CMCSA - Alphabet's YouTube Just Disrupted TV's Disruptors
Just when it seemed that free, ad-supported streaming-TV platforms like Pluto TV and Tubi were ready to deliver a death blow to traditional cable television -- wham! -- they've been sucker-punched themselves. On Wednesday, Alphabet 's (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) YouTube announced it would be adding entire TV series to its lineup, making them free to watch by injecting the occasional television commercial into the stream.
On the surface, it seems like the sort of news meant to be read and then forgotten. YouTube was already offering a respectable number of movies for free to viewers willing to watch commercials. Meanwhile, Paramount 's (NASDAQ: PARA) Pluto TV and Fox Corporation 's (NASDAQ: FOX) Tubi are just two of several players already in the ad-supported streaming video business. Comcast 's (NASDAQ: CMCSA) Peacock also comes in a free-to-watch, ad-supported version, while Walt Disney 's Hulu and AT&T 's WarnerMedia platform HBO Max are available at a discount for those willing to sit through the occasional commercial too. So YouTube's move isn't exactly earth-shattering.
Except, it could shatter the hold AVOD powerhouses like Disney and Paramount have enjoyed to date.
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Alphabet's YouTube Just Disrupted TV's Disruptors