Apple TV+ makes Facebook Watch look like a joke

Apple flexed its wallet today in a way Facebook has scared to do. Tech giants make money by the billions, not the millions, which should give them an easy way to break into premium video distribution: buy some must-see content. That’s the strategy I’ve been advocating for Facebook but that Apple actually took to heart. […]

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YouTube denies that it is canning scripted series, plans to launch ad-supported slate in coming weeks

On the heels of Apple announcing paid, monthly subscription services for video, games, and news, YouTube says it is also doubling down original video content. Parent company Google has denied a report in Bloomberg that YouTube has stopped accepting pitches for scripted shows. But it also confirmed another aspect of the same report: it plans a […]

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YouTube is cancelling premium original shows ahead of Apple’s streaming service event

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Just as Apple gets ready to announce its streaming service, complete with original programming, another tech giant is preparing to bow out.

According to Bloomberg, YouTube is cancelling many of its “Hollywood-quality” shows and plans to pull out of producing most of its original content for its YouTube Premium subscription service. Shows like sci-fi thriller Origin and comedy series Overthinking with Kat & June are said to be among those being cancelled by YouTube. 

YouTube is looking to renew at least one of its most popular hit shows, however. The company is currently in negotiations for a third season of it’s The Karate Kid-based TV Series, Cobra KaiRead more…

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Media fragmentation is annoying consumers

Deloitte’s Technology, Media and Telecommunications division published its 13th-annual Digital Media Trends survey, focused on identifying changes in the ways US consumers engage with various types of media. Led by an independent research firm, the survey had roughly 2,000 consumer respondents across demographics – with the report categorizing respondents based on age (Gen-Z: ages 14-21, […]

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Reed Hastings says Netflix won’t be part of Apple’s upcoming video streaming service

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said during a Los Angeles press event tonight that it will not be part of the streaming video service Apple is expected to unveil next week at its Cupertino headquarters. While it will have original content, Apple’s service will most likely initially focus on third-party content, competing against Amazon Channels with […]

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Netflix may be losing $192M per month from piracy, cord cutting study claims

As many as 1 in 5 people today are y off of someone’s else’s account when streaming video from Netflix, Hulu or Amazon Video, according to a new study from CordCutting.com. Of these, Netflix tends to be pirated for the longest period – 26 months, compared with 16 months for Amazon Prime Video, or 11 […]

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Sling TV closes year with 2.4 million subscribers, but growth slowed significantly

Sling TV’s growth has slowed dramatically as the competitive landscape for live TV streaming services has heated up. Despite this, the Dish -owned streaming service remains ahead of rivals in terms of subscriber count – largely due to it being first to market with streaming TV. Dish said today it closed out the year with […]

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Netflix launches ‘smart downloads’ feature on iOS to automate offline viewing

Netflix today is launching a new feature on iOS devices that will help make it easier to watch its shows when you’re offline. The “smart downloads” feature, as it’s called, will automatically delete a downloaded episode after you’ve finished watching, then download the next one – but only when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. The idea […]

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Report: Apple’s video streaming service to launch this spring

Apple’s new streaming service is poised to launch this spring, according to The Information, citing three unnamed sources. Tucked away in a report about Amazon’s plans to dial down its efforts with its subscription video offering, The Information noted that Apple has been telling entertainment partners to be ready for a mid-April launch for the streaming […]

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Facebook Watch is finally growing as payouts get spread thin

Both Facebook Watch and Instagram’s IGTV have yet to become superstar video platforms, leaving Facebook at risk as more people seek streaming entertainment instead of status updates. So today Facebook is trying to build some buzz for Watch with new stats and rollouts. The free video hub that combines original content, sports, and cult favorite […]

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The great Amazon swindle

Amazon has confirmed that it will open two massive new offices in New York City and Crystal City, Va., to complement its already massive headquarters in Seattle. And the verdict on the company’s decision is disgust. Amazon played everyone involved in the process: the governments that pandered to it and the media that covered it […]

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Why we’ll never get rid of TV program guides

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Want live TV over the internet? Today you have several options, including Hulu, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue, and more. It’s hard to remember, though, but there was a time when there were virtually no options for consumers who wanted to cut the cord. Sure, services like Netflix and Vudu provided plenty of titles on demand, but current content was scattered across myriad websites and services, and it didn’t do a good job of replicating the TV experience.

Then Sling TV came along. Launched by satellite powerhouse Dish Network in January 2015, Sling TV wasn’t the first over-the-top (OTT) video service, but it was the first to get it right, both in terms of user experience and offerings. It made deals to package several popular TV channels live over the internet, including — crucially — ESPN. Since then it’s expanded in terms of both content and features, now offering dozens of channels, a cloud DVR, and even its own streaming box, the AirTV Player. Read more…

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