Warner Bros. Discovery executives went biz-casual this week (sneakers and all) at a Los Angeles press event to unveil their new “Max” streaming service blending HBO Max and Discovery+ into a significantly retooled app that will launch in the U.S. on May 23. Prices won’t change for the old HBO Max ad-supported and ad-free tiers …
Roku’s latest round of layoffs this week reflects continuing pressure on the media landscape, especially when it comes to the advertising market. Roku, like many of its peers, relies heavily on robust ad spend to drive revenue across its Platform division, and last year’s soft scatter market that spurred a 200-headcount reduction at Roku in …
It has been roughly a year since Q1 2022 closed out, followed by Netflix’s disastrous earnings call in late April disclosing a 200,000 subscriber loss in the quarter and a dark forecast of more to come. The company has since returned to sub growth, but that April stumble inspired the entire media business to cut …
From Dish dropping nearly all RSNs to Comcast’s ongoing disputes with RSNs like Altitude Sports, RSNs have been on the defensive lately. But this is a relatively recent phenomenon. Consider that when Sinclair bought Fox Sports RSNs in 2019 for $10.6 billion, it seemed like a great way to further leverage negotiations with television providers. …
In the first unsurprising development of 2023, Roku is finally launching its own smart TV. The question now is whether the company – whose stock is down 80% in the last year and faces myriad challenges – can leverage the news to reinvigorate its hardware business as it copes with an advertising slowdown challenging its …
It’s been a good few months for Comcast NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service, which continues to post impressive growth even though its overall subscriber numbers pale next to its big media peers. This week, NBCU CEO Jeff Shell told the UBS conference that the service has reached 18 million paid subscribers, up 20% in only the …
Cord cutting, the streaming wars, content cost inflation, and advertising pressure continue to swirl under the weight of Wall Street stock declines that have put everyone in a bad mood. It’s not the kind of environment that typically lures rich retirees back into the stress-inducing pressure cooker of the modern content business. But on Sunday …
Netflix this week finally pulled back the curtain on its previously announced plans to launch an ad-supported tier, and the details suggest that the streamer has opted to move fast. No dancing around the edges to iron out kinks and build the business slowly. First of all, Netflix has opted to get aggressive on price, …
Disney CEO Bob Chapek indicates he’d like to buy out Comcast’s Hulu stake sooner rather than later.
Those of a certain age will recall American Express’ famous advertising campaign that touted the value of “membership.” You’re not a customer. You’re a “member” and part of an elite Illuminati with access to travel discounts and a personal concierge you’ll never use but like having on call just in case. Of course, membership doesn’t …
