The Dan Rayburn Podcast

This month, Eric Black and Dan Rayburn discuss the big news that all of Peacock's content will be available on YouTube Premium in the U.S. They discuss what it means for NBCU, which has now become a content licensing company and DTC service, which are very different business models. They debate that over time, Peacock may no longer be a destination for consumers when the content can be viewed on other platforms. They also discuss t...

This week, we cover the Q2 earnings numbers you need to know from WBD, Roku, Paramount Skydance, Fubo and EchoStar, including net profit and subscribers. We discuss the latest bundling and content deals from Disney, Netflix, Philo, Apple TV, and Google TV. 

We also detail the technical issues NFL+ experienced during week one of preseason games, the layoffs at Scripps and VideoAmp, and Dolby's acquisition of 250 patents ...

This week, discuss the news that eligible YouTube Premium subscribers in the U.S. will gain access to ad-supported Peacock Premium in 2027 at no additional charge and debate if this means NBCU will become a content arms dealer. We detail the plan for NFL Ticket to come back to DIRECTV for businesses through a new licensing deal, and DAZN plans to acquire EverPass Media.

We also highlight the YES Network and MSG Networks news...

This week, I detail Comcast's Q2 earnings, which, for the first time in six years, showed Peacock had a positive quarter, with $189 million in EBITDA. This positive news was offset by the loss of 280,000 cable TV subscribers and 167,000 broadband residential customers, with total company revenue down 1.2% YoY.

I discuss the news that Roku is raising the MSRP of its streaming sticks and boxes from $10-$50, depending on the mo...

This week, I discuss Netflix's earnings, the new numbers it disclosed regarding live streaming, confirmation that engagement didn't decline, double-digit revenue growth in all regions, and the largest share buybacks in company history. I explain that while some suggest that Netflix's business is "broken" or "collapsing," none of it is based on facts or supported by any actual numbers. (Nielsen's don't count)

I also cover Fan...

This week, I discuss Comcast's plans to split its media and technology businesses, spinning off NBCUniversal and Sky into a separate publicly traded company. I questioned why it didn't happen sooner, since for years we've seen from its balance sheet and stock price that combining its content and distribution pipelines hasn't added value. Also related to Comcast, I cover the news that ITV has agreed to sell its Media and Entertainme...

This month, Eric Black and Dan Rayburn discuss World Cup viewership, breaking down the numbers between linear and streaming and the problems posed by the lack of a standard measurement. They also cover World Cup latency, including on airplanes, and ask whether viewers would pay more for Dolby Vision HDR, Atmos surround sound, and lower latency. Or, similar to customers gravitating to ad-supported subs for a lower cost, wo...

This week, we discuss the launch of TF1 Groupe programs and live TV channels on Netflix in France, the first such deal for Netflix. We detail the available content and explain why we think TF1 dramas, reality shows, news and sports could help limit churn among existing Netflix subscribers. We also cover viewership numbers for Paramount's UFC Freedom 250 event at The White House, review the latest World Cup viewership stats, and dis...

This week, we separate facts from opinions on the news that Fox Corporation has agreed to acquire Roku. We break down all the numbers, the impact on Tubi and The Roku Channel, Roku's hardware business, and all the other details you need to know. We also cover World Cup TV and streaming viewership stats released by Fox Sports, ITV, NBC Sports, STV, and others. We detail the revenue and profit numbers from Bending Spoons' SEC filing,...

Sports streaming is kind of a big deal. So, Eric Black and I have teamed up to record a new monthly podcast breaking down the Business and Technology of Sports Streaming. Giving listeners insight into the latest content deals, viewership numbers, user experiences and technical workflows, without any hype.

In episode one, Eric and I talk about the World Cup's streaming quality, latency, piracy, free trials across OTT services...

This week, special guest Eric Black and I discuss the upcoming World Cup, detailing streaming and pay TV viewership numbers from the 2022 event and what to expect this year. We also discuss the MLS game that used Apple iPhones for video capture, noting that they were used only as camera sensors and image processors. We review the NFL's 2026-2027 schedule, calling out the newly announced exclusive games on Netflix and Peacock and de...

This week, we discuss a wild week in infrastructure news, with Akamai, Fastly and Cloudflare reporting earnings, sending all three companies' stock up or down by at least 30%. We detail Cloudflare's announcement that it will lay off over 1,100 employees, Akamai's new $1.8 billion seven-year contract for Cloud Infrastructure Services for AI modeling, and Wall Street's lack of understanding of the CDN business. We highlight reports s...

This week, we detail the numbers you need to know from Q1 earnings from Roku, which, for the first time, separated out revenue for its advertising and subscription business. We also cover earnings from Comcast, the latest Peacock numbers, cord-cutting at Charter, and the massive capex spend in the quarter from Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon, with AWS revenue growth at its fastest in 15 quarters.

We detail YouTube's Q1 revenu...

This week, we recap what we saw and heard at the 2026 NAB Show, covering themes, content, the West Hall exhibit floor, and the speakers at the Streaming Summit. We highlight some of the topics discussed most, including sports, workflow orchestration, MOQ, scaling live events, multiview, UI/UX, and how AI tech is being implemented into the video stack. I also cover what I want to improve at the Streaming Summit next year, what exhib...

This week, we detail YouTube's upcoming price increase across all U.S. YouTube Premium plans, Sling TV's new $20 monthly plan that includes ESPN, and FOX's announcement that it will shut down the Fox Sports app for smart TVs and connected devices. We also discuss Fubo's newly released set of long-term financial targets, which projects positive free cash flow by fiscal 2027, and why the news that the DOJ is exploring whether the NFL...

This week, we detail viewership numbers from Netflix, NBC Sports and Peacock for MLB's opening week, highlighting the multiple issues with how the data is collected and presented, leading to impossible comparisons. We also discuss OpenAI's hiring of Indian streaming giant JioStar to lead its Asia-Pacific operations and news that Main Street Sports Group lenders have formally signed paperwork to close the business after the first ro...

This week, special guest Eric Black and I discuss Netflix's opening-night MLB stream, which received many negative reviews for its production, relentless, intrusive promotions and poor video quality. We also discuss Netflix's price increases across all its packages and the 18.4 million global viewers who watched the BTS concert live stream. We also highlight the launch of HBO Max in the UK and Ireland, the launch in 12 new markets ...

This week, we discuss JioHotstar's recent live stream of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which set a global streaming record with a peak of 72.5 million concurrent viewers. We detail some of the tech specs from the event, including the split between mobile and TV viewing and the rebuffer rate. We cover EverPass Media's news that it will be the exclusive commercial option for the NFL Sunday Ticket package this season, with DIRECTV...

This week, we discuss reports that the NFL has begun renegotiating its $110 billion in domestic broadcast agreements ahead of the 2026 season, seeking a 50% increase with some broadcasters, if accurate. We also explain why it's gotten so hard to compare big live streaming events to one another when viewership numbers alone don't provide a clear picture. We use NBCU as an example: it released a rebuffer rate for the Super Bowl strea...