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Facebook might bring major streaming services to its Portal for TVs
Last year, reports emerged Facebook was working on a video chat camera you'd plug into your TV. It sounds a bit like its Portal smart display, albeit without the need for a dedicated screen. One reported aspect of the device is that it'd offer video streaming, including Facebook Watch. It seems Facebook has been trying to strike deals with other major streaming services too.
Gift cards and subscriptions to give as last-minute gifts
Sometimes it's better to pick out a gift for someone yourself and other times it's a good idea to let that picky loved one choose their own. (And if you've waited this long to buy gifts, that might be your easiest course of action.) This is where gift cards and subscriptions come in particularly handy, and we've selected a few of the best for our 2018 holiday gift guide. For TV lovers, we've recommended subscriptions for HBO Now, Hulu Live TV and YouTube Premium, but we've also got your gamers covered no matter which system they use. For the readers on you list, how about a curated book subscription based on their tastes or an unlimited subscription to Comixology? A pre-emptive note: Some services that you or your friends use (like Apple Music, say) didn't end up on this list. That doesn't mean we don't recommend them -- we do! -- but for people who are starting fresh without a paid music subscription or what have you, these are the services we feel bring the most value. Can't hurt, of course, to do some sleuthing first and see what your giftee is already using and go from there.
HBO must 'change direction' to flourish, says its new boss
With 42 million US subscribers, almost six billion dollars in profit over the past three years, and 29 Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017 alone, it goes without saying HBO is doing something right. But according to AT&T executive and newly enthroned WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, the network must broaden its focus if it wants to maintain proper competitive footing in the fluctuating media landscape.
Hulu discounts its HBO add-on to $5 per month
In case it wasn't already obvious that HBO really, really wants you to watch the second season of Westworld, Hulu just made it crystal clear. The streaming service has discounted its HBO add-on from $15 per month to just $5 ahead of Westworld's season 2 premiere, with that rate locked in for as long as six months. It's not certain how long the promotional price will remain in place, but a spokesperson told Variety that it's available for a limited time. If you're interested, you might want to act quickly -- this makes a basic Hulu/HBO combo more affordable than HBO Now by itself.
After Math: Merry Christmas, you filthy animals
It's been a wondrous week working up to Christmas Eve and not just for the guys with the Tommy Guns. Alamo Drafthouse announced it is starting a rental store and loaning out rare VHS, Protera is going to wake up tomorrow with an order for 25 of its electric buses under the tree, and Google is practically giving away its digital movie rentals. Numbers, because how else will you know how many gold rings you've got coming?
The best subscriptions and gift cards to buy as (last-minute) gifts
Need a last-minute gift? No one will argue if you buy them a gift card to a streaming service. Included in our holiday gift guide are all the usual suspects: Apple Music, Amazon Prime, Netflix in UHD, Hulu, Sling TV and HBO Now. (And there were many others that we considered that didn't quite make the cut, but that still make for solid options.) Assuming you order soon, you also still have time to pick up a streamer with which your loved one can actually enjoy these services. We recommend two in particular: the Apple TV 4K at the high end, and the Roku Ultra in the $100 range.
Google Home can cast HBO Now to your TV of choice
The Google Home platform keeps getting more capable with each passing week. Now the smart speaker can cast HBO Now to the TV of your choice. According to the Google blog post, you don't need to open the app and pick something to watch first, either. Simply say something like "Okay Google, watch The Deuce" and Assistant will start playing the '70s New York period piece on the TV of your choosing.
‘Game of Thrones’ season seven gets a behind-the-scenes series
It's been a long 24 hours since Game of Thrones finished its seventh season with last night's finale, but the long wait until the final episodes will be worse. To nurse your longing for Westeros' dysfunctional band of enemies and frenemies, HBO is airing a whole new behind-the-scenes series. The Game Revealed will give the premium network's viewers a seven-episode look at the season that just ended, but HBO has uploaded the first on Facebook and YouTube for all to watch.
The best apps and streaming services for students
It's true that most of Engadget's back-to-school guide has comprised, well, gadgets, but as every nerd knows, a piece of hardware is only as good as the software it runs. That's why, to close out our guide, we wanted to highlight some apps and services worth downloading or subscribing to. On the media front, this is as good a time as any to see if you can survive in the adult world as a cord-cutter -- it's not like you're going to have a cable subscription in your dorm room, after all. If your parents are willing to share (or at least foot the bill), we recommend loading up on subscriptions to Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu and HBO Now -- you'll want different programs from each at some point. If you're a gamer and own a PlayStation, Sony's PS Now service is also worth the extra bucks, while Xbox One owners might want to pony up for EA Access. Music lovers will enjoy either Apple Music or Spotify, but your choice will come down partially to the other devices you own. As for schoolwork (yes, that thing), Google Drive is our favorite cloud-storage service, while Evernote and Bear both rank highly against other note-taking apps. Adobe's Creative Cloud could be worth it (or even necessary), depending on your major. Oh, and if you're worried about the "freshman 15," try MyFitnessPal -- it's a free app many of Engadget's own editors use to keep their calorie intake in check.
HBO will pull its shows from Amazon Prime in 2018
If you've been using Amazon to catch up on classic HBO shows, you'd better hurry. HBO chief Richard Plepler now expects to pull his channel's library from Amazon Prime Video once the existing agreement ends in mid-2018. Simply put, the pay broadcaster is going all-in on HBO Now -- why undermine your own paid service by licensing to someone else? Instead, it'll take advantage of the "enormous momentum" of Now signups through Amazon Channels, not to mention sales through future owner AT&T's DirecTV Now.
HBO will stream its Sunday lineup early to make room for Oscars
You won't have to choose between following the Oscars this Sunday and catching up on your favorite HBO show. The network just announced that it will stream the next episodes of Girls, Big Little Lies and Crashing on HBO Now/Go two days early on Friday, February 24th. Additionally, the episodes will also pop up early on the network's on-demand offerings.
HBO Now racks up 2 million subscribers
HBO Now's growth isn't about to slow down any time soon, it seems. Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes reports that the internet-only video service now has over 2 million customers -- not bad when it hadn't even reached 1 million a year ago. And a good chunk of that may have come recently, as the company's financial chief noted that there was a "nice uptick" in over-the-top (read: online) subscriber growth as of late.
Watch HBO and Cinemax on PlayStation Vue starting today
PlayStation is beefing up the premium offerings on its PS Vue streaming TV service. As of today, HBO and Showtime will be available as part of the new Ultra ($64.99 to $74.99 per month based on location) plan. Don't feel like ponying up that much? Both HBO and Cinemax are $15 per month on their own. A post on the PlayStation Blog says that this is the first internet-based pay-TV service to offer the channels both live and streaming without a bundled package.
HBO Now will soon arrive on PlayStation 3 and 4
Cord cutters who own PlayStation consoles: Now is your time to shine. Sony has announced today that HBO Now, the channel's standalone on-demand service, will soon be available on all PS3 and PS4 systems, (This includes the recently announced PlayStation 4 Pro). What's more, both HBO and Cinemax are coming to PlayStation Vue, Sony's streaming TV service, for $15 a month each. This is an especially big deal for cord cutters, as this marks the first time either network has offered live programming as a standalone service. That's right: live programming, and not just the on-demand shows like you would get on HBO Now.
Lionsgate and Starz join forces to compete with HBO, Netflix
In an effort to compete with the likes of HBO and Netflix, Lionsgate Entertainment and Starz are joining forces. The former is picking up the latter for $4.4 billion in cash and stock, according to The LA Times. The deal seems mutually beneficial. With it, Starz gets some industry cachet (and a bunch of cash) that could help it attract projects that'd otherwise go toward HBO and Netflix. If that means more like the fantastic Ash vs Evil Dead, hey, alright.
HBO Now comes to the Xbox One
It's already available on all of the devices that cord cutters like to shove under their TVs, but HBO Now was underrepresented in the console stakes. Now, however, that's set to change after the Game of Thrones maker announced that its on-demand platform has come to the Xbox One. Much like the other platforms the service has already come to, users can pay $14.99 and get all of that premium TV content from John Oliver through to Veep without a cable subscription. And look, HBO made the announcement just in time for that show everyone loves (to pirate) comes back. Update: HBO announced that the app is also newly available on Samsung's smart TVs.
HBO Now tallies 800,000 subscribers in 10 months since launch
A standalone HBO streaming service was supposedly what the masses were clamoring for. Well, it turns out "about 800,000" people were really interested. HBO CEO Richard Plepler revealed the figure during an earnings call for the network's parent company Time Warner earlier today. He went on to say that the figure isn't as bad as it sounds for the $15 a month service that debuted on Apple devices in April. Of course, HBO Now was exclusive to Cupertino's gadgets for 90 days, which likely didn't help keep the interest of viewers who had to wait until later in the summer to sign up. However, it's not too much of a reach to expect the first numbers the company revealed to be at least a million subscriptions.
Yet again, 'Game of Thrones' is the world's most pirated TV show
For the fourth year in a row, Game of Thrones has won the dubious honor of being the world's most pirated TV show. The annual study, carried out by TorrentFreak, reveals that an estimated 14.4 million people snaffled HBO's opus this year. By comparison, only 6.9 million people wanted to watch second-placed The Walking Dead and 4.4 million catching The Big Bang Theory. The easy explanation for all of this is that HBO is a pricey pay-cable channel where access is expensive, while AMC and CBS are far easier to access.
'Sesame Street' begins its first HBO season on January 16th, 2016
You won't have too much longer to wait to see how HBO handles Sesame Street. The network says it's launching the 46th season of the kids' show on January 16th, 2016 at 9AM (Eastern and Pacific). You'll have streaming access to five years' worth of episodes on both HBO Go and HBO Now, too. Just be prepared for a different experience than you remember from your childhood. Sesame Street pisodes will run 30 minutes instead of a full hour (ostensibly to help kids "focus"), and there are "updates" to both the show's iconic opening as well as the homes of its best-known characters.
Jon Stewart's return to TV will be on HBO's streaming TV services
Even after leaving the Daily Show behind, apparently Jon Stewart just couldn't stay away. HBO just announced it has signed a four year production deal with the TV host that will kick off with "short form digital content." He's apparently working with the graphics company OTOY on new technology that will allow him to create and post digital content "multiple times throughout the day" (we're going to guess that means Snapchats, Periscopes and vines, but who knows) on HBO Now. We contacted the network and confirmed that it will be on HBO Go as well for cable customers. According to Stewart "Appearing on television 22 minutes a night clearly broke me. I'm pretty sure I can produce a few minutes of content every now and again." [Image credit: Phil McCarten/Associated Press]
