Part 10/11:
Both hosts agree that this move reflects a larger industry pattern—when subscriber and viewer growth plateau, large media and streaming companies modify their metrics to paint a rosier picture. With consumers tightening their belts amid economic uncertainty, advertising budgets are shrinking, and companies are trying to justify higher ad rates to compensate for declining or stagnant revenue streams.
Neon shares an internal memo from an ad network warning of a dire fourth quarter, implying that companies across sectors are sensing a downturn. The desire to inflate viewership numbers seems symptomatic of a market under stress, where companies fear missing targets and losing investor confidence.