Weekly Wrap: Is 2025 the Year Hollywood Stops Bleeding?

I’m Kirby, founder of 43Twenty and The Streaming Wars. Every week, I handpick the best news, insights, and analysis from our FAST-paced industry (yes, pun intended). My mission? To make all this industry chaos easy to consume, no fluff, no filler. If this was forwarded, you can grab the newsletter here.

In today’s edition:

• 2025 is a media reset, not a crisis. Layoffs are slowing, streaming is chasing profit, and AI is reshaping the industry.
• Apple and MLS are fumbling a $2.5B deal. If Messi can’t drive viewership, what’s the plan when he’s gone?
• Gen Z prefers TikTok over TV. Short-form is king, and media companies need to adapt—or get left behind.
• In2TV walked so FAST could run. AOL and Warner Bros.' 2006 ad-supported streaming service was ahead of its time—but tech limitations and industry shifts killed it by 2009.
• Popcornflix survives, Crackle doesn’t

TSW SPOTLIGHT

The Streaming Wars sees 2025 as a cautious reset for media and entertainment after two years of layoffs, stock declines, and industry correction. Job losses are slowing, and companies are prioritizing efficiency and sustainability. Hollywood production is shifting away from LA due to tax incentives and environmental factors. AI is optimizing distribution and ad revenue but threatens creative jobs. Streaming is now focused on profitability, with ad-supported tiers and international growth. While challenges persist, 2025 is a recalibration, not a crisis. The Streaming Wars

Kirby calls out Apple and MLS for failing to make their $2.5B streaming deal work. The 2024 MLS Cup viewership tanked, with Apple TV+ reportedly drawing just 65,000 viewers. In response, Apple is putting MLS Season Pass on Comcast and DirecTV, but if Messi can’t boost growth, what’s the plan when he’s gone? Meanwhile, Netflix is succeeding with marquee live events, exposing Apple’s aimless sports strategy. MLS and Apple need answers fast. The Streaming Wars

Kirby unpacks Hub’s Video Redefined report, which highlights Gen Z’s preference for TikTok and YouTube over traditional TV, valuing convenience, authenticity, and instant engagement (hello, dopamine). This shift challenges media companies to adapt, using short-form platforms for discovery while maintaining long-form content for deeper audience engagement.. The Streaming Wars

From the Archives revisits In2TV, AOL and Warner Bros.' 2006 attempt at large-scale ad-supported streaming. Offering classic TV shows, on-demand viewing, and interactive features ahead of its time, it pioneered concepts that now define AVOD and FAST. However, technological limitations and industry shifts led to its shutdown by 2009. The Streaming Wars

JOIN US NEXT WEEK

Don’t forget to sign up for my upcoming webinar. The Audience Equation: Winning Viewers and Value in 2025 goes live on February 13 at noon ET—make sure you’re there.

Why you should consider joining: Most webinars are glorified PR pitches packed with stuff you could Google in two seconds. This ain’t that. We’re bringing real insights, no-filter discussions, and takeaways that matter.

What you’ll get:

• Unfiltered industry insights from execs who actually know what’s up.
• Strategies that move the needle—bundling, partnerships, pricing, FAST, and more.
• A real peek behind the curtain on what’s coming next in digital entertainment

Hope?to see you there! Register now.

FROM THE FRONTLINES

Popcornflix survives, Crackle doesn’t. After a quiet sale, Popcornflix is back online, now owned by a trust linked to David Nagelberg. Crackle? Still offline, thanks to Chicken Soup for the Soul’s financial disaster. The Streaming Wars

Comcast has a strong Q4, but broadband is bleeding. Peacock’s revenue jumped 28% YoY, NBCU Studios’ profits soared 85%, but broadband subscriber losses tanked Comcast’s stock 13%. NBA rights can’t come soon enough. The Streaming Wars

SiriusXM adds subs, but revenue dips. Q4 beat expectations, but Pandora lost 6% of users, and overall 2024 revenue dropped 3% to $8.7B. Link

Apple posts record Q4, keeps printing money. Revenue hit $124.3B, with services (Apple TV+, Music, iCloud) climbing to $26.3B. Tim Cook is hyped about AI, and investors are hyped about a $30B shareholder payout. Link

Super Bowl ads hit $8M+ because live sports print money. Fox cashed in, selling ten ads for $8M+ each and flipping last-minute slots for even higher rates. Link

Tubi ditches the shock factor for its Super Bowl ad. Instead of pranking viewers like in 2023, Tubi is going emotional—celebrating 97M monthly users and 10B streaming hours. Link

Lionsgate-Starz separation is almost final. Starz is going solo as a pure-play streamer, while Lionsgate Studios doubles down on film and TV. Link

IAB Tech Lab is rewriting the ad playbook. Expect 31 new ad standards in 2025, covering CTV, AI protections, live sports advertising, and a better way to measure conversions. Link Nielsen finally ditches panel-only ratings. By 2025, TV measurement will go full Big Data + Panel, mixing panel data with smart TV, cable, and streaming metrics. Link

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Amagi says streaming is too fragmented. FAST, SVOD, and pay TV are blurring together, but 65% of U.S. households feel overwhelmed. Meanwhile, FAST hours jumped 95% YoY, proving free still sells. The Streaming Wars

LatAm’s FAST market is booming. Revenues will jump from $231M in 2024 to $569M by 2029, with Brazil and Mexico leading the charge. Link

But wait, there’s more:

• What Happened to Those Streaming Bonuses? Link
• The Oscars are Hollywood's infomercial. But the awards and movies are getting more niche. Link

PARTNERSHIPS

Prime Video hoards Lionsgate’s 2026 film slate. Amazon locked in exclusivity for Now You See Me 3, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and premium catalog hits like John Wick and Twilight. Link

Jon Taffer brings his bar wisdom to TuneIn. The Bar Rescue (one of my fav single IP FAST channels) star is launching two long-form audio shows in 2025—one for entrepreneurs, one for Vegas junkies. Link

MLS moves production to WWE HQ. Under a new IMG deal, MLS studio operations will shift to WWE’s 30,000-square-foot Stamford facility to upgrade Apple TV+’s Season

Pass. Link Spotify and Universal expand their partnership. Expect new subscription tiers, bundled content, and better fraud detection, plus a direct licensing deal for Universal songwriters. Link

ICYMI

Spotify drops $10B on artists, finally hits profitability. With 252M paid subscribers, Spotify is now profitable for the first time, while artist payouts since 2006 hit $60B.. Link

Paramount ignores PRP’s $13.5B bid, sticks with Skydance. Despite a last-minute counteroffer, Paramount is going ahead with Skydance’s $8B takeover. Link

Apple TV+ goes all in on French originals. A four-year deal commits Apple to producing episodic French content, just like Netflix, Disney+, and Prime Video have been doing. Link

MAV TV launches a motorsports streamer. MAV TV Go offers two plans: $8/month for basics, $20/month for premium live events like Nürburgring 24H. Link

These weekly wrap ups will drop on Linkedin every Tuesday. If you'd like them 3 days sooner, plus our Daily Wrap, some original insights and curated job listings, consider signing up for The Streaming Wars newsletter directly.