Mitzi Reaugh

As more households shift from traditional MVPDs to vMVPDs and streaming platforms, TV manufacturers increasingly control the user interface, and therefore, the path to content discovery. Are you engaging directly with the teams at LG, Samsung, Roku, Vizio, and others? How do they view your station, your network, or your content brand in the context of their viewer experience? The screen may be the same, but the gatekeepers have changed. It's time to ensure local broadcasters are at the table and not left on the sidelines! https://lnkd.in/gwEscpUN

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In this week's column, I ask again if we in the TV industry are focused on transforming our core business. As I wrote previously, initiatives like datacasting are real and will provide meaningful revenue opportunities to transform how revenue is generated from broadcast spectrum. However, what about our core business? Creating and airing content that connects audiences with advertisers. Will streaming content on FAST services and apps transform the business? What about the audiences who are still viewing content on linear TV? Will these audiences still be of interest to advertisers? Shouldn't we be advancing the technology to ensure 100% of our audiences can drive the greatest value for broadcasters and advertisers? https://lnkd.in/gfMy6Cuh

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I’ve been diving into recent 2026 predictions regarding how AI and advertising are set to dominate global content consumption. It’s a fascinating shift, but it forces me to ask: Where does Africa fit into this new blueprint? Currently, while the world moves toward sophisticated AI-driven models, traditional TV advertising remains the giant in Nigeria and across the continent. I truly believe there is a massive opportunity for platforms like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix to adapt. By adopting ad-supported models (AVOD) specifically for the African market, they could significantly lower subscription barriers and meet the audience where they are. I am incredibly hopeful for the future of our creator economy. My goal is to see African creators not just participating, but headlining international streamers and dominating FAST channels globally. What are your thoughts? Is an ad-supported model the key to scaling streaming in Africa? 🌍🎬 https://lnkd.in/dbVUpZxM #ContentDistribution #Nollywood #StreamingServices #AfricaCreatorEconomy #DigitalTransformation #2026Predictions

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The Real Winner in Streaming May Not Be Who You Think After years of prioritizing scale and platform expansion over profitability, Roku reported its first full-year profit in 2025, beating expectations with Q4 revenue of $1.395 billion (+16% YoY) and net income of $80.5 million. The real story, however, goes beyond the numbers: record premium subscription sign-ups, continued growth in streaming hours (145.6 billion hours in 2025), and a platform business increasingly driven by advertising and revenue-sharing. Altogether, these dynamics point to sustained double-digit growth driven by platform monetization Several strategic trends stand out. First, Roku’s model confirms the shift from device-centric economics to platform monetization. Hardware remains a loss leader — reinforcing that aggregation, advertising, and subscription distribution are now the true value drivers in connected TV ecosystems. Second, bundling and aggregation are clearly entering a new phase. With HBO Max onboard and more tier-one partners expected, Roku is positioning itself not just as a gateway but as a curator of streaming bundles — a role that resembles the evolution of cable operators, but with data-driven targeting and digital monetization. Third, free ad-supported streaming (FAST) continues to gain momentum. The Roku Channel reaching 6.3% of all U.S. TV streaming usage highlights the growing importance of ad-supported models in a market once dominated by subscription.

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“Ramsey McGrory, newly appointed President of Prisma at Mediaocean, joins Ari Paparo to discuss how the company is evolving its platform across linear and digital media. They unpack the implications of Mediaocean’s acquisitions, including Innovid and Protected by Mediaocean, and what it means to consolidate media planning, buying, and verification in an increasingly fragmented ecosystem.” https://lnkd.in/gb3WgMes

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Streaming is rewriting the playbook for live sports. At POSSIBLE in Miami Beach last week, Magnite joined top leaders from NBCUniversal, Disney Advertising, Roku, and DISH Media onstage to dig into how the TV advertising ecosystem is shifting to meet the demands of both fans and advertisers in real time. Read more here: https://magnite.smh.re/1GC

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Mission North 's SVP of content, James Niccolai, recently sat down with Ashlee Vance to get the scoop on his new venture, Core Memory, and the future of media. It’s a must-read for anyone working in innovation comms and marketing. Some choice nuggets… Educating audiences about technical stuff doesn’t need to be boring. Ashlee’s goal for Core Memory is to educate and entertain people without dumbing anything down. 💡 Advice to journalists: “To tell the best story, you need to get out in the world. You need to get information that does not exist on the internet or in an AI database, and the only way to do this is to speak with people and see things firsthand. “ 💡 Advice to PR teams: “There are more and more folks like me these days who do multimedia. I think the PR teams could uplevel their video and podcast skills and be more open to creative ideas.” 💡 On the killer platform: “I like doing it all. It’s too hard to decide. We can be smarter and deeper on written stories. We can get really into the weeds on a podcast, and then the videos tend to aim for a more mainstream audience.” https://lnkd.in/gJUx9Pw4

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Game on. Sports video creation just got the AI Treatment. Minute Media, powerhouse behind sites like Sports Illustrated and The Players’ Tribune, just closed its biggest deal ever, acquiring VideoVerse, the AI engine behind Magnifi. Magnifi’s AI, built on computer vision, NLP, and machine learning, instantly turns games into short-form video gold: think multilingual subtitles, auto thumbnails, metadata, and digestible clips. It’s basically automatic highlights at scale. Minute Media is also integrating creation, distribution, and monetization, powering everything from league rights holders to publisher partners around the globe. And with Magnifi, Minute Media is enhancing its STN Video platform, making it faster to launch TikTok-style highlight reels, hyper-personalized by team, player, or fan behavior. Yes, Minute Media is positioning themselves as a platform operator and not just a storyteller. Distribution + monetization across 1,000+ sites and millions of fans. Platforms that own the tech, the content, and the flywheel will own the audience and their wallets. Huge move by Minute Media, a laser focus on owning video’s value stream without the fluff. #SportsMedia #AIinVideo #MinuteMedia #VideoTech #StreamingStrategy #ContentTech https://lnkd.in/gCxs284i

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