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YouTube helps advertisers target TV cord cutters
Do you watch YouTube instead of TV, rather than alongside it? Like it or not, marketers will soon have a better shot at targeting you. YouTube has revealed that it will soon give advertisers the chance to target viewers who either watch little in the way of conventional TV or watch YouTube on TV. To begin with, it's introducing an AdWords category called "light TV viewers" -- that is, cord cutters who watch most or all of their video online. In the months ahead, YouTube will also give a range of advertisers the option of targeting TV screens, not just mobile devices and PCs.
ESPN+ now streams on Roku devices
ESPN+ launched on seemingly every platform under the Sun except for one: Roku. That's something of a glaring omission, isn't it? Thankfully, ESPN has been quick on the draw. ESPN+ has gone live through a new ESPN channel on Roku devices, giving you the same live sports (though sadly, no eSports) and on-demand shows whether you're using a dedicated player or a Roku-enabled TV.
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.
YouTube TV’s price goes up to $40 per month tomorrow
Today is your last day to get YouTube TV for $35 per month. Tomorrow, the price increases to $40 per month, putting it in line with similar services such as Sony's PS Vue and Hulu's live TV plan. YouTube TV launched last April in a limited number of markets, but since then, it has grown significantly in both reach and offerings. Google announced the planned price increase last month as it added a number of new channels, including TNT, TBS, Cartoon Network and CNN to the service. Those who subscribe before March 13th will retain the $35 per month price.
Amazon now streams UFC pay-per-view fights
Amazon really isn't shy about its ambitions for live sports streaming. The tech firm is now selling access to pay-per-view UFC matches, starting with the March 3rd bout between Cris Cyborg and Yana Kunitskaya. If you're willing to drop $65, you can watch fights on any device that can play Prime Video -- although you won't need a Prime subscription. You won't need a TV subscription or a UFC Fight Pass, either.
YouTube TV snags rights to local Los Angeles FC soccer broadcasts
You can certainly watch sports on cord-cutting TV services, but major sports exclusives? Not until now. YouTube TV has reached a deal that makes it the official live TV and video partner for Major League Soccer's brand new team, the Los Angeles Football Club. The streaming service will be the only place for Angelenos to watch all locally televised English-language LAFC games, and it'll also carry all nationally broadcast games on ESPN, Fox and FS1. The deal will be impossible to ignore regardless of how you watch -- players will have YouTube TV's logo "prominently" plastered on their jerseys.
Comcast's Xfinity app will be available on Sony smart TVs in 2018
It's a strange time in the world of cable television, with more people cutting the cord these days and an ever-increasing amount of internet-enabled devices (like Apple TV and Roku) and smart TVs. Venerable cable companies like Viacom have to to find ways to get their content out to where the viewers actually are. Comcast is in the same boat, which is why it makes sense that the cable business is partnering with Sony to get its Xfinity app on the television-maker's Android-based sets.
AT&T is making an Android-powered DirecTV streaming hub
AT&T might not rely solely on other companies' devices to pipe DirecTV Now and other forms of internet-only video into your home. Variety has unearthed a new FCC filing for an Android TV-powered set-top box dubbed the "AT&T/DirecTV Wireless 4K OTT Client." Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? The hardware isn't much to look at, but the manual talks about a voice-guided remote with touchpad as well as full access to Google Play. In other words, this is really a general-purpose Android media player that happens to be focused on services like DirecTV. You could just as easily use it to watch Hulu or Netflix, if that's your inclination. And no, there's no connectors to plug into DirecTV's satellite services.
Plex News launches to keep cord-cutters informed for free
Plex has continued to grow beyond its simple media playback roots, and today it adds another new feature that brings something extra to your library of video, music and pictures: news. Plex News builds on the acquisition of Watchup earlier this year by using a machine learning-powered system for finding news from 190+ publisher partners (including CNN, CBS and Al Jazeera) that it presents to you -- for free. The ad-supported service is ready for you to personalize, but it can also use that AI brain to monitor what you like and get smarter about finding related content -- which may be linked to recent privacy policy changes.
Hulu adds the CW to its live TV service
If you're using Hulu's new live TV service for your cord-cutting needs, you'll find a new network available soon. Hulu just announced that the CW (home to shows like Jane The Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Supergirl, Arrow and The Flash) will be available to stream live. That's the fifth major broadcast network to join Hulu, alongside Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC. Naturally, this means you'll be able to watch any of those aforementioned CW shows live when they air; additionally, Hulu will be adding the local station broadcasts so that you'll see the same programming that you'd see when watching over the air.
ESPN will stream big-name boxing matches under a new deal
Many eyes might be focused on a certain hyped-up boxing match this weekend, but ESPN just struck a deal that could be more important in the long run for fisticuffs fans. The sports broadcaster has forged a multi-year agreement that will make it the exclusive home of Top Rank boxing matches in North America. And importantly, that includes airing fights both on TV and online, in virtually every format ESPN (and its Canadian counterparts TSN and RDS) can offer -- you'll see bouts both through the ESPN app as well as the upcoming standalone streaming service.
Sling TV adds pay-per-view events starting with UFC 214
SlingTV is taking another step toward replicating the traditional pay-TV experience: Offering pay-per-view events. If you're impatient, know that it starts this weekend with UFC 214, so you won't have too long to wait before testing it out for yourself.
Comcast's live TV streaming service could launch by year’s end
Earlier this year, rumors circulated that Comcast was planning to launch Xfinity Instant TV, a live TV streaming service for Comcast internet customers that don't have a cable package. During an earnings conference call today, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke said the service could be launched before the year's end, though no official date was set.
PlayStation Vue's $10 sports add-on includes NFL RedZone
You already get a healthy dose of sports with a PlayStation Vue subscription, but what if you need more? Sony is happy to help. It just launched a $10 per month Sports Pack that adds 13 channels, including season-specific and regional networks. It's particularly big for football fans: you'll get the game day-focused NFL RedZone and (for college games) ESPN Goal Line. ESPN Bases Loaded provides a college baseball fix during the NCAA championship, ESPN Classic offers on-demand sports and Outside TV caters to the adventurous crowd.
PlayStation Vue drops its cheapest packages, now starts at $40
Until now, in some areas, PlayStation Vue offered "Slim" versions of its streaming TV packages that dropped local TV channels and cost $10 less than the standard options. Now, as it's rolled out local broadcasts from more networks and in more places it has pulled the plug on those Slim options. Without the $30 per month Slim Access bundle, now its cheapest offering is the standard Access package that costs $40 per month.
Tablo easily turns Android TV boxes into standalone DVRs
If you already have a TV antenna and an Android TV box like the NVIDIA Shield, then you're very close to having everything you need for a DIY Tablo DVR. Instead of picking up one of the company's boxes that can start at $180, now you can simply add its $70 USB dual-tuner device, install the free Tablo Engine app and start watching TV. At first, tuner buyers will get access to six months of guide data for free. Once the introductory period is over, however, while they can watch live TV and view up to 24 hours of guide data without a subscription, accessing 14 days of the guide and getting a one-click record option will come at a cost. The price is $4 per month, or $40 paid annually.
You won't need cable to watch the Premier League next season
Good news for football fans in the US who love the English Premier League: NBC Sports has announced a standalone streaming package that will include 130 games, both live and on-demand, from the upcoming 2017-2018 campaign. The Premier League Pass, which is set to cost $50 per season starting in August, is definitely going to appeal to cord-cutters all over the country -- especially since they'll be able to watch on their desktop, smartphone, tablet and TV with a compatible set-top box. Bye bye, illegal streams.
Mohu's latest indoor antenna has a 65-mile range
Mohu has something new for all of the cord-cutters out there. The company has upgraded its indoor Leaf antenna and the new version delivers a 65-mile reception range. That's up from the 50-mile range of the previous model. Mohu says that its SignaLift technology puts the Leaf Glide more on par with outdoor antennas. The Leaf Glide is also a little bit bigger at 21.5 inches by 11.5 inches, allowing it to pick up lower frequency bands.
Netflix has more American subscribers than cable TV
If it wasn't already clear that Netflix has become a mainstay of the American media landscape, it is now. A combination of official data with Leichtman Research estimates shows that, as of the first quarter of 2017, there are more Netflix subscribers in the US (50.85 million) than there are customers for major cable TV networks (48.61 million). This doesn't make it bigger than TV as a whole (the figures don't include 33.19 million satellite viewers), but it's still a big milestone for a streaming service that had half as may users 5 years ago.
Tablo's new Dual DVR is ready to record right out of the box
The original Tablo box debuted in 2013, pitched as a DVR for cord-cutters that could stream TV nearly anywhere, and now the company is back with a second generation version. The Tablo Dual is redesigned to fit everything in a smaller case with no fans for quieter operation, and also manages to squeeze in 64GB of memory. That means new users can start recording TV right away, without needing to plug in extra storage (although it does support to 8TB).
