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Viacom buys streaming startup Pluto TV for $340 million
Cable giant Viacom is buying the ad-supported streaming startup Pluto TV for $340 million in cash, with plans to turn it into the home for its slew of programmes. Expect shows and films from Viacom's properties -- including Paramount Pictures, MTV, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central -- to hit Pluto TV as part of the buyout.
Fox News will debut its subscription service on November 27th
Earlier this year, Fox revealed that it had plans to launch a paid streaming service for fans of its conservative news channel. Fox Nation will launch on Tuesday, November 27th, and will cost $6 per month. For those interest in paying yearly, it will be priced at $65 per year.
Canelo Álvarez signs $365 million contract with streaming service DAZN
Multiple world champion Canelo Álvarez has signed a staggering 11-fight, five year, $365 million contract with DAZN, a streaming service dedicated to sports. This beats out the previous record holder, Giancarlo Stanton, who signed a 13-year contract with the Miami Marlins for $325 million.
Facebook and MTV are revamping 'The Real World'
Facebook's big push into original video content is only getting stronger. Less than two months after the worldwide launch of its Watch streaming service, which is also trying to lure in independent creators, the company is making some major show announcements. For starters, Facebook is now teaming up with MTV on a "reimagined" version of the popular reality series The Real World, which will have an interactive, social component that'll let viewers vote one housemate onto the show before it airs. The new seasons of The Real World, set to debut exclusively on Facebook Watch in 2019, will be produced in Mexico, Thailand and, of course, the United States.
FX+ streaming service opens up to all of FX's cable subscribers
If you're an FX or FXX fan who'd love to watch the networks' shows wherever you are without ads, you'll be pleased to know the FX+ streaming service is opening up to all of FX's 90 million US cable subscribers. Until now, only Comcast and Cox customers could use the add-on service.
ESPN+ will stream exclusive UFC fights next year
Starting next year, ESPN's subscription streaming service ESPN+ will host a variety of UFC content including events, pre- and post-event shows and original series. ESPN announced the multi-year deal this week and it will go into effect in January. "UFC is a premier global sports property with legions of incredibly avid fans," ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. "We are excited to be able to bring their world-class events and content to ESPN+ and the ESPN networks."
CBS All Access and its exclusive shows are now available in Canada
CBS' subscription on-demand streaming service is now available in Canada. It's the first launch of CBS All Access outside of the US and it will give Canadian residents access to new episodes of current shows seven days after they air, past seasons of 15 series including NCIS, Survivor and Madam Secretary, All Access originals like The Good Fight and older series such as Charmed and The Good Wife. Subscribers will also be able to stream CBS' 24/7 news service, CBSN.
Sports Illustrated TV will start streaming on more platforms
Sports Illustrated launched its $5-per-month streaming service last fall exclusively through Amazon Channels, and now it's preparing to open up for a wider release. Soon, users will be able to subscribe directly and watch on Roku, iOS, Android and web browsers. The modestly-priced service won't livestream games to compete with the Disney-backed ESPN+, which just went live, or the upcoming Bleacher Report Live. Instead, Sports Illustrated TV offers its studio shows, sports films and the brand's lauded documentaries.
ESPN+ is the sports-streaming cord-cutters have been waiting for
After months of rumors and speculation about what it would look like or how much it would cost, ESPN's standalone streaming service is finally launching today. It's called ESPN+ and it's priced at $5 a month, which will get you both live and on-demand content that, according to the company, is geared toward underserved sports fans. The first thing you should know about ESPN+ is that it isn't meant to replace the traditional ESPN network but rather is designed to be complementary to it. With the streaming offering, for instance, you won't have access to ESPN's flagship show, SportsCenter. Instead, ESPN+ will have its own original programming, including shows that will focus on news, scores and highlights about specific sports and leagues.
ESPN's standalone sports streaming service launches April 12th
We already knew Disney was planning to debut its standalone ESPN streaming service this spring and how much it would cost, but now we know exactly when it will arrive. The network announced today that its ESPN+ subscription will debut April 12th. On that date, you can expect to tap into a library of sports content that includes live event coverage, ESPN originals and on-demand options for $5 a month.
ESPN+ will host a documentary series on NBA rookies
ESPN has ordered a documentary series for its upcoming streaming service that will center on members of the NBA's 2017-18 rookie class, Variety reports. The eight-episode series will follow select players from draft night preparations, to training and through the regular season. "It will be really compelling, access-based programming, bringing fans closer to their favorite athletes, telling the story of the journey of adjusting to life in the NBA on the court and off the court," Connor Schell, ESPN's executive vice president of content, told Variety.
The UK is getting an all-game show streaming service
There are quite a few subscription video on demand services out there these days and there's about to be one more. A trio of media execs have come together to form InQuisiTiVe Media and will soon launch a subscription service all about British quiz shows. IQTV is scheduled to launch in the UK this July and will offer over 100 quiz show titles including Mastermind, Celebrity Mastermind, The Weakest Link, Countdown and Only Connect. Deals with BBC Worldwide, Banijay and Channel 4 will allow it to have an ongoing stream of new episodes. InQuisiTiVe Media was launched by former Zodiak Media CEO Marc-Antoine d'Halluin, former Lovefilm exec Nick James and Rod Henwood former head of the Harry Potter digital platform Pottermore.
Netflix’s ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ returns May 30th
The fourth season of Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has a premiere date, or at least the first half of it does. The show is taking a different route than it has before, releasing the first six episodes ahead of the rest of the season, and the first half will be available to stream starting May 30th. Jane Krakowski, who plays Jacqueline on the show, told the Today show, "We're going to shoot them and get them out as quickly as possible so we don't have to make our fans and audiences wait so long." Season three debuted in May last year.
Viacom says its streaming service will launch this year
Yesterday, Viacom CFO Wade Davis said during an earnings call that the company is planning to launch its own streaming service this year, TechCrunch reports. Davis said that while withholding much of its content from other streaming services has reduced the revenue it could have collected, it also allowed the company to go forward with its own service. "In terms of the amount of content that it's going to have, it's going to have tens of thousands of hours of content that cut across the library we have on a global basis," said Davis. "And it's important to note one of the reasons that we are able to do this is that we've chosen to curtail the amount of content that we license into third-party [business to consumer] experiences."
Disney CEO says their streaming service will be cheaper than Netflix
Back in August during an earnings call, Disney stated that it would start pulling its content off Netflix in order to start a streaming service of its own. The company currently plans to launch it sometime in 2019 and include its expansive film library along with media from its various channels. To compete with Netflix, Disney's streaming service will be cheaper, the company's chairman revealed in yesterday's quarterly earnings call. Partially because it'll have less content, at least to start.
Netflix’s DVD queue app is available on Android
Earlier this year, Netflix released a new app that allows users to manage their DVD queues. That feature had previously been available on Netflix apps until an update in 2011 removed it, but surprisingly the now separate DVD portion of Netflix is still profitable and used by around four million people. So while it may have seemed like a "why now" sort of move, it apparently made sense with so many people still choosing to rent DVDs. However, that app was released in January and only for iOS and it has taken until now for the company to release an Android version.
CBS will stream nine ‘Star Trek’ episodes this year instead of eight
This week, CBS shared some more positive All Access subscription numbers thanks to Star Trek: Discovery and announced that it would be extending the first chapter of season one by one episode. The initial plan was to air eight episodes as part of the first chapter and the remaining seven episodes of the season beginning in January. Now, there will be nine episodes in the first chunk and six airing at the start of next year.
Hulu feeds '90s nostalgia with ‘Boy Meets World’ and 'Dinosaurs'
Back in the '90s, a Friday like today would've brought me endless excitement. Obviously, it meant the weekend had arrived and thus no school and no waking up early. But it also meant TGIF -- the best chunk of programming of the entire week in the opinion of tweens across the country. While TGIF is no more, you will be able to recreate your own lineup tonight if you wish because Hulu has added iconic TGIF series Boy Meets World and Dinosaurs to its streaming service along with Home Improvement. Thank goodness it's Friday.
Disney will shun Netflix for its own streaming service in 2019
Today during an earnings report, Disney announced that it plans to no longer stream its content on Netflix. Instead, it intends to launch its own streaming service sometime in 2019. This comes just a little over a year after the company made Netflix the exclusive streaming service for Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar movies, which brought a lot of new films to the service just last September. Disney, which some have suspected for some time was looking to buy Netflix, will part ways with the company at the beginning of the 2019 theatrical slate.
Kevin Hart’s comedy streaming service launches August 3rd
Last year, Lionsgate announced it would be launching a comedy streaming service helmed by Kevin Hart and today it gets a launch date. Laugh Out Loud will be available August 3rd with a slew of comedy shows lined up to air.
