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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.
How to watch the Super Bowl: A cord-cutter’s guide
We all know you don't have to be a fan of American football to watch the Super Bowl. The NFL's Big Game, which this year will be played between the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams, goes beyond the sport. Even if you don't like who's playing (we're looking at you, Tom Brady), the Super Bowl is the perfect excuse to get together with friends and enjoy a day full of seven-layer dip, chicken wings and, of course, booze. Thankfully, in 2019, the NFL is making it easy for everyone in the US to watch Super Bowl LIII, even if you don't have a cable or satellite account.
Amazon unveils ad-supported IMDb video streaming service
It's been rumored that Amazon has been working on an ad-supported video streaming service, similar to what's offered from Vudu and Roku, and now the service has officially launched. Variety reports that IMDb Freedive, as the streaming service is called, currently lists around 130 movies and 29 TV titles, but that Amazon plans to add more series and films on an ongoing basis.
Hiding in plain sight: The YouTubers' crowdfunding piracy
I never imagined I would be watching Kitchen Nightmares, starring the world-renowned chef Gordon Ramsay, in my downtime on YouTube. I knew of Ramsay and his ruthlessness from shows like Hell's Kitchen, but I had never heard of Kitchen Nightmares until a few weeks ago, when an episode popped up on YouTube's Trending section. Next thing you know, I'm hooked and watching full episodes of it on my phone instead of the usual sneaker videos. But aside from Ramsay's rants at owners of filthy restaurants, something else caught my attention -- these uploads weren't from Fox, which owns the rights to the show in the US. Instead, they were from an unofficial channel called "Kitchen Nightmares Hotel Hell and Hell's Kitchen." And as if that wasn't brazen enough, the owner explicitly asked viewers for donations to fund the uploading of copyrighted content.
Dolby’s Dimension headphones bring home theater sound to your ears
For more than 50 years, Dolby's brand has been synonymous with top-of-the-line audio (and visual) quality. Its innovations in the space, including recent technologies like the Atmos immersive sound, can be experienced in movie theaters and living rooms around the globe. But Dolby has become a household name without actually building its own consumer products. It's always worked with third-party manufacturers on the hardware used to deliver its tech to your ears. That changes, though, with the introduction of Dolby Dimension. They're a pair of over-ear wireless headphones designed with a particular set of people in mind: video-streaming binge watchers.
Twitch streamers are getting Snap's AR selfie filters
As part of its Snap Camera announcement, Snap Inc. has revealed a partnership with Twitch that will bring augmented reality Lenses to users of the video-streaming site. This will give Twitch streamers access to thousands of Snapchat-style selfie filters, including those made by Snap and independent Lens Studio creators. There's no need for users to have a Snapchat account, though the company is hoping to drive Twitch viewers to its mobile app by letting them unlock Lenses that their favorite streamers are "wearing" during a stream. You just have to scan a Snapcode that shows up on the big screen.
Apple snags Steve Carell for one of its upcoming shows
Last year, Apple announced a Reese Witherspoon- and Jennifer Aniston-led drama as part of its growing slate of original shows, and now Steve Carell has signed on to the project. Still unnamed, the series centers on a morning TV show, and Carell will play an anchor who's trying to figure out how to remain relevant in an ever-changing media landscape. Apple has ordered two 10-episode seasons, and the show is scheduled to start filming next week, Deadline reports.
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.
Google's Chromecast gets a new look
Since its debut in 2013, Google's Chromecast has been the little streaming engine that could. It was cheap, at just $35, and gave consumers an easy way to stream video on older TVs. Now with its third-generation Chromecast (which was thoroughly leaked weeks ago), Google isn't changing the formula much. It's still $35, and it still relies on your phone as a remote control. While we initially thought the addition of 5GHz WiFi was new, it turns out that was also on the 2015 model. So really, this is just a slight design refresh, with matte cases instead of glossy ones.
Walmart taps MGM to create original shows for its Vudu service
Walmart is bringing original programming to its Vudu video streaming service and it's partnering with MGM to do so. The studio will develop original, family-friendly series for the platform, with the first expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2019. The new content will be hosted by Vudu's ad-supported Movies On Us service.
Amazon is reportedly working on an ad-supported video service
Amazon is working on an ad-supported video service that would be available to users of its Fire TV devices, The Information reports. According to people familiar with the matter, the service will tentatively be called Free Dive and is being developed by the company's IMDB subsidiary. It will likely feature older TV shows and Amazon is reportedly in licensing talks with major studios.
Both CBS All Access tiers are available on Amazon Channels
In January, Amazon added the commercial-free version of CBS All Access, the network's subscription streaming service, to Prime Video Channels. Now, the $6 limited commercial tier is available as well. Earlier this month, Deadline reports, CBS CEO Les Moonves said that having All Access available through Amazon definitely impacted subscriber rates. "Amazon has been absolutely amazing in terms of growing our subs," he said. The company now aims to have 16 million All Access and Showtime subscribers by 2022.
Hulu’s ‘Castle Rock’ will return for a second season
Hulu's Castle Rock, the anthology series from JJ Abrams and Stephen King, will return for a second season. The streaming service announced the renewal today, just shortly after the first season's premiere. Hulu also said that the show, which will drop its sixth episode on Wednesday, had the most successful first-season launch of any of its originals to date in terms of reach and consumption.
Facebook's 'shared viewing' video feature is coming to all groups
Facebook has made it clear that it wants to make video a crucial part of its business, as it looks to compete with the likes of YouTube, Amazon and Netflix. And, over the past few months, the company's been making changes to help it get there, launching new features aimed at making videos more social. One of those is Watch Party, an experimental tool introduced in January that lets members of Facebook groups watch videos together and simultaneously. That shared watching experience, which works with both live and pre-recorded videos, was only available to select users when it was first announced, but now Facebook is bringing it to every group worldwide.
UK video streaming subscribers topple pay-TV for the first time
Popular online streaming services like Amazon Prime and Netflix are for the first time outshining traditional pay-TV in Britain.
World Cup tweets were viewed 115 billion times
Twitter had high hopes that the World Cup would be a big hit on its platform. The previous games in 2014 happened before the platform released video features, but this time around, it secured a deal with the event's US rights holder Fox Sports, as well as others across the world, for exclusive content like highlight clips and interviews. As the dust settles following the French team's triumph over underdog Croatia's squad in Sunday's final game, Twitter has released its own numbers to give us an idea how the World Cup went for the platform.
Walmart might get into the crowded video-subscription business
Walmart is considering a subscription video-streaming service, The Information reports, that could be set up as a rival to Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. Sources familiar with the company's discussions about the prospect told the publication that such a service, if launched, could be priced to undercut the subscriptions offered by the popular video-streaming companies, putting it below Netflix's current $8 to $14 plan range and Amazon's $9 per month Prime Video subscription. That would price it below Hulu's $8 and $12 streaming library plans, as well. Walmart is also reportedly considering a free, ad-supported service.
Comcast will limit Xfinity Mobile video streaming resolution
Xfinity Mobile customers will soon see a change to their video streams. In the coming weeks, videos streamed using cellular data will be limited to 480p resolution, a move that other carriers including T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint have implemented for certain plans in the past. Videos streamed over WiFi won't be affected by the change and Comcast says that it will offer the option to stream 720p video over cellular data for an added fee later this year. Until that plan becomes available, customers who would like to continue streaming video at 720p will be able to do so for no charge, they'll just have to call the carrier in order to set that up. Additionally, users with an unlimited plan will see their hotspot speeds capped at 600 Kbps.
The Premier League is coming to UK Amazon Prime
Amazon Prime will show live Premier League matches from 2019 in the UK. The technology giant has bought a football package that will give it exclusive TV -- or in this case, streaming -- rights for 20 games per season, from 2019/20 to 2021/22. These cover some midweek fixtures in early December, and the games taking place over the Bank Holiday (Boxing Day). Earlier this year, the Premier League announced that it had sold five out of seven TV packages in the UK. BT bought one bundle, worth 32 games, while Sky secured four, representing 128 matches. Today, the league confirmed that Amazon and BT have secured the final two TV packages.
Fox Sports' World Cup Highlight Machine is powered by IBM's Watson
We're only ten days away from the start of the FIFA World Cup 2018. And for soccer (er, football) fans in the US, Fox Sports will be the TV network responsible for bringing them all 64 games from Russia, at least if they want to watch them in English. But, beyond its broadcast offerings, Fox Sports wants to keep people engaged in the competition in different ways. Aside from its partnership with Twitter, which comes in the form of a show that'll stream live from Russia, Fox Sports has teamed up with IBM to build the ultimate World Cup Highlight Machine. Powered by Watson artificial intelligence, this video hub lets you create on-demand clips from every FIFA World Cup tournament dating back to 1958.
