"There is a lot of solidarity among the performers, but in the studio side of things everyone's in it for themselves. These are people who hate each other. People who are in direct competition with one another, but to think that Universal has the same priorities as Netflix is insane" - Seth Rogen, from the picket line.

This Week on TVREV: 

• Alan Wolk goes into the Fox bundle hole and explores Disney's game of cat and mouse. 

• John Cassillo thinks College Football Consolidation is just a game for the best TV inventory. 

• David Bloom wagers ESPN's gamble with Penn Entertainment won’t make Disney whole. Yes, we already made two (three) whole puns, and we’re sorry.  

• Plus a collection of TVREV Thought Leaders are Sounding off on Local Streaming and we’ve got more exclusive interviews in our latest CTV by the Sea series sponsored by LG Ads.

Wall Street is Misreading the CTVital Signs

We’ve said it alot, and we’ll say it again– Wall Street has a lot to learn about CTV.  Revenues are up, and stocks take a hit. Like children with good grades getting sent to their room to think about how they can do better … we however, celebrate this progress…

• Trade Desk Revenues are up 23%

• VIZIO crushed platform earnings +28% YoY

• Paramount had a streaming revenue pop

• There is a new Magnite/Freewheel pact 

• Roku CFO Dan Jedda sounds pretty smitten with the state of play.

• Wallenstein at Variety explores hard evidence of a SmartTV surge

• Free, ad-supported TV streaming services are booming; 1 in 3 US viewers tune in 

• Camelot went all in on iSpot for Unified (cross-platform) Measurement 

• Cadent was acquired for $600,000,000 to build omnichannel under a PE umbrella ***(watch next week for a TVREV exclusive interview with more on that)

“While [linear TV] remains highly profitable, the trends fueled by cord-cutting are unmistakable” - Bob Iger 

NEWS YOU CAN USE

Advertising

• Pact Would Help Media Owners Manage Programmatic and Addressable Ad Strategies - Ray Schultz [MediaPost]

• The Rise of Discerning Publishers: Ad Tech Vendors Face Increased Scrutiny - Seb Joseph [Digiday]

• Meta AI Ad Business Grows Amid Privacy Concerns - Ryan Heath, Sara Fischer [Axios]

• Twitter Looks to Bring Advertisers Back with Expanded Ad Features Months After Top Advertisers Left the Platform in Mass - Antonio Pequeño IV [Forbes]

• Here's What Ad and Media Execs Really Mean When Commenting on a Whirlwind Q2 - Seb Joseph [Digiday]

• Cadent Switches Private Equity Owners, Sets Sights on Omnichannel - Alyssa Boyle [AdExchanger]

Streaming Wars

• Disney Reports Strong Earnings Amid Streaming Growth - Brooks Barnes [NYT]

• Paramount Sales Beat Forecasts Thanks to Streaming TV Growth - Christopher Palmeri [Bloomberg]

• Roku CFO Dan Jedda on Navigating the Streaming Wars - Will Daniel [Fortune]

• Solving the Conundrum of Content Choice for Connected TV Viewers - Ron Gutman [NextTV]

• Analysis: The Impact of Streaming Services on Entertainment - Bryan Lowry [CNN]

• SAG-AFTRA Addresses Revenue Sharing for Actors in Streaming - Rick Porter [THR]

• Could a True Streaming Bundle Be Upon Us? - Josef Adalian [Vulture]

Data & Measurement

• Why New Data Suggests Smart TV Surge In The U.S. - Andrew Wallenstein [Variety]

• Unlocking the Power of Local TV: How Precision and Reach Drive Results - [Ad Age]

• Free, ad-supported TV streaming services are booming; 1 in 3 US viewers tune in - Lauren Forristal [TechCrunch]

• Research: 83% US Homes Have Big 3 SVOD - [Advanced Television]

• ‘Suits’ Breaks Nielsen Record Again for Streamed Acquired Content - Loree Seitz [The Wrap]

Landscape

• Charlie Ergen Nears Deal to Merge Dish, EchoStar - Lauren Thomas, Drew FitzGerald [WSJ]

• Exclusive: Media Startup Puck Raises More Than $10M - Sara Fischer [Axios]

• Google and Universal Music negotiate deal over AI ‘deepfakes’ - Anna Nicolaou, Madhumita Murgia [Financial Times]

• Fox Remains Committed to Cable-TV Bundle - Joe Flint, Will Feuer [WSJ]

Sports

• ESPN Enters Sports Gambling in $2 Billion Deal With Casino Company - Kellen Browning [The New York Times]

• Fox, CBS Execs Marvel at Big Ten’s Voracious Appetite - Anthony Crupi [Sportico]

• Can There Possibly Be Too Much Sports Coverage? - Michael Stahl [InsideHook]

• MLS Has Been In Business With Apple for One Year. Streaming Has Changed Forever. - A.J. Perez, Michael McCarthy, Doug Greenberg [Front Office Sports]

• Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max targets MLB playoffs for new streaming sports tier - Alex Sherman [CNBC]

• NBA’s Local TV Rights Draw Interest from Tech Giants, Disney - Gerry Smith [Bloomberg]