Streaming distribution no longer ends with getting an app on TV. The increasingly valuable battleground is the home screen itself.
CTV operating systems now control hero banners, app rows, recommendations, search results and deep links before viewers enter a streaming service. Those placements influence which services and titles viewers encounter first.
Five-Service Streaming Bundle Launches on Prime Video in the U.S.
Read More
Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Launch a Streaming Public Policy Group
Read More
Study: 73% of Advertisers Plan to Make Live Sports Streaming Buys in Next Year
Read More
AdGood, Cineverse, Elemental TV & The Trade Desk Talk CTV Monetization — September 30
Read More
Roku Labs Invites Viewers to Test, Help Shape TVOS User Features
Read More
HappyKids Adds MLB Clubhouse in First Major Sports League Partnership
Read More
The Most Valuable Shelf in Streaming Sits Outside the App
Streaming distribution no longer ends with getting an app on TV. The increasingly valuable battleground is the home screen itself.
CTV operating systems now control hero banners, app rows, recommendations, search results and deep links before viewers enter a streaming service. Those placements influence which services and titles viewers encounter first.
The Take
Streaming companies need to treat home-screen visibility as a measurable part of distribution.
A distribution agreement can establish availability. It can also specify where an app or title appears, for how long, across which devices and around which launches.
This is important for both marketing and distribution teams. Without visibility data, companies cannot easily determine whether weak performance came from insufficient exposure, poor conversion or both.
As TV operating systems take a larger role in discovery, the economics of streaming distribution increasingly depend on what happens before the viewer opens the app.
Read the Full Analysis: The Streaming Wars
Five-Service Streaming Bundle Launches on Prime Video in the U.S.
The five-service streaming bundle combining AMC+, BritBox, MGM+, PBS Masterpiece, and STARZ is available on Prime Video in the U.S. Customers can access the bundle for $29.99/month, offering a savings of nearly 39% compared to subscribing to each service individually.
This marks the first time the five streaming services have come together in a single bundle, giving Prime Video customers an unprecedented breadth of entertainment, from critically acclaimed dramas and blockbuster films to beloved British series and award-winning documentaries, at a fraction of the cost, all in one place on Prime Video.
With bundles, Prime Video makes it even easier for customers to access all their entertainment in one place at even greater value through one, unified bill. This new five-service offer on Prime Video joins the largest collection of bundles with exceptional savings in any single app.
"Today marks a milestone for our customers, the launch of the first-ever five-service streaming bundle on Prime Video. Our subscriptions and bundles business continues to see incredible growth because we stay focused on delivering unmatched selection, value and convenience,” said Ryan Pirozzi, Head of Prime Video Channels, U.S. “With AMC+, MGM+, BritBox, PBS Masterpiece, and STARZ together, Prime Video customers get the premium entertainment they love, all in one place."
"We are excited to partner with Amazon and four leading streaming services for this first-of-its-kind offering on Prime Video,” said Alison Hoffman, President, STARZ Networks. “This bundle truly has something for everyone, and STARZ brings a distinctive mix of curated programming, including prestige historical dramas, gripping crime series, time-traveling fantasy and a robust slate of programming for women. As one of the top bundling partners in the industry, we continue to expand our reach to welcome new and broader audiences."
“We're thrilled to join this lineup of premium entertainment services on Prime Video. The bundle is the perfect vehicle to reach more viewers who crave authentic, character-driven and award-winning drama," said Andrea Downing, President, PBS Distribution. "This offering at this kind of value puts PBS Masterpiece’s storytelling in front of even more viewers and that’s a win for audiences and for public media.”
Read the Full Story: Amazon News
Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Launch a Streaming Public Policy Group
A new public policy group has been formed in Washington D.C., one that will represent the interests of streaming platforms.
The Streaming Access and Choice Alliance (SACA) launched Monday, with Netflix, YouTube and Amazon as its founding members. TechNet, the tech public policy group, is leading the new venture, with Mike Ward, TechNet’s senior VP of federal policy and government relations also leading SACA.
“Americans want more content choices and flexibility in how and where they watch their favorite programming, including sports and other live events,” said Ward in a statement. “Streaming and digital entertainment companies offer audiences better features and value for their money. The industry and its customers deserve a dedicated voice in Washington, D.C., advocating for policies that enable innovation and address the needs of today’s consumers.”
The Motion Picture Association looks out on behalf of entertainment companies and studios, all of which have streaming services of their own, while TechNet and other groups work on behalf of tech giants. A previous lobbying group, the Internet Association, shuttered a few years back.
SACA meanwhile will “advocate for policies that expand consumer access to high-quality content, preserve choice, and support the innovative viewing experiences consumers value.”
Streamers, after years of growth, are facing fresh pressure from the public and from government officials, as prices continue to rise and with programming splintered across so many platforms. Sports have become a particularly big boogeyman, with Prime Video and Netflix each hosting exclusive NFL games this season, and with the FCC and broadcasters lobbying for regulators to require sports to be available for free on broadcast stations.
Read the Full Story: The Hollywood Reporter
Study: 73% of Advertisers Plan to Make Live Sports Streaming Buys in Next Year
As live sports proliferates on streaming platforms and more viewers are watching live sports, new research from Premion and Advertiser Perceptions finds that demand for live sports streaming/CTV ad inventory is also growing.
The survey found that nearly three-quarters (73%) of advertisers plan to allocate budget to live sports streaming/CTV advertising over the next 6–12 months, driven by engaged fans and major live events. Agency demand is even stronger, with 79% planning to invest, compared with 65% of marketers, the study found.
At the same time, the study also indicated that advertisers also want better measurement, stronger proof of ROI and simpler ways to navigate an increasingly fragmented sports marketplace as they ramp up those investments.
“Live sports continues to deliver something incredibly valuable for advertisers: passionate audiences showing up in real time,” said Blake Hebert, head of publisher operations, Premion. “As more sports viewing moves to streaming, advertisers want to capture that engagement with greater precision, accountability and local relevance. The opportunity now is to make live sports easier to access, measure and prove across an increasingly fragmented landscape.”
Six in 10 advertisers (61%) say reaching highly engaged sports fans during live events is a top reason for investing in live sports streaming, making it the leading investment driver. More than half (52%) also point to capitalizing on live sporting events that draw large audiences.
Read the Full Story: TV Technology
AdGood, Cineverse, Elemental TV & The Trade Desk Talk CTV Monetization — September 30
CTV advertising continues to grow, but capturing its full value requires more than simply adding inventory. Publishers and platforms must navigate fragmented demand, evolving advertiser expectations, measurement challenges, and the need to improve revenue without compromising the viewer experience.
Join OTT.X on September 30 for a timely conversation examining how better technology, more relevant ad experiences, and stronger collaboration across the ecosystem can create a more efficient and accessible CTV marketplace.
Key Areas of Discussion
- Turning underutilized inventory into sustainable revenue
- Creating clearer buying paths for advertisers of every size
- Moving beyond impressions to demonstrate measurable outcomes
- Using interactive, shoppable, contextual, and AI-enabled formats to increase engagement
- Delivering more relevant advertising while maintaining a strong viewer experience
- Building stronger connections among publishers, advertisers, and technology partners
Discover practical approaches to improving monetization, strengthening advertiser confidence, and creating more value from every CTV impression.
Roku Labs Invites Viewers to Test, Help Shape TVOS User Features
Amid fast-moving new technologies and evolving consumer behaviors, Roku is casting a wider net as it seeks stay on the forefront of streaming and deliver the types of TV user experiences and OS features viewers actually want.
On Thursday the connected TV platform announced Roku Labs, an initiative that invites and allows viewers to test out in-development and experimental TVOS features at home to help influence which get discarded or become permanent.
Streamers beta testing new features on cohorts of users isn’t necessarily a new idea, but Roku is taking a bit more direct and interactive approach to testing and user feedback, including a broad rollout of the program via a dedicated Roku Labs tile on CTV device home screens.
“Our best breakthroughs have never happened in a vacuum; they start with Roku engineers building and the people watching,” said Brian Pinkerton, SVP Advanced Development at Roku, in a statement. “Roku Labs continues to bridge the gap between engineers and our viewers, giving millions of households a seat at the table to explore, test, and shape experiences in real time. It ensures every feature that comes to our platform solves a real pain point, brings genuine delight, and reinforces our commitment to streaming.”
Roku counts more than 100 million streaming households in the U.S., which can serve as prime testing ground for new experiences, bells and whistles. Still, it’s not clear exactly how many users will be testing or have access to all eventual in-development features via Roku Labs. Reached by StreamTV Insider, the company declined to specify or clarify whether all Roku streaming households will be able to test every feature that makes its way into the Roku Labs effort, or if certain ones will be served to specific or various cohorts of viewers.
One of the first features to graduate from Roku Labs is the platform’s recently introduced interactive original game Roku City Dash. The game takes users inside Roku City and is now available to viewers everywhere.
Read the Full Story: StreamTV Insider
HappyKids Adds MLB Clubhouse in First Major Sports League Partnership
Future Today‘s HappyKids has partnered with Major League Baseball to bring MLB Clubhouse programming to the free, ad-supported streaming service, marking the platform’s first deal with a major sports league.
The agreement gives HappyKids access to a curated slate of MLB Clubhouse content, including animated series, player features, game highlights and educational programming designed for younger audiences.
“Sports fandom starts young, and we want HappyKids to be the place where that fandom is born,” David Di Lorenzo, Senior Vice President of Content Acquisitions and Partnerships at Future Today, said.
MLB said the partnership is intended to expand the reach of its youth-focused content beyond its own platforms and place it in a family co-viewing environment.
“Partnering with HappyKids allows us to put MLB Clubhouse in front of families in a trusted, co-viewing environment,” Gregg Klayman, the Senior Vice President of Product Development and Content Strategy at Major League Baseball, said in a statement on Tuesday.
The deal comes as MLB says interest among younger viewers is growing, with national broadcast audiences among fans ages 2 to 11 up 23 percent year over year.
HappyKids said 85 percent of its viewing is driven by family co-viewing and the service generates more than 800 million monthly impressions.
MLB Clubhouse content is available through HappyKids’ website and apps on Roku, Fire TV, Samsung Plus TV, Vizio, LG and other major streaming devices.
Read the Full Story: TheDesk.net
In Case You Missed It
- AI-Written Letters Are Pressuring Bonta Before Paramount’s Merger Costs $7 Million a Day. The Streaming Wars
- Apple Made Apple TV a Feature of iCloud+. The Streaming Wars
- Disney+ Playlists Turn Catalog Curation Into Session Control. The Streaming Wars
- When Does a Streaming App Become Too Many Businesses? The Streaming Wars
- Meet the Quindle: Five Streaming Services, One Amazon Checkout. The Streaming Wars
- In FAST, Carriage Is Cheap. Audience Is Expensive. The Streaming Wars
- Netflix, Amazon and YouTube Built a Lobby for Streaming Sports. The Streaming Wars
- JustWatch TV Turns Search Ranking Into a Revenue Decision. The Streaming Wars
- The Subsidy Is Over. The Streaming Wars
Powered by
FOR B2B TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES DONE BLENDING IN.
Most companies don't have a product problem.
They have a positioning problem.
43Twenty helps B2B technology companies define their category, sharpen their narrative, and build market perception that creates leverage.
Because when buyers understand why you matter, growth gets easier.
-
No buzzwords.
-
No content spam.
-
No shortcuts.
If everyone else sounds the same, that’s your opening.
We help you take it.