But we've talked before about how the streaming landscape is looking an awful lot like cable did when it leaned into bundles.

https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2026/01/26/the-streaming-wars-are-maturing-why-the-next-phase-is-being-defined-by-strategy-not-scale/

That last one is the one that gets me. Yes, consumers have a choice in what services they subscribe to. And the fact that they have those choices undoubtedly drives competition among streamers.

The battleground in streaming is not about speed or scale anymore. We've kind of pushed that as far as it can go. Now, E'Ian West says streaming is being defined by these trends: - Original Programming - Specialization - Financial Realism - Consumer Choice

The battleground in streaming is not about speed or scale anymore. We've kind of pushed that as far as it can go. Now, E'Ian West says streaming is being defined by these trends:

- Original Programming
- Specialization
- Financial Realism
- Consumer Choice

The water cooler moment is mostly a thing of the past. The Super Bowl may be the only exception left. Let's celebrate that!

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/super-bowl-lx-tv-ratings-nbc-bad-bunny-1236500505/

The way we watch TV is so different now. Though shows like "The Pitt" and "Abbott Elementary" are trying to bring back old-school, appointment television (and doing quite well), we will never see numbers like the "M*A*S*H" finale again.

Did Super Bowl LX technically have a dip in ratings from the previous year? Yes, but last year was literally record-breaking. I think we can still take a second to marvel at the fact that an average of 124.9 million people were tuned into the same program.

Did Super Bowl LX technically have a dip in ratings from the previous year? Yes, but last year was literally record-breaking. I think we can still take a second to marvel at the fact that an average of 124.9 million people were tuned into the same program.

Too much of a good thing isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes, the best way to keep the magic alive is to let things breathe.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7037450/2026/02/11/espn-super-bowl-2027/

We all think we want it all year round, but if we got what we wanted, it would make it less special. By the time we actually get to Super Bowl LXI, will we still be excited, or will we just be ready for ESPN's festivities to end? I think booth.

ESPN landing the 2027 Super Bowl is a massive moment for the network. But I'm sorry, a 365-day lead-up celebration sounds excessive. The joy of the Super Bowl (and of football season, really) is that we have to wait. Like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas morning...

ESPN landing the 2027 Super Bowl is a massive moment for the network. But I'm sorry, a 365-day lead-up celebration sounds excessive.

The joy of the Super Bowl (and of football season, really) is that we have to wait. Like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas morning...

Does that take the sting of a cancellation away? No, but it's always nice to get some insight into those kinds of decisions.

https://refreshmiami.com/news/beyond-the-streaming-wars-the-ai-infrastructure-battle-no-one-talks-about/

And you can't just tell a studio boss to greenlight a show because "the computer said so." The tech has to be able to explain why a show will work in a way that makes sense to the creative teams.

Well, now we finally have the "why" behind those decisions.

Streamers are using machine learning to predict what we’ll binge next. The stakes are really high: if the AI is off by even 10%, that’s a $100M mistake.

Have you ever stumbled upon a show on a streaming service that quickly becomes your favorite only for it to get cancelled after one season (looking at you, Netflix...)? Were you even more frustrated when you saw a new, very expensive show launch on the same service?

Have you ever stumbled upon a show on a streaming service that quickly becomes your favorite only for it to get cancelled after one season (looking at you, Netflix...)? Were you even more frustrated when you saw a new, very expensive show launch on the same service?

How can a sports-only app compete with that kind of spending power? Do you, like me, miss when sports lived on their own dedicated channels?

https://deadline.com/2026/02/prime-video-top-streaming-sports-rights-spender-1236705839/

Sports used to be its own separate thing, but now it's clearly a tool for Amazon to keep you subscribed to Prime for everything. They don't need sports to make direct profits; they need it to stop you from canceling.

Amazon has finally outspent everyone to become the biggest player in sports streaming. Their massive new NBA deal (combined with Thursday Night Football) has officially pushed them past DAZN into the #1 spot.

Amazon has finally outspent everyone to become the biggest player in sports streaming. Their massive new NBA deal (combined with Thursday Night Football) has officially pushed them past DAZN into the #1 spot.

Would you rather see a targeted ad for something you'll actually buy, or is part of the fun the collective conversation around the same commercials?

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/04/streaming-only-super-bowl-ads-peacock-nbc.html

It’s a smart move. Health startup Ro tried a streaming-only ad last year to see if it was worth the hype, and it worked so well they’re back on the main broadcast this year with Serena Williams. And unlike the old-school TV ads, streaming spots can target specific audiences.

This year, NBC is selling streaming-only Super Bowl spots on Peacock for about half the price of those traditional $8 million commercials.

This year, NBC is selling streaming-only Super Bowl spots on Peacock for about half the price of those traditional $8 million commercials.

BUT...

They still ended up needing a $550M buyout from the New York Times and ads to survive. It’s a bit ironic: the company that was supposed to kill the old media model ended up becoming a part of it.

https://awfulannouncing.com/athletic/lessons-learned-10-years-alex-mather-adam-hansmann.html

Ten years of The Athletic has taught us a big lesson: even a million paying subscribers aren't enough to support a massive newsroom. The dream was to provide high-quality, hyper-local sports journalism. And to their credit, they delivered.

Ten years of The Athletic has taught us a big lesson: even a million paying subscribers aren't enough to support a massive newsroom.

The dream was to provide high-quality, hyper-local sports journalism. And to their credit, they delivered.

You cannot claim to be the new "prime time" to get bigger ad budgets while refusing to let anyone verify the numbers.

https://www.ft.com/content/9493ee78-e18b-41ae-8719-8d1380e1e63d

Even the most popular global creators, most notably MrBeast, pull in numbers comparable to mid-tier cable shows. Their most popular channel being viewed on TVs turned out to be Peppa Pig. Still, this "only attracted 758,000 viewers during the week measured."

The issue is transparency: traditional broadcasters are required to let outside groups measure exactly who is watching, but Google wants to keep that data in-house.

When measured by the same standards as TV, YouTube's reach on actual TVs looks way smaller.

It feels like YouTube wants the status of "television" without the independent oversight. In the UK, Google blocked a third-party measurement service that was comparing YouTube’s audience to traditional TV networks.

It feels like YouTube wants the status of "television" without the independent oversight.

In the UK, Google blocked a third-party measurement service that was comparing YouTube’s audience to traditional TV networks.

Once you can watch the biggest live games of the year on a streamer, the line between "traditional TV" and streaming disappears. It's just...TV now.

https://www.nielsen.com/news-center/2026/streaming-shatters-multiple-records-in-december-2025-with-47-5-of-tv-viewing-according-to-nielsens-the-gauge/

Nielsen released the numbers for December, and streaming hit ~50% of everything watched on TV. On Christmas Day, it was over 54%. Netflix used the NFL to prove it can handle the same massive crowds as broadcast TV. Between football and Stranger Things, they dominated December.

Nielsen released the numbers for December, and streaming hit ~50% of everything watched on TV. On Christmas Day, it was over 54%.

Netflix used the NFL to prove it can handle the same massive crowds as broadcast TV. Between football and Stranger Things, they dominated December.

We’ve effectively turned our TV remotes into "buy" buttons.

https://www.adexchanger.com/tv/interactive-ctv-ads-were-mostly-talk-until-now/

New data shows that 91% of us stay in the room when we hit pause, so that frozen screen has become the most valuable advertising real estate.

You’re seeing QR codes to buy the jacket the lead actor is wearing, or "arrival ads" that hit you before you even pick a show.

Remember when a commercial break was actually a break? Now viewers have the power to hit pause whenever they please (and they do!), but there's really no break.

Remember when a commercial break was actually a break?

Now viewers have the power to hit pause whenever they please (and they do!), but there's really no break.