Topline:
As streamers embrace ads, which services are winning?
Why it matters: As advertising becomes the key-growth lever for the companies competing in streaming, The Ankler’s Sean McNulty takes a deep dive into the 2023 earnings reports of Disney, Paramount and Comcast, among others, to reveal who’s outperforming who in the streaming advertising business and which streamer is poised to see the most revenue growth in 2024.
As the traditional cable players continue to experience declines in their ad businesses, how quickly they can recoup those losses on streaming is vital to their financial health. And for consumers, the move to advertising affects everything from their viewing experience to their monthly subscription fees.
Who’s succeeding: Paramount, thanks to its 2019 acquisition of the free ad-supported streaming network Pluto, has had a healthy head start on the current vogue for ad-based streaming. The company reported a 17% increase in streaming advertising last year, to $1.8 billion.
One to watch: Peacock, which has the fewest total subscribers compared with Disney, Max, and Paramount, does benefit from having the biggest sports programming lineup (with, not to mention, a little something called the Olympics on the way). This helped it grow 40% last year, to $1.45 billion in ad revenue.
Two not to watch — yet: Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have both embraced advertising, but neither is likely to break out its ad revenue anytime soon.
For more . . . read the full story on The Ankler.
This story is published in partnership with The Ankler, a paid subscription publication about the entertainment industry.
