Free streaming TV insights

Decoding viewer behavior for the B2B TV Tech audience.

Only four a year. Signals the trades are missing, in a format built for operators.

Spring 2026

Almost there

Latest report

What we're publishing now.

Spring 2026

Vertical Live & Condensed Games · FAST & Paid CTV App Rankings

1,025+ respondents surveyed via Pollfish. 20 slides covering vertical sports streaming, mobile-first TV behavior, premium app rankings (Disney+ up, Paramount+ down), and AI assistants for television.

Vertical live sports CTV app rankings AI for TV Mobile as TV FAST channels
See the full report →
From the methodology
[n]
Respondents · 18 questions · Pollfish panel
Sports [TK]
AI tools [TK]
Markets [TK]
Weather [TK]
Annual editorial calendar

Four themes a year. Pay & free TV tracking runs throughout.

A quarterly cadence that compounds. Each season targets a distinct intersection of viewer behavior and technology — with custom client questions woven in.

Spring

Sports, prediction markets & news

Sports betting, prediction markets, live streaming, interactivity, and how these intersect with the broadcast experience.

Q1 · Mar–May
Summer

EPGs, multiview & the channel surf

Channel surfing, DVR, multiview, programming UX, and the lost art of "just leaving the TV on something good."

Q2 · Jun–Aug
Fall

LLMs and AI in the TV stack

Generative video, AI personalization, agentic UX, voice control, and how viewers are starting to ask their TVs questions.

Q3 · Sep–Nov
Winter

Screensavers & background TV

Ambient viewing, device idle states, content-as-decor, and the second screen that's actually the first screen.

Q4 · Dec–Feb

Throughout the year · TV usage · device usage · free vs paid · genres · open-ended · time-based comparisons

Audience & reach

Quality, impact, engagement.

#FutureOfTV.Live subscribers
Senior · Double opt-in · Hand-curated
HULU
ROKU
PLUTO TV
DISNEY
FOX
NBCU
CBS
UNIVISION
AMAZON
GOOGLE
APPLE
MICROSOFT
COMCAST
CHARTER
T-MOBILE
HEARST
NFL
NBA
NASCAR
WWE
DOLBY
AMAGI
BITMOVIN
VIMEO

Broadcasters · Platforms · Telcos · Sports Leagues · Tech Infrastructure

Past Quarterly Briefing panelists

Industry voices who've shared the stage.

Quarterly Briefings pair a quarterly survey reveal with candid conversation among operators, analysts, and builders shaping the future of television.

JK

John Kosner

Kosner Media · ex-ESPN

Sports media analyst and long-running chronicler of the digital sports business. Helped shape ESPN's digital strategy through the 2010s and now writes one of the sharpest sports media newsletters in the industry.

JL

Jim Louderback

Creator economy · ex-VidCon

Veteran creator-economy strategist who ran VidCon for years. Sees creator video, traditional TV, and platform economics through a single integrated lens — and isn't afraid to call out the gaps.

ES

Evan Shapiro

Media universe · ESHAP

Cartographer of the modern media business and creator of the much-shared "Media Universe" map. Brings a structural view of where attention, money, and power are actually flowing across TV, streaming, and creator platforms.

In remembrance

Salil Dalvi — friend, industry advocate, and an early champion of #FutureOfTV.Live. His curiosity and generosity shaped this work in ways we still feel.