Legislation introduced in the House and Senate to create ground rules for the government in seeking confidential source information from the media “would prevent government overreach in obtaining confidential information that would expose anonymous sources and jeopardize the public’s right to know,” said the News Media Alliance in a news release Thursday. “We must do more to protect journalists from being forced to reveal confidential sources used in investigative reporting, which are often crucial to helping to shed light on important public matters,” said NMA President David Chavern in the release. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., introduced the Protect Reporters from Exploitative State Spying Act in the House on Thursday. A similar bill was introduced in the Senate Monday by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore.

Vizio certified Google and six other firms for meeting technology specifications of the Open Addressable Ready (OAR) standard and successfully enabling addressable TV advertising campaigns, said Vizio Thursday. Vizio surpassed 11.2 million U.S. addressable TVs (see 2106090024) last month and successfully launched live addressable TV ad campaigns with top TV networks, it said. “Addressable advertising is going to play an important role in the future of TV advertising, and we are working to ensure scale, standards and technology to power this future,” said Vizio Chief Innovation Officer Zeev Neumeier. OAR members include AMC Networks, Comcast NBCUniversal, Discovery Networks, Disney, E.W. Scripps, Fox, Hearst Television, Univision, ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia. Vizio is the lone TV company. Google received Project OAR certification for Google Ad Manager video and advanced TV solutions enabling programmer partners to deliver addressable ads on Vizio SmartCast TVs. Certification also allows technology partners to work more closely with OAR steering committee members including Disney’s Media Networks, WarnerMedia, Comcast NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, Discovery, Hearst Television, AMC Networks, Fox, Scripps and Univision. It also allows for working with agency advisory committee members Publicis Media, Omnicom Media, GroupM, IPG/Magna, Dentsu Aegis Network, Havas, Horizon Media and RPA, Vizio said.

Nearly half of U.S. TV viewers are already cordless, and 44% of cable subscribers “anticipate pulling back or cutting service in the coming year,” The Trade Desk reported Tuesday. The analytics company hired YouGov to canvass a nationally representative sample of 4,000 U.S. adults April 27-May 5, finding only 19% of TV viewers “are returning to their pre-pandemic sports viewing habits,” it said. Nearly half, 44%, who watch sports “are choosing a primary viewing source outside of linear TV,” it said. That number increases to 65% among adult sports viewers 34 and younger. The study found more U.S. TV viewers report watching streaming content with ads (44%) than without ads (33%). Nearly two-thirds are unwilling to spend more than $30 a month on streaming services, “making free or lower-cost ad-supported services more attractive,” it said.

Netflix’s venture into consumer products, announced several weeks ago, along with reports it may be expanding its game offerings, indicate the company is “looking to build a new profit pool or two a la Disney,” MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson wrote investors Tuesday. But consumer products or gaming won’t be enough “to change the narrative,” said the analyst, suggesting Netflix instead should add a live sports tier or advertising-based VOD offering to reach new customer segments and markets, especially in emerging regions with low average revenue per user. Since the start of 2018, Netflix has underperformed the S&P 500, rising 34% vs. 57% for the broader market, Nathanson said, saying a maturing U.S. subscriber base and an intensifying competitive environment among streaming services contributed to limited stock performance. He questioned how much growth is left in Netflix’s subscription VOD business, while “the success of AVOD businesses has been especially notable this year, and Netflix seemingly would have pole position to capture that market.” He noted Netflix “has a fundamental opposition to advertising,” but he said emerging pressure to find growth “as well as a more developed AVOD ecosystem may make Netflix more amenable to advertising on the service.” Netflix benefited from the COVID-19 pandemic with record subscribership last year, but subscriber growth slowed to below guidance in Q1 at 4 million subscription adds. The analyst expects an acceleration in signups in the second half as more content is available, but “as economies further reopen, we believe people will spend more time engaging through in-person activities rather than streaming content at home.” Netflix didn’t comment Tuesday.

BBC iPlayer is on ScreenHits TV in the U.K., said the streaming platform Friday: Its customers can access the service via desktop PCs, tablets, the iOS app and Amazon Fire TV sticks.

Though the “very near term” outlook is for consumers’ “robust” return to theaters this year from 15 months of pent-up demand, the “narrative” of the “normalized domestic box office” in 2022 and beyond is less certain, MoffettNathanson analyst Robert Fishman wrote investors Friday. “Now that studios essentially have full flexibility on windowing strategies” that favor “self-owned” over-the-top streaming platforms, “the supply of theatrical releases from the major Hollywood studios into theaters should be negatively impacted, which would hurt long term attendance trends,” he said. The “cannibalization” from shifting major theatrical feature films to OTT could cause a 17% decline in U.S. box office next year compared with 2019, he said.

The FCC seeks comment on Microsoft’s petition for reconsideration of an order on ATSC 3.0 distributed transmission systems, said a Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau public notice Wednesday. Filed in May, the petition urges the FCC to adopt an expedited waiver process instead of relaxing interference rules (see 2105240067). Oppositions are due in docket 20-74 at the FCC 15 days after the PN is published in the Federal Register, replies 10 days after that.

Video streamers are “overwhelmed” by over-the-top streaming options, Horowitz Research reported: They feel the “pain” and fatigue of too many streaming services to choose from, as content fragments. Half of TV content viewers in a May survey of 2,183 consumers said there are too many streaming services. About 44% said they often have a hard time finding something to watch. The researcher Wednesday cited launches of Disney+, Apple TV+, BET+, HBO Max, Peacock and discovery+; the rebranding and relaunching of CBS All Access into Paramount+; the launches -- and shuttering -- of Quibi and TVision; and the exit of PlayStation Vue. It noted arrival of AT&T TV as the “latest iteration of DirecTV Now and AT&T TV Now: “Consumer perceptions of chaos and their continued retention of (and perhaps nostalgia for) managed MVPD services is … not surprising.” Of MVPD nonsubscribers, 36% cut the cord within the past two years, up from 23% in 2020; 16% cited COVID-19.

Representatives of AT&T and TPG Capital questioned the FCC International Bureau about when it might approve the planned spinoff of AT&T's U.S. video distribution business (see 2102240046), per an IB ex parte filing last week. AT&T, TPG and the FCC didn't comment Monday. "We discussed the potential timing of the FCC’s order addressing the applications" was the entire summary of what was discussed in Thursday's lobbying conversation.

Univision Communications will launch a streaming service in the U.S. and Latin America next year with ad-supported and premium subscription-based options, it said Monday. Pricing will be announced after the Televisa-Univision transaction is completed later this year (see 2104140067). The service will include “more Spanish-language originals than any other streaming service,” the company said. Univision’s current streaming and on-demand services will “be transitioned and unified into one global service and brand.” The free tier will have more than 100 linear channels and a news service; the subscription tier will include more than 6,000 hours of Spanish-language content and more than 30 original productions, it said. See also the personals section of this issue.