The Media Play News Podcast

Sports Is Going Social | Gen Z Fandom with Jon Giegengack

Jon Giegengack of Hub Entertainment Research joins Daniel Frankel to unpack the latest wave of their ongoing study tracking how Americans consume sports — and the numbers tell a surprising story about who's actually watching more.

Half of 13-17 year olds say they're watching more sports than a year ago, compared to just 16% of viewers 55 and older. Giegengack explains why: social media has turned sports from something you passively watch into something you participate in, more like joining a community than tuning into a broadcast. Leagues are leaning in hard, and platforms are taking notice — YouTube reportedly out-drew the national broadcaster for World Cup viewership in Brazil.

The conversation also covers how streaming has made sports fandom radically more personal, from the rise of women's sports to niche, long-tail content like local youth lacrosse games available to anyone willing to pay for it. Giegengack breaks down the strategic thinking behind major streaming sports bets — Netflix's "tent pole" approach across the NFL, MMA, and boxing, Paramount+'s exclusive UFC rights deal, and how Peacock retained half its NFL-driven subscriber surge by pairing the game with strong new original content timed to launch alongside it.

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From Inertia to Innovation: Inside Broadcast's Cloud Reckoning with Graham Sharp (BCNEXXT)

US broadcast has been promised the cloud for over a decade — so why are most operations still running the same infrastructure they had ten years ago?

In this extended conversation, David Bloom sits down with Graham Sharp, VP of Sales & Marketing at BCNEXXT and head of its US operations, for a wide-ranging look at what's actually holding the broadcast industry back — and where it's headed next.

Topics covered:

The Inertia Engine — Why early "lift and shift" cloud migrations left broadcasters burned, and the real reasons the industry has stalled: sunk cost in legacy hardware, a cloud engineering skills gap, and long-standing distrust between IT and broadcast engineering teams.

The Lift and Shift Mistake — A breakdown of the architecture and economics behind cloud-native playout. Graham explains how containerization and intelligent resource scaling can cut infrastructure costs by roughly 60%, and how it breaks the old one-channel-one-server model for good.

Cutting Through the AI Hype — Why Graham calls his approach "IA" — intelligent automation — rather than AI, and why narrow, purpose-built automation trained on decades of operator knowledge is outperforming generalist AI tools in production workflows.

The Next 3-5 Years — A look ahead at where broadcast engineering is headed: automating out of the industry's cost overhang, avoiding cloud vendor lock-in, and why the pressure to change has finally caught up with the industry.

Whether you're an engineer, a station executive, or just trying to understand why "moving to the cloud" means something different than it did five years ago, this conversation covers the real economics, the real obstacles, and the real opportunity.

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With streaming's global digital shelf growing more complex by the day, how can content merchandisers and distributors harness artificial intelligence to ensure their content gets seen?

In this hour-long panel discussion featuring guest Lucas Bertrand (Looper Insights) alongside industry experts, sharp technologists, and media distributors, we dive deep into the mechanics of digital shelf management, discoverability, and media placement value on connected TV devices .

In this episode, we cover:

• The Discovery Dilemma: Why consumers spend up to 14 minutes scrolling before giving up—and how AI search fixes the friction .

• Platform Redesigns: Inside Roku's AI home screen overhaul and algorithmic shifts on Amazon Fire TV.

• The Algorithmic Class System: How placement value, recommendation engines, and storefront positioning determine viewer choices .

• Social to CTV: Strategies for using short-form social media discovery to drive viewers directly to connected TV platforms.

Whether you're a streamer, content creator, or media technologist, this conversation provides a practical playbook for navigating the future of AI-driven media distribution.

Episode Links & Resources

• Website: nexttmt.com

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What will the television and streaming business look like three years from now?

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the forces reshaping the media industry — from the Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery deal and the accelerating decline of cable TV to Netflix's push into live sports, the future of ESPN, and the next battle over NFL rights.

The big question: Is linear TV declining gradually — or could it collapse much faster than the industry expects?

They also examine:

• Why the Paramount–WBD deal depends on squeezing more value out of declining cable networks • Why streaming could overtake linear TV faster than expected • The future of Fox, Fox One and the NFL • Netflix's strategy for live sports and why the Field of Dreams game may have missed the mark • What baseball's changing distribution model says about the future of sports media • Whether ESPN will remain part of Disney • The changing value of ABC and broadcast television • Why live events may become increasingly important to streamers • How Korean content, vertical programming and lower-cost productions could shape the next era of streaming • What happens to Hollywood as the traditional TV ecosystem continues to shrink

The media business is entering a major transition — and the next three years could reshape television, streaming, sports rights and Hollywood.

Next TMT Talks is hosted by David Bloom and Daniel Frankel in partnership with Media Play News.

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00:02 Introduction to Streaming's Future 02:37 The Impact of Mergers on Streaming 05:26 The Shift from Cable to Streaming 08:04 The Future of Live Sports and Broadcasting 10:45 Changes in Television Content and Production 13:32 Cultural Moments and Their Impact on Media 19:42 Global Content Strategies and Live Events 22:35 The Impact of Nostalgia on Viewership 25:26 Challenges in Baseball Viewership 29:00 The Future of ESPN and Live Sports 35:18 The Evolution of Broadcast Networks

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel dive into the biggest shifts reshaping media, tech, and sports entertainment:

• The Streaming Upfront Shift: How ad-supported streaming tiers (HBO Max, Prime, Netflix) and FAST channels are finally matching viewership—and why traditional broadcast and cable upfronts took a massive hit.

• The $12.5B Lakers Deal: Bob Iger and Josh Kushner lead a consortium to buy the Los Angeles Lakers at a record valuation as Mark Walter faces SEC scrutiny.

• AI Slop vs. AI Streaming: The launch of Roku's new dedicated AI channel and what it reveals about the future of low-cost content creation.

• Coyote vs. Acme Finally Arrives: Why Warner Bros.' shelved Looney Tunes film could be its most strategic franchise move since Space Jam.

• SpaceX & Elon Musk's AI Pivot: Elon claims SpaceX will soon derive the majority of its revenue from AI and hyperscale compute.

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After years of losses, is streaming finally becoming a sustainable business?

On this episode of Next TMT Talks, David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the biggest stories shaping the technology, media, and entertainment industries. They examine David Ellison's vision for CBS News and CNN as the Paramount-Skydance merger moves forward, why streaming services are finally posting meaningful profits, and what Spider-Man's record-breaking box office success says about the future of movie theaters.

The conversation also explores Disney's evolving streaming strategy, Scripps' AI-driven newsroom layoffs, SpaceX's latest earnings report and Starlink's expansion plans, plus the week's most anticipated streaming releases—including the return of Ted Lasso.

• David Ellison's media strategy and the future of CBS News and CNN
• The Paramount-Skydance merger
• Why streaming is finally profitable
• Spider-Man's billion-dollar box office performance
• Disney's direct-to-consumer business
• AI's growing role in local television news
• SpaceX earnings and Starlink's next phase
• What to watch this week, including Ted Lasso

Subscribe to Next TMT Talks for twice-weekly conversations covering the biggest developments in technology, media, telecom, streaming, AI, and the business of entertainment.

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel from Next TMT are back with another breakdown of the biggest developments across technology, media, and telecom.

In this episode, the duo dives into the looming legal battle over the Warner Brothers-Paramount merger. Paramount is pushing back against antitrust hurdles, but could a forced divestiture of CNN be the leverage needed to push the deal through?

Plus, we look at the shifting landscape of streaming and sports as Versant Media transforms Fandango into a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service—complete with Bundesliga soccer and extensive live sports coverage.

Finally, we track the massive pre-sales for Christopher Nolan's upcoming blockbuster, Odyssey, look at New York's historic ban on data centers, and discuss the mind-blowing $77 million prediction market betting on... Love Island?!

Chapters:

• 0:00 – Intro: What's on the TMT Radar This Week

• 1:00 – Paramount vs. Warner Bros Merger: CNN Divestiture, Legal Timelines, and Industry Layoffs

• 10:06 – Versant Media's Pivot: Turning Fandango into a FAST Challenger with Bundesliga

• 15:04 – Can Christopher Nolan's Odyssey Push the Domestic Box Office to $10 Billion?

• 24:31 – State Bans & AI Roadblocks: New York's Data Center Moratorium

• 29:47 – The Wild World of Prediction Markets: $77 Million Bet on Love Island via Kalshi

• 32:41 – Sports, Quarterbacks, & What We're Watching on Netflix

• 39:47 – Outro & Where to Subscribe

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Netflix is rethinking its original programming strategy as audiences consume content differently—and that's just one of the major stories reshaping media this week. In this episode of Next TMT Talks, David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down: Why World Cup TV rights could become the biggest bidding war in sports media Netflix's shift toward shorter-form and more efficient programming What the Sun Valley conference signals for media and tech executives Emmy nominations and the streaming awards race Xbox's biggest strategic reset yet SpaceX's plan to dramatically expand satellite deployment What Dish Network's bankruptcy means for the pay TV industry Plus the latest trends across streaming, technology, media, and telecom.

If you work in media, streaming, advertising, or tech, subscribe for weekly analysis from industry veterans David Bloom and Daniel Frankel. 👍 Like • Comment • Subscribe for new episodes every week.

#Netflix #Streaming #Media #WorldCup #SportsMedia #Technology #NextTMT

00:00 World Cup Ratings and Media Landscape

03:08 Netflix's Programming Shift and Viewer Engagement

06:05 The Impact of Competition on Netflix 08:55 The Future of Sports Broadcasting Rights 12:07 The Role of Advertising in Sports

14:53 Moguls and Media Deals at Sun Valley

18:02 Xbox's Major Restructuring and Gaming Trends

28:40 Generational Change and Technology's Impact

31:06 Television Trends and Emmy Awards 35:02 The State of Streaming Services

40:57 Elon Musk and SpaceX: Ambitions and Controversies

51:07 Upcoming Events and Future Insights

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel welcome back Robert Rose, independent producer and creator of Raw Travel — syndicated in 97% of the country and heading into its 14th season — for a wide-ranging conversation ahead of the Stream TV Denver conference, where Next TMT will be publishing show dailies and daily wrap-ups all week.

📺 The Independent Producer's Dilemma — Rob has 200 episodes of mostly evergreen travel content that has run through two full syndication cycles. The new distribution landscape offers more ways than ever to monetize that library — FAST channels, vertical video, digital-first formats — but it's an expensive and confusing maze to navigate without a studio behind you.

🌍 The Travel FAST Channel Problem — Rob looked hard at launching his own FAST channel and found the travel category is a wasteland of generic content. Does it have a tangential relationship to travel? Put it on. The same lack of curation that plagued broadcast TV has followed content into streaming.

🎬 Celebrities Who Travel vs. Travelers Who Make TV — Stanley Tucci, Zac Efron, Conan O'Brien. These are celebrities doing travel shows, not travel show creators. Rob makes the distinction — and explains why it matters for audiences who actually want to learn something about the world.

⚖️ Ken Paxton Goes After Netflix — The Texas AG turned Senate candidate is now targeting Netflix, complete with AI-generated campaign ads putting his opponent in a dress. The intersection of streaming, politics, and Gen AI advertising is getting very weird very fast.

📰 CBS Is a Dumpster Fire on Purpose — Scott Pelley's exit, Bari Weiss, and the systematic dismantling of a 57-year-old institution. Rob doesn't mince words: this is destruction by design, not an attempt to build something better.

🗺️ What Travel Teaches You — From Finland's disinformation resilience model to Morocco's plastic bag ban, Rob makes the case that independent travel journalism still has something to say that celebrity travel shows never will.

🎙️ Hosted by David Bloom & Daniel Frankel | Guest: Robert Rose, Raw Travel Next TMT × Media Play News — Live coverage all week from Stream TV Denver

🔔 Subscribe → nexttmt.com 🎧 Spotify & Apple Podcasts

David Bloom and Daniel Frankel break down the week's biggest stories in media, tech, and telecom.

🚀 SpaceX's $1.75 Trillion Valuation — What's actually driving it: Starlink's satellite-to-device dominance, NASA contracts, and government policy tailwinds from the FCC. Plus, what it means for Elon Musk becoming the world's first trillionaire — and why Daniel has complicated feelings about it.

🌊 Undersea Cables & the Internet's Hidden Fragility — 95% of global data runs through fiber optic cables clustered in geopolitical chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz and the Baltic Sea. How vulnerable is the infrastructure that powers everything?

🎯 Authentic Brands Group Goes Public — The $38B brand machine behind Shaq, Kevin Hart, and David Beckham is heading to market. Their pitch: "content drives commerce." What that means for celebrity IP and the future of brand licensing.

📺 The Disney Bundle Actually Works — Hub Research confirms 59% of Disney+/Hulu/ESPN subscribers have zero plans to cancel. David and Daniel dig into how ESPN Plus transformed from obscure college softball to must-have sports streaming.

📰 CBS News Civil War: Is Bari Weiss Getting Edged Out? — Anderson Cooper's exit from 60 Minutes, Paramount's crushing debt load, the Skydance merger hanging on 13 state attorneys general, and why the real issue isn't who runs CBS News.

🎬 The Mandalorian & Grogu: Can a TV Show Survive as a Movie? — The biggest test yet of whether streaming-native IP can convert audiences to the theater.

🎰 Banning Gambling Ads for Under-18s — A bipartisan bill takes aim at digital gambling advertising targeting minors. The leagues made a Faustian deal. Now the cleanup begins.

🏀 NBA Playoffs & Victor Wembanyama — Is Wemby already the most dominant player anyone has ever seen? Plus: the $76B TV rights deal is looking very smart right now.

🎙️ Hosted by David Bloom & Daniel Frankel | Next TMT × Media Play News

🔔 Subscribe → https://nexttmt.com 🎧 Spotify & Apple Podcasts