Streaming Pulse by FastPix

25 july, 2025

A 5-minute briefing for builders, broadcasters, and media leaders shaping the future of video.

Monetization

CTV has shifted from passive to transactional.
A new Samsung Ads x Kantar report confirms that connected TV is no longer just an upper-funnel channel. It's now directly influencing purchasing behavior. If you're still treating CTV like desktop display, you're already behind the curve.

YouTube is making it harder to access live streaming and ad revenue.
They’re tightening rules so only more "trusted" creators get access. It’s part of a wider shift: platforms now prefer long-form, polished content that’s safe for advertisers. If you’re a smaller creator or just starting out, you’ll need to find other ways to make money, because relying on one platform isn’t enough anymore.

Niche formats are outperforming expectations.
EMG used audio-only CTV ads to promote an auto brand, and it worked. The brand’s market share jumped 21.8%, proving low-key formats can drive real results.

Rumble and MoonPay team up for crypto-native monetization.
While Web3 remains niche, the combination of creator loyalty and decentralized payment infrastructure is gaining momentum, particularly for alternative platforms seeking financial independence.

AI-native video platforms are monetizing from day one.
With a $106B total addressable market in play, text-to-video startups are commercializing synthetic content early. Audience building is becoming optional when automation drives scale.

Building Better

News.com.au relaunches with vertical video and CTV-native ads.
This isn’t just a new look. They’ve rebuilt everything, how content is made, how it makes money, and how it feels to use. It’s built for people who scroll, not channel surf.

Ullu Coin launches as a fan currency.
The adult streaming platform just launched its own fan token, think part Patreon, part crypto. It’s a bold move showing where micro-payments and fan-powered platforms might be headed.

Live sports ads go AI-native.
PubMatic’s new AI-powered ad marketplace for live sports treats latency and viewer behavior as revenue levers. Real-time context is becoming a monetization feature, not just an engineering concern.

Netflix advances its in-house VFX tooling.
Their generative AI tools are cutting weeks-long post-production workflows down to minutes. In-house AI capabilities are quickly becoming a competitive advantage.

The Line Between Content and Commerce Is Disappearing

FreeCast and Roku roll out live, shoppable TV.
This isn’t QVC 2.0, it’s live programming where viewers can browse and buy without ever leaving the stream. It’s direct-to-consumer retail, baked into the content itself. Expect more brands to turn their video channels into fully shoppable storefronts.

Xumo FAST channels are now baked into TV OS.
With nationwide TV manufacturer deals in place, Xumo is building the first FAST platform baked directly into TV operating systems. For content distributors, it unlocks new built-in reach and fresh ad inventory, right from the home screen.

EVOD posts 70% YoY growth with a short-form, local-first model.
By focusing on fast, local content, they’re outperforming long-form, one-size-fits-all platforms, especially in markets where relevance beats scale.

Twitch experiments with vertical video.
A platform that once avoided short-form is now shifting. With Gen Z’s attention more fragmented than ever, vertical video is quickly becoming the default everywhere.

Creating a Better Viewing Experience

FBI seizes Switch piracy domains.
A significant win for anti-piracy enforcement. With regions like India still grappling with peer-to-peer piracy, watermarking and takedown tooling are now business-critical, not just legal hygiene.

Forbes flags the rise of ‘scroll brain’.
Short-form scroll habits are changing how people focus. That shift affects everything, from how long viewers stick around to how often you can show them ads.

Disney and ITV sign a cross-platform exchange deal.
This isn’t just about sharing shows, it’s a strategy to win back fragmented audiences by offering content that feels local, relevant, and carefully curated.

Google embeds video into AI Overviews.
Now, things like your title, description, video quality, and thumbnail don’t just affect search rankings, they also decide whether your video shows up in AI-generated answers.

What’s Next in Streaming Tech

Apple is reportedly in talks to acquire Formula 1 rights.
This isn’t just renting sports rights, it’s Big Tech making aggressive moves to own top-tier live content before anyone else does. They’re not waiting for cable to die, they’re buying what still holds mass audience power.

Google Veo rolls out globally.
Turning photos into videos with AI is now a real product, not just a demo. And when Baidu’s version failed, its stock dropped 7%, a clear sign that these tools carry big expectations and even bigger risks.

Snapdragon and Advantech double down on edge AI.
Real-time processing on devices, also known as edge computing, is no longer just a future concept. It’s here, and it’s being used to power faster, smarter video experiences. If your stack doesn’t support it yet, you’re not keeping up.

Bonus: Fast Company’s 2025 Streaming Trends are out.
Many of these trends, like real-time personalization and AI-driven revenue tools, aren’t predictions anymore. They’re already running inside the stacks of major tech platforms.

Before You Go, Here’s What We’ve Been Building at FastPix

We’ve been helping teams go from “should we add video?” to “we shipped a full product” without getting stuck in infra decisions.

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Whether you're building for creators, media, or internal use cases, FastPix gives you the building blocks to make video a feature, not a blocker.