YouTube TV, Disney Network blackout ends
Following a two-week stand-off, the blackout of Disney networks on YouTube TV finally ended. Viewers can now get back to their regularly scheduled programming on channels like ABC, ESPN and FX. On Friday the companies announced a new multi-year deal. While the deal was stalled over rates, both parties citing discontent, much of this dispute was related to packaging and ingest of SVOD app programming into the core YouTube TV channel guide. As such, all ESPN programming will be available in the YouTube TV base plan at no additional cost to subscribers. Additionally, limited live and on-demand programming from ESPN Unlimited will also be ingested. The deal also allows for a Disney+ and Hulu bundle to be made available through a select YouTube offering.
The Circana Take:
- The deal further enables genre specific packages, a direction pay TV providers have been wanting to go for years. This benefits viewers that want targeted programming without paying for all the other content they don’t watch.
- We’re also seeing SVOD bundling and programming ingest continue to blur the lines between old school pay TV packages and, well, SVOD.
Fire TV UI update
Amazon Fire TVs latest UI update helps users organize all their content across platforms. This is good news for viewers who shuffle in and out of different streaming services and cannot keep track of what is on where, including me. Now, content from providers will appear in the “Watchlist” and the “Continue Watching” areas. All you need to do is start watching content or add a film to your watchlist from service and it will appear on the Fire TV home screen. Other companies that have recently implemented UI updates include Disney, Netflix, and Roku.
The Circana Take:
- Companies continue to rely on UI upgrades to increase engagement and keep users satisfied. This will help ease consumers’ frustration with having to often switch between multiple apps to access their content. Given the plethora of services and content available, features like these become vital.
- Engagement equals ad-revenues. As such, these UI updates aim to keep viewers within the OS and allow for incremental ad impressions.
Paramount teams up with PBR
Paramount and Professional Bull Riders (PBR), not the beer company, signed a five-year rights deal to broadcast the PBR premier tour, Unleash the Beast, on Paramount+ starting with the 2026 season. Paramount+ will live-stream full coverage of Unleash the Beast including events in 19 cities across 17 states. This deal is an expansion of Paramount’s partnership with TKO Group Holdings, which owns PBR and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). During the summer, Paramount signed a seven-year deal to make Paramount+ the exclusive home of all UFC events starting in 2026.
The Circana Take:
- Paramount is positioning itself as a source of sports content while giving fans another reason to stay with Paramount+.