NBC Olympics and Snap are continuing their Olympic partnership, connecting U.S. Snapchat users to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics with customized content, they said Friday. NBC will release more than 70 episodes over four daily shows, three times the content of the 2018 Games. It will create two daily highlight shows for the messaging app that will be updated in “near-real time.”

The number of Americans who say they would consider subscribing to Disney Plus grew 23 points in January vs. the month before the streaming service’s November launch, Morning Consult reported Thursday. Over 2019, just DoorDash registered double-digit growth (14 percent). Most of the purchasing consideration growth came from consumers who said they're “absolutely certain” they will subscribe to Disney Plus, said Morning Consult, rising from 9 to 22 over the four-month period. Its data suggests Disney Plus’ rise hasn’t directly hurt Netflix and Hulu, but “their metrics have stalled in its wake.” Over the four months, Hulu’s trend line remained flat, while Netflix’ stepped up 1 point, said the research/media firm. Netflix attributed slowing Q4 subscriber additions to competitive launches in the U.S. in its latest earnings report (see 2001210061).

Netflix missed by 30 percent its target for U.S. paid net subscriber additions in Q4, the first quarter in which it faced head-to-head competition from the November launches of Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus, Netflix reported Tuesday. Netflix had 420,000 net paid U.S. adds in the quarter, compared with Oct. 16's 600,000 projection. It had 1.53 million net paid adds in the U.S. in Q4 a year earlier. It exceeded sub growth forecasts internationally, where Apple and Disney weren't a competitive factor, pulling in 8.33 million net paid adds in Q4, versus the 7 million it predicted three months ago. That outdid the 7.31 million net adds it had internationally in Q4 2018. The “low membership growth” domestically was “probably due" in part to the "US competitive launches,” said Netflix. “We are working hard to improve our service to combat these factors and push net adds higher.” It nevertheless is forecasting Q1 global paid net adds of 7 million, versus 9.6 million in Q1 2019, reflecting "the continued, slightly elevated churn levels we are seeing in the US." In the increasingly competitive landscape, “we have a big head start in streaming and will work to build on that by focusing on the same thing we have focused on for the past 22 years -- pleasing members,” it said. “We believe if we do that well, Netflix will continue to prosper.” Despite the “big debut” Q4 of Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus, “our viewing per membership grew both globally and in the US on a year over year basis, consistent with recent quarters,” it said. Netflix stock rose after regular U.S. trading, up 2.5 percent to $346.40 at 5:22 p.m.

Netflix opened a Paris office and will “significantly increase” investment in France, it said Friday: The "creative hub" will bring "opportunities for us to work with the best and most exciting creative talent in France,” it said. The company launched in France in 2014.

Growth of vMVPDs is slowing amid above-inflation price hikes, and new entrant Vidgo needs to add important functionality and channels without increasing prices to compete, nScreenMedia analyst Colin Dixon blogged Tuesday: Sports-centric Vidgo lacks regional sports networks and CBS and NBCUniversal, and lack of pause and DVR functions is a problem. Vidgo CEO Shane Cannon told us its social TV component -- letting people interact virtually while watching -- and its targeting of underserved markets are competitive differentiators, and its channel lineup allows it to have a lower cost structure. He said DVR functionality is coming.

MVPDs likely lost 6.2 percent of customers on cord cutting in 2019, above the 3.9 percent 2018 decline, S&P said Wednesday. It said those losses should moderate somewhat this year, at 5.1 percent, with direct broadcast satellite losses scaling back but cable subscriber losses accelerating. The firm said the bigger-than-expected 2019 losses were likely due to AT&T's DirecTV losing more than 12 percent of its customer base as it ended promotional pricing, while Dish Network likely lost more than 8 percent due to blackouts. S&P said vMVPDs likely have 10 to 15 percent of the pay-TV subs, but growth might wane because of rising prices. It said more midsized cable operators will likely follow Cable One in not offering their own video service. The debt ratings firm said lesser cord cutting in 2020 should come due to vMVPDs being less a competitive threat and as DBS has fewer losses.

Pledging no annual contracts and more video bundle choices, Verizon announced bundles Thursday. The video packages come in bundles of 125-plus channels, 300-plus channels and 425-plus channels, with it also selling YouTube TV. The ISP is offering 100, 300, 400, 500 or 940 Mbps. Parents TV Council urged full a la carte options instead of skinnier bundles. It said Verizon "doesn’t give consumers real choice in terms of programming [and] what they’re proposing is only a distinction without a difference." If "customers are forced to pay for bundles of unwanted networks, cords will continue to be cut," said PTC. “Finally, a major cable company has gotten the message,” Consumer Reports said. "While the cost of internet and cable TV service is still expensive, Verizon customers can now pick a plan that suits their needs and budget without having to worry about getting hit with a bill loaded with hidden fees.”

ViacomCBS and Comcast renewed carriage agreements, including retransmission consent of 23 CBS owned-and-operated stations in 15 markets, they said Wednesday. CBS All Access will be available via Comcast's Xfinity X1 and Flex platforms later this year, in the first such deal for the streaming service. The CBS TV Network and CBS Sports Network content will be available for live streaming to Xfinity customers via CBS.com, the CBS app and Comcast's Xfinity Stream.

More than 70 percent of U.S. broadband households own at least one streaming entertainment product and half own a smart TV, reported Parks Associates Monday. Seventy-seven percent of smart TVs are connected to the internet, it said, up from 62 percent in 2014. Manufacturers have invested in improvements to the app and user experience on smart TVs, resulting in higher connection rates, “which keeps the user within their ecosystem,” allowing opportunities to monetize the user base, said analyst Kristen Hanich. That’s increasingly important as manufacturers and software providers look to extend into subscriptions and ad-supported over-the-top video services. The analyst cited Samsung’s recently announced ad-supported video service, Samsung TV Plus, and said more announcements from TV makers are expected at CES. Renewed focus on app development and user experience is important for reaching Generation Z users whose preference for content consumption is with mobile devices, she said. “Generation Z shows a strong preference for other forms of entertainment over watching TV programming, which will represent a growing challenge to TV makers,” said Hanich. “Overall television ownership is beginning to decline, even as smart TV adoption grows,” she said. Millennials and Gen Z are the largest segment of TV buyers, and their “unique demands on the TV are forcing manufacturers to rethink the role and form factor of the TV set.”

Comcast and Lionsgate's Starz reached a carriage agreement that will keep the Starz networks on Xfinity TV and have NBCUniversal license Lionsgate content for Peacock, its streaming service launching in April, Comcast said Monday. It said Starz will license NBCUniversal content for U.S. markets and its international streaming service, Starzplay. It said Starz channels will get expanded distribution on the Comcast Flex platform of streaming content for broadband-only subscribers.