Tag: Looper

How Streamers Can Win Thanksgiving Week: What CTV Promotions Reveal About the Next Big Battle for Attention

Every November, the entertainment industry hits its version of the Super Bowl.

Francesca Pezzoli

Thanksgiving week is no longer just a retail battleground. It’s one of the most valuable media windows of the year, where live sports, blockbuster streaming premieres, and Black Friday subscription deals converge on the biggest screen in the home: television.

According to Samsung smart-TV viewership data, streaming activity jumps 11% during Thanksgiving week compared with average non-holiday weeks. With audiences off work, on the couch, and primed to browse, the Thanksgiving window has become a high-stakes promotional moment for streamers, studios and sports leagues.

To understand what actually worked in 2024 and what will shape a competitive advantage in 2025, Looper Insights analyzed promotional activity on major connected TV platforms, evaluating thousands of placements using its MPV (Media Placement Value) metric, which measures on-screen visibility, and $MPV (Dollar MPV), which assigns an equivalent media dollar value based on placement prominence.

Our “Thanksgiving 2025 Playbook” report reveals a new truth about streaming success during peak windows: Visibility is currency. If audiences can’t see the content title, they can’t click, stream, rent or subscribe.

The NFL Dominated the Screen

Thanksgiving has always belonged to the NFL, but on connected TVs, the league didn’t just win viewership; it won real estate.

Looper’s analysis shows that the top three NFL promotional placements across Roku, Fire TV and Vizio each achieved the maximum MPV score of 24, ranking them in the top 2% of all U.S. connected-TV promotions during the week.

Those three placements delivered a combined $536,000 in $MPV, led by Fubo TV’s “Turkey Day Football” takeover on Roku.

What made them so effective? Fubo TV’s “Turkey Day Football” on Roku used festive Thanksgiving visuals to spark excitement; Fire TV paired NFL action with other sports in a dynamic Black Friday split-screen offer; and Vizio highlighted the “Raiders vs. Chiefs” matchup with bold rivalry imagery and a strong call to action. Together, these placements show how tailored creative and premium placements drive standout visibility during one of the NFL’s biggest viewing weeks.

And the NFL didn’t stop at the games. Spin-offs such as Madden NFL, NFL Icons and NFL Slimetime carried that momentum into other formats, ranking among the week’s highest-performing secondary promotions. Even during tentpole moments, the league used its IP to stay visible before, during, and after the games.

Black Friday Becomes a Streaming Holiday

Black Friday has become just as important for streaming services as it is for retail, with major platforms using the holiday to promote subscription deals aggressively. However, the results showed a surprising trend: a longer offer duration is more effective than a deeper price discount. Both Max and Paramount+ had the same subscription price, but Max provided a longer promotional window and ultimately came out on top.

The New Rules of Holiday Streaming

Our analysis surfaced five clear strategies for Thanksgiving 2025:

  • Put your marquee IP in the most premium placement and surround it with supporting content. The properties that dominated Thanksgiving didn’t just appear on the homepage; they owned the hero units, full-width banners, and the top position in rotators. When you anchor your priority title with supporting spin-off content, you extend engagement beyond the main event and multiply visibility hours.
  • Control the platform, control the outcome. Streamers who control the distribution environment (device OS, app store, or app UI) can guarantee top placement when it matters most. Placement is not a creative choice; it’s a competitive advantage.
  • Longer offer windows beat deeper discounts. Our data shows that the duration of a promotional offer drives more conversions than the size of the discount. Viewers are more likely to start a trial when they feel they have time to enjoy the content, not when forced to decide under time pressure.
  • Match the CTA to the device for simplicity to win. On mobile and app-store environments, flexible CTAs like “Subscribe at a discounted price” outperform price-specific messaging because users are already in transaction mode. On CTV home screens, performance improves when CTAs focus on immediate action, such as “Watch Live” or “Stream Now.”
  • Always-on repetition beats a one-day splash. The best-performing campaigns didn’t rely on a single takeover tile; they used multiple recurring placements across rows and carousels to stay persistently visible throughout the week. Frequency drives familiarity, and familiarity drives clicks.

 

The Bottom Line

Thanksgiving week is no longer just a ratings race. It’s a visibility race.

In a world where more than half of users decide what to watch from the CTV home screen, the titles that win the screen win the week. And as films and franchises such as “Stranger Things,” Wicked: For Good, and multiple NFL matchups will compete for audience attention this Thanksgiving, streamers will need every advantage they can get.

Francesca Pezzoli is VP of marketing at Looper Insights, which specializes in providing granular, real-time analytics and insights on the promotional impact of content on connected TV platforms (CTV). 

Looper Insights: ‘Summer I Turned Pretty,’ Prime Video Top August Streamer of the Month Charts

Prime Video and its series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” topped Looper Insights’ Streamer of the Month Report charts for August.

The report breaks down the top 10 entertainment streaming apps and titles promoted across CTV platforms in the United States and is ranked using Looper’s proprietary Dollar Media Placement Value ($MPV) metric.

The third and final season of the coming-of-age romantic drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty” debuted July 16. It follows teenager Isabel “Belly” Conklin as she navigates the difficulties of growing up.

Top apps by $MPV were Prime Video, which led with $125.4 million, followed by HBO Max ($93.8 million) and The Roku Channel ($88.8 million).

Peacock’s “Twisted Metal” landed at No. 2 on the title chart. The series, which is a post-apocalyptic action comedy based on the vehicular combat video game franchise, began its second season July 31.

Coming in at No. 3 on the title chart was the historical drama series “The Gilded Age,” streaming on HBO Max. Created by Julian Fellowes (“Downton Abbey”), it follows a cast of characters in late 1800s New York City, a period known as The Gilded Age. Season three debuted June 22.

Apple TV+’s “Chief of War,” another historical drama series, landed at No. 4 on the chart. Starring Jason Momoa and based on true events, it chronicles events in the Hawaiian Islands at the end of the 18th century when the four major kingdoms were in a state of war.

Taking the No. 5 spot on the title chart was Warner Bros.’ box office hit A Minecraft Movie, based on the video game. It started streaming on HBO Max June 20.

Landing at No. 6 on the title chart (rising from No. 8 the previous month) was Paramount+’s “Dexter: Resurrection,” which debuted July 11. It’s the latest installment in the “Dexter” franchise with Michael C. Hall returning to the title role of Dexter Morgan. Based on a series of novels by Jeff Lindsay, the original “Dexter” series ran for eight seasons from 2006 to 2013 and focused on a Miami police forensic technician who led a double life as a vigilante serial killer hunting down dangerous criminals.

Landing at No. 7 on the title chart was “King of the Hill,” the animated TV series from Mike Judge and Greg Daniels. It originally ran from 1997 to 2009 and was revived starting Aug. 4 on Hulu and Disney+. The comedy follows a family living in the fictional town of Arlen, Texas.

At No. 8 on the title chart was the heist action-comedy film The Pickup, streaming on Prime Video starting Aug. 6 and starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria and Keke Palmer.

Landing at No. 9 on the title chart (dropping from No. 3) was the Warner Bros. box office hit Sinners, streaming on HBO Max. The horror flick from director Ryan Coogler stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers and former mob enforcers who return to their hometown to open a blues club, which is promptly attacked by vampires. 

Finally, at No. 10 on the title chart was the series “Peacemaker,” also streaming on HBO Max. It’s based on the DC Comics and stars John Cena.

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Looper Insights: ‘Summer I Turned Pretty,’ Prime Video Top July Streamer of the Month Charts

Prime Video and its series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” topped Looper Insights’ Streamer of the Month Report charts for July.

The report breaks down the top 10 entertainment streaming apps and titles promoted across CTV platforms in the United States and is ranked using Looper’s proprietary Dollar Media Placement Value ($MPV) metric.

The third and final season of the coming-of-age romantic drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty” debuted July 16.

Top apps by $MPV were Prime Video, which led with $113 million, followed by Disney+ ($89.1 million) and The Roku Channel ($88.2 million).

Hulu’s “The Bear” landed at No. 2 on the title chart. The Emmy-winning series, which centers on a chef who returns home to run his deceased brother’s sandwich shop, began its fourth season June 25.

Coming in at No. 3 on the title chart was the box office hit Sinners, streaming on HBO Max. The horror flick from director Ryan Coogler stars Michael B. Jordan as twin brothers and former mob enforcers who return to their hometown to open a blues club, which is promptly attacked by vampires. 

Prime Video’s feature Heads of State landed at No. 4 on the chart. The action movie casts John Cena as the president of the United States and Idris Elba as the British prime minister in a tale of international espionage.

Taking the No. 5 spot on the title chart was “Love Island USA.” The seventh season of the reality dating series debuted June 3. The show features a group of sexy singles on a search for love in a villa in Fiji. Throughout their stay, contestants couple up to face relationship challenges, twists and turns.

Landing at No. 6 on the title chart was Prime Video’s “Countdown.” The crime drama debuted June 25.

Major League Soccer on Apple TV came in at No. 7 on the title chart.

At No. 8 on the title chart was “Dexter: Resurrection,” which debuted July 11. It’s the latest installment in the “Dexter” franchise with Michael C. Hall returning to the title role of Dexter Morgan.

Landing at No. 9 on the title chart was the 2024 animated sequel Moana 2, which began streaming on Disney+ March 12. In the film, Moana reunites with the demigod Maui and assembles a crew to find the lost island of Motufetu.

Finally, at No. 10 on the title chart was “The Chi,” streaming on Paramount+. The American drama series is about life in a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago.

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Looper Insights Study: Consumers, Media Execs See Promise, Pitfalls in FAST Marketplace

Consumers aren’t just flirting with free alternatives, they’re actively reconsidering the value of paid streaming altogether, offering an opportunity for FAST channels, according to a new study from Looper Insights. But that momentum could stall unless FAST platforms solve discovery and monetization problems, the study found.

The report “Can FAST Hold Viewers … or Just Fill Gaps?” is a dual-perspective study that surveys U.S. viewers and media executives to understand where public behavior and industry perception align around FAST and where they diverge. The survey was done in the United States from June 16 to 22, 2025, among 1,115 members of the public and 37 media executives.

In the study, while 88% of viewers said they’re open to exploring free ad-supported channels, 50% of executives said they believe FAST is overcrowded or lacks standout content. This misalignment shows that audiences aren’t fatigued; they’re just not being effectively engaged, according to Looper Insights, and that discovery on FAST platforms, not saturation, is the bottleneck.

Only 29% of viewers in the study said they actively look for new content on FAST platforms, and 83% of execs said audiences haven’t really engaged. This signals an urgent need for better UX, curation, and content visibility, not just more FAST channels, according to Looper Insights.

Viewers aren’t tired of ads: they’re tired of paying and still getting them.
Nearly 9 in 10 consumers said they’d rather watch ads on a free service than pay for a subscription with ads. As paid services add ad tiers, FAST starts to feel like the fairer deal, the study notes. 

Still, FAST is gaining viewers with 35% of consumer respondents reporting that they now watch more FAST content than they did a year ago. Meanwhile, 29% said they have subscribed to fewer paid services. At the same, 83% of media execs said FAST is now central to their strategy. 

While 64% of viewers in the study rated FAST as “good or great value,” 50% of executives cited inconsistent ad tech and measurement as the most significant barriers to monetization. Viewers are showing up, but the dollars are getting stuck in the funnel, according to Looper Insights.

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Looper Insights: Apple TV+ Sports, Prime Video Top June Streamer of the Month Charts

Apple TV+’s sports streams and Prime Video topped Looper Insights’ Streamer of the Month Report charts for June.

The report breaks down the top 10 entertainment streaming apps and titles promoted across CTV platforms in the United States and is ranked using Looper’s proprietary Dollar Media Placement Value ($MPV) metric.

Apple TV+ scored a sports double play, with Major League Soccer claiming the No. 1 spot ($5.58M) and Friday Night Baseball in second ($3.39M) on the title chart, showing the service’s success in live streaming.

Top apps by $MPV were Prime Video, which led with $95.6M, followed by Tubi ($48M) and The Roku Channel ($45.1M).

Prime Video’s “The Better Sister” landed at No. 3 on the title chart with $3.15M. The limited series follows two estranged sisters — one married to, and the other divorced from, the same man — who are forced together after he is murdered. It stars Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks.

Apple TV+’s “Stick” landed at No. 4. The Owen Wilson golf comedy began streaming June 4.

Amazon MGM Studios’ sequel The Accountant 2, which began streaming on Prime Video June 5, came in at No. 5. The action thriller again stars Ben Affleck as forensic accountant Christian Wolff, who teams up with his estranged but highly lethal brother to track down mysterious assassins.

Landing at No. 6 on the chart was Prime Video’s superhero satire “The Boys,” season four of which debuted June 13.

Coming in at No. 7 was Prime Video’s coming-of-age romantic drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” season three of which debuted July 15.

At No. 8 was Prime Video’s “Reacher,” season three of which debuted in March.

Landing at No. 9 was Marvel’s box office hit Captain America: Brave New World, which began streaming on Disney+ May 28.

At No. 10 was Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” a fantasy based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth books.

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Looper Insights: Apple TV+ Sports, Prime Video Top Streamer of the Month Charts

Apple TV+’s sports streams and Prime Video topped Looper Insights’ Streamer of the Month Report charts for May.

The report breaks down the top 10 entertainment streaming apps and titles promoted across CTV platforms in the United States and is ranked using Looper’s proprietary Dollar Media Placement Value ($MPV) metric.

Apple TV+ scored a sports double play, with Major League Soccer claiming the No. 1 spot ($6.78M) and Friday Night Baseball in second ($4.77M) on the title chart, showing the service’s success in live streaming.

HBO Max’s apocalypse drama “The Last of Us” surged to No. 3 with $4.48M, a 28% jump from April, proving the title’s staying power well beyond its premiere window.

Prime Video’s superhero satire “The Boys” made a return to the top 10 at No. 4, ahead of other established shows such as “Reacher” (No. 7) and the fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” (No. 8).

The Disney+ “Star Wars” series “Andor” came in at No. 9 after its season two premiere in April.

Peacock’s “Poker Face” returned with season two, supported by promotional placements across Fire TV, landing it at No. 10 on the list. The series follows a casino worker (Natasha Lyonne) who has an uncanny ability to tell if people are lying.

Top apps by $MPV were Prime Video, which led with $103.7M, followed by Tubi ($62.4M) and The Roku Channel ($56.1M).

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Looper Insights: ‘Friday Night Baseball’ Top Promoted Content Across CTV Platforms in April

Apple TV+’s “Friday Night Baseball” was the top promoted streaming content, according to Looper Insights’ Streamer of the Month Report for April. The report breaks down the top 10 entertainment streaming apps and titles promoted across CTV platforms in the United States using Looper’s proprietary Dollar Media Placement Value ($MPV) metric.

“Friday Night Baseball” topped the charts with a $MPV value of $5.18 million, reinforcing the growing influence of live sports in streaming engagement. Its other sports title, “Major League Soccer,” also ranked well at No. 4 with $4.42 million.

Prime Video continued to dominate promotionally, landing five titles in the top 10 with “Reacher” ($4.62 million), “The Wheel of Time” ($4.5 million), “The Bondsman,” “Invincible” and “Bosch: Legacy.”

Meanwhile, Max made a high-impact return with “The Last of Us” ($3.51 million) at No. 6, followed by “The White Lotus” ($3.42 million) at No. 7. Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale” re-entered the spotlight at No. 8.

Across top apps, Prime Video amassed an $MPV value of more than $101 million, with Tubi and The Roku Channel following at $59.4 million and $48.7 million, respectively.

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Looper Insights: ‘Reacher’ Top Title, Prime Video Top App Merchandised in February

Prime Video’s “Reacher” was the top title and Prime Video was the top app merchandised in February, according to data from data analytics and insights company Looper Insights.

Season three of “Reacher” premiered Feb. 20. The series, based on the books and starring Alan Ritchson, follows a self-proclaimed hobo and former U.S. Army military policeman with formidable physical and intellectual abilities as he fights criminals on his journeys.

“Reacher” claimed the top spot with an MPV score of 1,794, despite falling 38% short of “Severance’s” 2,634 in January. Apple TV+’s “Severance” saw a sharp 40% decline from January to fall to No. 3 on the title chart. MPV is a Looper Insights metric used to measure how prominent a title is on the streaming user interface.

The second season of “Severance” debuted Jan. 17. The series follows Mark Scout (Adam Scott), who leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure that surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives.

Sandwiched in between “Reacher” and “Severance” at No. 2 on title chart was “Invincible,” season three of which premiered Feb. 6 on Prime Video. The adult animated series is based on the comic book series.

Overall, Prime Video had a stellar February, capturing three out of 10 of the month’s top titles, with “Reacher,” “Invincible” and You’re Cordially Invited (No. 8). Apple TV+ also scored three spots on the list with “Severance,” The Gorge and Major League Soccer. 

Academy Award-nominated titles made their mark, with Peacock’s Conclave slipping three spots to sixth place with an MPV score of 1,407, while The Wild Robot landed in ninth with 1,178.

Meanwhile, coming in at No. 2 on the app chart was Peacock and at No. 3 was Max.

Looper’s Merchandiser of the Month charts measure merchandising on the biggest digital storefronts. The report ranks the top 10 entertainment streaming Apps and the top 10 titles promoted by these Apps on the top 12 devices in the United States, including Roku, Google TV, Fire TV, Vizio TV, Cox Contour 2, PlayStation 4, Apple TV, LG TV, Samsung TV, Xbox One Console, Cox CSP, and Xfinity. MPV is a Looper Insights metric used to measure how prominent a title is on the streaming user interface. A higher MPV reflects greater placement visibility and increases the likelihood of user conversion to content. MPV quantifies the impact of media exposure across CTV devices so streaming platforms, studios, and broadcasters can understand what drives viewership and engagement, and track and measure the prominence and impact of their campaigns.

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