Streaming’s competitive center of gravity is shifting toward the idle minute. Engagement’s redistributing across mobile-native environments that reward frequency, structural familiarity, and repeat interaction. Microdrama apps, vertical sports highlights, creator channels built around disciplined formats, and retail-funded serialized storytelling are all operating inside that same layer of daily behavior.
Netflix Gets Back In The M&A Game, Acquiring Ben Affleck-Founded AI Firm InterPositive
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Live Sports Streaming Data: Powering the Next Competitive Edge
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Samsung Taps Gracenote Metadata for AI initiatives, as CTV Ponders Conversation Layer
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10% Off StreamTV Europe Registration
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Survey: 70% of CTV Advertisers Plan to Boost Spending in 2026
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Addressing Key Challenges and Opportunities in CTV Advertising - In Person & Virtual - March 27
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10 Burning Qs: Paramount–Warner Bros. — What Survives, and Who
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Deal Exhibit: The HBO Max + Paramount+ Bundle Effect on Value-per-Dollar
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The Great Unbundling of Attention
Streaming’s competitive center of gravity is shifting toward the idle minute. Engagement’s redistributing across mobile-native environments that reward frequency, structural familiarity, and repeat interaction. Microdrama apps, vertical sports highlights, creator channels built around disciplined formats, and retail-funded serialized storytelling are all operating inside that same layer of daily behavior.
The Take
The next phase of streaming competition will revolve around who owns the idle minute.
Platforms that engineer repeatable formats (microdramas, vertical highlights, serialized creator content, and archive-driven franchise extensions) generate the frequent interactions that build durable viewing habits.
Subscriber growth still matters. But increasingly, engagement velocity and session frequency determine monetization potential.
Those that systematize those daily interactions will control the next layer of streaming economics.
Read the Full Analysis: The Streaming Wars
Netflix Gets Back In The M&A Game, Acquiring Ben Affleck-Founded AI Firm InterPositive
Less than a week after dropping out of the bidding for Warner Bros Discovery, Netflix has made a smaller but intriguing acquisition of an AI firm founded by Ben Affleck.
InterPositive, which makes tools developed by and intended for filmmakers, had been in stealth mode prior to the transaction. As of Thursday, it is part of Netflix, with its 16 employees to be integrated into the broader workforce. Affleck will take on the role of senior advisor.
The deal builds on comments from management as AI has exploded onto the scene in the past few years, with executives stressing the ways it can improve quality rather than reducing costs or staffing. (“There’s a better business and a bigger business in making content 10% better than it is making it 50% cheaper,” co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in 2024.) Nevertheless, the acquisition is sure to be scrutinized as it comes at the same time that above-the-line unions are embarking on a new round of talks with studios and streamers, including Netflix. The aim of the talks is to avoid a repeat of the 2023 strikes, which centered in part on the perceived AI threat.
Netflix declined comment on the financial terms of the deal. Valuations have been skyrocketing in the AI sector, not only at the top end with jumbo startups like OpenAI and Anthropic, but also in the entertainment realm. Luma AI, Runway and other emerging companies focused on video production are worth billions based on recent funding rounds.
The InterPositive purchase stemmed from the strong relationship between Netflix and Affleck. They reaffirmed those ties earlier this week, setting a first-look deal with Artists Equity, the new-model production company led by Affleck and Matt Damon. In January, the streaming giant released The Rip, an action movie co-starring Affleck and Damon. Affleck first mentioned his AI venture to Netflix execs last fall, initiating months of dialogue that culminated in the acquisition, a person familiar with the talks told Deadline.
Read the Story: Deadline
Live Sports Streaming Data: Powering the Next Competitive Edge
Live sports continues to pressure streaming infrastructure in ways no other content category can, exposing gaps in latency, metadata synchronization, ad signaling, and personalization.
Across the industry, platforms are solving the same dynamic data challenges independently, increasing cost, reinforcing vendor lock-in, and slowing innovation.
As consumer expectations expand to include real-time stats, overlays, and interactive features, competitive differentiation is increasingly tied not just to delivery, but to the strength and structure of the underlying data layer.
Join Dustin Sullivan, CEO of SportsDataIO, at the OTT.X Breakfast at NAB on April 19 for a discussion on how open, enterprise-managed data infrastructure can serve as connective tissue across the ecosystem and enable organizations to scale live sports more efficiently while unlocking new monetization upside.
With rosters evolving and events unfolding minute by minute, explore how a unified identification framework can accelerate metadata pipelines, improve ad precision, enable richer personalization, and lower barriers to experimentation across OTT and FAST environments.
Samsung Taps Gracenote Metadata for AI initiatives, as CTV Ponders Conversation Layer
TVOS players and streamers are looking to AI to help power new content search and discovery experiences, including more two-way conversational interactions with apps and TV screens.
Although technology is quickly evolving, it may take some time for new experiences to be fully envisioned and rolled out. However, some in the industry – namely Fubo CEO David Gandler - thinks owning the so-called conversation layer could mean owning the TV in the future (more on that farther down).
But first, announced last week, Samsung is the second to tap metadata from Nielsen-owned Gracenote to help ground and validate a range of AI-powered initiatives and entertainment use cases on the company’s smart TVs worldwide.
With a separate but similar multi-year strategic partnership extended with Google last month, the latest shows traction for the use of the vendor’s metadata on this front and provides another signal of where streaming platforms are headed as they seek to develop and introduce more conversational LLM-based and ChatGPT-like content discovery and other experiences on the TV screen.
Gracenote’s structured and human-verified metadata across TV, movies and sports content can be used to help ground responses generated by AI chatbots in factual and up-to-date information, which helps validate LLM-based, AI-powered advanced search and discovery capabilities to ensure accuracy and enable more reliable conversational interactions by users.
In addition, the new agreement allows Samsung to use Gracenote to develop new offerings and realize AI-driven operational efficiencies, such as data ingestion and harmonization that happens on the backend.
Earlier moves by others have shown how Large Language Models (LLMs), coupled with enhanced voice capabilities and AI chat-like experiences are being developed and integrated by some streaming platforms – such as Roku with AI-powered voice content queries and responses, Google TV introducing Gemini on smart TVs including TCL, and Amazon incorporating Alex+.
Read the Full Story: StreamTV Insider
10% Off StreamTV Europe Registration
OTT.X is delighted to continue its partnership with the StreamTV Show as a media partner for the StreamTV Europe Show, taking place April 13–15, 2026 in Lisbon. The event brings together senior leaders from streaming platforms, broadcasters, FAST operators, studios, advertisers, and technology providers to discuss the strategies shaping the future of streaming across Europe.
With focused tracks covering Content, Advertising, and Product & Technology, the conference delivers executive-level insights alongside curated networking opportunities with the companies driving the next phase of streaming innovation.
From platform strategy and monetization to evolving viewer experiences, StreamTV Europe provides a unique forum for executives shaping the global streaming ecosystem.
As part of this partnership, OTT.X is pleased to offer 10% off registration for the StreamTV Europe Show using code OTT.X.
More Information & Registration: StreamTV Europe
Survey: 70% of CTV Advertisers Plan to Boost Spending in 2026
A new survey indicates that CTV advertisers are bullish on the medium in 2026, with seven in 10 CTV advertisers (70%) telling researchers that they expect to increase their CTV spending this year.
The new 2026 CTV/OTT Advertiser Survey released by Advertiser Perceptions and Tegna’s Premion, the leading premium CTV/OTT advertising solution for regional and local advertisers, also found that they are planning to increase their CTV ad spend by a hefty average of 17% in 2026.
The survey also found that advertisers are entering the new year with greater confidence in CTV’s ability to drive measurable business outcomes as part of broader linear and video investments. Spend increases are driven by the ability to reach highly engaged, opt-in audiences (44%) and combine TV’s branding power with digital precision (40%). Among those increasing CTV/OTT ad spend in 2026, 25% of that funding is coming from overall ad budget growth, with the remainder reallocated from other channels — including linear TV, digital display, paid search and social media.
The findings also highlight important implications for agencies. As CTV becomes more deeply integrated into total video planning, integrated or hybrid teams now control 55% of CTV/Streaming TV budgets, reflecting a structural shift in how video investments are managed. Managing reach, frequency and performance holistically across linear and streaming environments is becoming a central priority for agencies navigating a more complex video ecosystem.
“CTV has proven its ability to drive real business outcomes at scale,” said Tim Fagan, senior vice president and chief revenue officer, Tegna. “Advertisers are doubling down because CTV consistently delivers what matters most: engaged audiences, measurable performance and full-funnel impact — and it works most powerfully when integrated alongside linear and broader video strategies.”
Read the Full Story: TV Tech
Addressing Key Challenges and Opportunities in CTV Advertising - In Person & Virtual - March 27
Registration is now open for the OTT.X Advertising Roundtables, an executive-level working session convening leaders from across the Connected TV and streaming advertising ecosystem.
Designed as an off-the-record, collaborative forum, the roundtables bring together platforms, publishers, agencies, brands, and technology partners to move beyond surface-level discussion and focus on practical alignment and solutions.
This session is structured for active participation, candid dialogue, and defined next steps. The goal is not simply to highlight industry pain points, but to organize around them — establishing a working group that will continue collaboration beyond the event and drive measurable progress.
Attendance is intentionally limited to maintain a productive, executive-level environment. Early registration is encouraged.
10 Burning Qs: Paramount–Warner Bros. — What Survives, and Who
Paramount’s $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery will create a media giant that unites Harry Potter with Beavis and Butt-Head, Taylor Sheridan’s Yellowstone universe with Ted Lasso and the studios behind Top Gun: Maverick and Sinners. The combined company will have two massive film studios, three TV studios, two sizable streaming platforms and a list of cable networks longer than a CVS receipt. It’s an unprecedented rollup of talent, IP and industry culture — and raises far more questions than answers.
WBD CEO David Zaslav and Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison hope to gain regulatory approval on the deal by the third quarter, and Paramount COO Andy Gordon told Wall Street on Tuesday the company has “already made significant progress in securing regulatory clearances globally.” Still, scores of industry observers believe the process could take considerably longer. The combined company would also be saddled with a whopping $79 billion in debt. Not good. It means more money going toward servicing debt — and less toward programming.
“It’s going to be a year and a half to two years before we begin to see the impact,” says a WBD insider. “After that, there will be significant slashes instantly because Paramount’s higher-ups need to immediately find savings.”
All this is to say is that WBD and Paramount will both look very different in the next couple years. What will the new company be called? Which film and TV studios — and their respective chiefs — will survive? Can a combined super-company really release 30 films in theaters annually? Will Casey Bloys remain at HBO if the crown jewel of Warner Bros. becomes a tile on Paramount+?
Read the Full Story: The Ankler
Deal Exhibit: The HBO Max + Paramount+ Bundle Effect on Value-per-Dollar
Presented By:
In the current "pricing power" phase of streaming, the key question is no longer who has the most subscribers. It is about who has enough of a demand cushion to charge more - or bundle smarter - without breaking retention.
To visualize this, we mapped the total audience demand for every major U.S. platform against its ad-free monthly price. This creates a clear "value dividing line" (price-equilibrium).
- Above the line: Platforms delivering more demand per dollar. These services have a demand cushion, meaning they have room to raise prices with minimal churn.
- Below the line: Platforms asking audiences to pay premium prices without the premium pull to back it up.
Key Findings
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In the current "pricing power" phase of streaming, the key question is no longer who has the most subscribers. It is about who has enough of a demand cushion to charge more - or bundle smarter - without breaking retention.
-
To visualize this, we mapped the total audience demand for every major U.S. platform against its ad-free monthly price. This creates a clear "value dividing line" (price-equilibrium).
-
Above the line: Platforms delivering more demand per dollar. These services have a demand cushion, meaning they have room to raise prices with minimal churn.
Below the line: Platforms asking audiences to pay premium prices without the premium pull to back it up.
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In Case You Missed It
- Paramount’s $6 Billion Synergy Plan Is Landing in a Labor Market Already Under Strain. The Streaming Wars
- Ask Skip: Is $6B in Synergies Really “Code for Job Cuts”?. The Streaming Wars
- Banijay and All3Media Combine Libraries, Labels and Formats in Major Industry Deal. The Streaming Wars
- Apple Expands Apple TV Distribution by Moving Into Roku’s Subscription Marketplace. The Streaming Wars
- Video Podcasts Reach 20% of Internet Users as YouTube Extends Its Engagement Lead. The Streaming Wars
- Ellison Wants to Rebuild the Studio System, 30 Films at a Time. The Streaming Wars
- We Called the Endgame: Ellison Just Confirmed It. The Streaming Wars
- Basics of Streaming: How TV Operating Systems Control The Streaming Experience. The Streaming Wars
- Netflix Just Let Paramount Overpay for Warner Bros Discovery. The Streaming Wars
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