Disney, Fox & Warner Bros to Launch Joint Sports Streaming Service; IAB Releases Analysis of Privacy Sandbox for Public Comment; Subscriptions & Audio To Drive Biggest Growth for Publishers

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 8th Feb 2024 in News

On today’s ExchangeWire digest: Disney, Fox & Warner Bros to Launch Joint Sports Streaming Service; IAB Releases Analysis of Privacy Sandbox for Public Comment; Subscriptions & Audio To Drive Biggest Growth for Publishers

Get your popcorn ready for the streaming wars sequel: Disney, Fox, and Warner Bros Discovery have unveiled plans to launch a joint sport streaming service later this year. The announcement closely follows the news of Netflix’s deal with WWE to stream Monday Night Raw. Their platform aims to offer sport fans a “new and differentiated experience” outside the traditional bundle for paid TV. Subscribers will have access to linear sports channels such as ESPN and FOX, and will have the option to bundle the product with Disney+ and/or Hulu. The platform, which will launch in autumn, has not yet been named.

While the biggest TV giants prepare to tussle on the streaming battleground, the industry’s attention is still on cookies. The IAB has released an in-depth analysis of Google’s Privacy Sandbox, shedding light on the challenges associated with its adoption. Concerns include brand safety, essential event-based metrics, and lack of consideration for commercial requirements. The IAB is inviting industry stakeholders to participate in a 45-day period for public commentary, remaining open until 22nd March 2024.

Looking further into the future, consumer publishers predict subscriptions (24%), audio/podcasts (17%), and ecommerce (17%) to be the biggest drivers of growth over the next three years. Publishers’ drive to diversify revenue comes partly due to the decrease in referral traffic from social media and search we saw last year. In the display ad market, publishers are seeing most ad revenue through direct deals (78%), versus private (11%) and open web (11%) marketplaces. They expect direct sales to continue dominating over the next few years as advertisers take measures to avoid wastage.