Hot List: Is News Screwed? Plus TLDRs And Tales From The MIPP

Data & Measurement
Written By Jason Damata

"A lot of people in our business get paid a lot of money to show off and they do and it works and they make lots of money and they get ratings… But if you want to learn, the interviewer you should ask questions and listen" - Brian Lamb, Founder, C-SPAN

The TL;DR

 Roku’s AI-upgraded voice assistant can answer questions about what you’re watching [The Verge]

  • TL;DR: Roku is rolling out an upgraded AI voice assistant that blends natural language processing with context awareness—users can speak conversationally to search content, control devices, and even ask follow-ups. The update nears Roku’s vision of a more predictive, “assistant-first” experience—less “search box” and more companion that anticipates what you want to watch or do next.

Spotify brings video podcasts to Netflix, Samsung TV Plus [Stream TV Insider]

  • TL;DR: Spotify is bringing video podcasts to Netflix (starting U.S., early 2026) via a distribution deal with its own podcast studios and The Ringer — featuring 16 shows spanning sports, culture, lifestyle, and true crime. Simultaneously, Spotify and Samsung TV Plus have launched The Ringer FAST channel — a 24/7 ad-supported video podcast channel — making Spotify’s first linear offering available across Samsung’s streaming platform.

Apple’s Eddy Cue says sports streaming needs fixing as company nears F1 rights deal [CNBC]

  • TL;DR: Apple is reportedly close to securing F1 streaming rights and wants to overhaul how sports are delivered — pushing for innovations like live stats overlays, interactive features, and seamless switching between feeds. The strategy would mark a shift from passive viewing to a more dynamic, multi-layered sports experience, blending content and tech to stand out in a crowded streaming sports landscape.

Publica and Samsung Ads Announce Next Phase of Dynamic Partnership [Streaming Media Magazine]

  • TL;DR: Publica and Samsung Ads are doubling down on their multi-year partnership to optimize Samsung’s ad-supported video streams via unified auctions, smart ad pod decisioning, and more seamless, TV-style break experiences.

Florida AG Sues Roku Over Privacy [MediaPost]

  • TL;DR: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit accusing Roku of violating the state’s Digital Bill of Rights, alleging the company collected and sold sensitive user data—including children’s information and precise geolocation—without proper consent. The complaint claims Roku knowingly processes data from underage users and shares it with third-party data brokers, while Roku denies wrongdoing and says it will contest the allegations.

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Jason Damata

Jason is the founder and CEO of Fabric Media, a media incubator and talent consortium. The company serves leading-edge TV disruptors- from data and analytics platforms to TV networks to emotional measurement companies. Damata has traveled the country for C-SPAN, where he worked with MSOs, produced educational political programming. He has served as CMO of Bebo when it was the world's 3rd largest social network, led marketing for Trendrr until it was acquired by Twitter and helped build the world's largest LIVE broadcast offering at explore.org where he built up a global syndication network. He is an analyst for companies on the edge of TV innovation such as iSpot, Inscape, Canvs, TNT and more.

http://linkedin.com/in/jasondamata
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