AMC Networks increased streaming revenue by 12 percent to $169 million in Q2 despite an 18 percent dip in U.S. ad sales. The company — whose portfolio of streaming platforms includes AMC+, Sundance Now, Acorn TV, Shudder, HIDIVE and ALLBLK — added 200,000 new subs in the April through June period, ending the quarter with a total of 10.4 million, a 2 percent increase. AMC said it now calculates streaming subscribers on the basis of paid signups. Ongoing challenges in the U.S. cable and satellite TV markets that berth the bulk of its business continue to drag on the balance sheet. AMC’s cable and satellite brands include AMC, BBC America, IFC, IFC Films, SundanceTV and WE tv. Continue reading AMC Networks: Streaming Revenue Growth, Drop in Ad Sales

Warner Bros. Discovery reported revenue growth in Q2 with a $9.8 billion total compared to $9.7 billion for the same period in 2024. Propelled by the success of films like the action/comedy “A Minecraft Movie” and the horror hit “Sinners” starring Michael B. Jordan — in addition to the international rollout of HBO Max — the company turned a profit of $1.58 billion for the quarter, a significant increase over the same frame last year. Television series including “The Last of Us” and “Abbott Elementary” were hailed as examples of “creative excellence.” In the shareholder letter, WBD says it “optimized” linear networks, while making “substantive progress” in the movie studios and streaming arms. Continue reading WBD Earnings Buoyed by ‘Minecraft’ Film, HBO Max Growth

Disney’s fiscal Q3 earnings and full year projections have topped expectations, with its Streaming and Parks businesses leading revenue streams. Operating income from streaming hit $346 million for the quarter, a significant increase over the same period last year. Disney ended Q3 with 183 million Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions, an increase of 2.6 million from Q2. Overall, revenue was up 2.1 percent to $23.7 billion for the three-month period ending June 28. In addition, the company announced that it plans to integrate Hulu into Disney+ for a new streaming app to be available next year. Continue reading Disney Reports Jump in Profit, Plans to Fold Hulu into Disney+

Roku has launched Howdy, an ad-free U.S. SVOD service that will cost $2.99 per month for access to a catalog of nearly 10,000 hours of entertainment from inaugural partners Lionsgate, Warner Bros. Discovery and FilmRise, as well as select Roku Original titles. “Priced at less than a cup of coffee,” Howdy is “meeting a real need for consumers who want to unwind with their favorite movies and shows uninterrupted, and on their terms,” said Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood who feels people are willing to pay to avoid ads even though many ad-supported streaming services are available free. Continue reading Roku Launches Ad-Free Streaming Service for $3 per Month

The Walt Disney Company concluded its Upfront advertising sales with notable increases in sports and streaming commitments and an overall figure consistent with 2024’s number. Sports was a bright spot, generating close to $4 billion through both linear and addressable platforms including ESPN and others, propelled by double-digit growth in volume for “Monday Night Football” and College Football and a “high single-digit” increase in NBA volume driven largely by the NBA Finals and the half-time and post-game analysis series “Inside the NBA” that ESPN landed starting this year. Continue reading Disney’s Upfront Ad Commitments Led by Sports, Streaming

Google’s YouTube is adding new age-verification methods designed to protect teens. The streaming video platform is using AI to interpret “a variety of signals” to identify users under 18, regardless of the birthdate used to create the account. If the system identifies a user as a teen, age-appropriate protections will automatically take effect. These include disabling personalized advertising, restricted recommendations, limits on repetitive viewing of certain content and screen-time reminders. If the system incorrectly categorizes a user as under 18, they will have the option to correct the situation with a credit card or a government ID. Continue reading YouTube Deploying AI to Identify and Safeguard U.S. Minors

According to PwC’s latest Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, M&E revenues are expected to hit $3.5 trillion by 2029, led by advertising, live events and video games. The report also offers a positive outlook for streaming video, OTT, subscription VOD, theatrical box office, with numerous M&E areas impacted by the adoption of artificial intelligence. Streaming video is expected to jump 33 percent to more than $112 billion by 2029, while global revenue for video games is forecast to reach $300 billion in 2029, up 29 percent from $224 billion in 2024. Of three major categories analyzed — connectivity, advertising and consumer — advertising is expected to grow the fastest. Continue reading PwC Eyes Growth for Ads, Events, Gaming, Streaming Video

Comcast’s Xfinity broadband service has launched StreamStore, an online destination for discovering, purchasing and managing streaming apps. Available to Xfinity TV and Internet customers, StreamStore puts a retail spin on a selection of 200,000-plus programs and more than 450 apps. StreamStore is available on a subset of devices that run the Comcast Entertainment OS platform, including X1 set-tops and media players, the Xumo Stream Box and the Xfinity Flex box, and is also being made available via Xfinity.com. Apps for services including Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+ and others purchased through StreamStore can now be added to Xfinity customer bills. Continue reading Xfinity Bows StreamStore on Web, Comcast Entertainment OS

Fox Corporation found a receptive audience among advertisers during the 2025-26 upfront cycle, where its Tubi streaming service, sports franchise and FOX News operations drew attention and assurances of revenue. Having principally wrapped negotiations, the Murdoch operation won a vote of confidence from Madison Avenue, which promised new spending highs. NBCUniversal, the first company to conclude negotiations, also had a record upfront propelled largely by sports, including what was said to be a sell-out on the Super Bowl inventory across linear, Peacock streaming, and Spanish-language Telemundo platforms (30-second spots reportedly reached $8 million). Continue reading Fox, NBCUniversal Share Results of Successful Upfront Cycle

Orlando, Florida-based digital distribution company FreeCast is launching Test Drive Live, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channel that is also shoppable. The idea is to offer telecoms and ISPs the ability to offer “monetizable video” without requiring substantive infrastructure and hardware investments, FreeCast explains. Test Drive Live will be offered via FreeCast’s own streaming platform and through Roku. The company says that through FreeCast, Test Drive Live will be immediately available on Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Apple TV, Xbox, iOS, Android, Windows, Mac “and most streaming devices.” Continue reading Test Drive Live: FreeCast Rolls Out Shoppable FAST Channel

New York-based satellite and online radio provider SiriusXM is adding an ad-supported music tier to subscription offering, with SiriusXM Play coming to market for in-car streaming at “less than $7” per month for more than 130 content channels. SiriusXM already offers talk channels with ads, and also has an existing car plan that costs $9.99 per month. A $24.98 monthly “all access” plan also includes car coverage. The Play package, which SiriusXM first began talking about in May, is now available “on a limited basis,” with additional details coming later in 2025, the streamer says. Continue reading SiriusXM Adds Car-Targeted Music Plan for Under $7 with Ads

Netflix revenue grew to $11.08 billion in Q2, a 16 percent year-over-year increase that helped drive net profit up 46 percent to $3.1 billion. The company’s operating margin rose to 34.1 percent in Q2, a nearly 7-point rise over Q2 2024 that along with 30 percent full-year guidance puts the streamer on par with tech giants such as Apple (31 percent) and Google (32 percent). Although Netflix no longer provides quarterly subscriber updates, the company did share results of its half-year Engagement Report, indicating members watched more than 95 billion hours of Netflix content during the first six months of the year. Continue reading Netflix Records Impressive Q2: Revenue Reaches $11 Billion

ABC News will debut an original weekday news show on Disney+. Anchored by James Longman and Rachel Scott, “What You Need to Know” debuts July 21, streaming Monday through Friday beginning at 6:00 a.m. ET and available for 24 hours thereafter on demand. ABC News describes the show as a “short-form series” and “a fast, fresh way to stay ahead of the conversation as viewers start their day.” Formatted for young attention spans, the anchors will deliver headline highlights in an 8-to-10-minute recap. Disney+ President Alisa Bowen says the show offers “smart, bite-sized commentary on the stories that matter most.” Continue reading ABC to Produce Weekday Anchored News Show for Disney+

Apple announced a new 15,000-square-foot Apple Music Los Angeles studio in Culver City will open later this summer. The three-story complex that Apple says is “designed with artists in mind” includes two radio studios with support for immersive Apple Spatial Audio playback, a spatial audio mixing room, an art gallery, a “social media lab” and a 4,000-square-foot soundstage. Commemorating the 10th anniversary of Apple Music, the new structure is situated nearby to the future home of Apple TV+, a 550,000-square-foot building going up where Culver City borders the City of Los Angeles. Continue reading Apple Music Opening Three-Story Creative Hub in Culver City

Netflix is taking steps aimed at upgrading the viewer experience, rolling out AV1 Film Grain Synthesis (FGS) streams to the majority of its subscribers. While FGS has been part of the AV1 standard since the Alliance for Open Media introduced the format in 2018, Netflix began to apply it to a limited number of titles in 2021 and is is now enabling it at scale. The streamer says the open-source FGS compression system “revolutionizes video streaming” and will “preserve the artistic integrity of film grain” — a feature generally considered essential to achieving a cinematic look — while also optimizing data efficiency. Continue reading Netflix Is Implementing AV1 Film Grain Synthesis Tech at Scale