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Comedy Central, MTV and more are coming to Hulu’s live TV service
14 more ViacomCBS networks are on the way under an expanded deal.
CBS All Access adds 70 shows from BET, Comedy Central, MTV and more
ViacomCBS adds over 3,500 episodes from 70 shows to CBS All Access.
YouTube TV costs $65 a month after yet another price increase
The base plan has jumped up $15 since the last hike in April 2019.
YouTube TV is adding 14 ViacomCBS channels to its lineup
Thanks to an expanded, multi-year distribution agreement between Google and ViacomCBS, YouTube TV will add another 14 channels.
BET+ starts streaming on September 19th
After it was first teased at the start of the summer without a release date, we now know BET+ will now launch on September 19th. We also have a price: the ad-free streaming service will set you back $9.99 per month.
TheScore's sports-betting app is live, but only in New Jersey
Sports hub theScore announced today that it is launching a new betting app, aptly called theScore Bet. The app, available for both Android and iOS, will be the first mobile sportsbook operated by a media company in the United States. However, placing bets will only be available for sports fans located in New Jersey, where online sports gambling is now legal.
BET+ streaming service launches this fall with Tyler Perry's help
The rumor was true -- BET is launching a streaming service. The newly official BET+ is due to launch in the fall and will work closely with Tyler Perry Studios to offer a host of African American-focused on-demand video to subscribers. In addition to a "curated" library of videos from BET, Viacom and Perry (expect lots of Madea), it'll also provide some online-only originals. You can expect Tracy Oliver's TV remake of the classic comedy First Wives Club, a show from Will Packer and, of course, fresh shows from Perry.
BET is reportedly launching its own TV streaming service
After debuting a mobile streaming service in 2016, BET is reportedly joining the TV streaming market with the launch of a standalone streaming service called BET+.
Viacom launches studio dedicated to shows for YouTube and Facebook
Viacom has come a long, long way from the days when online video was seemingly its mortal enemy. The media giant has formally launched Digital Studios, a wing dedicated to (you guessed it) original internet shows. The initial programs in the works are all attached to familiar names like BET, Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon, and will be available across services like Facebook Watch, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube -- it won't just involve the previously unveiled Snapchat plans.
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."
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.
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.
BET brings live broadcasts to its iOS and Android apps
Nowadays, most TV networks offer live and on-demand content through mobile apps, including their own and those from service providers like Time Warner Cable, Dish and DirecTV. Today, just as ABC and others have done, BET is set to start broadcasting live on its iOS and Android applications, making it easy for fans of the channel to keep up with their favorite shows while on the go. The BET NOW app has served up access to on-demand programming for quite some time, but the addition of a live video feed will likely put a smile on the face of BET viewers.
DirecTV and Viacom disagree on their disagreements, standoff continues
Seeing that DirecTV and Viacom can't even agree on the number of channels that have gone off the air (one says 17, the other 26) as a result of their deal expiring last week, it's no surprise that the two are continuing to challenge each other's statements on every element of the negotiations. The latest tiff? DirecTV claims it has "accepted all material terms...including an increase that was more than fair" for the channels that were pulled, but accuses Viacom of trying to force an addition of the Epix channel package at a cost of around half a billion dollars. Viacom, for its part, calls the statement a "complete work of fiction" and accuses DirecTV of creating more obstacles in the way of a compromise. Both point of views are linked below, we figure DirecTV customers will have plenty of time to read them while they're busy not watching the new episodes of Workaholics and Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta until this is resolved.
Viacom channels disappear from DirecTV after the two companies can't reach a deal
As we feared, DirecTV and Viacom didn't work things out and before the clock struck midnight ET, all of the network's feeds went dark for the satellite company's customers. Of course, both sides are throwing barbs with Viacom saying DirecTV was not interested in engaging in "meaningful conversation" and that their last contact was at 11AM. On DirecTV's side, it's claiming it sent proposals but never heard anything back and as such was forced to pull the channels. Viacom has been running ads and notices all day to make sure kids big and little call DirecTV to apply pressure about missing their television shows. DirecTV is firing back with the Kids Mix channel (shown above) that replaces the pulled children's programming and points out content on other stations, and even suggests customers check out sources like Amazon Prime or Netflix to keep watching their shows in the meantime. There's no telling who may blink first, or when, but you can look at each company's statement and hear the sabres rattling for yourself after the break. Any bets as to who will work out a deal first between these two and Dish Network / AMC?
DirecTV vs. Viacom squabble could see MTV, Comedy Central and 16 others go dark at midnight
The latest participants in the carriage dispute dance are DirecTV and Viacom, with the two companies attempting to reach a new agreement before their existing one expires tonight. If they don't, the network's 26 channels (MTV, BET, VH1, Spike TV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon etc.) could be cut off at midnight. As usual, each has its own side of the argument with Viacom claiming DirecTV has been underpaying for years, while DirecTV accuses Viacom of seeking an increase that will add up to a billion dollars in a year and is responsible for pulling the channels while negotiations continue. We're not particularly sympathetic to the plight of either corporate behemoth (or optimistic that any savings will ever reach customer's pockets) but if you must support one over the other then there's plenty of propaganda to be found at the links below. This may not be as crucial as Dish Network's (potentially) Breaking Bad-interrupting tiff with AMC, but if we have to miss an episode of Workaholics or Awkward it's going to be bad for everyone. Update: We've revised the total channel count from 26 as Viacom stated to 18 -- as much as we like HD feeds, we don't usually count them twice. [Thanks, AJ]
Twitter brings expanded news tweets to the web, makes skimming articles all too easy (update: Lytro too)
While Twitter has had expanded tweets for photos and videos, it's been necessary to click through to full news articles to see any of their content, sometimes even for the headline. A newly-launched update to the desktop and mobile web versions of Twitter is making that at-a-glance reading easier. Major traditional outlets like the New York Times, Der Spiegel or Time now show a brief snippet of an article when the linking tweet is given a click. More Internet-focused sources such as BuzzFeed and TMZ are also in the batch, and videos from the likes of BET and Dailymotion will play in-line. Android and iPhone users will see the same expansion from their native apps in the near future, although we're already weeping quietly for attention spans everywhere. Update: If you're craving shots taken with a Lytro camera, the company has revealed that its interactive, infinite-focus photos are included in the expanded tweet collection.
Netflix adds more Viacom videos for streaming including stuff for kids and bigger kids
There was a notable update to the Netflix Watch Instantly streaming catalog today, and it consisted almost entirely of content from the various Viacom networks (MTV, BET, VH1, Spike, Logo, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon). According to a post on the official blog, you can now view new shows like Yo Gabba Gabba, The Buried Life and The City as well as additional episodes of shows like iCarly, True Jackson VP and Dora the Explorer. Unfortunately quite a bit of the content maxes out in SD resolution simply because it was made that way, but it was interesting to note that the second season of Jersey Shore made is among the growing segment of shows with optional English subtitles.
BET's 106 & Park app impresses with promotion and social network integration
There were a few interesting apps demonstrated at the LA AppShow last night, but the one that most interested me was an app that Black Entertainment Television's Brandon Lucas showed off: the official app for the network's 106 & Park music video show. BET teamed up with developers Bottle Rocket to make it, and I don't think I've seen a more interesting combination of old school media (in this case, a popular cable network) and new school mobile programming. 106 & Park is a daily music video request/pop culture show. Lucas described it as the BET version of MTV's Total Request Live (which itself was the MTV version of Casey Kasem's radio countdown show). 106 & Park (named for the original studio location in Harlem) runs for two hours every weekday, and Lucas said his company wanted to design an app for their very mobile-aware viewers that could be used not only to promote the show, but also to drive engagement with the network at large and to "go for a whole new level of interactivity" with the way these things are done. So what they decided to do was deep dive into how their viewers watched the show and interacted with each other. From that came a whole bunch of fascinating features, from some really surprising social media integration to even a "fame lottery," which allows their on-air personalities to directly connect with app users.
