Forget touchdowns, walk-off homeruns, penalty kicks, and three-pointers at the buzzer. The new watchword for sports on the screen is “gamification.” The term is being tossed about frequently these days as video providers, sports leagues and legalized gambling books try to make early headway into what almost everyone believes will be a huge category combining …
After examining the content libraries on ViacomCBS’s Paramount+, the newest entry in the SVOD streaming space, we can conclude the advertising claim “A Mountain of Entertainment” holds mostly true. More accurately, Paramount+ offers a mountain of ViacomCBS entertainment. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE
The most remarkable aspect of the NFL’s new, 10-year media rights arrangement is how unremarkable it turned out to be. True, some games will end up on Peacock, Paramount+ and Tubi. And there was language in press releases about streaming video extras like “premiere VOD,” highlight compilations, condensed games and a special “NFL experience” on …
The new National Hockey League TV rights reshuffle shines the spotlight on two influences that weren’t in play the last time the league negotiated its on-screen future: Namely, ESPN+ and Hulu. It also raises questions about the future role of league-owned SVOD services. Disney’s ESPN+ and Hulu will divvy up exclusive rights to 75 NHL …
The latest STREAMTRAKTM report from One Touch Intelligence reveals that Discovery Inc.’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service stacks up well against category leaders by virtue of a deep on-demand content reservoir, a solid base of originals, and a novel approach to presenting curated channels built around signature series. Download a complimentary copy of our latest STREAMTRAKTM …
Quibi’s demise reflects the tenuousness of a streaming video category that’s sometimes thought of as a can’t-miss hotbed for next-generation media industry growth. It’s a lesson others before it have learned, too. The news that the seven-month old SVOD service will call it quits represents one of the colossal failures – but not the only …
Among the five largest U.S. companies, only one lacks a direct-to-consumer video service. That could change, and soon. Press reports naming Microsoft as a lead candidate to buy TikTok’s U.S. operations, possibly in a partnership with Walmart Inc., signal that Microsoft perceives it’s missing an important piece of the consumer business portfolio. Although Microsoft Corp.’s …
The content differential between the free-to-view and premium tiers on NBCU’s new Peacock streaming service will play an important role in shaping the service’s success, as NBCU works to stake its claim in both the ad-supported and subscription-backed market sectors. Doing so will require that Peacock establish a foothold in each category, with clearly distinguished …
A strong contender for the quote-of-the-month award goes to Andrew McCollum, the CEO of streaming video service Philo. McCollum recently talked to Variety about the rising influence of connected TV platforms that bridge the Internet and living-room TV sets. “Direct-to-consumer,” said McCollum, “is a bit of a myth.” That’s a perceptive read of a phenomenon …
Comcast’s recent arrangement to make Sling TV available over Comcast’s Flex platform dovetails with a widening embrace of over-the-top video among multiple U.S. telecommunications providers. The willingness to light up the Sling TV app over Flex, a streaming video platform targeted to Internet subscribers, is the latest and most meaningful example of the migration among …
