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Hulu offers a few fall premieres from Fox, ABC and NBC online before they air
It's pumpkin spice latte season, and that can only mean one thing: fall TV premieres are right around the corner. Thankfully, Hulu (like several other providers, if you have cable or satellite just take a look at your video on-demand menu) is once again letting you get the jump on your water cooler gossip by offering an early look at a few new and returning shows from ABC, NBC and Fox in advance of their television air dates. So, if you've been suffering from severe withdrawal from The Mindy Project (now with 100% more James Franco) or been intrigued by the overripe nostalgia of The Goldbergs, you're in luck. Also available on Hulu right now are new episodes of Back in the Game, Trophy Wife, Ironside and Welcome to the Family. To get into the spirit of premiere season, follow the source link below.
ESPN exec is willing to talk to Google, Sony, Intel about IPTV -- if they'll take bundles
For those who find sports is the string keeping them from cutting loose of traditional pay-TV services, ESPN president John Skipper's comments today are a bit of good news / bad news. Speaking to Bloomberg, he revealed the network has had talks to offer its content on internet TV services like the ones we've heard Google, Sony and Intel (among others *cough Apple*) are interested in offering. What he and a network spokesman made clear however, is that any agreement would involve those services offering a package of channels, just like current cable, satellite and telco providers. That would make it harder for any online service to differentiate itself on content or pricing, but we'll have to wait for one to actually launch to find out for sure.
Dish Network, Raycom squabble blacks out local channels in 36 markets
Apparently it's the season for issues between networks and pay-TV distributors, as Dish Network customers in 36 networks are missing some of their local channels as of late last night. Dish and Raycom Media have failed to reach an agreement, so stations the network owns including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW and MyNetworkTV stations in 36 markets stretching from Cincinnati to Honolulu have gone dark. There's a full list after the break of which ones, and as usual both sides are claiming the other is to blame for not wanting to reach a fair agreement. Your guess is as good as ours as to when the tiff will be resolved, however so far, unlike CBS vs. Time Warner Cable neither side is suggesting Aereo as a replacement.
Verizon deal brings Watch ABC, Watch Disney to FiOS TV subscribers
Got FiOS TV? Then you can stream ABC and Disney TV shows. Verizon has reached a deal with Disney that offers authenticated access to the full slate of Watch ABC and Watch Disney online services, including Disney Junior, Disney XD and the yet-to-launch ABC Family. There are no quirks or catches involved, and Verizon has also agreed to carry Fusion, a Hispanic-oriented news and lifestyle TV channel launching later this year. FiOS TV subscribers wanting to catch up on their Motive episodes can start streaming today.
ABC live TV app now requires a cable subscription
You have to pay to play these days. Back in May, we reported that ABC rolled out a new WATCH ABC app that enabled users in New York and Philadelphia to watch free live streaming of ABC channels. Now that July is upon us, those same users must verify, with a username and password, that they are cable subscribers. To be fair, it was always part of ABC's plan to hinge access to the live streaming app on a cable subscription. The upside, though, is that the WATCH ABC app is now available to users in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Raleigh-Durham (who also must confirm a cable subscription). If you're not a cable subscriber and want to check out live ABC programming, you'll just have to do it the old-fashioned way -- with a TV.
Watch ABC app with live TV streaming comes to Kindle Fire, but not Google Play
ABC dipped its toe into live network TV streaming with the Watch ABC app on the web and iOS earlier this month, and now it's followed up with a version for Amazon's Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD tablets. Unfortunately, despite the Amazon Appstore listing it's still not in Google Play so other Android devices can't get easy access yet. At launch the press release mentioned Samsung Galaxy hardware will also be supported this summer, but there's no word beyond that. Of course, the same location restrictions still apply no matter what platform, with Watch ABC currently available in NYC and Philadelphia only. Through the end of June anyone in those areas can tune into the live streams, however after that it will require authentication with a participating cable or satellite company. Viewing areas will also start to include into other markets throughout the summer and fall based on ABC's agreements with its affiliates. The Watch strategy has worked well so far for Disney's cable networks (ABC Family is up next), whether its push to bring live network TV to the internet is spurred by Aereo or Nielsen's new ratings, we hope more can watch it soon.
Daily Update for May 15, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
ABC officially relaunches its Player app as Watch ABC with live TV streaming
Just as it revealed in an interview this weekend after months of rumors, the Disney / ABC Television Group has launched Watch ABC as an "open access preview" for New York and Philadelphia residents. Available on the web and as an iOS or Kindle Fire app in place of the old ABC Player, it still offers video on-demand playback of the network's shows, but is the first to add live network TV streaming in those two areas. It will require customers to log in with their cable / satellite TV account details (Comcast, Cablevision, Cox, Charter, Midcontinent and AT&T U-verse are all signed up already) for access starting July 1st, but for now there's no such restriction. ABC is promising a launch in all ABC-owned station markets by the start of the fall broadcast season, though most areas will need to wait for agreements with their local affiliates. Currently scheduled for launch after July 1st are Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno, while Hearst Television has already signed on to launch streaming in its 13 markets as well. The app itself should resemble the WatchESPN and Watch Disney services we've seen roll out previously, and AirPlay streaming is disabled. The press release mentions Kindle Fire support, though we didn't see it in the Appstore yet, and it's coming to Samsung Galaxy devices "soon." There aren't any other Android devices mentioned, but hopefully more platforms will follow quickly. Hit the source links below for the app or to watch on the web, and there's a press release after the break with more details.
ABC to add live-streaming to its iOS app with rollout in NYC, Philadelphia
Starting this week, ABC will live-stream shows via its Watch ABC app for iOS. This comes less than two months after The New York Times reported that the broadcast network was crafting up such a service, and ABC's live TV on the go is indeed a first for the television industry. The new functionality comes via a "live" button in the mobile app, and it will initially be limited to paid cable and satellite subscribers in the New York and Philadelphia areas. With Hearst Television on board as ABC's first live-stream affiliate, the network says it will expand the service to six more cities by this summer. While it could still be quite some time before this offering hits your zip code (or OS of choice), it provides plenty of incentive for other networks to catch up -- and quickly. CBS and Fox currently offer episode streaming through their mobile apps, but live TV is a huge differentiator. Notably, Aereo announced the expansion of its own live-streaming service today, but that company is already embroiled in lawsuits with several networks over alleged copyright violations.
ABC to add live streaming to iPad app this week, for a few and with a catch
Update: The new WATCH ABC app is live in the US store. As expected, streaming is available for NYC and Philadelphia residents only. After July 1, you'll have to verify that you subscribe to a TV provider to get live video, and "programming substitution may apply." Ahead of ABC's spring upfront this coming Tuesday, May 14 ("upfronts" are the glitzy network presentations to get advertisers revved up about the coming season's programming), the New York Times' Brian Stelter found a scoop that has more to do with how we watch TV than which programs we watch. Disney's ABC network plans to revise its iPad/iPhone app lineup by Tuesday to include free live streaming of ABC channels for viewers in two Northeast cities. The live streaming feature, which will appear as a "live" button in a new Watch ABC app (akin to ABC-owned ESPN's Watch ESPN app) set to replace the the existing ABC Player app, will be available to customers in New York and Philadelphia who can verify that they have access to ABC via a cable or satellite subscription. GigaOm says that the service's requirement for pay TV subscription will kick in after a six-week introductory period, where it will be open to all comers. According to that post, the ABC live encoding will be powered by the same upLynk hybrid local/cloud streaming technology that's currently at work behind the company's Watch Disney app. Stelter notes that ABC's programming currently appearing on ABC.com and Hulu Plus may be curtailed in the future, with longer delays before free-to-stream episodes appear; the most current content would be reserved for pay TV subscribers. This would undoubtedly drive cord-cutters somewhat batty. The streaming feature will be iOS-only for now, and limited to those two markets (where the affiliate stations are owned by the parent company) while the network negotiates with affiliates in other cities. The first affiliate deal, with Hearst Television, will soon add live streaming to 13 additional cities like Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Kansas City and Honolulu. Having NYC be one of the first launch markets means that ABC must be rooting for the New York Knicks (currently down 2-1 in a playoff series with Indiana) to go deep into the NBA playoffs, which the network is carrying this year. This isn't the first device-centric live television play, by any means. Most US cable, satellite and fiber providers offer some flavor of live channel streaming, with varying marquee features and limitations. Some, like Time Warner Cable and Xfinity, restrict all-you-can-stream access to the subscriber's home WiFi network and offer a more limited channel lineup on the move. Verizon's FiOS app streams plenty of popular pay-TV channels on your home WiFi network, but no broadcast content. In the case of ABC's live channel stream, the branding for the network can move completely out from under the program provider's umbrella; that way, there are fewer distractions to lure eyeballs away from ABC's live and library content. Customers with Dish Anywhere and the sleek Dish Explorer programming discovery app from the satellite TV provider may have the most flexibility: the company's Sling technology actually restreams anything the Dish receiver can show, including live TV on any channel or recorded DVR programming. (Most DVR recordings can even be transferred from the Dish Hopper receiver onto the iPad for later viewing, which would require an EyeTV or other approach with most providers.) But this approach does require plenty of home bandwidth, and can tie up your receiver; ABC's stream doesn't have those drawbacks. If over the air TV is your thing, there are several iPad options out there. EyeTV's EyeTV Mobile adapter, for $99, adds an antenna to your tablet and delivers programming via the Dyle digital broadcast system. The MCV consortium behind Dyle includes NBC, Fox and Telemundo (but not ABC), so those networks are generally represented and available on the system. The legally challenged but still eagerly expanding startup Aereo doesn't share those channel limits; anything an antenna can see in the NYC metro area, Aereo will gladly deliver to your iPad or desktop browser for a monthly $8 fee. Aereo's one-antenna-per-user model is being contested by the networks, but so far they've not been able to put together a compelling legal case to stop the company from providing its service; in fact, it's expanding to Boston this month. In many ways, ABC's move (which the network says was shifted up from a planned 2014 rollout; "We watch how people are behaving with their devices, and we really felt that we needed to move faster," said Disney/ABC Television Group co-chair Anne Sweeney) is of a piece with these other new-world-order programming options. Consumers are getting their television content via all sorts of pathways, and fewer and fewer of them are tied to a traditional primetime lineup at the network's convenience. Even this circumscribed step away from the default delivery of TV, with its leash of a pay subscription, says a lot about ABC's willingness to ride the wave forward rather than fighting to keep a hold on the status quo. [Although the Steven P. Jobs Trust, led by the Apple co-founder's widow Laurene Powell Jobs, owns some 7.7 percent of Disney/ABC's outstanding shares, regulatory filings noted by Bloomberg suggest that the trust has no intention to influence Disney/ABC operations. –Ed.]
Netflix for iOS gets new post-play features for uninterrupted series-watching
It's just been a few weeks since Netflix for iOS was suited with a novel audio menu and episode selector, but the app has now already reached version 4.1. While this particular release isn't as major as, say, v2.0, some of the post-play features that have rolled out on TV connected devices and PCs are trickling down to the mobile platforms. Namely, once an episode is over, the next one starts playing automatically without any intervention required (it requires a prompt to proceed after every other episode). In the case of movies, you can expect to see a new recommended selection once the credits roll, and Netflix also promises some other more minor improvements elsewhere in the app, including under the hood tweaks to its second screen experience. Finally, Netflix also announced today that it's signed a multi-year deal for five Disney Junior and Disney XD shows: Jake and the Never Land Pirates, Tron: Uprising, Handy Manny, Special Agent Oso, and JoJo's Circus.
Nielsen preparing 'Digital Program Ratings' pilot program to track streaming viewers
According to the Wall Street Journal, Nielsen's TV ratings are about to get some company, with a system that covers internet watchers. A "Nielsen Digital Program Ratings" pilot program will debut with participation from NBC, Fox, ABC, Univision, Discovery and A&E, tracking the viewership of streaming video they post on their websites. AOL (parent company of Engadget) is also reported to be participating, as the networks compare the data to their internal statistics before the ratings system gets a wider rollout. Of course, even the system they're testing will only jump so far into the future -- while it will track viewing on computers, it's still leaving out phones and tablets. Networks want to track anywhere content is viewed -- one of the issues we've been told they have with tech like Aereo or TWC TV -- to sell ads against it, we'll wait for more details to see if they'll have any success extending the current model to other types of screens.
Twitter will unveil something 'big' on Good Morning America tomorrow
Forget music halls -- Twitter thinks morning TV talk shows are where it's at for product announcements. It used The Today Show last year to unveil a profile page redesign, and we now know it will rely on Good Morning America this Thursday to unveil something... "big." But what does that cryptic clue mean? While logic would suggest Twitter Music given its semi-official status, we could also see TV in expanded tweets or something entirely unexpected. We'll keep our eyes (and possibly ears) open.
Daily Update for March 19, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
ABC has live-streaming mobile app in the works
The New York Times is reporting that ABC is working on an app to stream live ABC programming to the iPhones and iPads of cable and satellite TV subscribers. ABC, which is a subsidiary of Disney, would become the first American broadcaster to provide a live internet stream of both national and local programming. By providing the stream only to those who already pay for cable or satellite TV, the Times notes that ABC "preserves the cable business model that is crucial to the bottom lines of broadcasters, while giving subscribers more of what they seem to want -- mobile access to TV shows." This isn't the first time that ABC has taken a giant step away from the home TV -- the network was the first to sell TV episodes through iTunes and pioneered streaming free episodes of shows on its website. Parent company Disney has live-streaming and on-demand apps for ESPN and the Disney Channel, but there are some legal barriers to overcome for the ABC app. Many of the contracts signed between ABC and production companies were put into place before mobile video streaming became possible, and local ABC stations might feel threatened by an app. There's no word on exactly when the app will arrive in the App Store, but the Times believes that it may become available to some cable and satellite subscribers later in 2013.
NYT: ABC crafting live streaming app for tablets, phones
According to unidentified sources speaking with The New York Times' media desk, ABC is currently working on a mobile application to bring its broadcast programming to mobiles and tablets. Unlike CBS' offering, which offers a select choice of programs 24 hours after airing on broadcast TV via its mobile app, ABC's is said to sync up with existing cable and satellite providers to provide live TV on-the-go -- a first in the television industry. Beyond just offering cable and satellite customers a way to extend their viewing options, the app is said to potentially extend the reach of ABC's ad network at a crucial moment when traditional broadcast network ad revenues are being threatened by other mediums taking a piece of the pie. It seems that ABC's parent, the Walt Disney Company, is looking to forge its own digital path when it comes to TV, rather than waiting for its multi-company partnership with Hulu to right itself. Disney and its several partners are said to be in talks to buy each other out; meanwhile, Hulu is left without captain at the helm.
Charter lands deal for Disney's full streaming, TV services in the first half of 2013
Charter viewers won't have any shortage of TV choices this year -- at least, as long as they like Disney-owned channels. The House of Mouse has signed a deal with Charter to bring its full deck of channels and services to the cable provider in the first half of 2013. The mix includes all national ABC, Disney and ESPN channels as well as their on-demand and authenticated streaming equivalents, such as WatchESPN. The Longhorn Network and local station retransmissions are involved as well. Neither side has mentioned the full terms, although it's cast as a "multi-year" pact; we'll take the uncertainty as long as we get more say in what (and how) we watch.
ABC's Nightline looks at AAPL
After a botched Maps launch and limited supplies of its flagship iPhone 5, Apple's stock has sunk to a five-month low, and the company has lost almost US$130B in market value since September. A piece on ABC's Nightline profiles this drop in Apple's stock and offers its take on why AAPL is not as hot as it used to be. It's a short clip that brings up Samsung, Microsoft and a lack of innovation from the folks in Cupertino. You can check out the video below and sound off in the comments about ABC's report and the state of Apple's stock. [Via MacRumors]
Cablevision inks deal with The Walt Disney Company, brings WatchESPN and more to subscribers
For some time now, Cablevision subscribers have been missing out on many of the internet-based and other offerings from The Worldwide Leader in Sports. Today, however, folks will be happy to know that The Walt Disney Company (ESPN's parent outfit) and Cablevision have reached a deal which will bring access to a variety of new content on different platforms, including WatchESPN, ESPN3, ESPN 3D as well as on demand channels from ABC and Disney's extensive repertoire. Mum's the word on how much cash was involved in the deal, but we do know it's a multi-year agreement and that Walt & Co. feel rather content about it, with a company's spokesperson saying, "With our robust and ever-growing multi-platform content offerings, we're pleased to be able to expand our relationship with Cablevision."
Google Fiber announces qualified areas tomorrow, snags ABC channels including ESPN, Disney
The official list of the first "fiberhoods" Google's Gigabit internet + TV service will be available in doesn't come out until tomorrow, but it's already looking like an even more attractive option thanks to a few newly announced channel additions. The team's blog post lists several ABC channels that will be available on the HDTV service, not the least of which is sports giant ESPN, along with ESPN2, Classic, Goal Line, Buzzer Beater, Deportes, ESPNews, Longhorn Network and ESPNU. We've confirmed ESPN3 is also included, while WatchESPN and WatchDisney mobile access is planned for the "near future." Overall it appears that ABC has squeezed its entire bundle including the Disney channels into the lineup (check the list after the break). That may not curry favor with those hoping for some revolutionary a la carte options, but should make switching to the $120 bundle easier for sports fans and families. Check the original launch announcement for more details on the Nexus 7-controlled service that blends standard TV and streaming options if you're pondering a move to Kansas City.
