CTV dominates the sports fandom ‘life cycle,’ but podcasts and news are also in the mix
Sports fandom is increasingly a year-round, cross-platform habit rather than something confined to live games. A new Trade Desk Intelligence and PA Consulting study found 80% of fans stay engaged across all five stages of the sports “life cycle,” while 83% use connected TV to follow sports, making CTV the only channel that spans every stage. Read more from The Current.
Some low-end streamers phased out during consolidation: study
Parks Associates found that 10 U.S. streaming services were phased out during Q2 2026 as the market continues consolidating and content moves into larger platforms or FAST channels. Examples include BET+ folding into Paramount+, FIFA+ moving to DAZN, and RidePass becoming FAST-only. Read more from Yahoo Finance.
Paramount to raise $7.5 billion more in debt to fund Warner Bros. deal
Paramount Skydance is seeking to raise another $7.5 billion in debt to help finance its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery and repay existing obligations. The company now expects to raise roughly $44.4 billion in additional secured debt as part of the transaction’s financing. Read more from Variety.
Comscore reports that Gemini, Claude are gaining market share on ChatGPT
ChatGPT remains the leading consumer AI assistant, but Comscore data shows its share of total AI prompt volume fell from 70% in January to 50% in June, while Gemini grew from 17% to 30% and Claude from 2% to 11%. Overall AI usage continues to expand, suggesting consumers are increasingly using multiple assistants rather than relying on a single platform. Read more from The Desk.
Amazon’s Thursday Night Football averages 18.6 million viewers in week 1
Amazon’s 2026 Thursday Night Football opener between the Lions and Bills averaged 18.6 million viewers, up 5% from last year’s opener and ranking as Amazon’s third-most-watched regular-season NFL game. The game also delivered gains of at least 27% among key younger advertising demographics compared with Amazon’s 2025 season averages. Read more from Front Office Sports.
