to look not just as driving penetration but finessing their interface to meet the demands of Gen Z and younger consumers who will expect a robust, highly personalized, and tech-forward user experience.”

The study also found that “Roku’s new Ad Manager, which will enable smaller businesses to leverage hyper-local TV ads, is exciting because it democratizes access to CTV advertising for local and emerging brands,” she added. “However, it runs the risk of over-saturating the Roku viewing experience with repetitive, lower quality ads which could further alienate the younger audience that already has low tolerance for advertising.”

For more information about the "State of Media, Entertainment & Tech: Subscriptions 2026" report, visit: https://www.horowitzresearch.com/syndicated-research/state-of-media-subscriptions/.

NEW YORK, NY—WunderKIND Ads has released a new study analyzing the impact of Pause Ads compared with traditional CTV spots that show Pause Ads delivered nearly two times higher attention than standard 60-second CTV ads.

Pause Ads are ads that appear when users pause programming on CTVs.

Utilizing TVision attention data, the study analyzed millions of programmatic CTV impressions from WunderKIND Ads campaigns run via the OpenGlass platform. The data spanned top verticals—including Auto, QSR, CPG, and Travel—and covered hundreds of premium publishers across Dish, Philo, Plex, and more.

When broken out by category, Pause Ads outperformed traditional 60-second CTV spots across all 13 verticals analyzed. Automotive delivered the strongest results, generating 34.2 seconds of Attention Time versus 12.2 seconds for standard CTV video (+180.3%), followed by Technology at 33.3 seconds versus 12.8 seconds (+160.2%) and Restaurants at 34.0 seconds versus 13.5 seconds (+151.9%).

"Yes, these benchmarks are based on our campaigns, but the scale of the measurement analysis makes it incredibly valuable to the industry at large,” said Adam Gendelman vice president, head of sales, supply and operations at WunderKIND Ads. “We’re moving into the next phase of CTV advertising, where user-first formats are undoubtedly more effective than the historical foundation of interruptive fifteen- and thirty-second video spots.”

WunderKIND Ads’ programmatic solution, offered through OpenGlass’ advanced CTV platform, expands the company’s advertising footprint. These units seamlessly appear the moment a viewer pauses content, transforming a passive screen into an intentional, high-attention ad experience without disrupting the user experience.

More information is available at www.wunderkindads.com/

With the FIFA World Cup 2026 now underway, a new study from Harris Poll finds that half of Americans plan to watch at least one match on TV, streaming, or social media over the next 39 days and that the World Cup is driving increased interest in soccer among Americans.

Slightly more than half (52%) of Americans say hosting major international sporting events in North America is making them more interested in sports they would not normally follow, a figure that is much higher among millennials (70%) and Hispanics (70%).

In the case of soccer, the presence of the FIFA World Cup 2026 in North America is driving a large new fan base for soccer. More than one quarter (26%) said they only recently started getting more interested in soccer and that their interest was specifically as a result of this year's World Cup.

Of this new U.S. fan base, 72% said it was because they watched matches on TV or streaming and 65% said they wanted to support the U.S. team.

The study also found that even before the start of the World Cup this summer, 39% of U.S. adults are already interested in the 2026 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Overall the study found that 27% of Americans are more interested in soccer than they were a year ago. Among this audience, millennials are the core audience, with 62% interested in the World Cup compared to 57% of Gen Z and only 24% of boomers. Hispanics are the most engaged group, with 63% interested compared to 37% of white Americans.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Despite current economic pressures, consumers are watching more video entertainment than in the previous five years, but in a more fragmented media environment, according to TiVo’s Q4 2025 Video Trends Report.

Consumers are watching more video daily than at any time since the 2021 pandemic era, with households returning to an average of more than 10 video services in Q4 2025, TiVo said. This represents peak media consumption following a brief decline in 2024. For the quarter, viewing surpassed five hours per day and monthly entertainment spending rose to $161, reflecting year-over-year growth after a post-pandemic dip.

Looking at consumed content, local programming accounts for nearly 30% of total viewing time, an increase of approximately five percentage points year over year. Sports also remain a key driver of engagement, with nearly 60% of sports viewers relying on pay TV as their primary source. Live and local content continues to anchor viewing behavior in a notably fragmented environment.

“The findings reinforce that video serves as a historically resilient, high-priority category, even as the entertainment landscape grows increasingly fragmented and competitive,” TiVo said.

As entertainment ecosystems continue to expand, viewing preferences remain relatively stable. About half of respondents prefer that streaming services release an entire season at once, compared to roughly 20% who favor a weekly episode rollout, underscoring continued demand for convenience and flexible viewing experiences.

“Consumers are watching more video than ever before, but they’re enjoying that content across an increasingly fragmented mix of platforms and services,” said Geir Skaaden, chief products and services officer at Xperi. “As the entertainment ecosystem continues to expand, helping viewers easily discover and access the content they want has become more important than ever. For advertisers and platforms alike, delivering simple, seamless viewing experiences will be critical to reaching audiences and keeping them engaged.”

While viewing continues to expand across platforms, content discovery remains a growing challenge. As households manage more services, viewers are navigating a complex content ecosystem, with 40% of consumers checking two to three different apps before deciding what to watch. Discovery is also shifting beyond the platforms themselves, with word of mouth (49%) and social media (40%) most often influencing viewers. This reliance on external inputs, combined with increased fragmentation, is making content discovery less efficient and more frustrating for viewers.

“The number of viewing options available to consumers continues to grow, but what is most notable is how audiences are responding to that expansion,” Alan Wolk, TVREV’s co-founder and lead analyst, said. “Consumers are becoming more selective about where they spend their time and money, and entertainment services remain a priority. Live sports and local programming serve as important anchors, while the broader market is shifting toward simpler, more value-conscious viewing choices. The industry is entering a phase where effective curation and discovery matter just as much as scale.”

Additional report highlights:

• Ad-supported growth: More than half of consumers (54%) now use ad-supported subscription tiers, while AVOD/FAST adoption rose to 70% in Q4 2025, up five percentage points year over year. AVOD and FAST services now account for 13% of total viewing time.
• FAST audiences are watching more: The average FAST user now watches 7.5 channels, up more than two channels year over year. Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku Channel and Amazon Prime Video remain the leading FAST destinations.
• Discovery extends beyond apps: Smart TV home screens are becoming increasingly important gateways for content discovery and advertising, with owners spending 57% of their non-viewing time on the home screen.
• Consumers are prioritizing value: More than 35% of consumers routinely reassess subscriptions and viewing choices to balance cost, access and content availability.
• Fragmentation fuels discovery challenges: As the number of services grows, 40% of consumers report checking multiple apps before deciding what to watch.

The latest TiVo Video Trends Report (available here) surveyed 4,493 adults 18 and older living in the U.S. and Canada during the fourth quarter of 2025.

NEW YORK—They may have fallen short in the Western Conference finals, but the Oklahoma City Thunder topped the list of most-watched NBA teams in 2025-26, drawing 1.8 million viewers per game in the regular season, according to Nielsen viewing data.

The No. 2 team was the Los Angeles Lakers—the team that boasted the most-watched player, per Nielsen, in LeBron James—followed by the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks.

Another participant in this week’s NBA Finals, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama, trailed James as the league’s second-most-watched player.

Nielsen’s Spring 2026 “Tops of Sports’ report also noted double-digit growth in viewership across pro basketball (up 27%), NHL hockey (25%), auto racing (44%) and golf (12%*), fueled by new streaming and broadcast options, the massive popularity of global stars and changing ways that fans follow their favorite teams.

More specifically, the NBA’s average audience for regular-season games was up 27%, with the early rounds of the playoffs seeing a 10% bump. The league benefited from new media-rights deals that helped it reach younger viewers on streamers Prime Video, Peacock and ESPN Unlimited while still drawing larger audiences on broadcasters ABC and NBC and cable network ESPN.

The NHL is also experiencing a major boost, with average regular-season viewership up 25% to 540,000 viewers per game, and the first round of the playoffs up 77%, to 1.2 million viewers. The growth was bolstered by significant cultural moments involving hockey, such as the gold medal wins by the U.S. men’s and women’s ice hockey teams at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, Prime Video’s hit series “Off-Campus” and drama series “Heated Rivalry” on HBO Max, which notched nearly 2 billion streaming minutes in the first quarter, Nielsen said.

Followers of the NHL’s official TikTok account were up 83% this season, Nielsen reported. Further demonstrating America’s growing interest, the national TV debut of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) drew about 133,000 viewers to Ion, with 45% of the audience women 18-plus. In addition, demonstrating the buying power of hockey fans, NHL viewers rank No. 3 in median income among all sports watchers.

Last year’s Indianapolis 500 averaged more than 7 million viewers, the most in 17 years. The 2026 IndyCar season is already off to a strong start, with the first five races averaging 1.2 million viewers, 44% higher than the same period in 2025. Viewer interest is also rising, with 19% of respondents reporting being somewhat or very interested in IndyCar this March, up from 15% in March of 2023.

So far this year, the PGA Tour is averaging 1.5 million viewers. Efforts to evolve the franchise’s social media presence may be paying off, as Nielsen Scarborough data shows a steady increase in interest since 2023. *An influx of young Asian talent like Collin Morikawa, Akshay Bhatia, and Si Woo Kim looks to be helping to expand the tour’s audience, with Asian viewership to PGA Tour events up 12% so far this year.

RESTON, Va.—As media companies continue to grapple with the impact that AI is having on digital audiences and traffic, Comscore has released its first AI Intelligence Report for 2026 with new data highlighting a number of emerging trends.

The report shows the scale of breakout growth from Anthropic’s Claude platform. Based on Comscore’s panel data, the Q1 report revealed that Claude recorded 1,858% growth in desktop conversations between March 2026 and October 2025. While ChatGPT continues to lead the AI assistant category up 55% year over year, the report shows consumers are using a wider range of options.

The report also found that women are emerging as key drivers of mobile AI adoption across major generative AI tools. In March, women posted mobile index scores of 113 for ChatGPT, 123 for Copilot, and 118 for Gemini, the data showed. Men across those respective platforms had scores of 87, 77 and 82 over the same period, Comscore found. These findings further highlight the influence AI is having on a consumer’s on-the-go and day-to-day behavior.

“Comscore is providing some of the industry’s first visibility into AI-influenced intent behavior, as AI rapidly becomes the prime gateway for consumer awareness, attention, and decision-making,” said Smriti Sharma, executive vice president of analytics and managing director of Custom IQ at Comscore. “For brands and publishers, understanding how AI shapes discovery, which sources it references, and how those interactions translate into measurable business outcomes will be increasingly critical in the evolving digital landscape.”

Other key findings from the Comscore Q1 2026 AI Intelligence include:

• ChatGPT remained the category leader, reaching 244 million desktop conversations in March, up 55% year over year.
• ChatGPT also led in March with 87 million desktop visitors, compared to 44 million for Copilot and 30 million for Gemini.
• Claude reached 22 million desktop conversations in March, up 1,858% compared from October 2025, signaling growing consumer interest in alternative AI assistant experiences.
• In Q1 2026, AI assistant tools reached 36% of desktop users and 23% of mobile users.
• AI search is becoming a new discovery layer. U.S. desktop searches reached 76 billion in Q1 2026, up 10% versus Q1 2024, as AI search experiences became more integrated into traditional search behavior.
• AI is influencing high-consideration purchase journeys. In consumer credit cards, AI Overviews appeared alongside 46% of paid search ads in Q4 2025, up from 21% in Q2 2025. Over the past three quarters, approximately 25% of credit card applicants were exposed to AI Overviews, and roughly 5% applied directly from pages where AI Overviews appeared.
• Prompt behavior reveals how consumers refine decisions. In March 2026, users averaged 4.9 prompts per conversation on ChatGPT, 4.6 on Gemini and 7.1 on Copilot, showing that AI interactions are often multi-turn journeys rather than one-off queries.

The full AI Intelligence report for Q1 2026 is available for download here.

NEW YORK—A new study from S&P Global Market Intelligence is predicting that FIFA World Cup 2026, the first three-nation-hosted and expanded-format tournament, is projected to generate $9 billion in revenue, including $3.9 billion in media rights.

The record levels of revenue are being driven by an enlarged 48-team, 104-match schedule, premium US-hosted ticketing, and strengthened global media partnerships across major markets according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

The researchers noted that FIFA World Cup 2026 introduces the first format expansion in 28 years, increasing participation from 32 to 48 nations and total matches from 64 to 104, while being hosted across 16 cities in the US, Canada and Mexico.

That will drive projected revenue of approximately $9 billion for FIFA in the 2026 World Cup year, anchored by about $3.9 billion in broadcasting rights and complemented by strong growth in marketing rights and a substantial uplift in hospitality and ticketing.

For the four year cycle between 2023 and 2026, total revenue will hit $13 billion, up from $6.5 billion between 2019 and 2022.

The report also predicts global viewership and engagement are expected to reach unprecedented levels, with FIFA forecasting 6 billion engagements across TV, streaming and digital platforms, building on the 1.5 billion viewers for the Argentina–France 2022 final and surging digital consumption. In addition, more than five million in-stadium attendees are anticipated.

Other key highlights include:

• Non-men’s World Cup properties significantly bolster FIFA’s commercial cycle, with the Women’s World Cup, youth tournaments and the FIFA World Club Cup elevated through deals such as a $1 billion rights contract with DAZN in 2025 and a new USA–Canada streaming agreement with Netflix from 2027
• Strategic four-year planning and tier 1 marketing rights allocation across cycles enable FIFA to lock in long-term commercial partners, while confidence in US, Canada and Mexico as hosts supports forecasts that ticketing and hospitality for 2026 will outperform Qatar 2022 and exceed World Cup 2030 ticketing by $950 million.

LONDON—A new study from Ampere Analysis highlights a pain point for consumers as streaming services push to increase profits—audiences are waiting longer than ever for the return of their favorite original shows.

The average gap between seasons of scripted originals has almost doubled from 12 months in 2020 to 21 months in 2025, according to Ampere.

The U.K. researcher also found that while audiences remain loyal to hit titles such as Apple TV’s “Severance” and Netflix’s “Wednesday,” longer waits could fuel more subscriber churn if platforms fail to keep viewers engaged.

At the 2022 height of the streaming boom, the study found, major platforms released some 599 seasons of scripted original shows, compared to a combined 591 from 2015 to 2019.. But the demand for high-end, blockbuster-style content has significantly extended production timelines. In 2020, major SVOD platforms took an average of 12 months to release new seasons of original scripted shows. By 2025, the average wait had almost doubled to 21 months.

"Many original shows build highly dedicated audiences that remain loyal despite increasingly long waits between seasons,” Ampere Senior Analyst Christen Tamisin, said. “However, streamers need to balance blockbuster production timelines against a steady flow of content. Extended gaps may generate anticipation around flagship titles, but they can also encourage audiences to cancel subscriptions and return only when major shows are back on screen."

Other key findings include:

• Original shows with gaps of over 30 months between seasons have achieved the highest engagement in the premiere month of the new season. Shows including Apple TV’s “Severance” and Netflix’s “Wednesday” generated almost twice the average engagement levels despite lengthy waits between seasons.
• Genre matters. Sci-fi and fantasly titles, often involving complex, high-budget productions, perform strongly despite long waits between seasons. By contrast, comedy audiences are less willing to tolerate extended gaps, while crime and thriller content performs consistently across a range of release patterns.
• The long gaps between seasons may actually lead to higher engagement. Existing audiences often rewatch earlier seasons to refresh their memories, while new audiences continue discovering shows during the gap between releases.
• Viewing of Netflix megahit “Stranger Things” rose by 300% in the second half of 2025 ahead of the release of its fifth and final season. Particularly strong viewing for Season 1 suggests both new viewers discovering the series and existing fans revisiting earlier episodes.
• Despite strong engagement around returning shows, long gaps create risk. In Q1 2026 in the U.S., 54% of respondents said they would be likely to cancel a service subscription if they were not using it often enough. Long waits between seasons leave streaming platforms vulnerable to churn and encourage audiences to subscribe only when their favorite shows return.

NEW YORK—The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) has released a paper that explores how all ad impressions are not created equal, and how signals like attention and context have become increasingly important as buyers rethink how media should be valued in a signal-constrained ecosystem.

The “Quality Matters: Navigating Quality in Media Buying and Measurement” report advances the thesis that Media Quality (MQ) signals—the non-user-specific attributes of an ad placement such as attention and situational context—are becoming a critical link for valuing media in an increasingly signal-constrained ecosystem.

Authored by ad tech veteran Erez Levin, strategist Gabriel Dorosz and CIMM Managing Director Jon Watts, the paper contends that quality signals can better distinguish mere delivery from meaningful exposures.

At a time when traditional metrics like viewability and completion rates offer only partial insight, particularly in CTV, the paper calls for clearer, industry-aligned definitions and frameworks for Quality in media buying and measurement. It also outlines how these signals can be operationalized to better align media cost with true value across outcomes.

Based on those findings, CIMM said it will launch a structured program of industry consultation to identify practical pathways for applying Media Quality in real-world media buying and measurement.

This initiative will engage advertisers, agencies, publishers, and ad tech companies to surface key barriers, align on priorities, and define actionable next steps for advancing quality-based approaches across the marketplace, the group reported.

"CIMM’s mission is to illuminate emerging opportunities and challenges within the marketplace and help the industry make more informed decisions,” Watts said. “With CTV as the proving ground, this paper is intended as a catalyst for debate and action, providing the industry with the necessary structure and rigor to rethink the role and importance of quality signals in a fast-changing media marketplace. We believe this paper is an important contribution to the ongoing debate about media effectiveness and are excited to explore the opportunities to advance quality-based buying with the industry.”

Key takeaways from the paper include:

• Not all impressions deliver equal value: The attributes of a media placement such as visibility, context, and user experience materially influence outcomes and are currently underutilized in media valuation.
• Media Quality is becoming essential in a signal-constrained world: As identity-based targeting and attribution become less precise, Media Quality provides a scalable, privacy-safe way to assess the likely value of an impression.
• Effectiveness requires balancing short- and long-term outcomes: Over-optimizing for short-term performance can undermine brand growth and profitability. Media decisions must account for both.
• Better signals enable better pricing and allocation: Quality indicators such as attention and contextual factors can allow buyers to differentiate inventory and allocate budgets toward higher-value impressions.
• Quality is measurable and should be treated that way: Defining quality as “predictive efficacy” shifts it from a subjective concept to something that can be tested, validated, and optimized over time.
• Value exists on a spectrum, not a threshold: Moving beyond binary metrics like “viewable or not” can enable more precise alignment between cost and expected performance.
• CTV is the immediate opportunity: With wide variation in inventory quality and high CPMs, Connected TV is the clearest near-term use case for applying quality-based buying and measurement.

The paper was developed with input from marketing professionals and industry executives focused on attention and other quality metrics, both within and beyond CIMM.

To move Media Quality from theory to operational market practice, CIMM now plans to launch a structured industry initiative focused on practical implementation, validation, and standardization. The initiative will initially focus on connected TV (CTV), where variation in inventory quality, rising CPMs, and evolving programmatic infrastructure create the clearest near-term opportunity for quality-based buying and measurement.

The program will explore:

• The opportunities for greater alignment around the definitions, taxonomies, and core signals used to assess Media Quality across media buying and measurement workflows.
• The influence of Media Quality signals on campaign outcomes, pricing, allocation efficiency and long-term effectiveness.
• The need for practical guidance and operational frameworks to help stakeholders incorporate Media Quality into planning, buying, optimization, measurement, and reporting processes.
• The work will begin with a public industry webinar on June 8 introducing the paper and its findings, with ongoing working sessions facilitated through CIMM’s Innovation in Media Metrics Working Group.

CIMM expects to publish additional findings, implementation recommendations, and proposed industry frameworks later this year.

Download the full paper here.

NEW YORK—As the political debate over the amount of major sports on streaming platforms continues to heat up, a new analysis by Gracenote shows that sports has quickly become a foundational part of the subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) content mix and now makes up 5% of overall programming on leading services.

That is a major change from just 18 months ago. In November 2024, sports made up just 1.4% of the Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+ catalogs, according to the inaugural Gracenote Data Hub analysis. In the past 18 months, these five providers have more than doubled that distribution to 3.3%. With HBO Max now included in Gracenote’s analysis, sports rises to 5% of all content. There are now nearly 38,500 sports shows, episodes, sports games and events on the leading global SVOD services.

HBO Max currently offers the most sports content among major global streamers tracked by the Gracenote Data Hub, accounting for 35% of available sports. At the individual game and event level, HBO Max offers 42% of sports content.

After HBO Max, the next most sports-heavy destinations are Amazon Prime Video (25%), Netflix (16%) and Disney+ (14%). Focusing on the individual game and event level, Paramount+ emerged as the leader in sports programming in the Q1 2026 Data Hub, released in February. Now, Paramount+ is home to 30% of games, events and sports show episodes.

Newly added HBO Max jumps ahead of Paramount+ by offering 42% of this sports content. Paramount Skydance’s impending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery should make the new combined company a key player for streaming sports content globally.

Another key finding from the Q2 update is the number of FAST channels has increased by 19% year-over-year. Entertainment, sports, news and reality are the most predominant channel genres, with news channels exhibiting the most annual growth (57%) year-over-year. At the same time, FAST serves as a significant distribution channel for live sports from all over the world. More than one-third of content on sports channels on FAST (37%) is live sports events.

The Gracenote Data Hub analysis was expanded to include HBO Max as of the just released Q2 2026 update. Going forward, the service’s programming will be tracked quarterly alongside that of Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+, Netflix and Paramount+.

Launched in November 2024, the Gracenote Data Hub provides insight into the content available on the now six leading global SVOD services and 2,120 FAST channels. The resource taps Gracenote Global Video Data, the industry’s most comprehensive trove of content intelligence powering advanced content search, discovery and recommendations capabilities. Updated quarterly, the resource tracks how leading SVOD catalogs and FAST channels are evolving over time and what these shifts signal.

For more information, visit Gracenote.com.

NEW YORK—As more government regulators and digital platforms start to require disclosure of AI-generated content, a new study from MediaScience found that labeling a video ad as AI-generated does not hurt how it performs.

The results showed no decline in any performance measure and increase in AI creation awareness across all four labeling conditions tested. For well-made ads, disclosure is not the threat the industry assumed it was, the researchers reported.

The study comes at a time when the regulatory pressure around AI in video advertising is ramping up.

New York's AI Transparency in Advertising law takes effect June 2026. The EU AI Act introduces binding disclosure obligations in August 2026.

These developments raised important questions for advertisers, who have been wondering if compliance and labelling would impact ad performance.

To address those issues, the study tested four labeling approaches across 900 U.S. respondents, reflecting frameworks under active consideration by U.S. and EU legislators: a text label in the first three seconds of the ad, a delayed text label from seconds four through six, a full-duration text label and a full-duration icon. Each was tested against a control with no labeling.

The data shows no adverse change in ad performance across any of the labeling conditions. Brand choice, ad memory, brand recognition, brand attitude, ad liking, and perceived production quality all showed no significant difference from the no-label control, the MediaScience survey found.

"There has been a lot of anxiety in the industry about what happens when you tell people an ad was made with AI," said Dr. Duane Varan, CEO of MediaScience. "The data gives us a clear answer: if the creative is good, disclosure does not hurt it. Advertisers do not need to be afraid of the label."

Displaying a disclaimer during the first three seconds increased viewers' awareness that the content was AI-generated by 28%. Running the label continuously throughout the ad increased awareness by 36%.

While 42% of respondents preferred the visual icon, it was the least effective at increasing AI awareness. On ad memory, text labels outperformed the control score of 36 across all conditions: 46 for the 3-second label, 40 for the delayed label, and 49 for full-duration. The icon scored 38, near the control.

The study also found that audiences feel the strongest need for AI labeling when it generates humans (60%), followed by animals (46%), product placement (45%), and voices (45%).

The study was conducted by MediaScience in collaboration with the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute at Adelaide University, a marketing science academic center, and MediaPET.ai, an AI video content platform developed by MediaScience.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As consumers face mounting costs and higher inflation rates, with some major streaming services now costing more than $20 a month, new research indicates that consumers are paying more attention to bundles as a way of controlling their streaming costs.

Hub Entertainment Research’s annual “Best Bundle” study indicates that streaming prices are rising and consumers are feeling the pinch. Netflix, Disney+ and HBO Max have all raised their prices $1-$2 a month since 2025, focusing consumers to be more budget-conscious.

In response, the Hub survey found that half of consumers "strongly agree" that budget is the main factor they consider when buying entertainment services, up significantly from 41% last year.

In addition, more consumers believe that streamers are raising their prices more often compared to last year (49% vs. 44%).

"Studios know that bundles deliver stronger retention and reduce churn, giving them huge incentives to get consumers to sign on to these stickier bundles," says Jason Platt Zolov, Senior Consultant at Hub. "While saving money is the key driver, reminding consumers of the expanded content options and simplified billing can help to grow these bundles into the ideal TV packages of tomorrow."

The survey also found that for consumers, streaming bundles are not just about saving money—they also expand viewing options and simplify billing. Nearly half of consumers (44%) cited the simplicity of having one bill for multiple subscriptions as a top value driver for bundles.

Being able to "try more services" (32%) and bringing together "popular & niche services in one plan" (20%) are also key value drivers.

But the researchers also cautioned that bundle awareness has room to grow.

At most, only half of consumers have heard of the major streaming bundles, led by the Disney and HBO Max bundle variations. Second-tier streamer and sports bundles are recognized by just 1 out of 5 consumers.

As Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery more towards merging their operations and streaming offerings, the research found that consumers are split on how they might buy a Paramount+ and HBO Max bundle in the future. A third (32%) say they would subscribe to both services separately if offered together as a discounted bundle

Only one-in-five (19%) say they would subscribe to a single, combined service that had HBO Max and Paramount+ content in one app.

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “Best Bundle” report, based on a survey conducted among 1,600 US consumers ages 16-74 with broadband access. Interviews were conducted in March 2026. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

LONDON—Global connected TV (CTV) advertising revenue will surge from $44 billion in 2025 to $81 billion by 2030, with CTV ad revenues expected to surpass traditional linear TV advertising during the 2030s, according to new research by Omdia.

The researchers also reported that Google, Amazon and Netflix will dominate the TV landscape in the upcoming years. As the fight to “own the living room” enters a new phase, Google, Amazon and Netflix are projected to capture 50% of the global connected TV advertising market by 2030.

“The battle for the living room is no longer only about streaming content,” said Maria Rua Aguete, head of media and entertainment at Omdia. “It is increasingly about controlling the platform, the advertising layer, the operating system, the data and ultimately the consumer relationship.”

Aguete noted that television is becoming one of the most strategic gateways for digital advertising, retail media and commerce integration, with tech companies increasingly competing to control the TV interface itself.

The findings also highlight how the center of power in television is rapidly shifting away from traditional broadcasting toward streaming platforms, TV operating systems and advertising ecosystems. By the end of the decade Omdia reports that:

• Google is forecast to command 26% of global CTV advertising revenue.
• Amazon is expected to account for 13%.
• Netflix is projected to represent 9%.
• Combined, Google, Amazon, and Netflix will account for half of the entire global CTV advertising market by 2030.

The shift comes as media companies, streamers, retailers and technology giants race to secure premium positioning in connected households. Amazon is leveraging Prime Video and retail media integration to expand its TV advertising footprint, while Netflix continues to scale its advertising business globally through its ad-supported tier. Google remains dominant through YouTube’s massive connected TV reach and broader advertising infrastructure.

Omdia expects several trends to accelerate the transformation of television advertising over the next five years:

• Expansion of ad-supported streaming services
• Convergence of retail media and television advertising
• Growth in programmatic and targeted TV advertising
• Increasing importance of TV operating systems and smart TV ecosystems
• Greater competition for consumer attention and platform ownership

Omdia also revealed that the European TV operating system landscape is shifting rapidly. According to the research firm, VIDAA is becoming Europe’s third-largest TV operating system this year after Android TV and Tizen, overtaking several established competitors as manufacturers seek greater ownership of the smart TV experience.

“CTV companies are at risk of losing incredibly valued ground to these tech giants and many cannot afford to do so as the hardware business becomes increasingly unprofitable,” added David Tett, principal analyst at Omdia. “Strategies are needed to fight for their own advertising revenues in the new-look landscape and avoid ceding too much ground to players such as Google and Amazon.”

As the political debate heats up over sports rights shifting to streaming services like Netflix, analysts at LightShed Partners have released data showing that streaming has actually lowered the cost of accessing all the games on NFL by breaking up traditionally costly pay TV bundles into more affordable packages.

"Yes, NFL games are now spread across more services than ever," Richard Greenfield, Brandon Ross and Mark Kelley at LightShed Partners argue. "But streaming competition has splintered the old cable bundle, giving consumers the ability to pay only for what they want. The $1,000-to-watch-the-NFL figure being thrown around by President Trump, regulators, and members of Congress is not grounded in reality."

Their data, shown below, indicates that fans can “watch every NFL game this season, a total of 272 games, for as little as ~$600, or under $3 per game. Strip out Sunday Ticket and you can catch all national matchups plus your local games for $217 with an antenna, or under $400 entirely via a la carte streaming,” they argue.

Their analysis shows that all the games could be watched on an a la carte bundle of streaming services for about $618, or accessed on some of the skinnier bundles available from a streaming pay TV service (vMPVD) like YouTube TV or DirecTV for $806.

All of those options are much cheaper than the traditional pay TV bundles costing about $1005 on Charter's Spectrum.

LightShed partners released their analysis at a time when President Trump and FCC Chair Brendan Carr complained about the high cost of streaming NFL games and the FCC has opened a probe into major sports rights.

In response to the FCC's request for comments on the issue, the NAB and a number of major broadcasters have complained about the complexity high cost of streaming sports on streaming services.

In meetings with FCC staff, the NFL has attempted to rebut those views by arguing that its current policy of distributing media rights “benefits fans and local broadcasters in many ways” and that attempts to end league’s antitrust exemption would mean “higher costs and confusion” for consumers.

"To be fair, watching the NFL is more complicated than it used to be, as no single service has everything," the analysts concluded. "But consumers now have real choice, and for those willing to navigate multiple apps, the savings are meaningful. It is also worth remembering that before 2023, the ONLY way to watch every NFL game was DirecTV with a satellite dish bolted to your house, unless you could prove one would not work at your location. Streaming has been unambiguously pro-consumer."

NEW YORK—A new study from Gracenote highlights how ongoing problems with data and measurement are limiting the shift of ad budgets from linear TV to CTV advertising.

The new "TV Audiences Have Shifted. Ad Dollars Have Not: The Need for Content Intelligence in the CTV Era," report finds that 86% of U.S. media planners would move more linear budgets to CTV if show-level targeting and reporting were available.

The reallocation would not stop at traditional TV. Sixty-five percent say they would also consider shifting spend from programmatic video and 63% from display, suggesting richer content intelligence could help CTV win a greater share of digital ad spend across the broader media mix.

"Buyers aren't asking for more complexity — they're asking for the same transparency they've relied on for decades in linear TV," said Ryan Moore, chief business officer at Gracenote. "Bringing show-level visibility to CTV gives the channel a clearer path to bigger budgets, not just from linear but across the digital video ecosystem. When buyers have the insight to validate placement quality and prove impact, CTV becomes more accountable and competitive."

The report spotlights a major blind spot in connected TV that Gracenote defines as the CTV Data Gap.

While advertisers have embraced CTV's audience targeting, the market still lacks a standardized view of the programming attributes behind each ad impression. Without that content layer, buyers lose confidence at every stage — from planning to post-campaign reporting. This uncertainty makes decision-makers hesitant to fund CTV at scale, the researchers reported.

They also argue that the Gracenote Content Graph helps close this gap by giving advertisers a source-validated view of CTV inventory, including descriptors such as genre, rating and language, along with program-level metadata and unique content identifiers.

Additional findings from the report include:

• 89% of media planners anticipate shifting more budget from linear TV to CTV over the next 12 to 24 months, underscoring CTV's continued momentum.
• 100% of programmatic traders say show-level transparency is very or extremely important for ensuring brand safety and inventory quality in CTV.
• 95% of programmatic traders agree that the absence of show-level signals prevents them from advocating for more CTV budget during planning.
• 80% of traders would shift budget from audience-targeted to contextually targeted CTV with actionable content signals.
• 47% of media planners cite limited show- or content-level data as a primary barrier to moving more spend into CTV.

Advertisers, agencies and media partners can download the full report here.

MIAMI—The first-quarter edition of the OpenVault Broadband Insights (OVBI) report highlights a number of important trends in broadband usage, including the finding that median downstream fiber consumption is 3.15 times that of DOCSIS-based cable broadband networks during the four-hour evening period.

The study found that the highest ratio between fiber and DOCSIS median downstream use during Q1 2026 was 3.6 times at 6 p.m.

The report also notes that the widest absolute gap during any daypart is at 8 p.m., when median downstream fiber usage is 1.346 GB for fiber and DOCSIS is at 0.456 GB—a difference of 0.890 GB.

Using data collected by OpenVault’s network-agnostic broadband optimization solutions, the 1Q26 OVBI examines how fiber is becoming a pivotal factor in new consumption trends. The report also uses data from Aispire, a provider of consumption-centric intelligence, to provide insights into applications driving growth, particularly in the upstream.

Among the 1Q26 OVBI findings:

• Power Users: More than one-third (33.8%) of fiber customers are consuming 1 Terabyte or more of data per month, an increase of 35.1% over the 25.0% of Power Users on DOCSIS networks.
• Downstream: Average downstream fiber usage was 837.0 Gigabytes, 26.1% more than the 664.0 GB recorded by DOCSIS subscribers.
• Usage Drivers: Aispire data shows that cloud sync—especially for ChatGPT reasoning models, MS365 Copilot, Apple Intelligence and agentic AI workflows—is the dominant upstream category at 15–16% of classified upload volume, and up to 25.5% of upload traffic at the 1 Gbps-plus tier.
• Residential vs. Non-Residential: Residential subscribers run at a 23-to-1 download-to-upload ratio, with video comprising 48% of downloads. Nonresidential subscribers run at a 7.3-to-1 ratio, with cloud connections accounting for 20% of uploads.

“While almost half of residential traffic is video downloads, non-residential subscribers use cloud services that require symmetric fiber. Thus, the two market segments should be modeled separately for capacity planning,” the report noted. Further, “as fiber footprints expand, operators should anticipate a structural uplift in overall network demand.”

The entire report is available here.

OpenVault executives will be at Fiber Connect 2026 May 17-20 in Nashville, Tenn., and at ANGACOM May 19-21 in Cologne, Germany. Meetings at both shows can be arranged via email.

OpenVault Vice President, Operations Lauren Trudeau will speak on the “Leading the Future: Where Innovation Meets Influence” panel on Wednesday, May 20 (3 p.m. CET) on the ANGACOM Innovation Stage.

PLANO, Texas—Tubi, The Roku Channel and Pluto TV are the three top-rated U.S. free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms by monthly users, according to Parks Associates’ just-released Top 10 U.S. FAST Services list, as the category shows continued momentum in subscriber growth and engagement.

Parks released its ranking as its quarterly surveys of 8,000 U.S. internet households finds 46% of those homes regularly use FAST services to watch long-form video content, and as FAST channels continue to grow in popularity.

Dominant FAST service Tubi has a strong head start among category players, the rankings showed, significantly outpacing its competitors. The Roku Channel secured the second position, followed by Pluto TV, highlighting strong engagement across leading platform-backed services. Other notable performers include Samsung TV Plus and XUMO Play, which continued to scale their audiences amid growing consumer demand for free streaming options.

"FAST services are no longer a secondary viewing option, they are a central part of the streaming landscape," Parks Director, Entertainment Research Michael Goodman said. "The gap between leaders like Tubi and the rest of the market underscores the importance of content breadth, distribution partnerships and user experience in driving viewer engagement."

Midtier services such as LG Channels, ViX, and Local Now demonstrate steady traction, while WatchFree+ (Vizio) and Sling Freestream round out the Top 10 FAST List.

The data reflects a broader industry shift as consumers increasingly turn to free, ad-supported alternatives amid subscription fatigue and rising streaming costs. With advertisers following audiences into FAST environments, the sector is poised for continued growth through 2026 and beyond.

Goodman will present and share Parks Associates during back-to-back sessions at TVOT (TV of Tomorrow) Montreal 2026 at The Alt Hotel. On May 21, he will present on "CTV Advertising I: What's Working, What Isn't, and Why" at 9:55 a.m. and "CTV Advertising II: What's Next?" at 10:40 a.m.

Parks’ Streaming Video Tracker is a subscription service featuring monthly market updates, quarterly subscriber estimates for multiple streaming services in North America and access to an exclusive service portal where subscribers can search and view the data.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—Free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) has moved from the margins of the streaming landscape to the center of how Americans watch TV, according to a new study from Hub Entertainment Research.

The "FAST: Full Throttle” report finds that many U.S. TV viewers now use FAST services, and roughly half of those users now describe FAST as "must-have." The findings reframe free streaming as more than a down market compromise and reveal that FAST viewers are remarkably similar to the paying streaming customer.

“‘Free’ is a reason for people to try a service, but it’s not enough to create real engagement over the long term,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the authors of the study. “However, this research shows the library content most FASTs are built around is actually a selling point for many users, as is the low-friction user experience of services that often don’t even require you to create an account. As the cost of streaming — and everything else — keeps rising, free streaming will keep gaining ground.”

Other key findings from Hub’s inaugural FAST report include the fact that FAST is now a fixture, not a fallback.

A majority of TV viewers (55%) have used at least one FAST service, and roughly half of regular FAST users (46%) say those services are a “must-have” part of the entertainment ecosystem. Use is also sticky: 28% of FAST users say they watch every day.

In addition, FAST viewers aren't who the industry thought they would be, the study finds.

Free services were expected to appeal mainly to consumers who don’t care enough about TV to pay for it. The data says otherwise. FAST users spend just as much time watching TV: FAST viewers report watching about 24 hours of TV per week, statistically in line with the 22 hours watched by those who don’t use FAST platforms.

They also spend almost as much money: FAST users estimate they spend about $75 per month on TV services, only slightly less than non-FAST users ($84). Plus, 60% say they use FAST as a complement to their paid services, rather than a replacement for paid services.

These users are just as invested in TV: 67% say watching TV is an important part of their lives – the same percentage as among those who only use paid sources of TV.

“Free” is the biggest draw — but it’s not the only one. When asked to name the benefits of free streaming compared to other kinds of services, 87% of viewers mention the fact that they don’t cost anything to use. However, a near-frictionless experience (many FASTs don’t require a login at all) and the depth of the library content are also major factors.

Quick to access (40%) is important: Unlike pure SVOD services, viewers can find live streaming shows playing as soon as they open the app. To add, many free services don’t even require an account.

Easy to discover (33%): A third of users say that it’s easier to find new things to watch on FAST services than on other platforms.

Nostalgia viewing (32%): Free streaming skews more toward library content, and for many consumers, that’s the appeal: 46% of FAST users say they most often watch older shows, whether titles they’ve never seen or favorites they’re rewatching.

The researchers also found that FAST is a bridge between traditional TV and creator content — especially YouTube.

YouTube — once a home for cat videos — now sits atop the Nielsen Gauge as the most-watched streaming platform on TV sets. FAST services may be how traditional media companies follow viewers into that new kind of TV experience.

Free streaming users are more likely to watch YouTube: 85% of FAST users are also regular viewers of YouTube, compared with 66% of those who don’t use free streaming.

They’re more engaged with creator content in general: Half (48%) of free-streaming users say that creator content is a “must-have” part of their entertainment diet, compared with only 32% of non-users.

Free-streaming viewers are younger: 38% of FAST users are under the age of 35, compared to just 25% of those who don’t use free streaming.

Creator content can attract new users to long-form TV platforms: 59% of FAST users and 36% of non-users say they would try a new free streaming service if it offered creator content, they follow alongside traditional shows and movies.

“FAST is becoming the bridge between traditional television and the creator economy, and platforms like Tubi are proving that the model works,” said Yuliyana Beleva, Senior Research Analyst at Hub. “Viewers want simplicity, which is why a unified platform where creator content lives alongside traditional long-form TV is the natural next step. Creator content is no longer just a social media story — it's shaping the next chapter of free streaming.”

These findings are from Hub’s 2026 “FAST: Full Throttle” study, based on a survey conducted in February 2026 among 3,009 U.S. TV consumers — 2,500 monthly FAST users and 509 non-users. All respondents were age 16–74, watched at least five hours of TV per week, and had high-speed internet at home. Five qualitative in-depth interviews with monthly FAST users were also conducted in April 2026 to provide behavioral context to the survey results. A free excerpt of the findings is available on Hub’s website.

STAMFORD, Conn.—NBC Sports is reporting that it averaged 4.9 million viewers through its first 13 games of the NBA Playoffs on NBC and Peacock, which it said was up 58% vs. comparable coverage last year from April 19 to 28 and the most-watched for comparable windows since 1996.

The comparison is to games airing on other outlets because this is the first time in 24 years that NBC Sports is presenting the NBA Playoffs.

NBC Sports’ second week of NBA Playoffs coverage, April 25-28, averaged 4.9 million viewers for seven games across NBC and Peacock, the most-watched for comparable windows since 2001.

Following are viewership* highlights for NBC Sports’ NBA Playoffs coverage from Saturday, April 25, through Tuesday, April 28 (all viewership is Total Audience Delivery across NBC and Peacock unless noted):

• Thunder-Suns Game 3 (Saturday, April 25, 3:30-6:08 pm ET) averaged 3.3 million viewers, up 64% vs. the comparable game last year and making it the most-watched game in the comparable window since 2014. It peaked at 4.5 million viewers.
• Knicks-Hawks Game 4 (Saturday, April 25, 6:08-9:00 pm ET) peaked at 5.8 million viewers and averaged 5.3 million, up 58% vs. the comparable game last year and making it the most-watched game in the comparable window since 2001.
• Celtics-76ers Game 4 (Sunday, April 26, 7:00-9:38 pm ET) peaked at 7.0 million viewers and averaged 6.3 million for the game, making it the most-watched game of the 2026 NBA Playoffs to date and the most-watched First Round Game 4 in primetime ever.
• Lakers-Rockets Game 4 (Sunday, April 26, 9:38pm-12:20am ET) peaked at 7.2 million viewers -- the highest peak of the 2026 NBA Playoffs to date – and averaged 6.2 million for the game, up 128% vs. the comparable game last year and making it the second-most-watched game of the playoffs to date.
• The two-game average of 6.2 million viewers for Sunday, April 26 ranks as the most-watched second Sunday of the NBA Playoffs since 2002.
• Pistons-Magic Game 4 (Monday, April 27, 8:00-10:59 pm ET) peaked at 6.8 million viewers and averaged 5.4 million, up 155% vs. the comparable game last season and making it the most-watched Round 1 Game 4 on a weekday ever.
• Timberwolves-Nuggets Game 5 (Monday, April 27, 10:59pm-1:21am ET) peaked at 5.2 million viewers and averaged 3.9 million.
• Hawks-Knicks Game 5 (Tuesday, April 28, 8:07-10:52 pm ET) peaked at 4.3 million viewers and averaged 3.8 million viewers. It was the most-watched sporting event of the night.

NBC Sports also streamed two games on Peacock and NBCSN from April 25-28.

Source: Nielsen Big Data + Panel, and digital data from Adobe Analytic

Parks Associates’ latest streaming video research highlights what it is calling a “new era of streaming scale” with data showing that Paramount’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) would extend the combined company’s reach to 57% of all US internet households.

This deal would put it on par with the four streaming giants, Netflix, Google, Amazon, and Disney, which each reach nearly 60% of all consumers via their various platforms and services.

According to the latest data, nearly two-thirds (64%) of US internet households use Netflix, making it the most widely adopted streaming ecosystem. Amazon follows closely, with 61% of households engaging across its portfolio, including Prime Video and MGM+, while YouTube’s suite of services reaches 61% of households as well. Disney’s multi-platform strategy, including Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+, drives adoption among 58% of households.

“There is a clear shift in how consumers engage with streaming content,” said Michael Goodman, Director, Entertainment Research, Parks Associates. “Unless you are Netflix, it’s no longer about a single flagship service. Success increasingly depends on building a broad ecosystem of complementary offerings that keep viewers within a single brand family.”

Parks Associates provides monthly updates on the streaming ecosystem through multiple research services, including the Streaming Video Tracker. This research service delivers monthly reports on market and consumer trends, quarterly estimates on subscriber growth, and ongoing analysis on distribution strategies (e.g., film, broadcast, pay TV, SVOD, FAST, AVOD) and business models (e.g., licensing, subscription, advertising, transaction).

Parks Associates data also shows strong performance from hybrid and legacy media conglomerates. Fox, Comcast (Peacock), and Roku continue to build meaningful engagement through niche and free streaming platforms.

The findings highlight several ongoing major trends shaping the streaming industry:

• Ecosystem Advantage: Companies offering multiple services under one brand are better positioned to retain and grow audiences.
• Aggregation Strategy: Bundling across SVOD, AVOD, and live content is becoming a key competitive differentiator.
• Discovery Innovation: Improved navigation, recommendations, and AI-driven personalization will be critical to reducing churn.
• Parks Associates expects further consolidation and deeper integration across streaming portfolios as competition intensifies.

The Streaming Video Tracker is a comprehensive tool that tracks the streaming video services industry. This research provides extensive profiling for streaming video services in the US and Canada. It also estimates subscribers, viewers, and transactional users, including those that do not publicly release customer figures.

More information is available at https://www.parksassociates.com.

Pinterest has launched a new push into CTV advertising with the launch of tvScientific by Pinterest, which allows, for the first time, advertisers to reach Pinterest’s exclusive audiences on the biggest screen in the house, the connected TV.

The launch is notable as it is the first major offering to come out of Pinterest’s acquisition of TVScientific, which closed in February, and represents a major expansion of Pinterest’s ambitions to capitalize on the rapid growth of CTV advertising.

tvScientific by Pinterest brings together Pinterest’s unique first-party audiences and tvScientific’s performance advertising platform. The integration allows advertisers and agencies to target Pinterest’s outside of Pinterest on CTV and in streaming TV environments.

“Pinterest brings a distinct opportunity, with more than 600 million monthly active users and growing,” explained Lee Brown, chief business officer of Pinterest. “Because of how users search and shop on the platform, we can give advertisers new ways to reach people at every stage of the shopping journey, from discovery to buying, both on and off Pinterest.”

The launch comes at a time when streaming platforms have become a primary way consumers watch TV, movies, and other content, which has driven rapid growth in CTV advertising. Last year, CTV ad spend reached $32.45 billion in the United States and is expected to surpass linear TV ad spending, to more than $45 billion by 2028, Pinterest said.

More specifically, Pinterest reported that tvScientific by Pinterest is the first ad platform to offer direct access to Pinterest’s high-intent audiences for CTV campaigns. Advertisers can use Pinterest’s commercial intent signals to reach audiences across premium inventory on the biggest screen in the house, while also leveraging tvScientific's AI-powered optimization technology.

As a result, brands can reach their target audience at scale and drive measurable performance. On average, when tvScientific AI is enriched with Pinterest’s high-intent signals, it leads to a 27% increase in outcomes driven per $100 in spend, with purchases up 65%, Pinterest reported.

"The real opportunity for advertisers is turning consumer intent into action, and Pinterest's signals are unique because they reflect what people are planning, not just what they've already done," said Jason Fairchild, CEO of tvScientific by Pinterest. "Every month, there are more than 80 billion monthly searches on Pinterest and by bringing those signals into tvScientific, advertisers can run more precise CTV campaigns and optimize toward the business outcomes that matter most."

Early testing from advertisers demonstrates tvScientific by Pinterest’s scale and performance. For example, LG expanded its existing audience approach and delivered a 73% increase in unique households reached with access to Pinterest audiences. This additional reach drove a 24% lift in net new customers.

Pinterest said that this launch is the first step in a broader vision for a unified cross-screen advertising experience.

For more information, sign up for early access or sign their webinar.

NEW YORK—Nielsen has introduced Predictive Sales Lift, a new feature that helps marketers and agencies gain better insights into media campaign outcomes.

Nielsen said it is introducing this new capability to address marketers’ needs for a holistic view of campaign outcomes in a fragmented media landscape.

Available for current Nielsen One Ads customers, the new offering predicts sales lift and incremental revenue for a given Nielsen One Ads campaign. It utilizes key campaign measurement performance indicators (such as reach, impression count, distribution of impressions across platforms) and brand characteristics (such as category, brand size and the purchase frequency the campaign is targeting) to deliver these predictions.

Predictive Sales Lift utilizes sales lift results from hundreds of historical Nielsen One Ads campaigns as the basis for its analysis and predictions, Nielsen explained. This new feature will be live for general availability in May.

“Predictive Sales Lift is a major outcomes differentiator because it gives our clients a full-funnel view of campaign performance, underpinned by our Nielsen One measurement foundation, expertise and insights,” said Nichole Henderson, senior vice president of Global Measurement & Outcomes Product, Nielsen. “The industry is headed towards an outcomes-driven future and this is the latest proof point of how we continue to deliver for our clients and the industry on this front.”

Predictive Sales Lift can be applied to media types spanning digital and CTV.

Industry verticals that may find this solution to be especially useful include retail, financial services, technology, telecommunications, travel and tourism, media and entertainment and healthcare and pharmaceuticals, Nielsen said.

This solution is presently available only in the U.S.

In another sign of the growing importance of video podcasting, a new analysis from S&P Global Market Intelligence shows that podcast listening in the United States is experiencing significant growth, increasing 10 percentage points in early 2026, with nearly 60% of US online adults now reporting they listen to podcasts.

S&P Global Market Intelligence attributed the surge in usage to the evolving landscape of podcast content and the rising popularity of video podcast platforms.

Other highlights from the analysis include:

• Age emerged as the clearest differentiator for podcast consumption patterns, with respondents aged 55+ comprising 44% of the survey population but accounting for only 17% of listeners. The 25-34 age group forms the largest single segment of podcast listeners, representing a significant generational gap in adoption. Meanwhile, the 65+ age group showed the smallest engagement at just 7% of total survey participants.
• Gender strongly shapes genre selection, with 75% of sports podcast listeners being male and 63% of true crime listeners being female. News & politics dominates as the most popular category, followed by comedy, sports, and true crime. Health and wellness content attracts a 59% female audience, while business and entrepreneurship podcasts draw a 66% male audience.
• Video podcasts are reshaping consumption habits, with 62% of podcast listeners reporting they watch video podcasts on YouTube, followed by Netflix at 34%, Spotify at 23%, and Apple at 11%.
• Platform usage shows Spotify leading the market at 45% of podcast listeners in 2026, up from 40% in 2025, with YouTube Music at 39% and Amazon Prime Music at 30%. Listening behavior demonstrates high engagement, with 67% of the podcast audience tuning in at least weekly, and 69% of listening occurring at home. Apple Podcasts maintained steady usage at 23% for both years.

CHICAGO, Ill.—Weigel Broadcasting Co. has announced that it has started working with OpenAP in the run-up to the Upfronts to provide advertisers with better data and access to inventory on its portfolio of television networks, which include including MeTV, Heroes & Icons, Start TV, Dabl, Catchy Comedy, Story Television, MeTV Toons, MOVIES!, and WEST.

Launching ahead of the 2026 Upfront season, the partnership marks a significant step in Weigel’s move beyond traditional demographics to towards audience-based buying, which it says will enable advertisers to engage high-value, and often unexposed, audiences across its portfolio with greater precision, consistency and scale.

With OpenAP, Weigel Broadcasting Co. advertisers have the ability to define audiences once and activate seamlessly across its portfolio of content, with the flexibility to activate through direct insertion order (IO), programmatic guaranteed (PG) or private marketplace (PMP) transactions.

“Combined with recent announcements regarding datafuelX and VideoAmp, our partnership with OpenAP represents an important step forward in how we bring advanced capabilities to market as we aim to help our clients simplify cross-platform buying and deliver measurable outcomes with greater impact more efficiently,” said John Hendricks, executive vice-president, Weigel Broadcasting Co.

For more information, visit www.openap.tv and https://www.weigelbroadcasting.com/.

NEW YORK—Nielsen and the local TV advertising platform Locality have announced the integration of Nielsen’s Media Data Engine (MDE) into Locality’s broadcast advertising infrastructure.

The partnership accelerates demographic audience delivery and modernizes local television measurement in the U.S., the two companies reported.

With the Integration, Locality becomes the first broadcast sales organization to implement Nielsen’s MDE offering at scale, enabling demographic audience delivery across all U.S. local markets to within four days of airing. Previously, this process took weeks.

The integration will also bring greater speed, consistency, and predictive capabilities to local broadcast campaigns.

“This partnership marks a major step forward for local broadcast,” said Ann Hailer, president of Broadcast at Locality. “For decades, local television has operated on delayed reporting cycles that limited agility and optimization. By integrating Nielsen’s Media Data Engine directly into our infrastructure, we are accelerating access to trusted audience insights and enabling advertisers and stations to make faster, more informed decisions across local markets.”

Nielsen’s MDE is a next-generation data infrastructure designed to improve the timeliness and scalability of measurement. Through this integration, Locality gains streamlined access to Nielsen Local TV data across all 210 local markets, enabling more responsive campaign planning, in-flight optimization, and performance monitoring.

“Local advertisers and broadcasters need the same level of speed and insight that has transformed national and digital media,” said Paul LeFort, managing director of Nielsen’s Local TV Client Services. “Our Media Data Engine was built to power the future of audience measurement and only Nielsen can reliably measure different demographics, including at the local level. By teaming up with Locality, we are introducing a new level of sophistication, innovation and possibilities for the entire local ad ecosystem.”

The integration reflects a broader shift toward converged planning and more dynamic campaign management. By speeding up access to demographic audience insights, Locality and Nielsen are enabling local broadcast to operate with greater transparency, comparability, and responsiveness across markets.

The partnership also lays the groundwork for future innovation, including predictive analytics, AI-driven modeling, and more advanced audience-based applications in linear television.

“This partnership is about building the infrastructure for the next generation of local advertising,” said Michael Collins, CEO of Locality. “Together with Nielsen, we are redefining what’s possible for local media, bringing broadcast measurement into a more modern, intelligent era.”

The integration is now live across all local markets.

DALLAS—As cord cutting continues and pay TV operators look to find ways to hang onto existing subscribers, Parks Associates has released a new survey that highlights the top reasons for keeping a pay TV service.

The white paper, “Unified Streaming: Unlocking Next-Gen Advertising”, developed in partnership with Philo found having access to live programming was one important factor, with 44% saying they wanted access to live news and programming and 39% reporting that they wanted live sports.

Another important factor was the advantages of having a unified video platform that bundles services and aggregates programming. About 38% cited the fact that they bundled video packages with internet access; 33% of pay-TV subscribers say they keep pay TV services because they can find more of the content they want all in one place.

The shift in consumer sentiment towards appreciating the value of bundles and aggregated content is somewhat ironic given the fact that bloated costly programming packages and bundles were one of the early factors driving cord cutting.

"Aggregation is now a strategic advantage," said Elizabeth Parks, president and CMO, Parks Associates. "Unified platforms simplify discovery, deepen engagement, and provide advertisers with more consistent measurement and targeting capabilities. A key finding of our research shows the strength of streaming TV (vMVPD) audiences as a foundation for next-generation advertising."

Other key findings include:

• The average US internet household subscribes to 5.3 streaming services, contributing to growing complexity and "decision fatigue."
• More than 300 streaming services exist in the US market, reinforcing fragmentation challenges.
• Streaming TV is the anchor for the unified video platform, and its users are far more likely to engage with interactive ad formats, creating new opportunities in advertising innovation:
• 55% of streaming TV subscribers are interested in clicking on items in content for more information vs. 31% of non-vMVPD subscribers.
• 51% are interested in clicking on items in ads vs. 27% of non-users.
• 49% are interested in shopping for special merchandise/memorabilia related to a show or sporting event vs. 23% of non-users.

"vMVPD subscribers, like Philo's lifestyle and entertainment viewers, are watching longer than nearly anyone else in streaming. What this research confirms is what our advertising partners already see in their results: sustained, engaged viewing creates some of the strongest environments for CTV advertising," said Reed Barker, head of advertising, Philo.

The research also highlighted the growing importance of hybrid monetization models, combining subscription, ad-supported, and transactional offerings. These models allow providers to balance profitability with audience growth while delivering more flexible viewing experiences.

In addition, the white paper identifies lifestyle content as a major opportunity for advertisers. These audiences show strong alignment with commerce-driven advertising, with higher-than-average mobile purchasing behavior and interest in interactive features.

NEW YORK—A new survey from Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) finds that TV news remains the most consumed, most trusted news source and that key consumer groups for advertisers are more likely to turn to TV rather than social media for breaking news.

The new report called “That’s The Way It Is: How TV News Provides Scale, Attention & Engagement For High-Value Audiences” explores viewership of TV news versus other media platforms among three key audiences valued by advertisers: adults 35-54, individuals in $100K+ households and full-time employed adults.

The report—based on findings from a December 2025 survey conducted in partnership with Dynata of 2,319 U.S. adults—found that about half of these audience cohorts — 52% of those aged 35-54, 46% individuals in households making more than $100,000 a year and 56% of full-time employed adults — are watching more TV news compared to the previous year.

They are also much more likely to go to TV news first over social media for breaking news coverage and updates on major news stories. TV news is also their top source by far for vital information that personally impacts their daily lives, like weather and traffic.

“Multiscreen TV news plays a central role in keeping influential audiences informed,” said Jason Wiese, executive vice president of strategic insights and measurement, VAB. “From breaking headlines and defining political moments to local community updates, multiscreen TV news keeps key audiences connected to the stories shaping their world. In a media environment filled with misinformation and noise, it continues to stand out for its quality, reliability, accuracy and integrity.”

“The results underscore the value of multiscreen TV news as a credible, brand-safe platform for reaching influential audiences at scale, especially in comparison with social platforms and technologies like AI,” added Wiese. “Across linear and streaming, multiscreen TV news offers advertisers an environment that pairs trust and attention with meaningful consumer engagement and action.”

The VAB researchers described the other key findings as follows:

• Viewers are more than twice as likely to have a higher opinion of the advertisers in local TV news. Additionally, high-income households and employed viewers are more than 2x more likely to buy from advertisers seen during national TV news.
• Collectively, households with an income of $100K+ are almost 13x more likely to trust TV news than social media platforms — with TV the most trusted news source as both local and national TV far outpace search, social media and AI across these audiences.
• Social media is seen as a far greater source of false information — with 46% of A35–54, 58% of HHI $100K+ and 50% of full-time employed adults saying it is the most likely to provide fake or misleading information, compared to 20%, 13% and 17% who say TV.
• TV offers a range of engaging political content throughout the election season, and that heightened viewer engagement increases the likelihood of buying from advertisers that are adjacent to political programming or political ads. In fact, high-income households are 114% more likely to buy from advertisers during a political debate or town hall.

The full report—which includes in-depth data, charts and analysis—here.

CHANTILLY, Va.—BIA Advisory Services has revised its 2026 U.S. Local Advertising Forecast (released in Q4 2025), projecting total local ad revenue to reach $184.5 billion, reflecting approximately 8.1% year-over-year growth compared with 2025.

BIA said the increase over the prior estimate of $181.7 billion is driven by stronger-than-expected performance in mobile (particularly social), video, and streaming, political ad spend, and advertising technology.

“Our updated forecast reflects continued momentum in social and connected and over the top television, which are capturing a growing share of local advertising budgets,” said Senan Mele, vice president of forecasting and data analysis, BIA Advisory Services. “At the same time, traditional media such as broadcast television, cable and radio remain essential, providing the scale, credibility, and local connection that advertisers rely on to drive awareness and demand.”

Political advertising will drive key spending this year. BIA projects approximately $8.4 billion in local political spending, creating substantial revenue opportunities across broadcast television, linear cable, CTV/OTT, radio, and direct mail.

BIA’s forecast also points to two growth factors driving the local advertising economy: near-term revenue from political spending and long-term growth fueled by key verticals, including real estate, restaurants, travel, retail, and financial services. Total local advertising is projected to exceed $222 billion by 2030, according to BIA’s forecast.

“The local advertising marketplace continues to reflect a K-shaped consumer economy,” said Rick Ducey, managing director, BIA Advisory Services. “Stronger spending from higher-income households is supporting discretionary categories like travel, leisure, and automotive, while value-oriented spending is shaping demand in retail, restaurants, and essential services.”

The forecast update also underscores the ongoing transformation of the media mix. Growth is being driven by digital channels – particularly mobile, social, and connected TV – while traditional media continues to play a critical role in delivering reach and brand impact.

While some legacy formats, including print, continue to face long-term declines, others are evolving, the researchers reported.

Across the market, advertisers are increasingly adopting full-funnel strategies, combining high-reach media such as cable, broadcast, and OOH with data-driven digital channels to drive both awareness and measurable outcomes. Radio also remains a stable local medium, with additional opportunities emerging through digital audio, including streaming and podcasts.

“Overall, the local advertising market is not contracting; it is transforming. The most successful media companies will be those that can combine local audience scale with targeting, optimization, and measurement to capture both cyclical political spending and ongoing demand from growth-oriented verticals,” added Mele.

As part of this forecast update, BIA has enhanced its methodology to better reflect changes in the marketplace, including adding Digital Out of Home (DOOH) as a distinct media category within the forecast, rather than grouping it with traditional Out of Home (OOH). This change highlights the increasing importance of digital, programmatic, and location-based media in local campaigns.

More information is available at http://bia.com.

NEW YORK—TelevisaUnivision has concluded a new, multi-year measurement and data agreement with Nielsen covering all of TelevisaUnivision’s properties, including its national and local broadcast, cable, streaming, radio operations.

“Measurement continues to evolve, and it is critical that it accurately reflects the scale, value, and influence of Hispanic audiences across platforms. We are pleased to continue working with Nielsen to support cross-platform measurement and to help ensure that brands and agencies can fully understand the audiences we reach every day,” said Tim Natividad, president of U.S. Advertising Sales and Marketing at TelevisaUnivision.

Services for the deal include Advanced Audiences, Ad-Supported Streaming Platform Ratings, Nielsen ONE Ads for Connected Television, and National out-of-home expansion.

TelevisaUnivision is home to the industry’s leading Spanish-language properties, including its flagship U.S. networks Univision, UNIMÁS, and TUDN, ViX, the world’s largest Spanish-language streaming service, and local affiliates across the country.

The new partnership follows several viewership milestones for TelevisaUnivision in early 2026, including Univision’s lead as the most-watched Spanish-language network in the U.S., N+ Univision programming leading February as the most-watched Spanish-language news; Premio Lo Nuestro ranking as the most-watched awards show among U.S. Hispanics for 34 consecutive years; and record-breaking audiences for soccer coverage across platforms.

LONDON—Global streaming subscription revenue surpassed $150 billion for the first time in 2025, according to new research from Ampere Analysis, marking a major milestone for the subscription OTT market.

That means subscription revenues have tripled since 2020 when they first hit $50 billion.

The report also highlighted the fact that while international expansion remains an important driver of the market, platforms are increasingly focusing on monetization through price increases and the rollout of ad-supported tiers, particularly in mature markets.

As ad-free subscriber numbers stabilize, hybrid subscription and advertising models are playing an increasingly important role in revenue growth, the researchers noted.

Total streaming revenue, including both advertising and subscription revenue, generated $177 billion globally in 2025. As adoption of ad tiers grows and platforms expand their ad loads, advertising is expected to become an increasingly important revenue stream, adding a further $42 billion in annual revenue by 2030.

Lauren Liversedge, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis, explained that “as the streaming market matures, the emphasis is no longer on pure subscriber growth but on extracting greater value from existing audiences. Price optimization and the rise of ad-supported tiers are driving revenue growth, particularly in the most competitive markets.”

Other key findings included:

• Global streaming subscription revenue grew by 14% in 2025 to reach a total of $157.1 billion, a milestone for the industry. The total has tripled in just five years, surpassing $50 billion in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The international expansion of global streaming services, the rollout of ad-supported tiers, and consistent price increases across major platforms have contributed to the increase.
• Subscription revenue is forecast to grow by a further 29% over the next five
• years, surpassing $200 billion globally by 2030.
• The US remains the largest driver of the sector, accounting for 50% of global streaming subscription revenue in 2025.
• Netflix is the largest contributor in the US market, with revenues up by 14% in 2025 following an across-the-board price increase at the start of the year.
• In more crowded markets such as North America and Western Europe, the next phase of expansion is increasingly driven by ad-tier subscriptions. Share of total revenue from these tiers has risen rapidly over the past five years, up from less than 5% in 2020 to 28% in 2025. This reflects the ongoing shift toward hybrid subscription and advertising business models.

Apogee Insight has announced the acquisition of PMA Research, a longstanding provider of market intelligence in the professional video projector and display market sectors.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In making the announcement, the two companies reported that the acquisition ensures continuity of PMA’s trusted research services while expanding resources, analytics capabilities, and coverage into new and rapidly growing areas.

“PMA Research has earned its reputation over decades as the definitive source of display market intelligence,” said Lee Dodson, co-principal of Apogee Insight. “Our priority is to preserve that legacy and build on it — expanding the scope of research, strengthening the data foundation, and giving our clients deeper insight into a display market that continues to evolve.”

PMA Research traces its origins to Pacific Media Associates, founded by Dr. Bill Coggshall, whose pioneering work established the industry standard for tracking and analyzing the global projector market. The company was renamed PMA Research in 2013 when longtime industry leader Nick Rogers assumed leadership following Dr. Coggshall’s retirement. With Rogers now retiring, Apogee Insight has acquired the PMA Research organization, including its extensive historical datasets, experienced research team, and its well-known portfolio of industry reports and services.

PMA Research will continue to operate with the same commitment to accuracy, independence, and integrity that has made it a trusted source for manufacturers, distributors, and channel partners worldwide. The existing PMA team will remain in place, including regional staff in Japan and Taiwan, ensuring uninterrupted service for clients.

Apogee Insight founders Lee Dodson and Sean Wargo will direct the organization going forward, expanding the research portfolio while investing in modern analytics technologies and additional proprietary data sources to support the evolving display market. Lee will serve as COO and Sean will serve as CAO - chief analytics officer, of PMA Research.

The acquisition will allow the organization to extend its coverage beyond displays and into adjacent and emerging categories. The combination of PMA Research’s syndicated data portfolio and Apogee Insight’s applied research and survey capabilities will offer the ability for companies to take the PMA Research resources farther than ever before while adding deep proprietary industry data to Apogee Insight, the two companies said.

“The display industry today spans far more technologies than when PMA first began tracking projectors,” said Sean Wargo, co-principal of Apogee Insight. “By combining PMA’s unmatched historical data with Apogee Insight’s analytics capabilities and expanded data sources, we can deliver a clearer, more complete view of more of the market while maintaining the integrity clients have always relied on.”

Nick Rogers, who has led PMA Research since 2013, will retire following the transition. “It has been a privilege to lead PMA Research and to work alongside such a talented and dedicated team,” said Rogers, “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve built together over the years and the trust the industry has placed in our work. As I step into retirement, I’m confident that PMA’s future is in great hands with Lee Dodson and Sean Wargo. Their experience, vision, and commitment to the integrity of the research make them the right leaders to guide the organization into its next chapter.”

Clients will continue to receive the same PMA Research reports, data services, and analyst support they rely on today, with additional offerings to be introduced as the combined organization expands its capabilities.

As streaming services continue to boost their profitability with price hikes, more ads and cost-conscious programming budgets, Deloitte’s annual “Digital Media Trends” survey indicates a growing level of frustration with the offerings of streaming services and their cost.

This year’s survey finds that while spending on streaming services has remained flat year-over-year, 61% of respondents report they would cancel their favorite service if monthly prices increased by $5. The survey also reported that a very large majority (73%) are “frustrated” with price hikes and that the number of subscribers churning in and out of SVOD services in the last six months rose to 41% from 39% last year.

Increasingly cash strapped consumers are also controlling their spending on streaming services. The average subscribing household reports spending $69 per month on streaming video services (streaming services), consistent year-over-year.

Meanwhile, ad-supported streaming grows: Around two-thirds (68%) of streaming subscribers now pay for ad an increase of over 20 percentage points from 2024, reflecting rising price sensitivity and a growing willingness to trade ads for lower monthly subscription costs.

On the bright side, the researchers noted that fans are emerging as an important driver of growth: Most consumers (around 80%) identify as "fans" and spend $71 per month, or 27% more, on streaming services compared with $56 for non-fans, demonstrating the strategic importance of this group.

"Fandom doesn't end when a season does — it carries forward, fueled by the stories, teams, and creators fans love,” said Doug Van Dyke, vice chair and U.S. telecom, media and entertainment sector leader, Deloitte. “As some consumers plan to spend less on streaming services, passionate fans have the potential to become even more valuable, investing time, money and energy across platforms. AI can be harnessed to understand what fans care about, anticipate what they want next, and bring together content, community, and commerce in ways that feel personal. The providers that do this well may do more than just capture attention — they can earn loyalty that lasts."

The Deloitte researchers described the other key findings as follows:

• Streaming's next chapter: As subscription growth slows, ad-supported tiers take the lead. Ad-supported streaming has moved decisively into the mainstream. As costs have risen over time, ad-supported tiers have emerged not just as a budget alternative, but as a primary engine of subscriber growth and engagement, especially as many consumers grow more cautious about recurring expenses and frustrated with rising prices.
• The majority (68%) of SVOD subscribers now have at least one ad-supported tier — up from 46% in 2024 — with double-digit growth across every generation.
• While the broader streaming market remains steady, value for media and entertainment companies can be unlocked by further engaging fans. Deloitte found that around 80% of consumers identify as fans of at least one category — music, sports, TV shows and movies, video games, and more.
• Fans are a distinct and economically meaningful consumer segment. Compared with non-fans, they invest more time and money in entertainment and participate more broadly across streaming, gaming, and music platforms. Importantly, fandom is not fleeting or confined to younger audiences — for many, the time and money they devote to the team, artist, content, or creator they love remains consistent over time.
• Fans say they spend an average of $71 per month on streaming subscriptions, 27% more than non-fans, who report spending an average of $56 per month.
• Fans report spending almost an hour more (51 additional minutes, or 16% more time) per day on entertainment activities compared to non-fans.
• Almost half (49%) of fans report sustained engagement with their fandom (in terms of time and money spent) throughout their lives.
• More than half of fans (55%) say that being a fan leads them to engage across multiple platforms; this figure rises to roughly 70% among Gen Z and millennial fans.
• Streaming services need to differentiate themselves through personalization. Fans don't just watch — they stay invested. They're clear about what they want: streaming platforms that are easier to navigate, more connected, and more personalized. Increasingly, they're looking for experiences year-round that extend beyond a single moment, whether it's a premiere, a championship game, or a concert. When those moments pass, fans often turn to other spaces besides streaming platforms for deeper experiences and communities built around the shows, sports, bands, and creators they love. Platforms that nurture fandom on an ongoing basis can keep fans engaged longer, help them feel understood, and grow their audience over time.
• More than half of fans (52%) say social platforms are their primary way of discovering new content — rising to 73% among Gen Z fans — yet 44% say they typically discover content on social and then go elsewhere to watch, listen, or purchase the full version.
• Almost half (49%) of fans surveyed say ads would be more effective if tailored to their fandoms. Some fans are open to AI-generated advertisements, with around a third saying they "don't care" if ads are made by GenAI.
• 40% of fans (49% of Gen Z and millennial fans) wish they could aggregate all their favorite fan content into one place.
• AI can help enrich the fan experience: 27% of fans say they'd like personalized, AI-generated digests of streaming, social, podcast, and actor updates about their favorite shows and franchises. Around a quarter of fans (24%) say they would like the option to co-create content with GenAI, like developing alternative endings to shows or movies. A similar share also say they'd be willing to interact with virtual AI personalities if they were interesting or informative.

The 20th edition of Deloitte's "Digital Media Trends" report is based on a survey of 3,575 consumers, age 14 and older, fielded by an independent research firm in October and November 2025.

It is available here.

For additional details and data, visit Deloitte's Digital Media Monitor, which provides a longitudinal view of U.S. consumers' engagement and spending on media and entertainment products, services, and subscriptions.

NEW YORK—A new study reported that despite record streaming viewership and soaring ad spend, most connected TV advertising still relies on decades-old formats, which leaves billions in potential brand impact untapped, according to TripleLift

The new industry report released by TripleLift finds that 49% of CTV advertising still relies on traditional placements, with most campaigns built around 15- and 30-second video spots originally designed for linear TV.

"CTV is one of the fastest-growing channels in media, but creatively it's still operating like the three-network era," said Dave Helmreich, CEO of TripleLift. "The industry promised the best of TV and digital. Instead, we recreated traditional commercials in a new pipe."

The report, "The Architecture of Attention: Why Nonstandard CTV Is the New Standard for Impact," argues that despite the explosive growth of streaming, the ad formats on those platforms remain rooted in decades-old creative models.

The study notes that ad-supported streaming has rapidly become the dominant model for connected TV, accounting for 74.2% of overall TV viewing and that global advertising spend is expected to follow a similar trajectory, with CTV ad spending projected to surpass linear television by 2030, according to WARC.

Yet despite this transformation in viewing habits, the advertising experience itself has barely changed. Most brands continue to run traditional TV-style commercials in streaming environments - even though CTV enables the creation of entirely new types of advertising experiences.

The research suggests that advertisers may be leaving significant performance gains on the table. The study noted that campaigns that combine traditional CTV spots with high-impact formats—such as pause ads, overlays, and native streaming units—deliver dramatically stronger outcomes than standard video ads alone.

Key findings of the report include:

• +33% increase in brand recall when high-impact formats run alongside standard CTV spots
• 11× higher brand consideration vs. industry benchmarks
• +76% purchase intent when campaigns include multiple innovative CTV formats
• Consumers are also receptive to these formats. The study found that 67% of viewers say innovative CTV ads are more memorable than standard ones, while 77% describe pause ads as informative rather than disruptive.

NEW YORK—Despite record streaming viewership and soaring ad spend, a new study indicates that most connected TV advertising still relies on decades-old formats, which the researchers at TripleLift said leaves billions in potential brand impact untapped.

The TripleLift study finds that 49% of CTV advertising still relies on traditional placements, with most campaigns built around 15- and 30-second video spots originally designed for linear TV.

"CTV is one of the fastest-growing channels in media, but creatively it's still operating like the three-network era," said Dave Helmreich, CEO of TripleLift. "The industry promised the best of TV and digital. Instead, we recreated traditional commercials in a new pipe."

The report, "The Architecture of Attention: Why Nonstandard CTV Is the New Standard for Impact," argues that despite the explosive growth of streaming, the ad formats on those platforms remain rooted in decades-old creative models.

The study notes that ad-supported streaming has rapidly become the dominant model for connected TV, accounting for 74.2% of overall TV viewing and that global advertising spend is expected to follow a similar trajectory, with CTV ad spending projected to surpass linear television by 2030, according to WARC.

Yet despite this transformation in viewing habits, the advertising experience itself has barely changed. Most brands continue to run traditional TV-style commercials in streaming environments - even though CTV enables the creation of entirely new types of advertising experiences.

The research suggests that advertisers may be leaving significant performance gains on the table. The study noted that campaigns that combine traditional CTV spots with high-impact formats—such as pause ads, overlays, and native streaming units—deliver dramatically stronger outcomes than standard video ads alone.

Key findings of the report include:

• +33% increase in brand recall when high-impact formats run alongside standard CTV spots
• 11× higher brand consideration vs. industry benchmarks
• +76% purchase intent when campaigns include multiple innovative CTV formats
• Consumers are also receptive to these formats. The study found that 67% of viewers say innovative CTV ads are more memorable than standard ones, while 77% describe pause ads as informative rather than disruptive.

While audiences are open to new ad experiences, the industry has been slow to adopt them. According to TripleLift, the problem isn't a lack of creative ideas. Instead, the biggest barrier is infrastructure.

As streaming platforms have launched ad-supported services, many have introduced custom ad formats tailored to their user interfaces and viewing environments. While these formats often perform well, the lack of standardized specifications across platforms makes them difficult for brands and agencies to scale.

This fragmentation has led many marketers to fall back on traditional creative formats that can run everywhere even if they are less effective. "Agencies are built to produce 15s and 30s," said one executive quoted in the report. "Creative teams need formats that are easy to deploy across platforms."

TripleLift believes the next phase of CTV advertising will require infrastructure designed specifically for modern streaming environments.

The report also suggests that solving the creative infrastructure challenge may require broader industry collaboration. Past digital media innovations—from online video formats to native advertising—only scaled once standards were established across platforms.

"Streaming rebuilt television distribution," the report concludes. "Now the industry must rebuild television advertising."

For more information, visit www.triplelift.com.

SAN FRANCISCO—A new report on how streaming entertainment is influencing consumer behavior, finds that streaming remains the most engaging entertainment channel and that consumers are increasingly embracing digital content from creators.

The new “Stream 2026: When Intention Becomes Attention” report from Fox’s Tubi based on survey results from The Harris Poll, found that streaming remains the most engaging entertainment channel, with 90% of viewers reporting the highest levels of engagement while streaming TV shows and movies, compared with attending live events (82%) and scrolling social media (79%).

On-demand streaming also holds the highest levels of attention (90%), outpacing channel-based streaming (78%) and cable or satellite (71%). Seventy-seven percent say they would rather select content on demand than tune into scheduled programming.

The research also indicated that creator culture is playing an increasingly central role. Sixty-seven percent agree that digital creator content feels more original than most traditional TV and movies, and 63% say watching creator content feels no different than streaming a TV show. Thirty-seven percent want platforms to bring existing creator content onto streaming services, 36% want creators cast in original programming and 33% want ads for creator content featured on platforms. Seventy-eight percent wish they could watch new creator content without paying an additional fee.

“Tubi has built a deeply engaged audience by putting fandom at the center of a premium streaming experience that is completely free,” said Cynthia Clevenger, senior vice president of B2B Marketing at Tubi. “This year’s insights show viewers are loyal to platforms that champion their passions, they continue to turn to nostalgia for quality storytelling and are embracing original creator-led IP. Free streaming is taking mindshare and creating a powerful opportunity by turning passion into performance as audiences actively participate in culturally resonant on-demand experiences.”

Tubi described the other notable highlights as follows:

• Viewing preferences are becoming more personal and community-driven. Sixty-five percent, up 15% year over year, say they feel part of a community based on the movies and shows they watch. Movies (44%) and TV shows (38%) lead fandom categories, with viewers purchasing apparel (50%), subscriptions (37%) and live experiences (30%) to demonstrate their loyalty.
• Fandom is also influencing brand relationships. Sixty-seven percent agree they are more likely to support brands when their fandoms are reflected in advertising. Seventy-four percent say they are loyal to streaming services that support their fandoms, and 68%, up 4% year over year, say they feel seen when a platform helps them discover a new niche or emerging fandom.
• Genre preferences show established strength in the following genres: comedy (70%), action (68%) and crime (66%), while growth opportunities are emerging in independent film (36%), coming-of-age programming (34%), young adult content (31%) and creator-led programming (31%). Demand for originality is rising: 76% would prefer original content over remakes or franchise extensions, up 12% year over year. Seventy-seven percent want diversity and representation when they stream, up 5% year over year and 9% since 2024, and 76% want more programming from independent or smaller creators. For Gen Z, 78% would prefer original content over remakes or franchise extensions and 79% want diversity and representation when they stream.
• Nostalgia viewing remains nearly universal, with 97% of respondents interested in watching content released more than 10 years ago. The primary driver is quality, with 63% citing superior style and storytelling as the top reason for revisiting older titles. Twenty-four percent, up 7% year over year, do so to stay engaged in cultural conversations. Seventy-nine percent believe streaming services should remind them of content they used to love, not just promote new releases, and 67%, up 6% year over year, say losing access to comfort content feels like losing part of their safe space.
• Free streaming continues to gain favor as consumers reassess subscription costs. Eighty-four percent agree watching ads is a fair trade-off for free content, up 3% year over year, and 83% say ads feel more acceptable on free platforms. Seventy-six percent would rather watch content on a free platform with ads than on a paid platform with ads, up 8% year over year. Seventy-three percent say they would prefer to watch ads and get an extra coffee each month rather than pay full price for an ad-free service, up 10% year over year and 15% since 2024.
• Ad sentiment overall is improving, with 32%, up 14% year over year, saying they do not mind ads during streaming and 18%, up 11% year over year, saying ads enhance their experience. Seventy-eight percent say ads are more acceptable when they are relevant to their interests. Meanwhile, 74% have ended or would end a subscription due to price increases, and 54% cite password crackdowns as a key reason to cancel.
• Why shared tastes matter in love. While 84% of respondents say it only takes a few minutes to decide what to watch when viewing alone, 58% report it takes at least 10 minutes to land on a choice with a partner. With 43% of viewers primarily streaming alongside a significant other, aligning on entertainment preferences may be more consequential than ever: 61% agree they’re more likely to date someone who shares their taste in movies and TV shows, and nearly a third (30%) say they’ve ended a relationship because their tastes were too different—an 8% increase year over year. Sixty-seven percent are unwilling to share their streaming login unless the relationship is serious.

Tubi will be presenting additional data on Tuesday, March 24 from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. during Tubi’s 2026 IAB NewFront presentation, ‘Tubitopia: An Advertiser’s Paradise,’ at Pier 59 Studios, Chelsea Piers.

For more information and to download "The Stream 2026: When Intention Becomes Attention" visit here.

NEW YORK—A+E Global Media and Nielsen have announced a new, multiyear deal for measurement, media intelligence and analytics.

The deal includes measurement and media intelligence for A+E Global Media linear and digital brands, including A&E, Lifetime, The History Channel, LMN, and other assets.

As part of the agreement, Nielsen will provide A+E Global Media with linear and digital ratings, and information to help develop advertising, programming, and licensing strategies.

As part of the renewal, A+E Global Media will license new Nielsen services, including Nielsen National Respondent Level Data (NRLD), Nielsen Audience Builder (NAB) and the Data-Driven Linear API (DDL API). This builds on existing services for A+E Global Media, including Nielsen’s Streaming Content Ratings, Streaming Platform Ratings and Ad Intel.

Little more than two decades old, Alpha’s YouTube service has been crowned the world’s largest media company by a prominent research firm.

Financial research firm MoffettNathanson has estimated that the streaming service, which reportedly earned $60 billion in revenue in 2025, actually brought in $62 billion last year, which would exceed The Walt Disney Co.’s $60.9 billion revenues earned in its media business in 2025.

MoffettNathanson had already crowned YouTube as the “new king of all media” and values the streaming service at an estimated $500-560 billion, which outpaces its closest rival, Netflix, with a current market cap of just under $509 billion.

YouTube earned more than $40 billion in ad revenue in 2025 and also takes in revenues from its subscription services, which include YouTube Premium, YouTube Music, NFL Sunday Ticket, and the YouTube TV virtual multichannel video service, which has about 10 million in subscriptions. YouTube says it has paid $100 billion to creators, music companies and media partners.

The researcher says the streaming service shows no signs of slowing down.

“Over the next few years, unlike almost any other asset we cover, we strongly believe that YouTube will be a major beneficiary of both the structural tailwinds and headwinds facing technology and media companies,” Michael Nathanson wrote in his report.

PORTSMOUTH, N.H.—As the number of outlets and platforms airing sports proliferates, sports fans not only have more ways to watch their favorite teams and leagues. They are also finding that following their favorite teams and sports is becoming increasingly complex and frustrating.

New data from Hub Entertainment Research’s “Evolution of Sports: What’s the Score?” Wave 5 study, which tracks how sports fans are adjusting to this changing landscape, finds that as sports rights spread across more services (broadcast, cable and streaming), just finding the game they want to watch has become a challenge for fans – one that is taking a toll on their overall experience.

It found that the vast majority of sports fans (87%) say it’s at least somewhat frustrating to figure out where to watch the sports they follow today, and almost a quarter saying they feel “very frustrated.”

“Fans will go to great lengths to watch the sports they care about—but that doesn’t mean they enjoy hunting across multiple apps to find them,” said Jon Giegengack, principal at Hub and one of the study authors. “Services that simplify the experience of watching sports—whether through discovery tools or by consolidating rights to an entire sport—are delivering more value to fans. And more value means more satisfied users and lower churn.”

The study noted that some companies have already recognized this problem and rolled out features to make sports simpler to find. In the survey, Hub described two aggregator tools and asked fans if they would improve the viewing experience.

The results were positive. About 70% said that ESPN’s “Where to Watch” feature – which tells viewers where to find any game, even if it’s not on ESPN – would make their sports viewing experience easier. In addition, 60% said the same about Roku’s “Sports Zone” — an area of the Roku interface that gathers content about a particular sport into one place, so fans can easily find all of it across platforms.

The data also showed that "All-inclusive” rights attract subscribers and drive satisfaction.

Fragmentation is increasing the appeal of platforms that consolidate rights to an entire sport. Three in five fans (60%) say they’re more likely to sign up for a service that carries *all* the rights to a sport they follow (and 30% are “much more likely”).

Among avid fans, the results are even more pronounced: almost 40% are “much more likely” to sign up.

Exclusive rights can drive both acquisition and retention, the researchers also noted.

In an increasingly crowded ecosystem, investing in all-inclusive rights is a differentiator that makes a big difference. For example, Hub asked UFC fans about the organization’s new rights deal, which will place all UFC events—including numbered events—across Paramount’s networks and streaming platforms.

The vast majority (89%) of avid UFC fans say the new deal makes a Paramount+ subscription more valuable (and a third say it’s “extremely” more valuable). In addition, 93% of avid UFC fans that already have Paramount+ say the new deal makes them more likely to keep their subscription (and 71% say it makes them “much more likely”).

Among avid UFC fans who "don’t" have Paramount+ already, 72% say they’re more likely to sign up (and almost a third % said they would “definitely” sign up).

These findings come from Hub’s “Evolution of Sports: What’s the Score?” Wave 5 report, based on a survey of 3,733 U.S. sports fans conducted in December 2025 – January 2026.

Since 2013, Hub Entertainment Research has measured and tracked how technology changes the ways consumers discover, choose and consume entertainment content. More information is available here: hubintel.substack.com.

LOS ANGELES—Zefr has received Media Rating Council (MRC) accreditation for Content-Level Brand Safety and Suitability labeling and reporting of YouTube English-language in-stream YouTube video content across desktop, mobile web, mobile app, and connected TV environments.

The accreditation is the first of its kind for a third-party platform integration, following the completion of the MRC Board’s ratification process and confirms that Zefr meets the MRC’s rigorous standards for valid, reliable and effective safety and suitability classification at the individual content level, rather than relying on broad, property-level classifications.

This milestone builds on Zefr’s recent MRC accreditation for independent third-party viewability reporting on YouTube, further expanding the scope of MRC-accredited reporting Zefr provides to advertisers across the platform. Together, these accreditations reinforce Zefr’s role in delivering independent, standards-based reporting across both how ads are viewed and classified on YouTube.

The accreditation applies to content-level brand safety verification and suitability classification, which evaluates individual pieces of video content rather than applying classifications at the channel or publisher level. This approach allows advertisers to assess suitability based on the specific content adjacent to their ads.

“The MRC congratulates Zefr on earning accreditation for third-party Content-Level Brand Safety and Suitability content-labeling and reporting of Google YouTube for the submitted inventory and environments” said George Ivie, MRC CEO and executive director. “This important achievement represents the first such accreditation for a third-party platform integration and demonstrates Zefr’s commitment to rigorous industry standards as well as provides the marketplace with greater transparency and accountability regarding safety and suitability across YouTube.”

“Today is a watershed moment for Brand Safety. Historically, many of the industry’s challenges stemmed from relying on property-level controls rather than true content-level measurement. Now, advertisers can have greater confidence that content-level safety measurement is robust and accurate,” said Rich Raddon, co-founder and co-CEO of Zefr. “Following YouTube's accreditation of Google Content Level YouTube Brand Safety and Suitability, Zefr is proud to be the first third party Company in this ecosystem to offer this accreditation, alongside MRC-accredited free viewability metrics."

The accreditation reflects an independent audit conducted by an MRC-approved CPA firm, evaluating Zefr’s methodologies, controls, data governance, and reporting processes.

As brands continue to demand greater accountability and precision in digital media measurement, this accreditation underscores Zefr’s role in advancing industry-trusted, content-level standards for brand safety and suitability on YouTube.

For additional details regarding Zefr’s accreditation status and scope, please refer to the MRC’s official list of accredited services here.

This accreditation excludes all other Google-YouTube and non-Google properties and content as well as volumetric data reported.

Nielsen has released a list of the most popular college basketball teams, with Duke and Michigan state topping the men's rankings and South Carolina and Iowa ranking number 1 and 2 in the women's rankings.

The Top 10 ranking from the beginning of the season through February 25 showcases the teams with the highest viewership thus far this season across CBS, CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, NBC, USA, TruTV, TNT, and USA Network for the men and ABC, CW, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX, FS1, FS2, ION, NBC, TruTV, TNT, and USA Network for the women.

LONDON—A new study highlights the growing importance of video podcasts for both media companies and consumers with data showing that video podcasts are rapidly going mainstream. An Ampere Analysis survey finds that one in five internet users are now watching them on social platforms and that YouTube is the most popular platform.

Their rapid growth highlights the increasing strategic importance of video podcasts as platforms invest in cost-effective formats to drive engagement and compete for audiences, the researcher reported.

Daniel Monaghan, Senior Research Manager at Ampere Analysis, explained that “As platforms vie for time spent, lower-cost long formats become increasingly appealing. Video podcasts offer these by providing easy viewing akin to linear chat shows. Netflix’s recent deals with Spotify and Gary Lineker’s Goalhanger highlight the growing importance being placed on this format by major players, especially as they look to take on YouTube’s dominance.”

Key findings from the study include:

• 20% of Internet users globally watched video podcasts on social video platforms in the past month (Q3 2025).
• YouTube is the go-to platform for video podcasts, with 11% of Internet users having watched one on its service in the past month. TikTok is proving popular for clips.
• Those aged 18-34 are 24% more likely than average to have watched a podcast.
• Audiences who watch video podcasts are also more engaged with the audio versions. 60% of podcast viewers also listen at least a few times a week, compared with 36% of Internet users on average.
• Video podcasts are particularly popular in mobile-first markets such as Brazil, India, Indonesia and Malaysia, but 20% of Internet users in markets such as Spain, the US and Canada are now also engaging.

The data is from Ampere's Media Consumer survey, which runs biannually across 30 global markets and samples 56,000 Internet users aged 18 to 64 per wave.