The return of live sports produced a flurry of licensing activity from broadcast networks and streaming services—including digital video, social, and ecommerce platforms. It also reignited concerns about the sustainability of pricing models for sports video and TV.

Amazon to buy MGM library: The deal would give Amazon leverage over rivals that license out MGM content—plus, it could help the company increase watch time on Prime Video.

On today's episode, we discuss whether HBO Max can break into the top four streaming services, what to make of the Academy Awards' ratings, the effect Amazon could have on live sports, whether people will pay with their palm, how NBCUniversal's Peacock is doing, the crazy things that happen in far away galaxies, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer director of forecasting Oscar Orozco, analyst Blake Droesch, and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jeremy Goldman.

Ad-supported streaming is on the rise: New data shows ad-supported viewership was up compared with other OTT services in 2020, opening up more inventory for linear TV budget shifts—and that trend is likely to only continue in 2021.

Digital video subscription fees are rising amid a cord-cutting surge, and Netflix, Disney, and YouTube are chief among those reaping the benefits.

The NFL ensures more touchdowns for streamers: A new set of 11-year rights deals will make more football available on streamers, but distribution will remain tied to linear TV for the time being.

On today's episode, we discuss free, ad-supported video: Who are the major players, how do these services fit into people’s media diets, and how do they attract advertisers? Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom and forecasting analyst at Insider Intelligence Nazmul Islam.

Overall subscription video revenues keep increasing, driven by gains in OTT viewing.

Increased political ad spending contributed to a banner year for connected TV.

The COVID-19 outbreak undermined many of our pre-pandemic US forecasts. Insight can now be gleaned by examining the difference between what we thought would happen as of February 2020 vs. what our forecasts now show.

A major challenge in measuring connected TV (CTV) audiences is that most of the time people spend streaming happens devoid of advertising.

During a year where investments in most advertising channels shrunk or stalled, connected TV ad spending is poised to keep growing.

The media and entertainment industries have traditionally made up a small fraction of the US digital ad market, and we expect their shares to remain flat or diminish through 2021. This partly has to do with traditional media conglomerates tightening their belts; their own ad revenues will continue to decline as ad dollars shift away from print and TV and toward the digital duopolies.

TV ad spending takes a hit as marketers adjust their budgets amid a recession.

eMarketer vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna steps in as host of this week's "The Weekly Listen," where he and eMarketer principal analysts Mark Dolliver and Debra Aho Williamson, and junior analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch discuss the latest updates on the TikTok saga, Quibi's unique predicament, Roku and NBCUniversal's buried hatchet, new game consoles from Sony and Microsoft, the Emmys' declining viewership, and how a home-field advantage influences soccer (or football, if you're European) referees.

With the shuttering of amusement parks and cancellation of live events, the entertainment industry will see some of the biggest declines in digital ad spending this year, eclipsed only by the travel, auto, and media industries.

Ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) platforms saw strong growth in ad revenues last quarter, a bright spot in the overall ad market during the pandemic.

eMarketer analyst Ross Benes, senior analyst Audrey Schomer and vice president of content studio at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna discuss the full release of NBCUniversal's new video streaming service, Peacock, and where it slots in to a crowded market. Then eMarketer principal analyst Mark Dolliver and vice president of research Jennifer Pearson discuss some new and interesting findings about young people's use of screens.

eMarketer analyst Ross Benes, forecasting analyst Eric Haggstrom and senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Audrey Schomer discuss why Netflix's second act matters more than its first. They then talk about accessing live content on connected TV, the strategy of Apple TV+ and how many people will want NBCUniversal's Peacock now that it's available to everyone.

COVID-19 has altered the relationship between TV viewership supply and advertising demand.