The streaming services industry is seeing rapid transformation over the past 48 hours, marked by new partnerships, shifting consumer habits, and regulatory scrutiny. Spotify and Netflix have both reported major growth in video and audio podcasts, with Spotify now hosting nearly 500,000 video podcast shows and over 390 million users streaming video podcasts, a 54 percent increase year over year. Time spent on video content has more than doubled, signaling a shift in how audiences consume content. Netflix has partnered with Spotify to bring select podcasts to its platform, aiming to broaden its entertainment offerings and deepen audience engagement.
Amazon is also making waves, recently announcing a deal with Netflix that allows advertisers using Amazon DSP to programmatically buy premium Netflix inventory. This move strengthens Amazon’s position as a major player in streaming ad technology, giving marketers access to premium inventory and advanced targeting powered by Amazon’s first-party data. Amazon DSP’s ad revenue jumped 24 percent year over year in Q3 2025, reaching $17.7 billion, and the company is expanding its audio advertising partnerships to include Spotify, SiriusXM, and iHeart.
Meanwhile, the potential merger between Paramount and Skydance is gaining momentum, with reports indicating over $1.5 billion in programming investment planned for next year. This merger could create a streaming platform with around 200 million subscribers, challenging the dominance of Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, which each have over 200 million and 300 million subscribers respectively.
Consumer behavior is shifting toward more interactive and hybrid content formats, with podcast ad spending seeing a 41 percent increase in Q3 and brand awareness campaigns now making up 56 percent of podcast ad spend. Streaming leaders are responding by investing in AI-driven ad formats and deeper integration across platforms, moving away from simple inventory expansion to smarter distribution and engagement strategies.
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