Observed Signal · Nov 30, 2025 · Analysis · Source: State of Streaming · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Neutral
Streaming Wars Mirror Old Cable Battles
Glenn Moss, a business affairs attorney with more than four decades in media, argues that current streaming disputes repeat historic conflicts over money, power, and access. Drawing on experience at Court TV and his roles as External General Counsel for Globecast America and Adjunct Lecturer at Binghamton University, Moss explains that regulatory tools like must-carry and retransmission consent once gave broadcasters leverage that does not translate to streaming platforms. He warns that public blackouts betray consumer expectations and that shorter contract cycles (two-to-three years) raise the importance of relational capital. Moss advocates human-centered negotiation, goodwill clauses (e.g., early reopeners before contract expiry), and collaborative experimentation using new technologies, while noting future platform entrants (satellite/Starlink) could restart the same cycle.
Provides a senior industry practitioner's historical perspective on recurring carriage disputes, contract terms, and consumer impacts in CTV/streaming — useful context but not a new product, policy, or market-moving event.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Glenn Moss has worked in the media industry for over four decades and is External General Counsel for Globecast America.
- Moss is an Adjunct Lecturer in Negotiation Strategy at Binghamton University and a former senior executive at Court TV.
- Historically, legal rights such as must-carry and retransmission consent and contractual MFN clauses gave broadcasters leverage during carriage negotiations.
- Industry deal lengths have shortened from decade-long contracts to two- or three-year agreements, increasing the value of relational capital between parties.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
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Broadcasters Rethink Monetization for Streaming Era
State of Streaming interviewed Jamie Branson, Founder and CEO of View TV, about the mismatch between legacy broadcast monetization and streaming-era economics. The piece argues that simply simulcasting linear channels into FAST/AVOD formats fails to reflect modern viewing habits and creates a structural revenue gap when publishers rely solely on programmatic advertising. Branson warns programmatic often fills a small share of inventory (he estimates ~10–20%) and at much lower rates than broadcast, making many high-cost productions uneconomic on a programmatic-only model. View TV advocates a layered monetization approach that combines programmatic with addressable and traditional ad-sales methods (and better yield management), and argues broadcasters should reclaim control of monetization and not bear the full cost of ad-delivery technologies like SSAI.
Kimmel Blackout Reveals Legacy TV's Fragility
When Sinclair and Nexstar kept Jimmy Kimmel Live! off dozens of ABC stations, the resulting nationwide blackout highlighted the fragility of legacy broadcast distribution. Todd M. Schoenberger, CEO of CrossCheck Media Inc., told State of Streaming that single points of failure and carriage-fee economics leave traditional broadcasters exposed. Schoenberger argued resilience now requires multiple distribution lanes — streaming, FAST, social and direct channels — plus high content velocity and community hubs. The piece contrasts legacy reliance on a few distributors with independent creators who monetize directly on platforms like YouTube and Roku, and notes advertisers increasingly demand cross-platform, stable reach. The article concludes legacy media can pragmatically reduce risk by diversifying distribution or partnering with more agile streaming-focused companies.
StreamAMG and Kiswe Expose Hybrid Sports Rights Gap
An industry analysis argues the next competitive advantage in sports rights will be deal architecture rather than exclusivity or scale. A Looper Insights survey of 52 senior executives showed strong support for hybrid distribution models that combine linear, streaming and D2C. The piece contrasts two vendor strengths: Kiswe’s backend flexibility (used to power three distinct experiences for a single AEW event) and StreamAMG’s subscriber-focused monetization (illustrated by the World Curling Federation scaling from 12,000 to 30,000 users after rebuilding on an owned OTT). The article identifies a market gap: no single vendor currently unifies distribution flexibility, monetization, audience measurement and campaign planning needed for hybrid rights windows. Fragmentation is already creating audience friction, requiring sharper segmentation and measurement for buyers.
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