Weekly Roundup – November 11th, 2025
Roundup Links
YouTube TV to Begin Issuing Customers $20 Credit for Disney Blackout on Sunday
"When the Disney nets were first pulled from YouTube TV, the internet company said that if ESPN, ABC
local stations and Disney’s other channels were unavailable for “an extended period of time,” it would offer subscribers a $20 credit — and now those credits are about to arrive.
In a bid to appease disgruntled customers, YouTube will begin issuing eligible YouTube TV customers a
$20 credit starting on Sunday, Nov. 9, if there is still no deal with Disney to restore the channels.
YouTube will send YouTube TV subscribers an email with instructions on how to apply the one-time $20 credit to their next billing statement. All credits will be issued by Wednesday, Nov. 12."
Our Take: In last week’s roundup we theorized that Disney was manufacturing the conditions of a dispute with YouTube TV to drive streaming traffic to their new all-in-one streaming app “ESPN” . A $20 credit (a.k.a. ‘bribe’) to current YouTube TV customers is desperation from Alphabet realizing that some customers have made the switch and are not coming back. Spectrum managed to claw back some viewers, inking deals with Disney and other platforms, but it remains to be seen if YouTube TV can entice an audience that went elsewhere to return. SEC and MNF are colossal media entities that are propping up an ecosystem more than logic would dictate.
Why does GTA 6 keep getting delayed?
""Here we go again."
When Grand Theft Auto 6 was delayed on Thursday, the famous quote from the series perfectly captured the feelings of many video game fans.
Resignation, frustration, déjà vu.
It's the second time maker Rockstar Games has told players they'll have to wait even longer for what is
likely to be one of the biggest entertainment releases ever.
The notoriously perfectionist developer has a history of holding on to its blockbusters until it's happy with them, so the news wasn't a complete surprise.
But it has got millions asking what's taking so long, and why."
Our Take: GTA VI, when finally released, will instantly be one of ‘Highest Grossing Media Titles’ in history. The video game industry, and the console industry in particular, are in a weird space right now. Sales are flagging and videogame creators are incredibly cautious in developing original IP. If you are a long-time player (I am), the mechanics of the games themselves are becoming stale and rote. Developers seem more inclined to make easy money on a remaster or remake of a pre-existing IP than to risk a boatload of cash on a new concept. GTA VI will bolster console sales and essentially support the entire industry upon release. A rising tide raises all ships. Until then, the video game industry will remain in a holding pattern. Besides, a GTA VI delay means that video game sites can continue to publish countless listicles and features in anticipation of its release.
Spotify's new listening stats include weekly chart of your favorite artists, songs
"Spotify isn’t waiting until the year is wrapped to give you a snapshot of your listening behavior.
Users of the music streaming service annually await the annual release of Spotify Wrapped, which lists
the top artists and songs of the year – and details your personal soundtrack for the past year.
Spotify Wrapped is due out in the next few weeks. In the meantime, the music service is giving you a
more timely, immediate look at your choices with a new weekly listening stats feature that displays the
artists and songs you’ve listened to the most over the past four weeks."
Our Take: So, Spotify smartly started the “Wrapped” tradition in 2015 giving everyone a nifty little graphic of their most-listened-to artists they can repost to various social platforms (ostensibly everyone listens to Taylor Swift, if “Wrapped” is any indication). There was already an element of gamification of individual listener behaviors but the weekly publication of a personalized chart of one’s top artists and various listener metrics seems like overkill. Platforms destroy novelty by realizing ‘hey, this is popular’ , then they extend the concept to its breaking point effectively erasing the joy of an annual “Wrapped” list. Wall street demands innovation, but sometimes just keeping things as they were is a better bet.
Do Americans trust athletes amid gambling scandals?
"...YouGov asked Americans how often, if at all, they believe professional athletes alter how they play to help gamblers win sports bets, how they feel about legalized sports betting, and more.
The survey, conducted in the immediate aftermath of the FBI’s match-fixing announcement, found that
65% of Americans believe that professional athletes alter how they play to help gamblers win sports bets."
Our Take: Leagues going all-in on sports betting, often featuring banner sponsorships throughout a game on the scoreboard chyron, is a curious turn. Yes, it’s a new revenue source, but Americans, at first blush, are questioning the integrity of the sports themselves. 65% of polled Americans in a recent YouGov study suspect that athletes alter the way they play due to sports betting. A couple weeks have passed since the betting scandal rocked the NBA. ESPN have deemed it sufficient time to now proudly announce their new partnership with DraftKings. (Sidenote: At CRM, we believe 2 weeks is always the "sell by date" for news, after which audiences just move on to a completely different subject. Don't believe us? How long did anyone care about... the Will Smith ‘Slap’ , the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan, Tiger Woods’ car crash, Sydney Sweeney’s Genes, the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank, or the Death of Queen Elizabeth II?) A skeptic has to raise the obvious question: Does a growing number of Americans questioning the integrity of professional sports leagues mean drop in viewership down the line? Is what I’m watching open, honest competition?
Recent Blogs from Crowd React Media
Media Minute: It's Beginning to Sound a Lot Like Christmas (on the Radio)
Christmas time is nearly upon us. And that means one
thing: Non-stop Christmas music blasting from every
speaker pointed towards your cranium in both public
spaces (the mall) and private spaces (your car, the
Alexa in your bathroom when you shower).
And while playing Christmas music is generally good
for your station, format-permitting, it does come with
some caveats that PD's and managers should take
note of. Sean Bos, of Harker Bos Group and Crowd
React Media (and Weekly Roundup fame), reviews
some data points from a nationwide survey of 700+
radio listeners over their feelings towards Christmas
music.
Sean Bos
Sean Bos is a founder of Crowd React Media and VP of Branding & Research at Harker Bos Group.