For more than a decade, streaming has been defined by expansion: launch another app, enter another market or support another device. The industry's biggest challenge was distribution, getting content everywhere audiences wanted to watch.
That race transformed entertainment. But today, I think we're entering a very different phase.
Streaming has matured. Subscriber growth has slowed across much of the industry. Investors are asking tougher questions. Media companies are under increasing pressure to improve profitability, grow advertising revenue, reduce churn and generate more value from the audiences they already have.
The conversation has shifted from growth through reach to growth through intelligence. That's a much harder challenge. Because launching a streaming service is no longer the competitive advantage. Building a sustainable streaming business is. That means asking different questions.
How do you deepen your relationship with viewers rather than simply acquire them?
How do you create more value from every viewing session?
How do you increase revenue per viewer, not just viewer numbers?
And perhaps most importantly:
How do you do all of that while maintaining control over your audience relationship?
Those are the questions that will define the next decade of streaming.
The Industry Has a Control Problem
Streaming has never offered more opportunity.
It has also never been more fragmented. Content lives across connected TVs, mobile apps, FAST channels, operator platforms, web experiences and countless distribution partners. Each platform brings new audiences, but often on someone else's terms.
That's the paradox many media companies now face. They're reaching more viewers than ever before. Yet in many cases, they know less about them.
The largest technology ecosystems provide incredible scale and convenience. But they also determine how much audience insight you receive, how data can be used, which monetization models are possible and, ultimately, how much control you retain over your own business.
For companies whose success depends on understanding their audience, that's becoming an increasingly strategic issue.
Your audience isn't just traffic. It's your most valuable asset. If you don't own the relationship, someone else does.
First-Party Data Has Become the Competitive Advantage
One of the biggest changes we're seeing isn't simply the rise of AI. It's the increasing value of first-party data.
AI can personalize recommendations, optimize advertising, predict churn and uncover entirely new revenue opportunities, but only when it's built on data you actually own and understand.
That's why ownership matters more today than it did five years ago. The companies that will create the most value won't necessarily have the largest libraries or the biggest marketing budgets. They'll be the ones that understand their audiences best. Not through third-party assumptions. Through direct relationships.
Owning audience intelligence is rapidly becoming one of the defining competitive advantages in media.
Openness Is a Business Strategy
When people hear the word open, they often think about technology. I think about business resilience.
An open ecosystem gives media companies the freedom to evolve. To choose best-of-breed technologies. To integrate new capabilities. To adopt AI where it creates value. To change partners when the market changes.
Most importantly, it prevents the business itself from becoming dependent on a single platform or vendor. That's why I don't believe openness is simply an architectural choice. It's a commercial one.
The companies that remain flexible will adapt faster than those constrained by closed ecosystems.
Technology Should Create Independence, Not Dependence
At 24i, we've always believed our role is to simplify complexity, not create it.
Our customers operate across dozens of devices, operating systems, advertising technologies and business systems.
That complexity isn't going away. If anything, AI, personalization and new monetization models will make the ecosystem even more sophisticated. Our responsibility is to help media companies navigate that complexity while remaining in control.
That means technology that integrates rather than isolates. Technology that works across ecosystems rather than forcing customers into one. Technology that strengthens ownership instead of weakening it.
Because independence isn't about standing alone. It's about having the freedom to make the right decisions for your business.
The Next Chapter Isn't About More Streaming. It's About Better Streaming.
The streaming industry doesn't need another app. It doesn't need another platform. It needs businesses that are better at understanding, engaging and growing the audiences they already have.
Success won't be measured by how many services launch next year. It will be measured by retention, engagement, customer lifetime value, advertising performance and revenue per viewer.
In other words, by how intelligently companies can turn audience relationships into sustainable growth. That's where I believe the industry is heading.
A Clear Direction
As we've reflected on the evolution of streaming, and the role we want to play in it, we've sharpened our own thinking.
At 24i, our vision is simple:
To power an open streaming future where media companies own their audience relationships, data and destiny.
Everything we build starts there.
We help media companies build and monetize streaming experiences without surrendering control to closed ecosystems. Because we believe the future belongs to companies that own their audience, not just their content.
Independent Streaming. Intelligent Growth.
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