Streaming roundup: YouTube beats Netflix in battle for teens' time

For the first time ever, teens are spending more time watching YouTube than Netflix, according to a new survey by Piper Jaffray Cos.

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In the investment bank's latest semi-annual survey "Taking Stock with Teens," respondents said that they spend 37 percent of their daily video consumption on YouTube, the video-sharing website owned by Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL, GOOG), compared to 35 percent on Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX).

That's a reversal since spring when Piper Jaffray (NYSE: PJC) found that teens spent 37 percent of their video viewing time with Netflix and 32 percent on YouTube.

The firm attributed the shift to "YouTube's more varied content library," wrote analysts Michael Olson and Yung Kim. "Specifically, we note that, while YouTube does offer movies and other scripted content for a fee, the [free] YouTube library includes music videos, video game streaming, DIY guides, social media influencer videos, and other crowdsourced content. We believe the teen results are indicative of YouTube as a source for a wide array of teen-oriented content."

By comparison, Netflix plans cost $9 to $16 per month.

Meanwhile, teens in the survey said that they spend only 12 percent of their video viewing time on cable television, down 2 percent from the spring. The category comprised 26 percent in 2016.

Hulu's and Amazon's shares of the viewing pie remained relatively flat at 7 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

"Taking Stock with Teens" surveys 9,500 teens across 42 U.S. States with an average age of just shy of 16 years about their discretionary spending and brand preferences.

Here's what else has been going on in the world of streaming recently:

Why Netflix isn't worried about the streaming wars

[Netflix] faces an existential challenge from a new crop of rivals who are determined to beat it at its own game. Next month, Apple and Disney will launch their streaming platforms, followed by WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal next year. (Los Angeles Times)

Joining the club: Hulu launches download option years after Netflix, Amazon

Hulu announced on Monday a new feature that its rivals Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. have offered for years: downloads. The streaming service, which is majority-owned and fully controlled by The Walt Disney Co., now allows subscribers to its $12 Hulu (No Ads) plan to download thousands of shows and movies for offline viewing. (L.A. Biz)

Also read | 7 tips and tricks to improve your streaming experience in Canada

Quibi signs ESPN for daily sports programming

Quibi is rounding out its plans to provide short-form news and information, signing an agreement with ESPN to provide daily sports programming upon its launch in April 2020. (L.A. Biz)

Also: '60 Minutes' to trim down to 6 minutes for Jeffrey Katzenberg's Quibi (L.A. Biz)

NBCUniversal executive shakeup: Bonnie Hammer moves from Peacock to TV studios

Less than a month after unveiling details about NBCUniversal's forthcoming streaming service, Bonnie Hammer has been moved off that project and put in charge of the media conglomerate's television studios. (L.A. Biz)

Music labels wary as Apple tries to bundle subscriptions

Apple’s hopes of creating a super-bundle of media content for one flat monthly fee have run into early opposition, with some record labels nervous about the prospect of offering their music for a lower price. (Financial Times)

Disney bars Netflix TV ads in the battle for streaming supremacy

Dear Netflix: Keep your money. That is the message The Walt Disney Co. sent by banning advertising from Netflix on its entertainment television networks — principally ABC and Freeform — as it prepares to introduce its own Netflix-style streaming service, Disney Plus. (New York Times)

That was fast. D.C. United ends streaming deal with FloSports less than a year in

When D.C. United announced in January its plans to pull its regionally broadcast games off the airwaves, flipping instead to a premium online subscription service led by Austin, Texas-based FloSports, it sold the four-year deal as an "innovative and high-quality viewing experience." It did not go well. And now the partnership is dead. (Washington Business Journal)

How to get to 'Sesame Street': Subscribe to HBO Max

"Sesame Street" is moving to HBO Max. The long-running children's television program, which has aired on HBO since 2015, will move next year to WarnerMedia's forthcoming streaming service named after the premium cable network. (L.A. Biz)

Netflix under investigation for tax evasion in Italy — despite not having an office there

Netflix Inc. does not have an office in Italy. Still, prosecutors in the European country think the streaming giant may owe taxes there. The Milan tribunal is investigating Netflix for tax evasion. (L.A. Biz)

How Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer tackle 'Thursday Night Football'

Sports broadcasters Hannah Storm and Andrea Kremer have been friends and professional colleagues for years. Last fall, the two found themselves at the forefront of a bold experiment with Amazon Prime. They were selected to call Thursday Night Football games on the streaming service. They became the first all-women duo to call a game. (Bizwomen)

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