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How writers' and actors' strikes affect what we watch — even years later

Mar 4, 2024
Paramount says it'll continue several experiments it began in response to strike-related production shutdowns last year — because they had proven successful at cutting costs.
Demonstrators carry signs during the screenwriters strike in May 2023.
Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images

Walmart's bid for Vizio would make it a different kind of company

Feb 14, 2024
Walmart's acquisition of the smart TV maker would give it significant access to streaming data from ads — the kind that tracks what people buy
These days, a TV’s worth is tied to its streaming platform, says Jennifer Kent with Parks Associates.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Viewers lament Super Bowl video lags. Can streaming really handle big scale live events?

Feb 12, 2024
According to consumer-reported incidents on the website DownDetector, issues with the Paramount+ app spiked during pre-game coverage and continued throughout the bowl. Paramount+ says that only a small number of users were affected.
These services weren’t built for livestreaming, and it can put pressure on their technical infrastructure. Above, Usher performs at the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show.
Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images

When it comes to live sports, consumers show streaming services the money

Jan 23, 2024
Sports content "drives eyeballs," and advertisers know it.
Jalen Ramsey of the Miami Dolphins, right, and the Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce (aka Taylor Swift's boyfriend) tussle at an AFC Wild Card game. About 23 million people watched on Peacock — the biggest exclusively live streamed event ever.
David Eulitt/Getty Images

The video game business is hoping streaming games from the cloud will attract new players

Oct 13, 2023
A $15-a-month subscription may be more attractive than dropping $500 on a console.
Cloud gaming sales hit about $5 billion last year, compared to about $35 billion for console games.
Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images

News and live sports have kept cable TV alive. That might not last much longer.

Aug 25, 2023
CNN and ESPN are looking at more streaming in their futures.
CNN is planning to stream its top shows in real time on Max, formerly known as HBO Max.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Nielsen's agreement to use Amazon viewer data in football ratings is a first

Aug 24, 2023
Streaming services changed the way people watched TV. Now they're changing the way ratings agencies like Nielsen count viewers.
As streaming becomes an increasingly popular way to watch shows like "Thursday Night Football," it's changing the way ratings data is collected and shared with advertisers.
Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Political advertisers worry about reaching sports fans streaming their games

Jun 15, 2023
With streaming services cutting into more live TV audiences, including sports, advertisers are changing their 2024 campaign strategies.
With streaming services increasingly airing live sports, political advertisers are changing their 2024 campaign strategies. Yet some platforms, like Apple TV+, don’t take political ads.
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

AI is a major concern for striking writers

Among other things, Hollywood writers are concerned about the potential of artificial intelligence to displace workers.
Writers have been on strike for over twenty days. Streaming and AI big topics of contention between writers and major studios.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images