Although U.S. consumers' consumption of most media has declined in the last three months, consumption of free streaming services was stable to slightly higher, according to Attest surveys.

With the upfronts in view, Disney hopes to offer targeting capabilities well beyond those of arch-rival Netflix, via its proprietary ad server.

YouTube has confirmed that it's testing a streaming channels hub -- potentially more heavy-duty competition for Tubi, Roku, Pluto TV and subscription-based ad-supported services as well.

Shorts creators who agree to terms can now earn ad revenue directly from YouTube via a pool based on ad views per country. The Partner Program overall now has different contracts for each method of YouTube creator monetization.

Although SVODs' global content spend is projected to rise 8%, spend for broadcast content is forecast to dip 3%.