LIVE SPORTS THRIVE ON STREAMING

A new report from Hub Entertainment Research shows that fans are growing accustomed to streaming their sports. For the first time, viewers are more likely to watch live sports on SVOD (69%) than on Broadcast (66%) or Cable (63%). They’re also making SVOD their go-to for live sports, with 30% saying that streaming platforms are their first stop, in a virtual tie with Cable (31%) and Broadcast (29%). (TV Tech: March 10, 2025)

CTV SPENDING PROJECTED UP IN 2025

The latest data from Pixability reveals that 58% of U.S. media agency professionals plan to increase their CTV investments, while almost a third intend to decrease their spending in linear TV. With nearly 70% of the nation forecast to be CTV users by the end of the year, marketers are moving to where the impressions are.  CTV ad spending is projected to grow by 15.8% and hit $33.4 billion. Given the continued uncertainty around TikTok, we can expect some social media budgets to make their way to CTV as well. (EMARKETER: March 14, 2025)

FAST CHANNELS… THEY’RE NOT JUST RERUNS

Another report—this one from the Nielsen company, Gracenote. Contrary to what many may assume, Free Ad-Supported Television channels aren’t just a place to go for old shows like Gunsmoke. In fact, only 13.4% of programs are from before 1990. Allocating ad budget to FAST can also complement your SVOD investments; there are currently 220 FAST channels devoted to sports and 138 to reality programs. Both genres remain underrepresented on SVOD, despite some high-profile acquisitions. (Gracenote: March 2025)

FTC SEEKS TO PROTECT “CLICK-TO-CANCEL” RULES

This story could impact streaming providers, especially their churn rates: On Monday, the Federal Trade Commission filed a brief with the federal appellate court arguing in support of the “click-to-cancel” rules that they passed last fall. These rules mandate that companies offer a simple, friction-free way for consumers to cancel their subscriptions. The challenge was brought by the IAB and others who say that the rule is too broad and would affect too many companies. This is worth keeping an eye on. (MediaPost: March 27, 2025)

THIS WEEK IN VIDEO HISTORY

March 18, 1995 – “I’m Back” Michael Jordan ended his 17-month retirement with that two-word fax and rejoined the Chicago Bulls. It was one of the biggest sports stories of the year (check out this very ‘90s SportsCenter clip). With Jordan, the Bulls went on to win national championships in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Jordan would again retire in 1999 but came back to the NBA in 2001 for two seasons with the Washington Wizards. In 2003, he retired for his final time.