News
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Nearly 5% of CTV Ad Inventory Isn't Actually on a TV Screen, Study Finds
Nearly 5% of CTV Ad Inventory Isn't Actually on a TV Screen, Study Finds A study by measurement firm 51 Degrees, which independently classified the device behind 11 million OpenRTB ad impressions over one week in May, found that almost 5% of inventory sold as CTV was mislabeled and actually delivered on non-television devices. Because CTV inventory commands a significantly higher CPM than standard video, the firm says the mislabeling both inflates prices for advertisers and hands a revenue uplift to publishers misrepresenting their inventory, whether by accident or fraud. Key takeaway: Even a modest 5% mislabeling rate is enough to meaningfully distort CTV pricing at scale, adding pressure on buyers and ad-supported VaaS platforms alike to verify device-level signals rather than trust self-reported inventory labels. Source: https://uk.themedialeader.com/almost-5-of-inventory-sold-as-ctv-is-not-on-a-television-set-study-claims/
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Bloomberg: Netflix's Biggest Hits Are Losing Up to 70% of Viewers After Season One
Bloomberg: Netflix's Biggest Hits Are Losing Up to 70% of Viewers After Season One A Bloomberg analysis of Netflix's own viewership data found many of its most popular series suffer steep audience drop-offs in later seasons — Beef lost more than 70% of viewers in season two, The Night Agent shed 50% then another 35% in season three, and Avatar: The Last Airbender fell more than 60% in its latest season's first week. Netflix is reportedly studying the cause as its shares are down 17% this year and 40% over the past twelve months. Key takeaway: A steep season-one-to-season-two drop-off undermines Netflix's ability to build long-running franchises that keep subscribers engaged year after year, which is precisely the kind of retention problem investors are now pricing into the stock. Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-07-05/netflix-viewers-are-abandoning-shows-after-one-season
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EU's Top Court Hears Landmark Streaming Royalties Case
EU's Top Court Hears Landmark Streaming Royalties Case The Court of Justice of the EU's Grand Chamber heard a two-day hearing in Case C-663/24, referred by Belgium's Constitutional Court, testing whether Belgian rules granting authors and performers extra "fair remuneration" rights over streaming platforms comply with EU copyright law. Google, Meta, Spotify, Sony and Belgian streamer Streamz are challenging the mechanism, and a ruling could reset content-cost obligations for streaming services across the EU. Key takeaway: A ruling against the platforms would give creators a new, EU-wide remuneration lever over streaming services, directly affecting the cost base every VaaS operator's customers build their content budgets around. Source: https://curia.europa.eu/site/jcms/d2_5085/en/main-navigation
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Banijay Gaming Acquires Groupe JOA to Reshape French Gambling Market
Banijay Gaming Acquires Groupe JOA to Reshape French Gambling Market Banijay Gaming — the standalone betting and gaming division the TV producer built from Betclic, Tipico and Admiral after its Tipico takeover — has acquired French casino operator Groupe JOA, extending its footprint across Germany, France, Portugal, Austria, Poland and Côte d'Ivoire. The deal makes Banijay Gaming Continental Europe's largest sports-betting operator by the company's own measure, with integration synergies of roughly €100 million targeted after the World Cup. Key takeaway: One of the world's largest content producers is now building an equally serious gambling business alongside it, a diversification move that shows how top-tier TV groups are looking beyond content licensing for growth. Source: https://sbcnews.co.uk/europe/2026/07/06/banijay-france-2027/
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Walmart Expands Onn/Google TV Line Into Full Smart TVs
Walmart Expands Onn/Google TV Line Into Full Smart TVs Walmart has begun selling Onn-branded smart TVs running Google TV, including a 55-inch 4K QLED set starting at $248 and "The Fresco," its answer to Samsung's art-focused The Frame. The move extends Google TV from Walmart's popular Onn streaming sticks into complete television sets for the first time at scale, while the retailer scales back its older Roku-based Onn devices. Key takeaway: Walmart moving its own-brand TV sets onto Google TV rather than Roku is a meaningful shift in the smart-TV-OS competition, giving Google a mass-market hardware foothold it didn't have before at this price point. Source: https://cordcuttersnews.com/walmart-launches-onn-google-tv-smart-televisions-at-unbeatable-prices/
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Nine and Foxtel Lock In Record A$5.3 Billion NRL Rights Deal
Nine and Foxtel Lock In Record A$5.3 Billion NRL Rights Deal Nine and Foxtel have secured a decade-long rugby league broadcast deal worth a reported A$5.3 billion, the largest in Australian sports-media history, starting from the 2028 season and beating out interest from Amazon Prime and Seven. Nine keeps free-to-air rights to marquee events like State of Origin and the Grand Final, while Foxtel's Kayo Sports retains every other match. Key takeaway: Incumbent broadcasters are still willing to pay record sums to defend marquee live-sports rights against streaming challengers, even as those same challengers keep bidding up the price. Source: https://www.bandt.com.au/nine-foxtel-lock-in-record-5-3-billion-nrl-rights-deal/
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"The Walking Dead Universe" Launches as a Dedicated FAST Channel on ITVX
"The Walking Dead Universe" Launches as a Dedicated FAST Channel on ITVX AMC Global Media-UK has launched a continuous, ad-supported linear FAST channel dedicated to The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead on ITVX, its first international platform launch for the format. More titles from the franchise are expected to be added over time. Key takeaway: Turning an entire franchise into its own always-on channel shows how established IP is increasingly being repackaged as free ad-supported programming rather than just licensed as one-off library content. Source: https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2026/07/07/the-walking-dead-fast-channel-launches-on-itvx/
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France Télévisions Becomes Official Media Partner of the Esports World Cup 2026
France Télévisions Becomes Official Media Partner of the Esports World Cup 2026 France Télévisions will air a daily Esports World Cup highlights show, "La Minute EWC," at 9pm on France 4 and late-night on France 2, running for seven weeks from July 7 through the August 23 final. The deal, brokered by production outfit N.E.O, marks a rare embrace of esports coverage by a major European public broadcaster. Key takeaway: A public broadcaster committing daily prime-time-adjacent airtime to esports for seven straight weeks signals growing mainstream legitimacy for competitive gaming as broadcast content in Europe. Source: https://fr.themedialeader.com/lesports-world-cup-2026-a-paris-et-sur-france-televisions/
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RTL Deutschland Posts Strongest H1 in RTL+ History as Sky Integration Begins
RTL Deutschland Posts Strongest H1 in RTL+ History as Sky Integration Begins RTL Deutschland's first-half 2026 results show RTL+ VOD usage up 6.5% year-on-year to 356.32 million hours and streaming reach up 4.8% to 10.69 million people, the first full reporting period since the Sky Deutschland acquisition closed on June 1. Combined TV and digital reach hit 68.92 million people, though RTL+ remains a clear number two to Amazon Prime Video in the key 14-49 streaming demo. Key takeaway: The Sky Deutschland deal is starting to show up in RTL+'s numbers, but closing the gap with Amazon Prime Video in Germany will take more than one integration quarter. Source: ppc.land
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Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Won't Close Before July 22 Amid Oregon Probe
Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery Deal Won't Close Before July 22 Amid Oregon Probe Paramount Skydance told an Oregon court on July 8 its $110 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery won't close before July 22, as the state's attorney general seeks a 60-day delay tied to an antitrust document probe, while the EU separately pushed its own decision deadline to July 22. A $0.25-per-share "ticking fee" worth roughly $650 million a quarter kicks in if the deal isn't closed by September 30, with a $7 billion termination fee at stake. Key takeaway: Every additional week of regulatory delay now carries a specific, quantified cost for Paramount, raising the pressure to settle outstanding objections quickly. Source: thewrap.com
