Episode 164: Peacock Rolling Out Vertical Video for NBA Games; NFL Starts Renegotiating Broadcast Contacts Early; Disney+ Tests Vertical Video

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 stream but did not provide viewership numbers, while JioHotstar provided viewership numbers for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, but not the rebuffer rate. On the vertical video front, we detail news from both Peacock and Disney, which are rolling out trials of the new viewing format. Peacock will debut a new vertical video option for all live NBA broadcasts, not just highlights, powered by AI that performs real-time cropping and is optimized for phone screens. Disney+, meanwhile, has rolled out Verts, letting users swipe through a stream of scenes and moments from Disney+ movies and shows, add them to their Watchlist, or jump directly into playback.Finally, we discuss Apple's claim that viewership for the first weekend of the F1 races was "up year over year" compared with ESPN's coverage, but provided no numbers, as well as the latest on the WBD and Paramount Skydance merger.Podcast produced by Security Halt Media