Streaming TV services hope that better ad targeting will lead to profits

Streaming TV services such as YouTube TV are looking to reach cord-cutters with cheaper channel packages delivered over the internet. But with rising programming costs tied to the pay-TV model, it’s been difficult for these services to turn a profit. Together, these so-called skinny bundles  virtual multichannel video programming distributors, or virtual “MVPDs,” in TV industry terms  reach more than 6 million subscribers. Dish Network’s Sling TV and AT&T’s DirecTV lead the pack with 2.2 million subscribers and 1.8 million subscribers, respectively. Hulu’s live TV service and YouTube TV have 1 million subscribers and 800,000 subscribers, respectively, according to The Information. And Sony’s PlayStation Vue service rounds out the big five with a reported 500,000 subscribers. (Smaller services such as FuboTV, with more than 100,000 subscribers to its live sports, and Philo, which focuses on non-sports cable channels, contribute to the pot.) Traditional cable, satellite and telco distributors have been able to partially offset subscriber losses with these streaming services, but those numbers still lag the estimated 92 million people that still pay for the traditional services.