The news: Paramount outlined the future of its cable and studio assets on Wednesday a week after completing its merger with Skydance Media. Paramount president Jeff Shell characterized the company’s vision for its cable networks, including MTV, BET, and Nickelodeon, not as shrinking linear assets, but as “brands that we have to redefine.” Our take: Paramount’s emphasis on growing its traditional media businesses signals a bet that legacy channels can drive meaningful revenues when accounting for shifting viewing habits and pursuing higher-volume content pipelines.

The battle to maintain licensing rights for high-profile shows is intensifying. Chad Mumm, senior vice president and head of entertainment for Vox Media Studios, spoke with eMarketer about how the business of video content licensing is evolving.

US digital video ad spending is on track to exceed our previous forecasts, while TV also got a bump thanks to increased political spending in H2 2018.