Newsletter
October 30th, 2026
Your Weekly roundup of OTT.X events and initiatives, member updates, partner opportunities, and news and insights from across streaming and digital entertainment.
This newsletter combines OTT.X updates with curated summaries and excerpts from external publications. Third-party content is credited and linked to its original source.
Happy Halloween
Happy Halloween from OTT.X!
October 30th, 2026
Main Story
Can You Sell the World Cup to the Same Sponsor Twice?
FIFA is accepting bids for the 2030 World Cup through November 19, with a preference for selling the English- and Spanish-language U.S. rights to one company.
Following record audiences in 2026, media companies have modeled potential rights fees of $1.5 billion to $2 billion per tournament. For context, Fox Sports and Telemundo/Peacock generated an estimated $1.19 billion in combined U.S. advertising revenue from the 2026 World Cup.
Recent results from NBCU and Netflix also underscore the financial and operational challenges facing prospective bidders.
OTT.X Events
Registration Is Open for the 2026 OTT.X Summit
Join leaders from across streaming and digital entertainment on December 14 at The Culver Theater in Culver City for a full day of discussion, networking, and business development.
The program will examine the market forces shaping media, entertainment, and sports, from content investment and changing viewing habits to distribution, monetization, live sports, and microdrama.
Early-bird registration is available through November 20. Attendance is complimentary for OTT.X members. Contact OTT.X to arrange your member registration.
Industry News
YouTube Premium and Music Subscribers Pass 150 Million as Ad Revenue Tops $11 Billion in Q3
YouTube now has more than 150 million subscribers to its YouTube Premium and YouTube Music services, solidifying the Google-owned video platform as a juggernaut not only in the video advertising space, but in the subscription space as well.
The company had disclosed that the two services topped 125 million subscribers (including trials) last year. It does not break out how many subscribers each of the two offerings has.
OTT.X Event
Registration Is Open for the 2027 OTT.X Breakfast at CES
Join leaders from across streaming and digital entertainment on January 7 at SAHARA Las Vegas for a morning of industry conversations, networking, and a full breakfast.
The program will explore market trends, emerging opportunities, and the business and technology decisions shaping the year ahead, with time to reconnect with peers and build new relationships.
Early-bird tickets are $80 through December 4. Attendance is complimentary for OTT.X members. Contact OTT.X to arrange your member registration.
Member News
Versant Launches New Channels on Prime Video, Roku
Versant is tapping into its cable television programming catalog for the launch of several new free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels that will roll out on two leading platforms over the next few weeks.
The new channels — CNBC Ambition, Snapped, Botched and Oxygen Murders of America — became available on Prime Video in the United States this week, and will roll out to users who watch content on The Roku Channel throughout November, the company said in a press release.
Industry News
Tubi Reveals TikTok Creator Cohort with 10 Original Long-Form Series
Tubi has marked its biggest investment in original programming from creators yet, on Tuesday unveiling the 12 creators selected for its Creatorverse Incubator cohort in partnership with TikTok.
Tubi is tapping TikTok creators to give them the opportunity and resources to make the jump from social video to streaming television. And to expand their audiences by developing long-form original series that are exclusive to the Fox-owned AVOD platform that counts 110 million monthly active users.
Partner Event
OTT.X Members Save 25% on Future of Video
Join Parks Associates and leaders from across streaming on November 17–18 in Marina del Rey, California, for two days of industry conversations and networking.
Explore changing viewing habits, advertising and monetization, and the business models shaping the next phase of video.
OTT.X members save 25% on registration
OTT.X Event
Nov. 19 - The Vertical Shift: Microdrama & the Next Evolution of Storytelling
Short episodes. Big ambitions. Microdrama is creating new opportunities across content development, production, distribution, and monetization.
Join OTT.X on November 19 at 10:00 AM PT for a conversation on the creative and commercial decisions shaping vertical storytelling, from adapting content for Western audiences to building a sustainable business.
Hear perspectives from Omdia, Yuewen, Roseberry, LA Vertical Drama Market, and HOLYWATER TECH in this free live webinar.
Main Story
Can You Sell the World Cup to the Same Sponsor Twice?
FIFA is accepting bids for the 2030 World Cup through November 19, with a preference for selling the English- and Spanish-language U.S. rights to one company.
Following record audiences in 2026, media companies have modeled potential rights fees of $1.5 billion to $2 billion per tournament. For context, Fox Sports and Telemundo/Peacock generated an estimated $1.19 billion in combined U.S. advertising revenue from the 2026 World Cup.
Recent results from NBCU and Netflix also underscore the financial and operational challenges facing prospective bidders.
Controlling both languages gives the winning broadcaster an opportunity to build a more comprehensive advertising business. The challenge is generating additional spend from sponsors already purchasing English and Spanish language coverage.
With advertisers likely to seek favorable pricing in exchange for consolidating their budgets, the broadcaster's ability to protect the value of Spanish-language inventory could have a substantial effect on the return.
The bigger question is whether one company can extract more advertising revenue from two audiences that advertisers already know how to buy.
I examine how that pricing decision could shape the economics of the next World Cup rights deal.
OTT.X Event
Registration Is Open for the 2026 OTT.X Summit
The 2026 OTT.X Summit brings together leaders from across streaming and digital entertainment on Monday, December 14 at The Culver Theater in Culver City, for a full day of discussion, collaboration, networking, and business development.
As companies navigate profitability pressures, changing audience behavior, new distribution models, and advances in technology, this year’s program will examine what is working, what is changing, and where new opportunities are emerging.
Conversations Shaping the Business
Laura Martin of Needham & Company will deliver The Streaming Business Outlook, offering a candid assessment of financial performance, investor expectations, and the forces shaping the industry’s next moves.
Connecting Live Sports: From Schedule to Screen will examine how reliable data, consistent identification, and timely updates support sports discovery, distribution, and monetization, with perspectives from OTT.X, Roku, Ampere Analysis, and Seidel Media Technologies.
Additional discussions will explore content investment, changing viewing habits, sustainable streaming businesses, YouTube strategies, microdrama, and the economics of live sports.
Throughout the day, attendees will have opportunities to exchange ideas, build relationships, and connect with potential customers, collaborators, and partners.
Early-bird registration is available through November 20.
OTT.X members attend free. Please contact OTT.X to arrange your complimentary registration.
Explore the developing program and reserve your place.
Industry News
YouTube Premium and Music Subscribers Pass 150 Million as Ad Revenue Tops $11 Billion in Q3
YouTube now has more than 150 million subscribers to its YouTube Premium and YouTube Music services, solidifying the Google-owned video platform as a juggernaut not only in the video advertising space, but in the subscription space as well.
The company had disclosed that the two services topped 125 million subscribers (including trials) last year. It does not break out how many subscribers each of the two offerings has.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai announced the milestone in connection with the company’s Q3 earnings report Wednesday afternoon. YouTube also saw its ad sales surge to more than $11.2 billion in the quarter, up from $10.3 billion a year ago, and on par with Q2.
On the earnings call, Google chief business officer Philipp Schindler said that more than 20 million videos are uploaded to YouTube every day, while expanding on how Alphabet views the business more broadly.
“We view YouTube as a flywheel of creators, viewers, and advertisers,” Schindler said, outlining some of the things it was doing to reduce friction in all three parts of that flywheel. “We are making creation easier with new generative AI tools in YouTube Studio, plus a conversational editing assistant in Shorts and YouTube Create.
OTT.X Event
Registration Is Open for the 2027 OTT.X Breakfast at CES
The annual OTT.X Breakfast at CES returns to Las Vegas on Thursday, January 7, 2027, from 8:00–11:30 AM at SAHARA Las Vegas, bringing together leaders from across streaming, CTV, digital entertainment, advertising, content, and technology.
Start your CES morning with a full breakfast and an intimate gathering of industry executives, innovators, and decision-makers, designed to encourage conversation and meaningful connections.
Perspectives on the Year Ahead
Through presentations and discussions, the program will explore market trends, emerging opportunities, and the business and technology decisions shaping digital entertainment. Expect perspectives on how the industry is evolving and where companies see opportunities for growth, innovation, and collaboration.
Connections Beyond the Show Floor
Alongside the programming, attendees will have time to exchange ideas, reconnect with colleagues, and meet potential customers, collaborators, and partners. The Breakfast offers a focused setting to build relationships before heading into the day’s CES activities.
Early-bird registration is $80 through December 4.
OTT.X members attend free. Please contact OTT.X to arrange your complimentary registration.
Join the OTT.X community for a morning of insights, breakfast, and business connections.
Member News
Versant Launches New Channels on Prime Video, Roku
Versant is tapping into its cable television programming catalog for the launch of several new free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels that will roll out on two leading platforms over the next few weeks.
The new channels — CNBC Ambition, Snapped, Botched and Oxygen Murders of America — became available on Prime Video in the United States this week, and will roll out to users who watch content on The Roku Channel throughout November, the company said in a press release.
The expansion is part of Versant’s strategy to diversify its business beyond traditional pay television distribution by making programming from its cable networks available to viewers through free streaming services.
“Growing our digital platforms and reaching new audiences are central to Versant’s strategy,” Dave Pietrycha, the Chief Revenue and Business Officer at Versant, said in a statement. “Bringing more of our programming to Prime Video and The Roku Channel extends the reach of our iconic brands and provides audiences with more ways to discover content they value wherever they watch.”
CNBC Ambition will launch on The Roku Channel on November 3, featuring business, entrepreneurship and personal finance programming. Its lineup includes “Leader’s Playbook,” “Millennial Money,” “Secret Lives of the Super Rich,” “Billion Dollar Buyer,” “Adventure Capitalists” and “Empires of New York.”
Oxygen Murders of America will follow on November 10, offering true crime programming from Oxygen’s existing library. The channel will debut with 16 series, including “The Pike County Murders,” “The Real Murders of Atlanta,” “New York Homicide,” “Florida Man Murders” and “Sin City Murders.”
Two additional channels, Snapped and Botched, will become available on The Roku Channel on November 17.
Industry News
Tubi Reveals TikTok Creator Cohort with 10 Original Long-Form Series
Tubi has marked its biggest investment in original programming from creators yet, on Tuesday unveiling the 12 creators selected for its Creatorverse Incubator cohort in partnership with TikTok.
First announced in March, through the program Tubi is tapping TikTok creators to give them the opportunity and resources to make the jump from social video to streaming television. And to expand their audiences by developing long-form original series that are exclusive to the Fox-owned AVOD platform that counts 110 million monthly active users.
The initial TikTok creators chose for the incubator are bringing 10 new series to Tubi, which the streamer said focus on fandoms that resonate most with Tubi’s platform including animation, horror, reality and young adult (YA).
The creator-developed series span genres and formats, ranging across unscripted horror, animated and scripted comedies, an adult animated series about a fallen here, a travel series through Australia and a dating show hosted by a comedian.
In terms of those selected, Tubi said the creators are recognized in entertainment from red carpets to TikTok’s Discover List and Showbiz List.
In choosing which creators to bring to the living room screen, Tubi built the cohort around distinct voices whose work aligns with fandoms that Tubi viewers already love.
Partner Event
OTT.X Members Save 25% on Future of Video
November 17 - 18, 2026
Marina del Rey, California
Parks Associates’ Future of Video: Business of Streaming brings industry leaders together for two days of conversations focused on the strategies, technologies, and business models shaping the next phase of video.
The program will explore evolving viewing habits, monetization and advertising, streaming business models, and the changing relationships between content providers, platforms, distributors, and audiences.
Alongside the programming, Future of Video offers an opportunity to connect with peers from across the streaming ecosystem and exchange ideas around the challenges and opportunities ahead.
OTT.X members receive 25% off registration. Use code STREAMING2026 when registering.
Nov. 19 - The Vertical Shift: Microdrama & the Next Evolution of Storytelling
Thursday, November 19, 2026
10:00 AM PT | 1:00 PM ET
Free Live Virtual Webinar
Microdramas are opening new possibilities for how stories are developed, produced, discovered, and monetized. Following its success in China, the format is gaining traction in the U.S. and other markets, raising questions about what audiences want and how to build a sustainable business around short-form vertical storytelling.
Join OTT.X for a discussion of the creative and commercial decisions shaping the format, from adapting stories for Western audiences to balancing production costs, audience acquisition, and revenue.
What the Conversation Will Cover
- Lessons from international markets: What translates to U.S. audiences and where storytelling, genres, and viewing preferences require a different approach.
- Content and IP strategy: How to develop, acquire, and adapt stories for short episodes that keep viewers coming back.
- Production and business economics: How budgets, production speed, audience acquisition, and monetization influence the business.
- Technology and AI: Where new tools can support production, localization, and experimentation, and what their use means for creative quality and audience appeal.
- Growth beyond the phone: Opportunities across new genres, platforms, and screens, including connected television.
Joining the Discussion
Moderator:
- Maria Rua Aguete, Head of Media & Entertainment, Omdia
Panelists:
- Hannah Cheng, Content Development Lead, AI Animation, Yuewen
- Lior Friedman, Co-Founder, Head of Business Development, Roseberry
- Dana Protsyshak, Founder, LA Vertical Drama Market
- Sasha Tkachenko, Head of Studio, HOLYWATER TECH
Explore what it takes to turn microdrama’s early momentum into lasting business value, with perspectives from across research, content development, production, and business development.
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In Case You Missed It
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