Samsung Ads’ Travis Howe Discusses Their NewFronts 2025 Announcements: Interactive Ad Formats, the Samsung Television Network, and Full-Funnel Performance Solutions

At IAB NewFronts 2025, Samsung Ads kicked off a suite of announcements, including the debut of STN, the Samsung Television Network, along with unveiling a bold lineup of interactive and innovative, data-driven solutions, including Optimal Reach, GameBreaks, Performance Conversion, and Data+. In this Q&A, Travis Howe, Global Head of New Product Solutions, discusses the details of these new offerings and how they will uniquely benefit advertisers and viewers.

NGLmitú's Vision for the Future of Latino Media Unveiled at NewFronts 2025: A Q&A With CMO Joe Bernard

NGLmitú, reaching a vibrant community of over 15 million bilingual and bicultural Latinos, took center stage at NewFronts 2025 to highlight the power of the "200%er"—a growing segment that is both fully American and fully Latino, shaping culture and driving consumer trends nationwide. In this Q&A, Joe Bernard, Chief Revenue Officer, highlights the details of NGLmitú's most significant announcements from the NewFronts.

Innovation vs. Optimization in Streaming Delivery

While innovation is good at the outset of a transformation (such as analog to digital video), it can become counterproductive to building sustainable businesses. Continuous innovation means taking away resources from making existing technologies more scalable, resilient, and reliable—three traits that are critical to the success of something like a streaming platform.

Movies on FAST channels: Spotlight or Sideshow?

In the fast-evolving world of free ad-supported streaming television, movie channels have quietly carved out a meaningful niche, yet they still struggle to command the visibility they deserve. To gauge their true footprint, I examined Samsung TV Plus, one of the fastest-growing FAST platforms across the US and Europe's five largest markets (EU5) to answer the question: Movies on FAST channels: spotlight or sideshow?

Sneak Preview: Going, Going, Gone: Can Biddable Advertising Fix CTV’s Fill Rate Slump?

On Thursday, May 22, Chris Pfaff, CEO, Chris Pfaff Tech Media, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "Going, Going, Gone: Can Biddable Advertising Fix CTV's Fill Rate Slump?" With FAST and CTV fill rates slipping throughout 2024 (except for a brief election bump), content owners and their partners are casting about for new and different ways to fill inventory. By clearing the way for advertisers to buy in just before show time rather than having to lock in their campaigns months in advance, so-called "real-time" biddable CTV opens up late-breaking, flexible opportunities to unload unclaimed inventory on an auction basis before it goes to waste. But as bidding on audiences reportedly surges for sports, is auction-based advertising really suitable for other premium content? Is it likely to change the way brands approach media-buying, or is it just another transitory trend?

Will Bundles and Indirect Sales Save Subscription-Based Streaming?

On Thursday, May 22, Alan Wolk, Co-Founder and Lead Analyst of TVREV, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "Will Bundles and Indirect Sales Save Subscription-Based Streaming?" A recent Antenna State of Subscriptions report revealed that a streaming superbundle that finds Max cohabitating with Disney+ and Hulu scored an encouraging 80% subscriber retention rate in the first 3 months after activation. Paramount+, Apple TV+, and Amazon's Prime Video are also forming competitor alliances, and indirect subscription sales are on the rise. Are these arrangements becoming the secret to survival in a fatigued SVOD market? Are deeper reservoirs of content likely to slow churn in all cases, or are some catalogs more complementary than others? Who is leading the bundle boom, and who is profiting? Are Tier 2 services gaining a foothold in the superbundle subscription economy or being squeezed out?

Sneak Preview: Publishers Pay to Play Free: Next Steps in Ad-Based Streaming Monetization

On Thursday, May 22, Brian Ring, Principal Analyst, Ring Digital llc, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "Publishers Pay to Play Free: Next Steps in Ad-Based Streaming Monetization." Increasingly, content publishers are finding they need more control over their ad stack. This panel looks beyond the touted monetization-ready feature sets in streaming playback solutions and drills down with key content providers on how well these solutions facilitate ad signaling and ad stitching and integrate with ad servers, discussing what kind of reporting they provide to measure success. The panel also highlights the differences in ad-based monetization strategies as between CTV platforms, online video players, and mobile apps. And finally, panelists dig deep into critical emerging standards that are changing SSAI this year.

Sneak Preview: FAST Break: Packaging and Selling Sports on FAST

On Wednesday, May 21, Michael Nagle of Ashling Digital, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "FAST Break: Packaging and Selling Sports on FAST" with Fubo's Pamela Duckworth, Swerve Sports' Christy Tanner, Sports Studio's Cathy Rasenberger, TATA's Tom Buffolano, and HRM's H. Robert Muzac. The panel will explore what FAST sports channels look like, what kind of sports programming works on FAST, and how successful FAST sports channels target audiences, and how they satisfy advertisers while breaking ranks with the industry trend of sports rights exclusivity.

Fubo Brings Live European League of Football to Fubo Sports FAST Network With Multi-Year Agreement

FuboTV Inc. (d/b/a Fubo) (NYSE: FUBO), the leading sports-first live TV streaming platform, and European League of Football (ELF) announced today a multi-year agreement for distribution on Fubo Sports, Fubo's FAST channel, available on streaming and over-the-air (OTA).

Which Is Better for Sports Production--More Cameras or More Ops?

Typical broadcast-level sports productions are massive, with dozens of cameras and operators all over the place, and dozens more people working in and around the production trucks. So how does one, independent producer make their content more like "the big league" when there isn't a dozen people to help?

Sneak Preview: Origin to Edge: Video Caching and Content Delivery

On Tuesday, May 20, Mark de Jong, Chairman, CDN Alliance, will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "Origin to Edge: Video Caching and Content Delivery," with an all-star lineup including Warner Bros. Discovery, Sky, and BuyDRM discussing the benefits of edge caching and distributed architecture for live sports, personalization, security, anti-piracy, and more.

Sports and Short-Form Keys to Accelerating Europe’s FAST Growth

Sports are an "accelerator" for ad-supported streaming in Europe with short-form sports content emerging as a key driver of engagement, says Keith Bedford, GM EMEA at CTV data company Wurl. "As studios and sports broadcasters struggle to tie in major upfront deals and connect with younger audiences, new models for revenue and content discovery will be required," he says. "Short-form video could be one way we start to see sports content companies garner interest and boost engagement for their long-form and TVOD (transactional video on demand) businesses."

Don't Overlook Local: Zeam Founder Jack Perry Discusses Why Viewers Turn to Local TV for National News

Advertisers may be wondering more than ever how much their money can buy them in this fragmented media environment as worries about a weaker Upfronts season grow. One area, nevertheless, cannot be disregarded: local broadcasting. According to recent poll data from the streamer Zeam, consumers use local, even outside their markets, during crucial times to help fill in the gaps left by national media. In this Q&A, Zeam Media founder Jack Perry discusses these findings in further detail, including ways that national broadcasters can integrate local coverage to improve the quality of their offerings and how local broadcasters can reach new demographics.

Future Today Takes Center Stage at IAB NewFronts 2025

-Future Today Expands Fawesome's Premium Content Portfolio with partnerships with Gusto TV, Pangea Entertainment and Bold Baking Network-Launch of Chuck E. Cheese Media Network to Deliver Content on HappyKids and Standalone FAST App-Powering Privacy-Safe, Interactive Ad Experiences Across CTV

NBA, DAZN, Mtech, WTFast, Hub Will Talk Next-Gen Sports Streaming at Streaming Media Connect

On Thursday, May 22, the NBA's Michelle Auguste, DAZN's Joe Caporoso, MTech's Matt Stagg, and WTFast's Darcy Lorincz will join Hub's Jon Giegengack for the Streaming Media Connect May panel "Highlights First: Gen AI, Gen Z, and Next-Generation Sports Streaming." As a new generation of highlights-first fans moves into the sports fandom mainstream, sports broadcasters need the agility and tech-savviness to produce and monetize personalized, short-form sports content at scale that meets the experiential demands of Millennial and Gen Z fans. If you're a sports rightsholder and you're not gaming out how to bring a personalized SportsCenter to every viewer, you're looking at where the puck was and not where it's going.

Samsung Ads Reveals Interactive Ad Formats, the Samsung Television Network, and Full-Funnel Performance Solutions at NewFronts 2025

Samsung TV Plus Unveils Exclusive New FAST Partnerships with the Jonas Brothers, Spotify, and Top Creators Mark Rober and Dhar Mann/ New Suite of Action-Oriented, Data-Driven Solutions Reinvents the TV as a Performance-Driven Powerhouse.

In AI We Trust? AI and Content Authenticity

On Thursday, May 22, Nadine Krefetz will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "In AI We Trust? AI and Content Authenticity," featuring Think Alchemy's Andy Beach, I2A's Renard Jenkins, and Stringr's Lindsay Stewart. As generative AI is finding its way into streaming in many ways, this panel looks at two popular use cases: deep fakes and captioning. We'll discuss initiatives like C2PA to address emerging content authenticity issues and evaluate the current state of the art and tech.

Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) and the Future of Streaming AdTech

On May 21, Streaming Media's Nadine Krefetz will moderate the Streaming Media Connect May panel "Server-Guided Ad Insertion (SGAI) and the Future of Streaming AdTech." SGAI arguably combines the advantages of CSAI and SSAI and allows for more targeted ads and better technical delivery, which is a boon to FAST and other AVOD platforms. Who is using SGAI now, how effectively are they implementing it, what can it do for you, and how likely is it to move into the ad-supported streaming mainstream?

Canela Media CMO Oswald Méndez Discusses Club Canela, a Breakthrough In-App Rewards Program

Club Canela, the first fully integrated in-app streaming rewards program of its kind, has been launched by Canela Media, a leading technology and innovation-driven multicultural media company. Its goal is to strengthen its relationship with Canela.TV users and to provide brands with fresh, creative ways to interact with these audiences. In this Q&A, Oswald Méndez, CMO of Canela Media, outlines Club Canela's unique details and benefits. 

Survey Says: Adtaxi and IAB Assess Media Viewership Shifts and Ad Spend Trends

The last two weeks of April saw the release of two data-rich research reports from Adtaxi and IAB, which revealed some encouraging, if not especially surprising trends about the ongoing shift from linear to CTV and streaming, and also the impact of sports on recent breaks in the game. Adtaxi's report focuses on audience migration while IAB's naturally zeroes in on trends in ad spend.