Top News:
Caitlin Huston / The Hollywood Reporter:
Greg Peters says Netflix plans to bring new types of content like video podcasts to its vertical video feed, and will roll out a new mobile UI later in 2026 — The streamer plans to add video podcasts into its mobile feed and upgrade its mobile user interface.
Discussion:
TechCrunch, TVBEurope, Cord Cutters News, Engadget, The Indian Express, Forbes, WebProNews, @js@podcastindex.social, Deadline and The Verge, more at Techmeme »
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Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg:
Netflix reports Q4 revenue up 18% YoY to $12B, vs. $11.97B est., 325M paid subscribers, 2025 revenue up 16% to $45.2B, plans to up content spend by 10% in 2026 — Netflix Inc. delivered fourth-quarter results that largely beat Wall Street estimates but issued a cautious forecast for the months ahead …
Discussion:
The Streamable, The Hollywood Reporter, Barron's Online, WebProNews, Streaming Better, iPhone in Canada, The Motley Fool, @buccocapital, primetimer.com, PYMNTS.com, Watcher Guru, TV Tech, Los Angeles Times, Lucas Shaw on LinkedIn, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Netflix Inc., Advanced Television, Yahoo Finance, Cord Cutters News, The Wrap, TheDesk.net, Reuters, Proactiveinvestors UK, Media Play News, Telecompaper and CNBC, more at Techmeme »
Dade Hayes / Deadline:
Netflix says ad revenue hit $1.5B in 2025, up by over 2.5x vs. 2024, and viewing hours grew 2% YoY in H2, driven by a 9% rise in viewing of branded originals — Earnings per share came in a penny ahead of expectations at 56 cents, while revenue of $12.051 billion exceeded the target of around $12 billion.
Jay Peters / The Verge:
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says creators will be able to generate Shorts using their own AI likenesses starting in 2026 — The capability is launching sometime in 2026, though YouTube isn't sharing details about how it will work. … Your YouTube Shorts feed might soon be filled with a lot …
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Alex Weprin / The Hollywood Reporter:
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan publishes his annual letter, saying the platform wants to fight “AI slop” and strengthen parental tools, and teases Shorts updates — The executive published his annual letter to the YouTube community Wednesday, outlining his priorities for the video platform.
Emma Roth / The Verge:
YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says YouTube TV plans to launch “fully customizable” multiview for non-sports channels and channel packages focused on various topics — You'll soon be able to watch whatever you want side by side. … YouTube TV is getting ready to launch two major updates …
Discussion:
Cord Cutters News
The Information:
Sources: OpenAI begins offering its chatbot ads to dozens of advertisers, initially charging per ad view, not per ad click, and asks them for <$1M commitments — OpenAI has started offering its new chatbot ads to dozens of advertisers, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Discussion:
Computerworld, WebProNews, Proactive, Reuters, PCWorld, 80 Level and Digiday, more at Techmeme »
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Alex Heath / Sources:
Demis Hassabis says there aren't “any plans” to put ads in Gemini and, in response to OpenAI testing ads, says “maybe they feel they need to make more revenue” — During our convo in Davos, Demis Hassabis and I chatted about ads in AI, Google's new deal with Apple, humanoids, and Gemini 4.
Alex Ritman / Variety:
The BBC confirms a “strategic partnership” with YouTube to produce exclusive content, including news and kids shows, a landmark deal for the UK broadcaster — The BBC has confirmed what it is billing as a “strategic partnership” with YouTube that will see the British broadcaster …
Discussion:
Advanced Television, The Guardian, TVBEurope, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and BBC
Mark Sweney / The Guardian:
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says she is “minded to” intervene in DMGT's takeover of The Telegraph and may ask Ofcom to look at the impact on media plurality — Culture secretary ‘minded to’ intervene and ask Ofcom and CMA whether the £500m deal harms media plurality
Discussion:
Press Gazette, The Times, The Independent, Telegraph and Reuters
Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch:
Bengaluru-based Amagi, an ad tools provider for broadcast and streaming TV, fell below its listing price in its India market debut after raising $196M in an IPO — Amagi Media Labs, a Bengaluru-headquartered company that sells cloud software used to run and monetize TV and streaming channels …
Discussion:
Moneycontrol, The Economic Times, Business Standard, Entrackr, Zee Business, Financial Express and Inc42, more at Techmeme »
Charlotte Tobitt / Press Gazette:
WAN-IFRA: news publications globally had an estimated combined revenue of $125.7B in 2025, down 0.01% YoY; print still accounted for 65% of total revenue — Global news media revenue was steady overall in 2025 according to a new estimate published by WAN-IFRA.
