A standard currency for TV and digital is unlikely, despite buyers’ wishes: Media buyers want more connection between linear and streaming TV, and though individual networks are making strides, an industrywide solution is unlikely.

The forecast: In 2021, US Roku monthly users will increase by 11.5%, reaching 111.7 million monthly users. With these figures, Roku maintains its position as the most-used connected TV (CTV) device in the US market, though Amazon Fire TV is catching up.

Gaming is a key component of Netflix’s lofty franchise goals: On its own, gaming can help Netflix increase time spent. But it’s especially valuable in its push to build popular properties into full-fledged multimedia “universes.”

Digital video viewership passed 3 billion people worldwide in 2020 as growth outpaced pre-pandemic expectations. By year-end 2021, that number will hit 3.26 billion, but growth is expected to slow.

In North America, TV is the dominant screen for viewing OTT video content, accounting for 82% of time spent on the activity in Q2 2021.

Amazon’s new smart TVs will disrupt both the connected TV (CTV) and TV measurement industries: Amazon Fire TV is already a major player, but its new CTV lines will let it take advantage of the ongoing fracturing of TV measurement.

When Amazon starts a new business, competitors scrap business plans and markets shudder. We examined 19 of Amazon’s divisions to help parse how the company fuels its flywheel to keep driving the virtuous cycle.

Disney's exclusive theatrical runs come back with "Shang-Chi": The Marvel movie will only come to Disney+ after 45 days—and while that's better than straight-to-streaming, it's still an adjustment for theaters used to 90-day runs.

High prices drive people to ditch pay TV

On today's episode, we discuss why, and how, retail healthcare could be poised to change how primary care is delivered, how retailers are disrupting healthcare, and what people want from retail health. We then talk about how much of their waking day folks spend watching TV or streaming something, what's next for Peacock now the Olympics are over, and whether Hulu's new football offerings can move the needle. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer digital health analyst Rajiv Leventhal and principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Paul Verna.

How Olympic viewers streamed the opening ceremony

Disney's Q3 earnings: Expect slowing subscriber growth alongside healthy ad sales—but don't get too excited about US TV ad sales as a whole.

NBCU reports a great Q2: With ad revenues up 32.8% over last year and Peacock sign-ups up to 54 million, NBCU’s on a roll—but poor Olympics ratings have dampened the good news.

eMarketer was pleased to moderate a Tech-Talk Webinar featuring Conviva’s Alex Klausner, senior product marketing manager, Entertainment Studios’ Jeff Quandt, vice president, revenue partnerships, and Univision Communications’ Phil Lalonde, senior vice president, sales operations. They shared how publishers can continue to grow and attract new viewers and advertisers—plus take on an increasingly crowded market, by strategically leveraging first-party data.

Roku soars at the upfronts: Advertisers’ upfront spending commitments with the platform doubled from last year, as interest in CTV continues to rise.

Last year, the average US adult spent more time per day with most media formats and devices, including TV. Although adults will spend nearly as much time with media this year, their TV viewing time will drop below pre-pandemic levels.

“Roku Recommends” rolls out: The new show from Roku’s branded content studio surfaces top streaming content and gives advertisers a chance to reach viewers who might otherwise skip straight to ad-free services.

A semblance of normalcy will return in 2021 after a media-saturated 2020, fueled by the pandemic. But while media time will reset somewhat this year, digital’s influence will continue to grow.

For the 2021–2022 TV season, US upfront ad spending will bounce back to nearly pre-pandemic levels, if not to its 2018–2019 peak, according to our latest estimates.

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.