Sparks’ holiday branding strategy also includes a three-part seasonal decorating and home improvement video series, Merry & Bright, which is sponsored by Home Depot and will be shown on the video streaming interface built into 22 million VIZIO TVs. Katlyn Wilson, director of branded content sales and strategy at VIZIO, says Sparks “was the perfect host for this,” adding, “She has done Christmas content before. Hopefully, it will be a great way for her to continue to establish herself in the Christmas space.”

Indeed, FAST has become the new benchmark in the streaming category with Netflix boasting 15 million monthly active users for its ad-supported subscription tier. FAST’s acceptance is also evidence by the growing number of programming alliances, such as the deal between Golf Nation and TV maker Vizio, which will put the golf events on its “WatchFree+” menu of its FAST on-demand smart TV receivers (connected TV).

Measurement companies may have tuning data from an MVPD and ACR data from an OEM for the same household. DASH can provide an estimate of the duplication. For example, the latest wave of DASH data shows that roughly 30 per cent of Comcast households had a Vizio television, and about 17 per cent of Vizio households had Comcast.

In an October column on StreamTV Insider, TVREV analyst Alan Wolk zeroed in on Comcast’s EntertainmentOS, which he said seems built as a way for the companies to participate in the global streaming wars, serving as an alternative to other OS already available.

Welcome to our weekly snapshot of TV by the numbers, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks for December 4-10, with insights from Inscape, the currency-grade smart TV ACR data provider and data technology division of Vizio. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

In digital TV, there are manufacturers, such as Vizio, LG, Samsung, Sony and more. They all have operating systems. There are connected TV device-makers such as Roku, Apple, Google and Amazon. And there are app ecosystems from individual media companies.

A few highlights: IBM says, “Let’s create AI that begins with trust—with Watsonx.governance.” Netflix calls itself “everyone’s home for the holidays.” And two raccoons enjoy a romantic stay-at-home date (or so it seems) in a spot from smart TV maker Vizio.

Chris Pfaff, CEO, Chris Pfaff Tech Media, Producers Guild of America (PGA), VR AR Association (VRARA), dives into the AI streaming monetization question with Bethany Atchison, VP, Distribution Partner Management, Vevo, Daniel Trotta, Product Manager, Content Engagement & Monetization, Warner Bros. Discovery, Alan Wolk, Co-Founder/Lead Analyst, TVREV, and Paul Erickson, Founder and Principal, Erickson Strategy & Insights in this clip from Streaming Media Connect 2023.

Streaming is still an ample opportunity over the coming years, both domestically and in international markets. Roku has expanded outside the U.S. and become the leading TV system in Mexico. Advertisers are still catching up as consumers cut the cord. According to a report by TVREV, ad spending on streaming will surpass broadcast TV by 2025 and could shift to nearly 70% by 2027. That sounds like continued growth ahead for companies like Roku.

I am a longtime reader of Reality Blurred (since middle school and I am now in my mid thirties). One of the items on my bucket list has always been to appear on a reality show.

This week, we unveiled a new brand campaign to update the way we think about and communicate our products and services inside the home. It’s called “Watch us.”

The list of potential partners is also growing. Samsung and LG have started licensing their respective Tizen and WebOS platforms to other TV makers, and Vizio says it might license its software as well. Comcast and Charter have also launched a joint streaming platform under the Xumo brand, and Xperi is pushing TiVo OS.

However, if the company plans to launch a service, it should not wait long. The FAST space is already crowded, and establishing a brand will be difficult against entrenched, popular competition like Pluto TV, Tubi, and Roku Channel. TV platform providers are also beginning to make progress with their built-in services. For example, Samsung claims its TV Plus FAST grew viewership by 30% over the last year, and Vizio saw its ARPU (primarily driven by WatchFree+ ads) increase by 23% over the last year.

Welcome to our weekly snapshot of TV by the numbers, highlighting the most-watched shows and networks for November 27 through December 3, with insights from Inscape, the currency-grade smart TV ACR data provider and data technology division of Vizio. Data is linear, live TV only and includes all episode types (new and reruns). Rankings are by percent share duration (i.e., time spent watching).

Home Depot has partnered with Vizio on a new shoppable holiday content series called Merry & Bright. The series features host Jordin Sparks giving homes holiday makeovers using Home Depot products. Viewers can scan QR codes during the show to shop the featured products on HomeDepot.com.

In a partnership with home entertainment brand Vizio, “Merry & Bright” is a branded content series currently featured in the rotating collection displayed on a Vizio viewer’s home screen. Hosted by Jordin Sparks of “American Idol” fame, the series has the vibe of a home makeover show with a narrative arc around a family whose home gets a holiday makeover using Home Depot merchandise. But the shoppable element comes in the form of QR codes flashed on the screen that bring the user to Home Depot’s Christmas decoration pages.

Currently, there are an estimated 1,500 FAST channels worldwide (75 percent of which are based in the U.S.) and 22 major platforms, including the connected TV manufacturers. Among the major ad-supported FAST platforms BEC’s Barbato listed are Roku, Samsung, Vizio, LG, Freevee/Amazon, Pluto, Tubi, XUMO, and Fubo.

"Home at Last" premieres at 11 a.m. ET on Nov. 30. Episodes will air every Thursday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET, and will be replayed on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. ET. The episodes will be available to watch on multiple platforms: Vizio WatchFree+, TiVo+, Redbox, Xumo Core, The Roku Channel, SamsungTV Plus (Canada), SlingTV, Local Now, The Grio and Rakuten.

Vizio has seen higher engagement with streaming content from consumers who purchase its large-screen television sets compared to those with smaller Vizio smart TVs in their homes, the company's chief financial executive said at a conference this week.

There’s a flood of interest in shoppable media among major streamers, connected TV manufacturers, and streamers.