Is this how you move the UK off the aerial?
Meet Netgem's PLEIO, the first Freely-enabled streaming puck in the UK
During this year’s Black Friday (Nov. 28), SME Premium gets a fast-action upgrade: a brand new annual subscription available exclusively during Black Friday, paired with two live Strategy sessions in December and January, at a rate you’ll only see once this year. Folks on the waitlist will have first priority 👇🏻
💬 The conversations we’ve been missing are back
This week, the 1st Streaming Made Easy meet up took place in Amsterdam. What a buzzing evening that was. We get wrapped up in the day job and forget that we’re in this business for the content and the people.
Thank you to Chris van der Linden (Liberty Global) & Martin Prins (Media Distillery) for sharing their experience on the use of AI in their businesses.
Want your European city to be next on the list? My DMs are open.
🎙️ Europe’s broadcasters enter their coalition era
So much fun being interviewed by Chris Redmond (Redholt / OTTRed) along with Jonas Engwall (Bedrock Streaming) and Ben Keen (Looper Insights) for a conversation tracing how European broadcasters are finally rewriting the rules: TF1 x Netflix, joint tech initiatives, shared discovery ambitions and a regulatory environment forcing everyone to rethink the old silos.
Europe doesn’t need more standalone players, it needs scalable alliances. Broadcasters spent too long protecting their castles while global streamers built continents. The organisations that survive will be the ones that build networks, not fiefdoms.
If you want to hear why the next big European streaming move won’t come from a single company but from a coalition, the full episode is well worth your time.
🛑 CTV fraud: the correction starts now
Vibe.co released a 30+ page playbook exposing the scale and mechanics of fraud in CTV advertising and it’s staggering. Fraud, recycled inventory and unverifiable impressions remain the norm, not the exception.
Vibe.co lays out a year round blueprint for enterprise teams: which formats drive revenue, how to write CTAs for the big screen, when to refresh creative by category and how to pair targeting with measurement for incremental lift.
⚽ Paramount’s Champions League coup
Paramount+ won the UEFA Champions League rights in the UK & Germany for the 2027-2031 cycle. Overnight, it went from “nice-to-have” to essential for millions of fans in these two markets. TNT Sports loses its strongest subscription engine, Sky strengthens its weekly football footprint and UEFA pushes rights revenue to new highs (480M£ in the UK alone).
This is not just a rights story. It’s a platform story. Sports are becoming the last great subscription accelerant and Paramount just bought itself relevance in markets where it struggled to break through.
Interestingly enough, a very different scenario unfolded in France and Spain where Canal+ and Movistar kept their rights. Both are Pay TV players. A sign that the UK & Germany are being disrupted by streamers faster than Southern Europe? or just an appetite by US companies to make a mark in the two biggest M&E European markets?
Want the full picture of who got what where? Check out Sportspro’s infographic.
During this year’s Black Friday (Nov. 28), SME Premium gets a fast-action upgrade: a brand new annual subscription available exclusively during Black Friday, paired with two live Strategy sessions in December and January, at a rate you’ll only see once this year. Folks on the waitlist will have first priority 👇🏻
📖 AI eats the world
Benedict Evan’s latest deck is here.
My favourite slide? Slide 17 (yes this is a powerful but risky feeling). Come share yours with a simple reply.
🦅 Handing the keys to the fans
On this week’s pod, Jen Kavanagh (CMO, Philadelphia Eagles) broke down how they built one of the most global fandom engines in sports. From Brazil to Ghana to New Zealand, the Eagles move like an entertainment brand, not just a sports team.
If you want to see how a sports brand becomes a 365-day cultural ecosystem, this episode might be the most valuable hour of your week.
LISTEN and/or WATCH in full here: APPLE PODCASTS | SPOTIFY | YOUTUBE
🔌 The UK’s first Freely Puck arrives
Netgem launched PLEIO, the first Freely-enabled streaming puck in the UK. One device, all-IP, live BBC/ITV/Channel 4/5 channels, 150+ extras, full Google Play Store and cloud gaming. No aerial required.
This is a meaningful step in the UK’s transition from broadcast to IP but also a clear move by Netgem to go mass-market with a B2C approach. Until then, Netgem offered an operator-led, white-label TV-as-a-service platform (Netgem TV) as some operators need a turnkey TV platform they can put their name on. PLEIO is the consumer-facing, Freely-enabled streaming puck, enabling them to gain:
More visibility
More consumer data
A direct line to the free-to-air upgrade market
Finally more control to push your own and operated services on your remote.
🗳️ Poll time
That’s it for today. Enjoy your weekend and see you on Tuesday for a Deep Dive edition of Streaming Made Easy Premium.