Vizio ended its upfront season with over $200 million in direct advertising commitments from agency holding companies, brands and studios, a 100% year-over-year increase, the company said Thursday. It attributed growth for Vizio Ads to audience migration from linear to streaming and better targeting and measurement. It also cited more programming on its ad-supported WatchFree+ channel, plus buyer demand for “data-informed advertising” and home screen engagement offerings. Vizio’s ad business grew 71% year on year in Q2, and it added 243 net new advertisers, it said.
FuboTV announced a multiyear carriage agreement with Altitude Sports, home of the Colorado Avalanche NHL and Denver Nuggets NBA teams. The teams’ 2022-2023 regular-season games will be available to subscribers in 10 Rocky Mountain states. The agreement also extends to National Lacrosse League Colorado Mammoth games, FuboTV said. Terms weren't given.
Live sports, once a “pillar of pay TV,” have become the “next big thing in streaming,” blogged eMarketer analyst Sara Lebow Monday, saying 84 million of the 160.2 million live sports viewers in the U.S. this year will be digital. EMarketer analyst Paul Verna said growth in sports viewership is coming from adoption of digital platforms vs. pay TV. Lebow noted Amazon’s “$1 billion-a-year Thursday Night Football bet appears to be paying off,” citing a CNBC report saying the tech company had a record number of signups for a three-hour period before kickoff of its debut broadcast Sept. 13. Verizon announced Friday NFL Plus will be offered on the Verizon Plus Play subscription management platform, and Apple inked a $50 million deal for the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, Lebow noted. Exclusive NFL rights have the potential for extended game revenue via alternate broadcasts that give viewers a more personalized feel, she said, referencing Amazon’s alternate streams and NFL Slimetime on Nickelodeon. But exclusive streaming rights mean changes for advertisers, Lebow said. Amazon doesn’t have beer or alcohol ads on the Thursday games, she said, but NFL games "are some of the biggest expenditures for beer brands: Dry Thursdays could change that.” NFL games are now a major attraction for streaming services, which can score payoffs in advertising and new subscribers, "but costs are high and the landscape’s still shifting, so each deal is a gamble."
Nielsen announced Thursday that Roku will enable “four-screen measurement” for the first time across traditional TV, connected TV, desktop and mobile in Nielsen Total Ad Ratings. The collaboration will enable marketers running ads with Roku to “deduplicate” campaign reach and frequency across all four screens in the home, said Nielsen. “As consumers spend more time streaming, marketers are diversifying their media investments and continue to shift more dollars to TV streaming than ever before,” it said. Nielsen data showed streaming surpassed cable for the first time in July, capturing its largest share of TV viewing ever. OneView, Roku's ad platform built for TV streaming, is directly integrated with Nielsen's measurement solution, “enabling robust, person-level measurement of ad campaigns on the Roku platform.”
Lionsgate Entertainment's Starzplay streaming service is renaming itself Lionsgate+ in 35 nations this week, though it will remain Starz in the U.S. and Canada, the company said Wednesday. Starz CEO Jeffrey Hirsch said even with Starz and the Lionsgate studio business leaving Lionsgate Entertainment, "the Lionsgate brand will continue to be valuable to the ongoing success of our international platform.” Lionsgate Entertainment is increasingly looking at spinning off its studio business as part of its effort to separate its Starz and studio arms, per an SEC filing. It said it's continuing negotiations "with prospective strategic and financial partners on both sides of our business."
Dish Network and Game Show Network reached a carriage agreement that restores the channel on Dish TV and Sling TV and ends a blackout that started earlier this month (see 2209070001), Dish said Tuesday.
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) pushed MLB and Apple to reach agreement with YES Network allowing the regional sports network to carry the Yankees game against the Boston Red Sox. The game was to be carried on Apple+ Friday night. "To deny millions of New Yorkers, and fans around the nation, the opportunity to watch as (Yankees outfielder) Aaron Judge steps up to the plate, is wrong and unfair," James said Friday. Citing New York cable subscribers "being asked to pay extra if they want to watch this exciting home run chase, and potentially historic game," James said Apple and MLB should "reach a fair accommodation with the YES Network so that fans can watch what we all hope will be history made this evening.” MLB and Apple didn't comment.
Illinois' Cable and Video Competition Law (CVCL) doesn't give East St. Louis a right of action to seek video service provider franchise fees from streaming services, U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Beatty of East St. Louis ruled Friday, dismissing a putative class action complaint brought by the city. In the docket 3:21-CV-561 order Friday granting the streaming service defendants' motions to dismiss (see 2203290039), Beatty said CVCL explicitly says the state attorney general can institute a lawsuit for CVCL violations, but it doesn't say that local government units can do likewise. That the AG's office hasn't pursued a suit "does not somehow mean the statutory enforcement framework is an inadequate remedy," said the order. There was no oral argument, with Beatty in the order calling it "not necessary." The city didn't comment.
Eligible T-Mobile customers will have access to free in-flight Wi-Fi and streaming on select United domestic and short-haul international flights, joining Alaska, American and Delta, the wireless carrier said Friday. The perk is part of T-Mobile’s Coverage Beyond benefit available to customers on Magenta Max, Business Unlimited Ultimate and equivalent Sprint wireless plans, it said. With Coverage Beyond, customers can “text, email, search and stream all flight long,” it said. Coverage Beyond launches on United’s 737s, Max8s, Max9s, select 757-300s and select A319s with Wi-Fi supported by Viasat and Thales InFlyt Experience; more flights and Wi-Fi partners will be added soon, T-Mobile said.
Bleav sports podcasts will be available to TuneIn ad-supported and premium subscribers as part of the streaming audio company’s stepped-up sports content initiative, the companies said Wednesday. Listeners can access podcasts worldwide in a “live-style” linear format, allowing them to discover content in real time, then listen on-demand to programming that interests them, the companies said. TuneIn will add 500 shows; 1,000 hours of original content monthly; and networks covering major sports leagues, soccer, betting and pop culture, they said.