CNBC Survey Sees TV Shifting by 2029 as $22 Billion Roku Deal Signals Industry Upheaval
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Aug 17
CNBC Survey Sees TV Shifting by 2029 as $22 Billion Roku Deal Signals Industry Upheaval
1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Aug 17
Summary
10 media executives surveyed by CNBC broadly predicted TV by 2029 will feature further linear-cable decline, even as pay TV avoids going to zero and streaming bundles grow more important.
Several executives said the next standard will be deeper personalization—covering content, ads and commerce—while others pointed to day-and-date global releases, AI-driven language tools and more podcast or livestream licensing to TV networks.
Sports was the clearest area of confidence: ESPN's Jimmy Pitaro, Charter's Chris Winfrey and others rejected a ratings bubble, arguing improved measurement and the enduring appeal of live events should keep sports highly valuable.
The survey lands as the industry is being reshaped by major transactions and restructurings, including Fox's $22 billion Roku acquisition, Charter's $34.5 billion Cox merger and Comcast's planned NBCUniversal separation in 2027.
Executives were less aligned on regulation and future winners, with some expecting tougher scrutiny of Big Tech in entertainment while others argued tech-media convergence is already irreversible and FAST or aggregation platforms could gain share.