In addition to the free streaming video content that has helped propel YouTube to more than 225 monthly unpaid U.S. users, the Google platform has become a major player in the television market, offering cable-like channel bundles for a monthly fee. Now, it is expanding those offerings with more than 10 genre-specific packages coming in early 2026. The first unveiling from the new skinny bundles is the YouTube TV Sports Plan, with access to the major broadcasters, sports networks including FS1 and NBC Sports Network, as well as all ESPN networks and ESPN Unlimited. Continue reading YouTube TV Sports Plan First of New Skinny Bundles for 2026

Nielsen Marketing Cloud’s Audience Segments targeting tool is now available across the Amazon Ads marketplace, allowing advertisers to deliver ads across multiple platforms and in different formats while measuring performance throughout the vast Amazon ecosystem. NMC’s Audience Segments data sets provide more than 20,000 custom and syndicated segments in categories ranging from auto, finance and CPG — now targetable to audiences on Amazon platforms including Prime Video, Twitch, Fire TV, Freevee and Amazon.com. The segments are available through the Amazon DSP and Amazon Marketing Cloud data clean room. Continue reading Nielsen Audience Segments Is Available Across Amazon Ads

Sony Group reported a strong quarter ending September 30, with its semiconductor unit reaching an operating profit of nearly $900 million, up almost 50 percent year-over-year as the company’s most profitable segment for the quarter. The music group was another bright spot, with sales up 21 percent to $3.51 billion, and operating income a healthy $749 million. Consumer electronics and gaming were softer sectors. But overall revenue of $20.14 billion far surpassed the expected $19.36 billion, prompting Sony to raise its forecast by 3 percent. The company also announced a repurchase plan for $648 million worth of stock. Continue reading Sony’s Latest Quarter Beats Estimates Led by Music, Imaging

Amazon Ads and iHeartMedia are expanding their partnership with a new programmatic audio offering that lets Amazon DSP advertisers access iHeart’s streaming audio portfolio. Advertisers using Amazon DSP can now extend their omnichannel campaigns across iHeart’s streaming audio portfolio to connect with listeners across devices like smartphones, smart speakers, tablets, game consoles and more. Access to iHeartPodcasts and broadcast radio stations will follow in 2026. The deal “brings Amazon’s trillions of shopping, streaming, and browsing signals together with iHeart’s millions of listeners across streaming audio for meaningful reach at scale,” Amazon says. Continue reading Amazon, iHeartMedia Target Programmatic Audio Streaming

Netflix is substituting a new metric for advertising reach, the monthly active viewer, or MAV, which quantifies the number of viewers gathering around the screen. This replaces the monthly active user (MAU) measurement, which measures by account, something Netflix feels is less accurate for the purpose of media buyers. “Our move to viewers means we can give a more comprehensive count of how many people are actually on the couch,” including friends and family, says Netflix President of Advertising Amy Reinhard. The streamer is also experimenting with dynamic ad templates that use mix-and-match creative elements based on viewer behaviors. Continue reading Netflix Offers Advertisers New Metric: Monthly Active Viewers

Spotify passed 700 million monthly active users in Q3, with subscribers hitting 281 million, a 12 percent increase over the same period in 2024. Total revenue was $4.9 billion, up 12 percent year-over-year, while net income surged 200 percent to $1 billion, attributed to price hikes, subscriber growth and strict cost management. The Swedish company surpassed analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue from premium subscriptions grew 9 percent in Q3. Advertising revenue for the period was down 6 percent, however, to about $515 million. Spotify recently integrated with ChatGPT so that users can get podcast and music recommendations from the popular chatbot. Continue reading Spotify’s Profits Surge 200 Percent for Q3, Topping $1 Billion

YouTube is launching new features to help creators make the most of exposure on TV screens. “The living room is increasingly the new prime time for creators,” according to YouTube, which claims that “in the last year, the number of YouTube channels earning six figures or more in revenue from TV screens is up by over 45 percent.” To support that momentum, the Google-owned streaming platform is providing creators with “five new ways to make their content look incredible while making it easier for viewers to discover and shop.” YouTube is introducing AI-powered upscaling, improved search functionality, and QR codes to enable shopping for items in tagged videos. Continue reading New YouTube Tools Help Creators Optimize Content for TVs

Disney+ will start streaming content in HDR10+ on Samsung TVs, the world’s top-selling brand. Initially, the HDR10+ support will include about 1,000 titles from Hulu, the streaming platform The Walt Disney Company acquired in full in June. The announcement, via Samsung, indicates additional Disney+ programming will stream in HDR10+ “in the future.” Disney+ had previously only supported Dolby Vision HDR and HDR10. HDR10+ improves on its predecessor by adding dynamic metadata, which allows brightness and color to be optimized on a scene-by-scene or even frame-by-frame basis, approximating more closely the creator’s intent. Continue reading Samsung TVs First to Stream Disney+ Hulu Titles in HDR10+

At TechCrunch Disrupt, Netflix CTO Elizabeth Stone discussed changes including a kids’ profile redesign, more vertical videos, and integrating interactive and immersive features. The latter category includes a more immersive homepage, real-time polls and live party games, while the updated children’s profiles aim to simplify navigation. Viewing histories and watchlists for kids are now under a single My Netflix heading and recommendations will now refresh in real time. Stone emphasized that when it comes to vertical video the streamer will not directly compete with TikTok, but acknowledged there are times its viewers want “something more snackable.” Continue reading Netflix Is Testing Vertical Video and Second-Screen Features

Netflix has shuttered its Boss Fight Entertainment, the game studio best known for developing the mobile “Squid Game:  Unleashed” multiplayer action game based on the streamer’s hit series franchise. The title went to number one on the charts in 26 countries, according to Boss Fight co-founder and CEO David Rippy, who posted a farewell on LinkedIn. The unit also developed “Netflix Stories,” described as “an interactive visual novel platform” based on Netflix shows “Virgin River,” “Emily in Paris” and “Selling Sunset.” Netflix reportedly plans to continue offering the Boss Fight titles even as it de-emphasizes mobile games. Continue reading Netflix Shutters Mobile Game Studio as Part of Strategy Shift

Netflix revenue grew 17 percent to $11.5 billion in Q3 versus the same period a year earlier, driven by membership growth along with price hikes and an increase in ad revenue. Net profit was up by almost 8 percent for the quarter to $2.5 billion, versus the $2.98 billion that was expected. The quarter was Netflix’s best-ever for ad sales, with that revenue expected to more than double this year over 2024. The new user interface it began rolling out in May is now available to 85 percent of TV devices and the company is beta testing an AI-powered “conversational search experience.” Continue reading Netflix Highlights Tech and Innovation in Q3 Earnings Report

Netflix is consolidating its VFX holdings, merging the internal Eyeline Studios unit it created in 2019 with Scanline, the visual effects house it acquired in 2021 into a new entity called Eyeline. “Merging Scanline VFX and Eyeline Studios under one brand enables us to pioneer new tools, facilitate creative collaboration, and drive the future of filmmaking for the most ambitious storytellers around the world,” Eyeline CEO Jeffrey Shapiro said of the realignment. Eyeline’s initial plans include a focus on areas such as visual effects, virtual production, volumetric capture, generative AI, machine learning and computer vision. Continue reading Eyeline: Netflix Is Merging Two VFX Units into a Single Entity

Netflix will present video podcasts by The Ringer as part of a partnership with Spotify. Content including “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” the movie fan show “The Rewatchables” and true crimecast “Conspiracy Theories” will be part of the lineup, along with The Ringer’s NFL, NBA, Fantasy Football, and F1 auto racing series, joining the Netflix schedule beginning in early 2026. Spotify Head of Podcasts Roman Wasenmüller calls the streaming partnership “a new chapter for podcasting” that will expand discovery, helping creators reach new audiences through Netflix’s global reach. Continue reading Spotify’s Ringer Video Podcasts Will Stream on Netflix in 2026

As part of an initiative to broaden its reach beyond TV shows and film, Netflix is adding party games to its programming lineup with a push beyond mobile. The streaming giant is offering diversions like “Pictionary” and “Boggle” to enhance fun for family and friends through the holiday season. “We’re creating a completely new way to play games — one that’s as easy as streaming a show on a Friday night,” Netflix explains, adding that all you’ll need to experience the gaming action is “Netflix and your phone.” Other games include “LEGO Party!,” “Tetris Time Warp,” “and a fresh take on the social deduction genre ‘Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends.’” Continue reading Netflix Will Offer Party Games via Its TV Service for First Time

Roku has partnered with German projector maker Aurzen on the first smart projector that runs on the Roku OS. The Aurzen Roku TV Smart Projector D1R Cube can display a native 1080p image with 330 ANSI lumens brightness sized from 40 to 150 diagonal inches with the projector placed 3.6 to 10.8 feet from the screen. The device is currently available from Amazon for $250. The D1R Cube can display indoors or outdoors on a screen or a wall. The Roku OS capabilities include voice control and one-click access to premium streaming channels including Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, YouTube and Apple TV. Continue reading Roku and Aurzen Launch D1R Cube Portable Smart Projector