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News

Sneak Preview: OS Wars - The New CTV Playing Field

On Thursday, February 27, Mark Loughney, Senior Consultant, Hub Entertainment Research, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect panel "OS Wars: The New CTV Playing Field." From live linear to FAST, AVOD, and all flavors of free streaming, how are the OEM and OS wars transforming the way TV is distributed and monetized? As the global battle for TV interface dominance persists, and powerhouse OEMs increasingly assert their role as content gatekeeper, are we moving toward a closed society when it comes to CTV? Confirmed panelists include experts from Revry, Hartbeat, Shout! Factory, and Whale TV.

Sneak Preview: FAST Forward - How FAST Platform and Infrastructure Providers Can Better Serve the Market

On Thursday, February 27, leading industry consultant Brian Ring will moderate the Streaming Media Connect panel "FAST Forward: How FAST Platform and Infrastructure Providers Can Better Serve the Market." As with any other type of streaming delivery, FAST needs to "just work" to support publishers' monetization goals, but that's nowhere as simple as it sounds. This panel examines essential infrastructure challenges and key emerging strategies for better FAST delivery. Join us to learn about manifest manipulation vs. encoded playout; optimizing and maximizing "Be Right Back" slots as in-house inventory; using GenAI to program the channel; solving the context/genre madness with LLMs and captions; advanced graphics for background, tune-in, and monetization; QR code execution, a must-have skillset; and how to execute picture-in-picture content programming. Confirmed panelists include experts from A+E, Plex, Revry, and Freemantle.

Super Bowl/John Stamos Ad Unveiled for Hyperlocal Streaming Service Zeam

Zeam Media, the company powering the industry's most successful live OTT solutions as well as hyperlocal streaming platform Zeam, announced that it is again collaborating with John Stamos on a Super Bowl spot that will air on Fox stations in top markets across the country during the big game. Jack Perry, CEO of Zeam Media, discusses Zeam's hyperlocal approach, its creative and content strategy, and the economic and logistical hurdles of doing local advertising versus national.

How Brands are Transforming TV Content in 2025 - A Q&A With Joe Perello of Props

With a potential TikTok ban still looming and platforms competing for relevance, one big question looms for brands: where should their content go next? Joe Perello, founder and CEO of Props, believes brand content will break free from mobile and desktop confines to take over connected TV as the next big stage. In this Q&A, Joe discusses how brands can redefine success by creating engaging, trust-driven content that works in the living room.

H.267: A Codec for (One Possible) Future

H.267 should be finalized between July and October 2028. If history holds, this means H.267 won't see meaningful deployment until 2034-2036, long after I hang up my keyboard. Here's a brief description of what the standard is designed to deliver and my free and totally unsolicited advice to the committees and technology developers that will create it.

Fox Sports Breaks Down Superbowl LIX Coverage From New Orleans 'By the Numbers'

Ahead of the network's 11th broadcast of "The Big Game" on Sunday, Feb. 9 (6:30 PM ET, FOX), FOX Sports kicks off Super Bowl LIX week from "The Big Easy" with a by-the-numbers overview spotlighting coverage, broadcasters, production, technology and more.

Can Sticky Screensavers Save the Streaming Biz?

Can Screensavers play a critical role in the Future of TV? If so, what does that mean for the future of streaming? Is Roku City a disaster in the making? Is Photostream a secret weapon that no one fully appreciates? Read on to find out.

Sneak Preview: App, Crackle, Pop: What a Video App Really Needs

On Thursday, February 27, Chris Pfaff, the leading new media and technology producer and strategist, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect panel " App, Crackle, Pop: What a Video App Really Needs." What makes streaming apps pop? Support across multiple platforms is a critical feature, of course. But when it comes to building sound, seamless, and satisfying user experiences, what are streaming users really asking for? How are expectations changing in the age of AI and in an increasingly fragmented consumer streaming market? Confirmed panelists include experts from Plex, Crunchyroll, and Tubi.

What's Next for CTV Advertising: Comscore's State of Programmatic 2025 Survey

Comscore's State of Programmatic 2025 offers survey-based data that reveals where advertising budgets are going in 2025 (think CTV), how quickly marketers are turning to cookie-free (48% cookie-free by the end of 2025), and what CTV ads do well (branding) and not so well (performance). It's a free download and well worth your time to retrieve and digest.

Sneak Preview: Will Programmatic Advertising Overtake Brand Advertising in 2025?

On Thursday, February 27, Alan Wolk, one of the industry's most influential thought leaders, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect debate "Will Programmatic Advertising Overtake Brand Advertising in 2025?" The ability of digital media advertisers to deliver targeted messages through automated platforms—aka programmatic advertising—has enabled them to buy audiences, rather than space or time as in traditional brand advertising. In streaming and CTV, this creates the potential for substantially lower CPMs. But such a hands-off approach also raises considerable brand safety concerns, and its effectiveness remains comparatively untested. So, is the programmatic ad revolution really upon us? Confirmed debate panelists include leading industry figures from Roku, Philo, Vevo, and Fremantle.

What to expect from FAST in 2025

The rapid growth of FAST channels in 2024 shows no signs of slowing, with ad-supported streaming set to dominate as its popularity rises worldwide and the gap between ad-supported and ad-free tiers widens. But with the space evolving so quickly, one question lingers: how long can this momentum last? FAST Channels TV has just released its What to Expect from FAST in 2025 Trends Report, and Russell Foy, CEO of FAST Channels TV, outlines how FAST platforms can remain competitive in this rapidly developing streaming space.

Revenue Opportunities in an Unpredictable (Weather) World

New research study shows monetization opportunities for weather-related streaming content

Is This the End of the CDN As We Know It?

Recent news, like the shuttering of Edgio, signals to many the imminent death of traditional content delivery networks (CDNs). But does it really?

AI and Entertainment: A Q&A With Hub Research's Jon Giegengack

AI is rapidly changing the way people interact with entertainment, and companies are embracing AI to streamline operations and improve efficiencies in producing, marketing, and distributing content. Hub Entertainment Research released its first study on AI in Entertainment, revealing that while most consumers have heard of generative AI, very few understand how it works or what it's for. Jon Giegengack of Hub Research discusses the report's findings and implications in this Q&A with Streaming Media's Tyler Nesler.

2025 Predictions for Ad-Supported Streaming

The start of a new year is nothing without everyone making predictions, so here are a few that apply to the advertising industry. Advertising in streaming is doing pretty well when we compare it to following ad dollars that have left linear.

Access Advance LLC CEO Pete Moller Talks Video Distribution Patent (VDP) Pool Launch

Today, Access Advance announced the launch of its Video Distribution Patent (VDP) Pool, a comprehensive licensing program for streaming content encoded with HEVC, VVC, AV1, and VP9 codecs. The pool aims to simplify licensing for content distributors while addressing industry challenges around codec adoption, royalty costs, and patent litigation. Jan Ozer interviewed CEO Pete Moller to discuss the motivation behind the pool, its structure, and the expected impact on the industry.

Leaning Into CTV Advertising: What the Latest Data Says

We've reported any number of times on the growth of CTV advertising as it continues to steal marketshare from traditional linear, but is CTV still the golden child? Mediaocean's 2025 Advertising Outlook Report suggests the balance is shifting, as 68% of 688 marketing professionals surveyed say they expect to increase their spend on social in the first half of 2025, compared to 67% for digital video/digital display and only 55% for CTV.

The Rise of Automated Translation in the Localization Industry: A Q&A With Maria Castañeda of Lokalise

Lokalise, a cloud-based localization and translation management system, has observed a fascinating shift in how content is being translated and has some intriguing data on the rise of automated translations versus human translations. Their findings illustrate a significant increase in automated translations in 2024. Maria Castañeda, Lead Product Marketing Manager at Localise, answers some questions about these new insights.

CES 2025: Disney Talks Ad Tech, Ad Targeting, and Ad Buying

One of the ongoing complaints about the ad industry is a lack of transparency about where you're buying and how it's measured. At CES 2025, Disney discussed their new global ad tech stack and how they're attempting to solve this problem and bring an easier and more understandable approach to ad buying.

Best of CES 2025

CES can be incredibly overwhelming. There are thousands of products on display, which makes finding the good stuff especially hard, so we went with the opinion of a jury of experts for the CES Innovation Awards where they have vetted products. Here I'll summarize the ones that are closest related to streaming.