Roku Launches New Howdy Ad-Free SVOD Service and Shares Its Home Screen Strategies 

This week Roku launched a $2.99-per-month, ad-free SVOD service called Howdy, which bucks the prevailing ad-supported content trend for low-cost/no-cost streaming and offers what Roku says is nearly 10,000 hours of entertainment at launch.

Q&A: Hudl VP Media Adam Talks High School Sports Streaming, Hyperlocal Fan Loyalty, and Burgeoning Brand Support

In this Q&A, Hudl VP of Media Adam Gouttierre discusses the growth of high school sports as a streaming niche, the dedication of hyperlocal fan bases, opportunities brands are seeing and seizing on the Hudl platform, and how he believes those monetization opportunities will evolve in the coming years, particularly as the role NIL deals play in amateur sports continues to expand.

Monday Morning Quarterbacking ESPN's NFL Network Acquisition: Streaming Industry Reactions

News that the entire NFL Network was going to Disney World created reverberations throughout the streaming ecosystem, particularly with the pending August 21 launch of ESPN's new D2C service. How is the streaming industry reacting? We went ‘round the horn (with apologies in advance for mixing sports metaphors) with a handful key industry vendors and experts for their initial thoughts, and here's what we heard.

YouTube Self-Regulation Isn't Working

As deceptive ads, scams, and deepfakes flood YouTube's airwaves, Britain's Liberal Democratic Party argue that YouTube adverts should meet the same rigorous standards applied elsewhere in the ecosystem in which YouTube now operates. Industry bodies Clearcast and Radio Central vet the majority of ads broadcast on TV and radio before the air, while YouTube remains free to regulate itself.

YouTube streaming continues fast track to distribution domination

According to UK regulator Ofcom in its annual report, YouTube has become the UK's second most-watched media service, behind only the BBC. One in five viewers aged four to 15 years go to the video sharing platform first when they turn on their smart TVs, it found, while older generations aged over 55 are watching nearly twice as much YouTube as they did two years ago.

Sneak Preview: AI-Powered Curation and Discoverability at Streaming Media 2025

In today's saturated content market, even on the downward slope of the peak TV era, offering great content isn't enough to deliver satisfying experiences to streaming users. Join media industry thought leaders from Roku, Tubi, Cineverse, and the SVTA at Streaming Media 2025 on October 8 in Santa Monica for a must-see panel on AI-Powered Curation and Discoverability that will explore how machine learning and personalization facilitate more effective curation and discovery and increasingly shape the viewer experience.

Jan Ozer Launches Streaming Monetization 101 Course with the Streaming Video Technology Alliance

New online course delivers industry-wide context and real-world fluency for new hires in streaming.

With Live Sports Streaming, Control the Platform, Control the Game

Streaming platforms, tech giants, and traditional broadcasters are all fighting to become the destination for live sports viewers. And in the middle of it all are the fans, facing rising costs, fractured access, and a growing sense of fatigue. The rights war has become a platform war. And no one's sitting on the sidelines.

IAB Tech Lab Releases Live Event Ad Playbook in Collaboration with Amazon, NBCUniversal, FreeWheel, and Index Exchange

Proposed Standards Aim to Improve Ad Delivery for Live Streaming Events via New APIs and Shared Infrastructure

Tennis Channel, International Tennis Federation Extend Media Rights Agreement

Network Platforms will Continue to be Exclusive U.S. Media Home of all Billie Jean King Cup and Davis Cup Competitions;Deal Gives Tennis Channel ITF Rights in Multiple Countries Outside the United States

Vote in the 2025 Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards

The Streaming Media Readers' Choice Awards has grown along with the industry. In 2025, we've got 19 categories. The polls are open! Let the voting begin!

Q&A: Viant CMO Jon Schulz Discusses Their New Strategic Partnership With LG Ad Solutions

Viant Technology Inc., a leader in CTV and AI-powered programmatic advertising, recently announced a strategic partnership with LG Ad Solutions to speed up addressable advertising in the connected TV (CTV) ecosystem. In this Q&A, Jon Schulz, Viant's Chief Marketing Officer, delves further into the details of this partnership and its distinctive features that will benefit advertisers. 

Greatly Exaggerated: The Death of Linear TV

Take with a grain of salt any post that talks about the "Death of Linear TV." Viewers are watching linear TV on YouTube TV. They're watching linear TV on Twitch, on Hulu, on Disney, on Prime, and more. People are watching linear TV on all sorts of streaming platforms. Regardless of the underlying technology used to deliver it, it's all linear TV programming, and linear TV is alive and well.

Is “Pay-For-Play” Here to Stay? The Troubling Regulatory Implications of the Paramount-Skydance Merger

On July 24, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the $8 billion-valued merger of Paramount with the Hollywood studio Skydance. But underlying the financial and technological benefits of this merger for Paramount has been an increasingly brewing controversy over what appear to be concessions made by it to the Trump Administration and the FCC to adjust content and business practices strictly to their demands.    

FanDuel Sports Network Scales Live Sports Monetization with Magnite

25% YOY Growth in Impressions Served Through Magnite's SpringServe Video Platform

G2A.COM Launches Watch and Save Campaign to Support Emerging Twitch Streamers

New initiative rewards viewers with up to 15% off digital games and software for watching participating creators on Twitch.

Fubo Announces Preliminary Q2 2025 Results: Company’s Global Streaming Business Expects to Exceed Revenue, Subscriber Guidance

Company Expects Q2 Net Loss of Approximately $8 Million and Positive Adjusted EBITDA of At Least $20 Million

Federal Court Dismisses Roku Lawsuit Against Access Advance, Declines to Set Global Patent Pool Pricing

Access Advance LLC today announced that the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Roku Inc. seeking to compel the Court to set a global fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) royalty rate for the HEVC Advance Patent Pool. Judge Richard G. Stearns determined that his Court "lacks jurisdiction to determine" a global FRAND royalty rate, noting that the "US patents constitute only a fraction of a larger portfolio." The Court further concluded that its "opinion on the appropriate royalty rate would merely be advisory", which is prohibited under US law.

Q&A: Verizon CTO Josh Arensberg Talks Revolutionizing Live Sports Streaming via Private 5G Networks

In this interview, Verizon CTO of Media and Entertainment Josh Arensberg explores how the company is revolutionizing live sports production through the use of private 5G networks, pushing the boundaries of cloud-based workflows, real-time AI, and immersive fan experiences.

Zeam Celebrates Birthday of The Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia with Special Three-Hour Live Streamed Shoppable Event on August 1 in Partnership with Retroactv.com

Celebration from Asbury Park, NJ to feature performance by Tribute Band Rainbow Full of Sound, Interviews with Special Guests, and a Showcase of Unique Prints and Apparel