Spring 2026 - Sourcebook

Magazine Features

State of AI In Live Streaming 2026

As with all streaming workflows, AI has steadily crept into the live streaming technology stack. In some cases, the impact is incremental, in others, profound. From production to monetization, here's a quick overview of where AI has become relevant for live event producers and engineers, and some areas where, surprisingly, it hasn't.

Streaming the Universe: A Q&A with GM & Head of NASA+ Rebecca Sirmons

After launching on Nov 8, 2023, and the sunsetting of NASA TV (NASA's linear channel) in August 2024, NASA+ has become the official destination for all NASA content, whether you are watching on Amazon Prime, Netflix or NASA's website, and app. Currently, NASA is planning to stream the first crewed launch to the Moon in over 50 years, Artemis II (estimated viewership 25M) and will become the world's largest live streaming event, the next moon landing on Artemis III (estimated viewership 250M). In this Q&A, I spoke with General Manager and Head of NASA+ Rebecca Sirmons about how her team built NASA+ and the infrastructure, gear, ops, and workflows that launch live streams at this massive scope and scale.

Streaming Year in Review 2026

Two stories dominated streaming media in 2025: Netflix versus the rest and YouTube takes TV. YouTube may be the bigger story.

Streamticker: The Biggest Streaming Mergers and Acquisitions of 2025

Here is a month-by-month roundup of the streaming industry's most momentous mergers and acquisitions of 2025 (excluding the competing Paramount Skydance and Netflix bids for Warner Bros. Discovery—a drama that just turned definitively in Paramount's favor at press time).

The State of AI in On-Demand Streaming in 2026

This is a tale of a few different AI use cases that involve research, localization, advertising, and UX. The first is a public broadcaster in Austria. The second is a TV OS. The third is a well-known vendor. The last is a major media company. What all of these have in common is that their AI applications have moved from the proof-of-concept stage to full commercial implementation.

The State of Live Sports Streaming 2026

One streaming platform's increasing appetite for live events combined with titanic global reach means that it will dominate discussion in 2026—and it's not necessarily Netflix.

The State of Streaming Codecs 2026

Streaming codec adoption used to be an engineering abstraction governed by RD curves, BD-rate tables, and roadmap slides that no one outside of R&D ever considered. Over the last 15 months, codec adoption decisions have morphed into a much broader discussion, involving C-level execs from finance and legal. While the precursors to this transition occurred pre-2025, the situation coalesced in 2025. During the same period, we saw one codec step to the front (AV1) and another shrink before our eyes (VVC).

The State of Streaming Monetization 2026

How are streaming content companies doing? Publishers, creators, and aggregators have traditionally made the majority of their revenue on subscriptions, so why does everyone want to talk about advertising? Ad-supported content is more affordable. Because most streaming consumers have maxed out their subscriptions, leaving the SVOD market saturated, advertising is more likely to be the dominant incremental revenue driver for streaming over the next several years, based on how media companies are talking about themselves and guiding investors.

The State of Streaming Sustainability 2026

Is it still fashionable to be sustainable, even with AI?

Editor's Note

The Fine Print

Opening our blog to a never-ending stream of guest contributors yields some of the coolest stuff we publish, with topics that would never occur to me. Though I rarely know when these pieces will arrive or where they'll come from, it is often heady, provocative stuff that I'm proud to publish.

Future in Focus

CTV Is Defining the Future of Streaming Ads

While advertising has long been a unidirectional experience, there have been forays into making it bidirectional for a long time. The value proposition is pretty clear. If people are watching a show and an advertisement comes on showcasing a product that interests them, wouldn't it be great if they could grab the remote, push a couple of buttons, and have it delivered to their doorstep?

Spotlights

View From the Top: What Google’s 2027 License Service Deadline Means for Streamers

Digital rights management is the invisible backbone of streaming security, and the license service sits at its core. Every play request, entitlement check, and encrypted segment relies on a clean exchange of keys between clients, proxies, and license servers. Replacing that infrastructure under deadline pressure requires not only technical execution but strategic planning.

Why Streamers Must Become Proactive About Piracy Before It Is Too Late

For years, many streaming companies have perceived piracy as a disease that needs to be treated only after it strikes. A show is released, pirates copy it, and the platform responds with takedown notices, legal complaints, or occasional enforcement actions. That approach may have worked in the early days of online video. Today, it does not.