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NBC's Peacock streaming service may be free for everyone
With the streaming wars heating up -- Apple TV+ debuted today and HBO Max launch details were announced this week -- there are still some services that have a few cards to play before they start to roll out. Among them is Peacock, NBCUniversal's offering, which might very well be free for everyone when it debuts in April.
How to get the most out of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services
A Netflix or Hulu subscription alone won't cut it anymore. The streaming landscape is fracturing as bastions of old media rise up with their own services, offering a blend of originals and library material. Over the coming months, the streaming video options will multiply like Gremlins, as the likes of Disney, Apple, WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal and mobile platform Quibi hop into the game.
NBCUniversal's streaming service will be called Peacock
NBCUniversal has revealed launch details for its upcoming, ad-supported streaming service. Named Peacock, it'll be the exclusive streaming home of The Office (which you can still watch on Netflix through 2020) and Parks and Recreation. It'll debut this April with more than 15,000 hours of shows and movies.
'Doctor Who' will be an HBO Max streaming exclusive in the US
Finding the shows you want to stream is about to get more complicated in the coming months as some big-name companies launch their own services to take on the likes of Hulu and Netflix. Among them is WarnerMedia, and when HBO Max arrives next spring, you may have to start using that platform if you're a Whovian eager for your Time Lord fix.
NBCUniversal plans to debut its streaming service in April
The streaming wars are intensifying, with the likes of HBO, CBS and Disney focusing on their own platforms and hanging onto their content instead of licensing it to Netflix and other services. We now know when another major player will enter the battlefield, as NBCUniversal has pegged next April as the launch window for its ad-supported streaming service.
Netflix announces ‘Space Force’ comedy series starring Steve Carell
If you've missed The Office and Steve Carell's Michael Scott, Netflix's latest series announcement may be a bit of welcome news. In a video, which you can see below, Netflix has revealed a new workplace comedy called Space Force, which will center on the (fictional) folks tasked with getting President Trump's Space Force up and running.
'SNL' alums launch comedy site for Latinos
Saturday Night Live alumni Fred Armisen and Horatio Sanz have announced a partnership with their former boss, Lorne Michaels, to launch a new Latin America-focused comedy studio called Más Mejor. The trio hopes to leverage the new union to discover and cultivate new latino stars. Más Mejor's stable already includes some fairly well-known stars including Oscar Nuñez from The Office and Carlos Alazraqui of Reno 911 fame. Their website launched Wednesday with a smattering of comedy shorts -- not to mention plenty obligatory (and well-deserved) shots at Donald Trump.
ICYMI: Pollution sea vacuum, SpaceX's success and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-999936").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: SpaceX successfully landed its reusable rocket, from a height of 125 miles-- then Elon Musk and Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos traded Twitter jabs for our entertainment. Scientists from Cambridge University found that oil droplets change into artificial shapes like octagons when frozen in soapy water, then return to their normal shape when heated. And a nearly $4,000 gadget for sailors aims to clean up the dirty marinas where debris and oil spills often mar the seafaring beauty.
ICYMI: Thought-controlled exoskeleton, textingbrella & more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-947132{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-947132, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-947132{width:570px;display:block;} Today on In Case You Missed It: Thought-controlled exoskeletons are walking around a lab in Korea and we remain impressed. An advertisement for a redesigned handle on an umbrella is making us all shout #firstworldproblems. And this may have happened back during MakerFaire, but it's news to us: A 15-year-old beat out everyone else at a "Game of Drones" competition that pits drones against one another, Fight Club style.
BD-Live lets The Office Season Six Blu-ray set stream next season's episodes in HD
Universal's list of special features for The Office: Season Six Blu-ray boxed set is pretty standard for its releases -- iPhone remote control, digital shorts, blooper reel etc. -- with the exception of one all-new feature. This time around, when season 7 episodes air on NBC, afterwards users with these discs can stream them, in HD, through their Blu-players via BD-Live. According to the press release users will have access to "the latest five episodes" but no word on exactly how long the window between them airing on TV and showing up online will be. We'll keep our DVR queue, but if these episodes are truly high quality and commercial free, it's at least a convenient bonus. Perhaps if they bumped it up to allow viewing before the episodes air, then Universal could be onto something, press release and trailer follow after the break.
The Office game is better than you'd think
When thinking of TV shows to transform into games, The Office isn't the first on the list. The show is light on the sort of sophomoric hijinx that usually passes for humor in games and pretty heavy on the talking. That said, the casual game version of NBC's hit show actual fares a bit better than one might expect, earning a four-star review from Gamezebo.If you've played Diner Dash, you're already familiar with the time management fetch-and-return gameplay of The Office, though there's an added twist of competing against another cubicle dweller. Judging from the demo we played, the writing's nowhere near as sharp as the TV show's (big surprise), but it's at least true enough to be respectful. (We do, however, take umbrage with the addition of a laugh track to some of the game. Seriously, guys? A laugh track?) We're not sure it would qualify as a necessary purchase, but fans of the show will probably find a few minutes of diversion.(Full disclosure: The author occasionally contributes to Gamezebo.)
Second Life featured in tonight's 'The Office'
When virtual worlds hit mainstream culture, they hit hard. First, it was a recent episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, featuring a fictional game called "Another YOUniverse" (we know, we know). Then, it was last night's CSI: New York, which had a criminal investigation taking part inside Second Life.Now, it's NBC's The Office, featuring video games prominently in an episode for the second time as the annoying beet farmer / paper salesman Dwight K. Schrute explores Second Life amidst the other office hijinks.While we're still a tad burnt out from previous bursts of Second Life hype, we're curious to see how The Office cast members interact with the world. The episode airs tonight at 9/8c on NBC. [Via SL Insider]
HDTV Listings for October 11, 2007
What we're watching: We're still not too sure about these hour long episodes of The Office, but we'll check that out after Ugly Betty at 8. Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
WRUP: Complete lack of motivation edition
Maybe this week was extremely tough for us, or perhaps we're just imagining things, but we can't think of anything better to do than to crawl into bed and sleep forever. For some odd reason, we don't even have the desire to play any games. It's like pushing buttons and the like are too much work for us in our current state. Maybe we should just down a pot of coffee or something.But, just because we're feeling that way doesn't mean you all are. Of course, it's the weekend and that means it's time to rejoice! With games! And, what games would you plan on celebrating another week down the drain with? Any of them going to be new releases?
The (American) Office comes to the DS
While we will always enjoy the British (see: O.G.) version of The Office more, the American version starring funny man Steve Carell has begun to grow on us. We're not quite sure if we're ready to play a video game based on the show, however. Universal seems to think many are, though, as they announced a partnership with developer MumboJumbo to bring a game based on the show to the DS.Nothing has been revealed about the game, but Bill Kispert, vice president and general manager of Universal's Interactive group, thinks the game will be something casual players and fans alike will appreciate. The game, he says, will feature "a proven, addictive game mechanic we think will be welcomed by fans and casual game players alike."So, who's ready to play a game based on The Office?
Coming to Xbox Live Arcade: The Office?
You might have read over at Joystiq that MumboJumbo is working on a video game based on NBC's The Office. The game is set to feature the characters from the show depicted as bobblehead dolls. Players will be challenged to complete jobs and pull pranks around the office. Currently, the game is slated to appear on the DS, PSP, and PC. According to Variety, the game won't be developed for new-gen consoles because of its relative simplicity. XBLArcade begs to differ, noting that MumboJumbo's deal includes the option to create the title for Xbox Live Arcade.MumboJumbo recently released Luxor 2 on XBLA, so they definitely have experience with the platform. Whether or not The Office will actually make an appearance on Live Arcade remains only a rumor at this point.Now, if we could just get The Office to make an appearance on Video Marketplace, we'd really be getting somewhere.
NBC announces full mobile versions of hit TV shows
In a first for a U.S. television studio, NBC said that it would permit customers to purchase prime-time TV shows at will and on demand to play on their cellphones, similar to Verizon's new offering. Maybe the old guard of television sees how media viewing and takeaway content is changing, eh? Anyhoo, efforts so far for viewing television and movies on cellphones screens have faltered, probably due to the limited and short-length content out in the market today. As usual in the mobile video market, NBC will be making hit shows like "The Office" and "Heroes" available through mobile multimedia pioneer MobiTV, and will allow customers to buy full-length episodes for $1.99 each up to 24 hours after the television show airs. A key feature we think here will be the on-demand ability to let consumers stop viewing and resume from the same point later on. That is, unless you can stomach all 23 minutes or so of a 30-minute sitcom on that 2 inch screen all at once.
HDTV Listings for February 24, 2007
What we're watching: Tonight the NASCAR Busch Series season continues in high definition on ESPN from Fontana, California. HBO also brings a new George Lopez comedy special live from Phoenix, before we get a look at Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office) hosting SNL.Our traditional high-def listings continue below.
Bond with your (American) office mates through Call of Duty
The Office 3-03 The Coup Critics say that the American version of British TV's The Office lacks the edge or brilliance of the original show, but they clearly missed this episode from the third season featuring an office ritual involving Call of Duty. While neither particularly brilliant nor particularly edgy, this particular episode redeems itself through product placement of the sort that we always welcome. To save a little time, the CoD scenes begin at timestamp 3:35. To waste a lot of time, kick back and enjoy the entire first season, second season, and third season.
Make an Office Mii to win an episode on iTunes
Just as expected, the Mii service has spread like wildfire. Everyone wants to make them, their friends, family, celebrities and more. We here at Wii Fanboy even had our own fun with it and created each of us. Now, Life in the Office is holding their own Mii contest for readers to create (dur) the members of the popular American version of The Office. Those who get their Office Mii posted get that week's episode of The Office on iTunes. The only downfall to the contest is that they are asking you use the online version of the Mii creator and not the one found on the Wii. So, some limitations apply. Still, there have been a lot of entries and some look scarily close to the stars of the show. [Thanks Brian!]
