The Information's TITV Netflix’s Warner Bros. Play to Beat YouTube, Ex-OpenAI Head of Sales on Selling AI | Jan 21, 2026
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Jan 21, 2026 
Rich Greenfield, co-founder of LightShed Partners, sheds light on Netflix's ambitious strategy to acquire Warner Bros. as a long-term play to outperform linear TV. Alisa Rosenthal, former head of sales at OpenAI, discusses the transition to AI-native selling, emphasizing the need for transparency in ROI and integration timelines. They also dive into the concept of context graphs as a new competitive advantage for enterprises, while exploring rising data center costs and the importance of maintaining user trust in AI-driven advertising.
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Netflix Ads Are Early But Scaleable
- Netflix's ad business reached $1.5 billion in 2025 but is still early-stage and expected to scale significantly in 2026.
- Rich Greenfield predicts Netflix's ad revenue could double to over $3 billion as storytelling and binge-aware ads improve.
Streaming Eats Linear TV Ad Dollars
- Netflix and Amazon are the primary winners taking ad share from linear TV, not battling Meta directly.
- The shift from linear TV to streaming will continue to accelerate, pressuring traditional broadcasters.
Content Acquisition As Long-Term Hedge
- Acquiring Warner Brothers is a long-term strategic content play for Netflix to own franchises and deep TV libraries.
- Rich argues the deal is defensible financially and strategically despite short-term stock pressure.