Streaming
State of Play
Revised Sep 18, 2026The moment. Bundling came back in one week. Amazon launched a five-service Prime Video bundle of AMC+, BritBox, MGM+, PBS Masterpiece and Starz at $29.99 a month. Roku opened 30 bundle combinations through its Premium Subscriptions storefront at savings of up to 30% against buying each service alone. JustWatch, which spent a decade telling people where to watch things, becomes a service itself in October with JustWatch TV. Netflix, Amazon and YouTube founded the Streaming Access and Choice Alliance, a Washington lobbying group run by TechNet, under bipartisan criticism over the cost and complexity of watching sports. Digiday charted every major price change since 2019: Netflix’s ad-free tier rose from $10.99 to $19.99, Disney+ from $6.99 to $18.99.
The tension. The bundle is being rebuilt by the companies that sold unbundling, and the arithmetic that made unbundling attractive has closed. Cable’s share of US TV viewing fell to 21.2% in January 2026 from 35.6% in January 2021 while streaming climbed to 47% from 28.9% — and on the way, Peacock’s ad tier went from $7.99 to $10.99 and the Disney+/Hulu/HBO Max bundle from $16.99 to $20. Ad minutes per hour on the top nine premium streamers rose 18% between January and August. The customer who cut the cord to pay less is being sold a package again, at a price that has been climbing for seven years.
Who’s moving. Amazon, on the five-service bundle, and outspending Netflix and YouTube combined on sports rights. Roku, on 30 storefront bundles. JustWatch, turning a guide into an AVOD service. Netflix, Amazon and YouTube, jointly, in Washington. Ampere Analysis and Guggenheim Securities, counting the ad loads. Mediobanca, whose Media and Entertainment Report put the top 25 global operators at 362.8 billion euros in 2025 turnover, up 2.8%, with streaming up 13.4% to 22.2% of revenues. Comcast and Paramount Skydance, weighing a wind-down of SkyShowtime. Channel 4, cutting around 340 roles, 28% of its workforce. Sony, pitching PS5 FAST channels on 40 to 50 million engaged users. Byron Allen’s Local Now, adding 111 Gray Media stations.
What the desk is watching. Whether a rebuilt bundle slows churn or just raises the price of leaving, and whether the DC alliance is about sports costs or about getting ahead of the regulation that follows them.
‘Masters of the Universe’ tops Nielsen streaming chart after weak box office
The Amazon MGM film debuted at No.
NFL holds line on early media rights talks despite Fox pushback
Ten yard penalty, automatic first down. NFL exec Hans Schroeder said the league’s stance on renegotiating media deals before their 2033 expiration hasn’t changed, after Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said such talks won’t happen. NFL deals include opt-out clauses after 2029 (2030 for Disney).
Prime Video orders Gary Lineker docu-series as Goalhanger deepens streamer ties
Legend. Prime Video will launch a four-part Lineker docu-series globally in 2027, covering his football career, BBC exit and Goalhanger media business. It comes as Lineker’s Rest Is Football podcast already streams on Netflix.
Nielsen: unscripted and kids’ fare crash the streaming Originals leaderboard
Nielsen’s mid-2026 streaming report shows Stranger Things still tops overall viewing months after its finale, while unscripted hits like The Traitors and The First 48 broke into charts once dominated by scripted originals and acquired library titles.
Gracenote: FAST sports programming growth outpaces overall FAST expansion
Gracenote’s Q3 2026 Data Hub finds FAST sports channels up 13.8% YoY to 264, but sports program titles rose 31.2% and individual games/events climbed 37.5%. Sports also appeared on 20 non-sports FAST channels.
Amazon quietly wins the streaming wars as a channels marketplace
Prime Video Channels now drives nearly 70% of specialty streaming subs, per Puck, with 20% of sign-ups leading to another service within six months. Amazon profits as the aggregator, not just the content spender.
Amazon accidentally streams Statham’s ‘Mutiny’ free days before theatrical release
A product-page error let Prime Video subscribers watch Lionsgate’s $50M-plus action film Mutiny free for hours, ahead of its theatrical debut. The film is now being pirated internationally, angering distributors who paid eight figures for rights.
DirecTV bundles free year of ad-tier Netflix with Genre Pack sign-ups
DirecTV will give new customers a year of Netflix’s $8.99-a-month ad-supported tier free when they sign up for a Genre Pack with its Gemini streaming device.
Magnite study: live streaming’s ad value extends into pre- and post-show coverage
Magnite-commissioned survey of 800+ US streamers finds 59% say ads across live and “shoulder” content raise purchase intent, and nearly all CTV live viewers co-watch with others. 79% accept equal or more ads per hour than on-demand.
Netflix edges toward YouTube-style features as it hunts new revenue
Netflix is reportedly testing features that resemble the platforms it once disrupted, as it looks beyond subscriptions and ads for growth. The move comes as YouTube itself pushes into TV-style exclusive content deals to keep creators from migrating to Netflix.
Nexxen standardizes programmatic home screen ads across TV OEMs
Nexxen launched tools letting advertisers upload creative once and deploy across multiple TV OEMs like V, TCL and TiVo, cutting OEM onboarding time by up to 50%. Home screen inventory is now attracting performance marketers beyond entertainment brands.
Sports events on FAST channels surge 37.5% as inventory diversifies
Gracenote’s Q3 Data Hub found sports events on FAST climbed 37.5% year over year, with sports also spreading to 20 non-sports channels. Dedicated sports channel count grew a slower 13.8%, showing growth comes from volume, not new channels.
Sports programming surges on FAST channels, Gracenote finds
Gracenote’s Q3 Data Hub found sports games on FAST channels up 37.5% year over year, with unique titles up 31.2%. Sports also spread beyond dedicated channels, appearing on 20 non-sports FAST channels in July, mirroring linear TV’s pattern.
Amazon sells out premium women’s sports ad slots, pivots to custom content
Amazon’s premium ad positions for WNBA and NWSL are sold out, so it’s building custom campaigns with talent like Candace Parker and A’ja Wilson to fit brands like Lilly and AT&T into the inventory.
YouTube lets creators package playlists as TV-style shows
YouTube now lets its 3 million+ Partner Program creators turn playlists into “shows” with dedicated landing pages and seasons.
Netflix and YouTube lead by different scoreboards, not the same one
Nielsen shows YouTube at a record 13.8% of US TV viewing versus Netflix’s 8%, fueling a rivalry narrative. But their business models — ad-supported scale versus subscription and live sports — chase different prizes.
Charter-Cox merger tilts retrans leverage further toward distributors
Charter’s $34.5B Cox deal creates a 38-million-customer connectivity giant with 14 million video subscribers. Broadband now defines the relationship, freeing Charter to resist rising programming costs and push its DTC-bundling model deeper into local markets.
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ franchise renewed across MTV and Paramount+
MTV and Paramount+ renewed ‘Drag Race’ season 19, ‘All Stars’ season 12 and both ‘Untucked’ aftershows. Season 18 grew double digits in the demo and ranked among 2026’s top 3 cable series.
Dolby’s OptiView brings behavior-targeted ad personalization to live sports streams
The Seahawks are first to use Dolby OptiView, which cuts stream latency and lets partners target ads based on viewer behavior. NFL+, Endeavor Streaming, Kiswe and ViewLift are also adopting it.
D’Amaro touts Disney’s integrated scale as new CEO’s core strategy
At D23, new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro said rivals are chasing acquisitions to replicate Disney’s mix of IP, streaming, parks and global scale. He argued Disney’s edge is operating all those businesses as one unified company.
Cineverse bets Vaudio can pull podcast ad dollars into CTV
Cineverse execs say 5-7% of the $3B podcast ad market could migrate to CTV via its new Vaudio tech, which adds visuals to existing audio ads. The company targets a $12M annual run rate by fiscal year end.
Political ad spend hits record $11.6B for 2026 midterms, CTV takes 23% share
AdImpact projects $11.6 billion in 2026 midterm political ad spend, the most expensive midterm cycle on record, with CTV reaching $2.7 billion — 23% of total spend. Campaigns are pairing linear reach with streaming precision rather than choosing one.
TVREV’s Hot List rounds up execs on fragmentation, AI outcomes, and local TV consolidation
TVREV’s weekly digest gathers exec commentary on TV-vs-social walled gardens, AI-driven ad outcomes, and local broadcast consolidation. It also previews Alan Wolk’s “Feudal Media” thesis on mass media’s fragmentation into rival platform fiefdoms.
Disney puts creator clips and vertical video at center of D23 streaming push
At D23, Disney executives detailed a push into “Verts” (vertical microdrama-style clips) on Disney+, tied to a new TikTok deal letting fans create with licensed IP.
Disney embraces vertical clips and creators to feed Disney+
Disney execs detailed a TikTok tie-up and “Verts” shortform push to complement long-form shows, marking a shift from strict IP enforcement toward creator-driven promotion. It signals streamers now see creator clips as core to subscriber growth, not just marketing noise.