This week I break down the economic and financial factors that are directly impacting the growth and restraints in the streaming media industry. Learn why companies are doing more with less, reducing and consolidating their spending on services like storage and delivery, and the market factors that are influencing their decisions. From banking interest rates for new money, tighter budgets, and lengthier sales processes, this new way of doing business is now the new norm.I also cover some recent comments from ESPN’s chairman discussing the importance of linear to US sports broadcasters, the triggers that would make ESPN go DTC faster, and why he says ESPN doesn’t necessarily feel any urgency. His overall takeaway is that professional sports leagues say that they prioritize linear because of the exposure and the reach and yet, the same spots leagues are taking big money from Amazon, Apple, and Google while giving them some games as a streaming exclusive.Also mentioned: Amazon and Nielsen’s Thursday Night Football stats; Warner Bros. Discovery’s new sports tier for Max; and SK Telecom and Netflix’s new partnership that has ended their dispute over network traffic costs.