AI is pushing streaming apps toward the same everything-app model

The biggest entertainment platforms are racing to keep users inside one app for more kinds of downtime. For retail investors watching Netflix, Spotify, Alphabet and TikTok owner ByteDance, the shift points to a new fight over attention, data and revenue per user, meaning how much a company earns from each account.

TechCrunch’s Sarah Perez reported that the old streaming categories, such as music, video, podcasts and audiobooks, are becoming less distinct as artificial intelligence helps companies recommend, organize and produce more types of media. The business logic is straightforward: entertainment apps are more mature, so adding new users is harder. Companies can still grow by increasing time spent, selling more ads and giving subscribers more reasons to stay.

Platforms are expanding past their first hit

Netflix, once centered on films and series, has added games, live sports and other live events, according to TechCrunch. More recently, it has experimented with short video clips and podcasts. That gives Netflix a way to compete for smaller breaks in the day, the minutes users might otherwise spend scrolling social feeds or playing quick mobile games.

Spotify has followed a similar path from the audio side. TechCrunch reported that the company moved from music into podcasts, video podcasts, social tools such as Q&As and comments, stories, messaging, fitness classes, audiobooks, narrated magazine articles and physical book sales.

YouTube has broadened from longer creator videos into Shorts, podcasts, gaming, music, movies and TV, sports, news, shopping, ad-supported free TV, live streams and rentals or purchases, according to the report. TikTok, best known for short videos, has also stretched into longer videos, travel planning, shopping, local discovery and live-event ticketing. TechCrunch also noted TikTok’s separate microdrama app and TikTok Pro Events app for sports and cultural events including the FIFA World Cup.

AI changes the economics of attention

AI matters because these apps need to decide what to show next across many formats. A recommendation system is software that predicts what a user may want based on behavior and other signals. As apps add formats, better recommendations can keep users watching, listening, reading or shopping without leaving.

Spotify is testing a way for users to edit their Taste Profile, TechCrunch reported, referring to the company’s AI-built view of a listener’s preferences. Spotify is also developing AI tools that let users chat about what they want or create prompted playlists, including playlists beyond music.

Netflix co-CEO Greg Peters told investors on the company’s first-quarter call that newer AI model designs are improving personalization and helping the company test product changes faster, according to TechCrunch. Netflix has also moved into AI-assisted creation, including a reported $587 million purchase of Ben Affleck’s AI filmmaking company.

YouTube has added generative AI creator tools, AI search, conversational features, playlist generation and auto-dubbing, TechCrunch reported. Earlier this year, YouTube said more than 1 million channels had used its AI creation tools and 20 million consumers used its Gemini-powered discovery tool in December. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai has described AI as central to YouTube for both creators and viewers, according to the report.

TikTok has tested an in-app AI chatbot and added AI video tools, AI search and recommendation features, and AI-powered accessibility tools, TechCrunch reported.

All four platforms are also using AI in advertising systems, where marketers can create ads, target audiences, set prices and measure results. For consumers, the result may be fewer reasons to leave a favorite app. For investors, the key question is how much extra engagement these broader platforms can turn into ad sales, subscriptions and user retention.

This story draws on original reporting from TechCrunch.