Netflix locked in global Pay-1 rights with Sony. Gap hired Pam Kaufman to lead entertainment. Apple licensed Google’s Gemini for Siri. None of them made flashy moves, but all of them built strategic leverage.
Sony’s TV business is being taken over by TCL
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Samsung TV Plus Tops 100 Million Monthly Active Users Worldwide
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Video Streaming App Downloads Boomed in 2025, Fueled by Microdramas
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Call for Thought Leadership Programming: OTT.X Breakfast @ NAB 2026
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ElementalTV Unveils SARAH, the First Publisher‑Centric Agentic Research and Sales Assistant Built for CTV
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Power Moves, Not Just Big Spends
Netflix locked in global Pay-1 rights with Sony. Gap hired Pam Kaufman to lead entertainment. Apple licensed Google’s Gemini for Siri. None of them made flashy moves, but all of them built strategic leverage.
The Take
It’s not about spending more. It’s about choosing better. The companies making real progress aren’t louder. They’re calmer, more deliberate, and more disciplined about where they build power.
Read the Full Analysis: The Streaming Wars
Sony’s TV business is being taken over by TCL
Sony has announced plans to spin off its TV hardware business, shifting it to a new joint venture with TCL. The two companies have signed a nonbinding agreement for Sony’s home entertainment business, with TCL set to hold a 51 percent stake in the new venture and Sony holding 49 percent.
With this partnership, TCL is elevating itself into the premium television landscape after innovating with technology over the last few years. If the deal goes through, it would mark the end of an era for Sony, and could open the door for cheaper Bravia TVs built with excellent Sony image processing and leading TCL tech.
Sony and TCL are aiming to finalize binding agreements by the end of March and start operating the new joint company in April 2027, subject to regulatory approvals and other partnership conditions.
The new company is expected to retain “Sony” and “Bravia” branding for its future products and will handle global operations from product development and design to manufacturing, sales, and logistics for TVs and home audio equipment. Sony says that the partnership will leverage Sony’s picture and audio tech, brand value, supply chain management, and other operational expertise. This will combine with TCL’s own display technology, vertical supply chain strength, global market presence, and end-to-end cost efficiency.
Read the Story: The Verge
Samsung TV Plus Tops 100 Million Monthly Active Users Worldwide
Samsung TV Plus has announced that the premium FAST service has surpassed 100 million monthly active users globally, a major milestone as the service celebrates massive growth. With streaming hours increasing 25% year-over-year, engagement also reached new heights in 2025, reinforcing Samsung TV Plus as one of the most-used streaming apps in the world.
Driven by industry-leading audience loyalty (92% retention after three months1), Samsung TV Plus remains one of the stickiest and most effective streaming services for marketers looking to drive meaningful outcomes.
“Our focus remains on delivering premium, authentic experiences that connect our audiences around the world — and this year’s breakthrough interactive moments, live events, and innovative partnerships show just how powerfully that resonates,” said Salek Brodsky, Senior Vice President & Head of Global, Samsung TV Plus. “Surpassing 100 million monthly active users is an extraordinary milestone that reflects the trust our viewers place in Samsung TV Plus and the team’s commitment to providing exceptional entertainment made for every moment.”
Samsung TV Plus further solidified its position as a home for Creator-led partnerships with some of today’s groundbreaking digital storytellers including Mark Rober, Michelle Khare, Dhar Mann, and Smosh, among others. These milestones —alongside industry-disrupting partnerships with Spotify, David Letterman, and leading sports leagues spanning NHL, MLB, NBA and NFL — continued to solidify Samsung TV Plus as a destination for culturally resonant, premium programming.
Read the Full Press Release: Samsung
Video Streaming App Downloads Boomed in 2025, Fueled by Microdramas
The good news for Hollywood is that video streaming app downloads skyrocketed in 2025, as well as their revenue. The news that may give some executives who specialize in traditional storytelling pause is that the growth was primarily driven by microdrama apps.
That’s according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower’s annual report on the state of mobile, which was published on Wednesday. Video streaming app downloads increased globally by nearly 39 percent last year while their revenue increased nearly 18 percent, the report authors wrote. And while short drama app downloads grew more than 100 percent year over year, traditional streaming app downloads fell by more than four percent.
“In 2025, short drama apps aggressively scaled their market presence. Driven by a rapid proliferation of localized productions, Short Drama downloads skyrocketed to 2.3 billion for the full year,” the authors note. “This momentum culminated in a landmark Q4, where a 186 percent 2026 explosion allowed the subgenre to overtake traditional OTT streaming downloads, which trailed with a 7 percent decline in the same period.”
The sea change was clear in the rankings of the most downloaded apps globally, which was topped by verticals apps DramaBox and ReelShort, followed by Netflix. Amazon Prime Video came in sixth and Disney+ tenth. (TikTok and YouTube were not included in the video streaming app category in the study, which lumped them in with social media apps.)
In the U.S., traditional streaming entertainment still reigned on the charts, even as microdrama apps took prime slots. Netflix ranked first in downloads, followed by ReelShort, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video and Tubi. DramaBox came in sixth, just before Peacock TV and Paramount+.
Read the Full Story: The Hollywood Reporter
Call for Thought Leadership Programming: OTT.X Breakfast @ NAB 2026
The annual OTT.X Breakfast at NAB returns to Las Vegas in April 2026, bringing together the most influential voices shaping the future of broadcasting, streaming, CTV, and the broader media & entertainment ecosystem. Start your NAB week with an exclusive, executive-level gathering designed to spark new ideas, strengthen partnerships, and examine how broadcast’s legacy is evolving alongside next-generation platforms, technologies, and workflows.
Featuring forward-looking programming, candid conversations, and a full, hearty breakfast, this event convenes executives, technologists, creators, and dealmakers focused on what’s next across content creation, live production, distribution, monetization, and measurement. Each year, the OTT.X Breakfast helps frame the conversations that matter most—making it a must-attend moment during NAB.
OTT.X is now accepting proposals for sponsor-supported thought leadership sessions at the 2026 OTT.X Breakfast @ NAB. Lead the conversation through curated programming segments that inform, inspire, and address the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing broadcasters, streamers, and media organizations navigating broadcast’s next evolution.
ElementalTV Unveils SARAH, the First Publisher‑Centric Agentic Research and Sales Assistant Built for CTV
ElementalTV has announced the launch of SARAH, the industry's first publisher‑centric agentic research and sales assistant designed specifically for CTV revenue teams. SARAH (Sales and Research Assistant for Humans) transforms fragmented audience and market data into sales‑ready outputs, helping teams quickly answer the questions that drive revenue: Who to call? What to pitch? And why it wins?
CTV sellers have more data than ever including audience behaviors, viewing patterns, program and channel signals, and market shifts, yet the work of turning that information into a compelling pitch still falls on overextended teams. SARAH closes that gap by acting as an intelligent "agent" that synthesizes internal audience insights with external market intelligence to deliver prioritized opportunities and the narrative to present them to buyers.
"SARAH is designed to elevate the performance of sales strategy teams supporting what they do every day, at scale," said Albert Yu, Chief Revenue Officer at ElementalTV. "It turns raw CTV data into a clear, actionable roadmap: the audience packages that are winning, the whitespaces that are emerging, the brands and agencies who can best benefit, and the pitch narrative that connects the dots. For publishers, it means faster decisions, sharper storytelling, and more consistent revenue outcomes."
SARAH moves beyond static dashboards by operating as an agentic "sales brain" that supports direct, programmatic, and sponsored sales cycles. Using natural language, sellers can ask questions like: "What audiences are trending for my inventory?" or "Which advertisers could best benefit in buying this package next?" SARAH then returns an instant, structured output designed to be shared, pitched, and acted on.
Read the Full Press Release: Elemental TV
Global Demand for "Heated Rivalry" vs "Schitt's Creek"
Presented By:
The recent breakout success of "Heated Rivalry" suggests that it has the potential to be the next massively valuable content export from Canada.
Key Findings
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- “Heated Rivalry” surged immediately after its November 28th premiere on Canadian streaming platform Crave, peaking as the #2 most in-demand show globally and reaching 95x the average series demand, the highest global peak for a Canadian show since 2020.
- Compared with the final season of “Shitt’s Creek,” “Heated Rivalry” had higher demand in its first few days and climbed to its peak roughly a month in, as international rollout helped it break beyond Canada.
- Our Streaming Economics model shows how Canadian hits can be major value drivers. “Letterkenny” has earned $125M+ on major streaming platforms globally since 2020, “Schitt’s Creek” has brought in over $190M. The big question is whether “Heated Rivalry” can sustain multi-season interest.
In Case You Missed It
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- Netflix’s Biggest Hit Ever? KPop Demon Hunters Smashes Records, Tops Second-Half 2025 Viewing. The Streaming Wars
- Netflix Beat the Quarter. Wall Street’s Reaction Missed the Point. The Streaming Wars
- Netflix Goes All Cash on Warner Bros. Discovery as Pressure Mounts. The Streaming Wars
- Ex Machina Studios Launches With AI-Enabled Production Model and Veteran Leadership. The Streaming Wars
- Why Sony Is Willing to Let TCL Run Bravia’s Economics. The Streaming Wars
- Basics of Streaming: Understanding the Streaming Supply Chain. The Streaming Wars
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