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As the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery heats up, everyone seems to be ignoring the one thing that actually matters: Hollywood’s mega-mergers almost never work. They’re bad for talent. Bad for audiences. Bad for the industry’s long-term health. And while Hollywood fixates on the next mega-merger, the most potentially impactful M&A’s are smaller, smarter, and hiding in plain sight. Think… ✅ Small-to-mid-tier consolidation that actually makes strategic sense ✅ Creative cross-company partnerships with real consumer upside ✅ Smart bundles — not billion-dollar ego plays In this week’s Hub Intel newsletter, Brandon Katz breaks down a few partnerships that could reshape Hollywood for the better — if anyone’s bold enough to try them. Read his full findings → HUBINTEL.SUBSTACK.COM #Hollywood #MediaStrategy #EntertainmentIndustry #Streaming #MergersAndAcquisitions #ContentStrategy

Remember when watching sports meant turning on the TV and the game was just… there? Yeah — those days are long gone. Today, fans are navigating a fragmented landscape where leagues and platforms are racing toward streaming. The result: more access than ever… and more confusion than anyone asked for. → Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios now carries National Basketball Association (NBA) games → YouTube has National Football League (NFL) Sunday Ticket → Netflix holds the most-watched boxing events → Apple TV is the new home of F1 in the U.S. Sports are becoming the centerpiece of streaming strategy — and for good reason. They’re the only content that reliably: 🏆 Moves subs 🏆 Predicts audience 🏆 Lifts all programming But there’s a catch: Finding the game is becoming a game of its own. Fans are frustrated. Habitual viewing is disrupted. And the industry risks losing the very people it’s trying so hard to win. Some platforms are stepping up with smarter navigation, bundles, and one-stop rights deals — but the future winners will be the ones who put the fan at the center of the experience. Because fans don’t care who owns the rights. They just want to watch the game. In our latest newsletter, Jon Giegengack explores what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s next in Field of Streams — our new deep dive into the future of sports viewing. Download the full report → HUBINTEL.SUBSTACK.COM #SportsBusiness #Streaming #MediaTrends #FanExperience #SportsIndustry #CordCutting #SportsTech #FutureOfTV

What we can learn from Hollywood’s biggest box office flops ✍ On The Sopranos, Tony’s therapy sessions broke new ground — a hardened mob boss daring to look inward. Hollywood could use the same self-reflection right now. The numbers don’t lie: 🎬 Domestic box office has slipped from $11B+ pre-COVID to <$9B since 2021 🎟️ Ticket sales remain ~23% behind 2019’s pace 🔄 Churn is fueled by audiences waiting for streaming instead of theaters Recent high-profile flops reveal three recurring warning signs: 1. Prestige & auteur misfires (The Last Duel, West Side Story, Megalopolis) 2. Brand/star power miscalculations (Strange World, Amsterdam) 3. Superhero meltdowns (The Marvels, The Flash, Joker) What these misses teach us: awareness alone isn’t enough. Conversion — interest, intent, willingness to pay — is what drives butts in seats. In this week’s Hub Intel, Brandon Katz breaks down the common DNA of recent box office flops and breakthroughs. Read his full findings → HUBINTEL.SUBSTACK.COM #Hollywood #BoxOffice #FilmIndustry #Storytelling #MediaStrategy #Streaming #ContentStrategy #Entertainment

Who’s really winning the streaming wars? Households with 6+ paid streaming services are quietly shaping the future of TV — and rewriting the rules for advertisers. According to Hub’s TV Advertising: Fact vs. Fiction study, these heavy subscribers aren’t just watching more — they’re watching smarter. They’re younger, more upscale, and sports-loving — but also more intentional about what they watch, and how they experience ads. Here’s the paradox: They’ll pay to avoid ads… yet they pay attention when ads are done right. ✅ Lighter ad loads ✅ Smarter targeting ✅ Creative that feels fresh and relevant For streamers, that means the ad experience itself is now a competitive advantage. Better ads don’t just drive brand lift — they drive subscriber retention. Download the full report → HUBINTEL.SUBSTACK.COM #Streaming #Advertising #AdTech #MediaInsights #HubResearch #MarketingStrategy #SVOD

Nearly a century ago, psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik discovered that the human brain remembers unfinished tasks far more vividly than completed ones. That’s why cliffhangers work! The Zeigarnik Effect, as it’s known, shaped the media's old model of windowing that kept audiences coming back. The binge era broke it — fueling high churn as viewers sign up, binge, and cancel. The next era of content discovery won’t be about windows. It will be about doors: teasers, fan theories, interactive experiences, and UGC that seed open loops and pull audiences back into the story. In a world of endless choice, the question isn’t when people watch — it’s why they return. What does the media industry need to know about the next era of content discovery? Check out the latest Hub Intel → HUBINTEL.SUBSTACK.COM #Streaming #MediaStrategy #ContentDiscovery #Storytelling #UGC #MarketingStrategy #AudienceEngagement #TheZeigarnikEffect

Netflix and Chill…With Ads? As Netflix’s Standard With Ads tier turns 3, one thing is clear: it’s gone from experiment to success story. 📈 According to Hub’s TV Churn Tracker, 42% of Netflix subscribers now choose the ad-supported plan — triple the share from just two years ago. In fact, nearly half of new Netflix sign-ups in 2024 went straight to ads. 📺 Netflix has proven that ad tiers aren’t just a fallback — they’re growth engines. The success of Standard With Ads signals a broader industry shift: the future of streaming may look a lot like TV’s past — ad-supported, at scale. In the latest Hub Intel: Deep Dive report, we took a closer look at who’s subscribing — and what it means for advertisers. 📥 Download the full report → HUBINTEL.SUBSTACK.COM #Netflix #Streaming #CTV #AVOD #MediaTrends #AdTech #Advertising #SVOD #MediaInsights