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America’s cash-free future is just around the corner
Shake Shack's next burger joint at Astor Place in NYC doesn't want your money -- at least not the physical variety. In an effort to reduce the "friction time" between paying for your meal and eating it, the company plans to replace human cashiers for automated kiosks which won't accept actual bills and coins, only cards. This move is part of a global trend away from cash-based economies and towards Star Wars-style credits. But could such a monetary revolution actually benefit all Americans? Don't bet on it.
WSJ: Discovery, AMC and Viacom try a sports-free streaming bundle
The already crowded field of "skinny bundles" will soon feature another service vying for your attention (and wallet). As The Wall Street Journal reports, a host of broadcast networks are reportedly soft launching a new streaming platform stocked with their entertainment channels. Discovery Communications, Viacom Inc., A+E Networks, AMC Networks, and Scripps Networks Interactive will all be part of the service. But, the likes of ESPN and Fox Sports won't. That's because the new offering, dubbed 'Philo', will be a sports-free zone.
'Are Aligned' turns VR into a party game anyone can enjoy
There's no doubt that VR can be an isolating experience. When you've got a headset and headphones on, you're effectively blocked out from the world. That's something developer Danny Dang wants to fix with Are Aligned, a virtual reality party game he developed during Viacom Next's Music + VR Fellowship. He's hoping to recapture the magic of a party mainstay like Twister by merging together VR with a game anyone can hop into on a whim.
Discovery acquires HGTV parent company in $14.6 billion TV deal
Discovery Communications is acquiring Scripps Networks Interactive in a $14.6 billion deal announced today. Once finalized, Discovery will produce around 8,000 hours of original programming yearly and 7 billion short-form video streams monthly. It will also control approximately 20 percent of ad-supported, pay-TV audiences in the US and host eight of viewers' top 10 favorite channels.
Musical.ly debuts original mini-shows from NBC and MTV
Musical.ly debuts its first original shows today -- the first of a few it will be rolling out over the coming weeks. The company has signed original content deals with entertainment groups Viacom, NBCUniversal and Hearst Magazines.
Viacom is working on a low-cost, sports-free TV package
The cable industry continues to struggle mightily against being neutered by a generation of cord cutters. In that effort, Viacom CEO Bob Bakish announced on Monday that his company is working to develop a low-cost "entertainment pack" for its customers that forgoes high-fee sports and broadcast stations.
NBC and Viacom are making original shows for Musical.ly
Musical.ly might have professionally made original shows to offer along with user-produced content sometime in the future. According to Bloomberg, the music video app is currently talking to Viacom and Comcast's NBCUniversal about creating original programming for its users. Musical.ly is reportedly interested in interactive shows that encourage the community to participate instead of heavily produced ones. The publication's sources didn't get more specific than that, only noting that the Chinese company's purpose is to widen its appeal by offering videos that focus on, say, comedy or sports.
MGM spends $1 billion to take full control of the Epix channel
Epix has long been the baby of four studios (Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount and Viacom), but it's about to have just one parent. MGM has bought out the stakes of its partners for just over $1 billion, giving it full control over the internet-friendly, movie-focused TV channel. The move will still see Lionsgate and Paramount supplying first-run movies as part of "multi-year" deals, so don't panic about a sudden dearth of content -- this is more about a changing media landscape than any kind of feud.
Hulu adds A&E, History and Viceland to its live TV lineup
Hulu's live TV streaming service, set to debut later this spring, just got an even bigger channel selection. On Friday, Hulu announced a new partnership to add the A+E Networks family of six channels, including A&E, History, Lifetime and Viceland, but the additions come with a few tradeoffs. According to Bloomberg, Viacom has reportedly backed away from a potential Hulu deal, meaning the service could lose access to content from Comedy Central and Nickelodeon.
Viacom's new boss nixes streaming services scheme
If you were hoping to see current Daily Show episodes on Hulu, you're likely out of luck in the short run. Viacom's new CEO, Bob Bakish, explained the company's new strategy in an earnings call Thursday, saying that he wants to "reinforce the value of the pay TV ecosystem."
PlayStation Vue drops all Viacom channels
If you're a subscriber to Sony's PlayStation Vue streaming service, here's some bad news: it's discontinuing all Viacom content starting November 11th. That means that channels like Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Spike will no longer be available on Vue. In a blog post, the company stated that the decision was "the best way for us to continue to offer the most compelling value to our fans," which suggests that cost could've been an issue.
Websites settle with New York over online child tracking
Some of the biggest child-oriented websites are learning a hard lesson about the importance of respecting kids' privacy. New York state has reached settlements with Hasbro, JumpStart Games, Mattel and Viacom for violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting personal information from kids under 13. They'll all have to reform their sites (such as those for Hot Wheels, Neopets and Nickelodeon) to honor COPPA's safeguards and screen third-party trackers. JumpStart, Mattel and Viacom will also have to pay a collective $835,000 in penalties and provide regular reports on their scan results. Hasbro is dodging those bullets only because it's part of an FTC-sanctioned safe harbor program.
BET gets its own mobile streaming service
Viacom is making good on its promise to parcel out its channels as individual services for cord cutters. It's launching a BET Play app that lets you watch the network's black culture programming for $4 per month on your Android and iOS devices. You'll largely end up watching shows like Chasing Destiny or Real Husbands of Hollywood on demand, but there is a smattering of live content. It has a live feed of BET Soul's music, and it'll be the only official way to livestream the BET Awards (conveniently, taking place on June 26th).
Sling TV debuts its new look on Apple TV
Apple's TV box is getting more internet TV friendly with the addition of Sling TV, but that's not the end of the announcements today. Apple TV will be the first platform with Sling's new "content-centric" UI. A big addition is the "My TV" section, which lets users pick favorite channels or easily resume watching a particular show, as well as other overall improvements. Sling's deal with Apple also means it will let subscribers buy a 32GB Apple TV for $89 -- if they prepay for three months of Sling's $20/month service. It's an odd way to build in what amounts to three free months of Sling, but that's what it will be when it goes live here.
Viacom Labs' first projects focus on boosting fan interaction
Lots of brands have R&D labs these days to try out concepts and strategies, like Sony's Future Lab that gets user input on product prototypes. Programming titan Viacom is no exception, with a new experimental department that focuses specifically on boosting fan interaction. Today it announced that Viacom Labs' first set of partners will includeAirBnB and GIPHY, along with a creators-in-residence program for artists to "explore ideas" with Viacom content.
Comedy Central, BET, MTV, more Viacom networks will hit Sling TV
Viacom networks Comedy Central, BET, MTV, Spike, Nick Jr. and others will land on Dish's streaming service, Sling TV, in the coming months. These channels will be available in single-stream and multi-stream packages, though there's no word on specific bundles just yet. It's all part of a deal Viacom and Dish hashed out last night, just before their previous contract expired, and it ensures Viacom's current lineup of 18 channels will remain on Dish satellite TV.
Cablevision and Viacom settle their lawsuits over channel bundling
And just like that, Cablevision's feud with Viacom over channel bundling is over. The two TV giants have settled their antitrust lawsuits with promises that they're making "mutually beneficial business arrangements." Neither side is saying what those arrangements are, however, and it's not clear whether or not Cablevision is getting a better deal than what it had in 2012. This ruckus started because Cablevision didn't like being forced to carry niche Viacom channels to get the big channels it wanted -- this whole exercise would be pointless if the company didn't get either a discount or more control. With that said, it wouldn't be shocking if Cablevision's soon-to-be owner, Altice, pushed for a hasty compromise to prevent the lawsuits (and the resulting government scrutiny) from interfering with its big purchase. [Image credit: Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Nickelodeon's standalone streaming service is coming in February
With networks announcing new streaming options on the regular, Nickelodeon is set to reveal a standalone service of its own. During an investor call this morning, Viacom chief Philippe Dauman said the kid-friendly channel will announce its subscription plans in February, targeting mobile devices. Details are scarce for now, but we should hear more soon, as the first of the month is imminent. HBO and CBS have already revealed their plans for cord cutters, and both AMC and ESPN are rumored to be mulling similar models, too. Of course, Nickelodeon will have to compete with the likes of Amazon and Netflix who already offer dedicated streams for younger viewers, included with subscriptions that parents are already paying for. [Photo credit: Shearer/Invision/AP]
Hulu adds old episodes from Comedy Central, Nickelodeon and more
If you're like me, you regularly enjoy catching up on favorites from Comedy Central via Hulu. But what about the older stuff? Well, after extending its partnership with Viacom, the streaming service is adding a lot more content for your viewing pleasure. Shows from Nickelodeon will be available for the first time -- including popular items like Hey Arnold! and The Ren & Stimpy Show. The library of previous seasons will benefit as well, with a backlog of Key & Peele, Tosh.0, Mob Wives and more being added "over the next few weeks." Of course, current episodes will continue to be a few clicks away, keeping you up to date on The Daily Show and others.
Verizon's new FiOS deal will let you watch Comedy Central away from home
Verizon is about to make it much easier to catch The Daily Show when you can't reach your TV on time. As part of a renewed carriage deal, Big Red will let you watch all of Viacom's live channels (including Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon) through the FiOS Mobile app when you're away from home. You'll also have access to all of Viacom's authenticated TV Everywhere services, so you'll get to stream on-demand shows through a wide array of apps and devices. There's more on the way, too. Verizon says the renewal will let it offer a mysterious bundle of "marquee content" nationwide to its wireless customers -- even if they don't have FiOS -- and it expects to roll out "innovative new TV packages" that better match viewers' tastes. We doubt the channel bundle will disappear entirely any time soon but we'd welcome more choices and, hopefully, lower prices. [Image credit: AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster]
