Episode 138: MLS Discloses Sub Numbers; YouTube Earnings; Latest News from Disney, ESPN, NBC, MAX and Paramount

This week, we highlight the details surrounding the MLS commissioner's disclosure that MLS Season Pass is averaging 120,000 unique viewers per match on Apple TV, representing a nearly 50% increase from 2024. For earnings, we cover Q2 ad revenue on YouTube, up 13% YoY, and Alphabet's plan to increase capex in 2025 to approximately $85 billion, as well as cord-cutting numbers from Charter and Verizon. We cover the latest rumors about the NFL’s interest in acquiring an equity stake in ESPN, HBO Max's expansion into more than 90 markets, and the FCC's approval of Paramount and Skydance's merger. We detail viewership figures from Netflix's latest boxing event, along with TV and streaming viewership numbers across baseball, golf, tennis, car racing and hockey, as well as DAZN's video workflow for its successful stream coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup. Finally, we discuss why companies conduct layoffs even amid record profits, the impact of AI investments, and why, despite many talking about strategy, a company's culture eats the best strategy all day.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media