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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.
PlayStation Vue adds select live Fox primetime shows
PlayStation Vue announced a new live Fox channel in 34 different local areas. Previously, Fox was only available on demand and not as a live feed. While this will replace the current on-demand channel, Vue users will still have access to VOD content from Fox. The service recently lost all Sinclair-owned local networks, many of which were Fox affiliates, in addition to ABC, CBS and NBC
The World Cup is Twitter’s next chance at video dominance
As the 2018 FIFA World Cup gets ready to kick off June 14th, the 32 international teams competing in Russia aren't the only ones preparing for the big event. Fans are too, and Twitter wants to be the online place where they stay up to date on all the action. After striking deal with Fox Sports, the World Cup TV rights holder in the US, Twitter will offer users access to exclusive video content. That includes real-time highlights, player interviews, pre- and post-match press conferences, as well as a daily show called FIFA World Cup Now that will livestream 27 episodes. And outside of the US, Twitter has partnerships for live shows and highlight clips in Australia, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan and the UK.
After Math: Well, that's one way to do it
It was a big week for interesting calls. Facebook is reportedly looking to hop on the cryptocurrency bandwagon, AT&T admitted that it hired Michael Cohen's firm for "insights" into the administration, and somehow enough folks watched the YouTube Karate Kid reboot to earn it a second season. Great job everybody?
NBC picks up 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' after Hulu, Netflix pass
After Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine, fans hoped a streaming service like Netflix or Hulu might pick up the show to extend its run. Tonight members of the cast and crew announced that NBC has chosen to air a 13-episode long season six of the cop sitcom, a move many attributed to fans getting loud and saving the show. Similar to Syfy's recently-canceled The Expanse, an issue with the show on its old network was a lack of streaming rights for past seasons that in this case belong to Hulu. That, in turn, made it less compelling for a service like Netflix. Deadline reported on which networks passed, and notes that at NBC it's a show made by "sister studio" Universal, which does bring in profit from off-network airing and streaming.
'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' may live on with Hulu or Netflix (Update: NBC)
Don't pour one out for Brooklyn Nine-Nine just yet. The canceled sitcom might find a second life, with Hulu and Netflix among its potential new precincts. Soon after Fox tossed Brooklyn Nine-Nine to the curb -- plummeting what seemed like half of the internet into despair -- Hulu, Netflix, TBS and NBC all contacted production company Universal Television to discuss picking up the show, The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported. Update: It's official, season six will air on NBC, after Netflix and Hulu passed on the show.
Twitter and Fox Sports have high hopes for their World Cup live show
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia just around the corner, right holders to the event are starting to share more details about their coverage plans. And, to no surprise to anyone, social media will play a major role in that. Fox Sports, FIFA's English-language broadcast partner in the US, is going all out on Twitter this year with a partnership that includes a daily, 30-minute live show from Russia and bringing near-live highlights to the platform. Twitter, which has around 330 million active users, has been ramping up its sports efforts in recent years, and it plans to use the upcoming World Cup to showcase the power (and potential) of its platform. Just yesterday, the company announced a three-year deal with Major League Soccer to stream 24 games per season.
Comcast tops Fox's bid for UK pay-TV giant Sky
An interesting wrinkle in Disney's deal to acquire most of Fox is that Fox is also in the middle of a deal to buy Sky -- a major telecom company and pay-TV service in the UK. Now Comcast (which includes NBCUniversal) has jumped in the middle of that deal with an offer that values Sky at $31 billion -- that's more than Fox's offer to buy out the 61 percent it doesn't already own, which values the company at about $23.2 billion (£18.5 billion). Fox already has an agreement in place, but that's under review from regulators. Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said his company's offer of £12.50 in cash for each share it buys in Sky is "a significant premium to the 21CF price currently recommended," and that "We would like to own the whole of Sky and we will be looking to acquire over 50% of the Sky shares." Previously rumored to have an interest in acquiring Fox, Comcast is now in a position to complicate Disney's pending arrangement, which would see Disney take ownership of Sky -- assuming everything goes through as planned. If Comcast successfully bids for Sky, then it could give NBCUniversal a better position in the UK.
Fox News' streaming service will cater to 'superfans'
Fox News is joining the ranks of conventional broadcasters launching stand-alone streaming services. The channel has revealed plans for Fox Nation, an internet-only subscription video service for "superfans" of its ultra-conservative programming. The service will focus on opinion shows, and will include special events as well as access to 20 years of back catalog videos that won't be available elsewhere. The service doesn't yet have a price ahead of its debut in the fourth quarter of 2018, although we'd expect it to be relatively inexpensive given that it's an offshoot of a single channel.
Fox Innovation Lab showcases Wes Anderson VR and Movies Anywhere
During CES, Fox Innovation Lab hosted an event focused on tech it's pushing this year, like HDR10+, but the most important parts were a slick VR experience tied to Wes Anderson's Isle of Dogs and discussion of the recently launched Movies Anywhere. While VR experiences built around movies are hardly new, this one took an unusual tack.
The new 'Cosmos' returns for second season in spring 2019
You won't have to wait nearly as long for the second season of the new Cosmos as you did for the first. Fox has announced that Cosmos: Possible Worlds will premiere worldwide in spring 2019, with Fox itself airing the show in the US and National Geographic broadcasting it elsewhere. And yes, the familiar gang from the 2014 series is back. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will host, with Ann Druyan taking charge. Seth MacFarlane, Brannon Braga and Jason Clark will return as executive producers.
Fox Sports expands World Cup coverage to Twitter and Snapchat
Fox Sports is no stranger to leveraging the power of technology alongside its broadcasts. Now, it's expanding its coverage of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup beyond TV, with plans to feature exclusive shows, stories and highlights across Twitter and Snapchat.
Samsung adds another ally in its battle over HDR standards
This isn't exactly taking it back to the days of HD-DVD vs. Blu-ray, but Samsung's fight to push HDR10+ as an alternative to Dolby Vision is heating up. We have more details on how the two standards compare right here, but one main feature is that both improve on regular HDR10 by allowing content makers to dynamically adjust settings from one scene to another, or even from one frame to another.
Disney buys Fox's studios and cable TV channels for $52 billion
After weeks of rumors, the deal is done -- Disney will buy up large chunks of Rupert Murdoch's Fox media empire for $52 billion. The list of what it won't take is shorter: the Fox News cable channel, broadcast networks and Fox Sports, which are expected to spin off as their own business. The Disney conglomerate adds the Fox movie and TV studios (including big-name franchises like X-Men, Avatar, Alien and The Simpsons), majority control of Hulu, FX cable networks and $13.7 billion in debt. On top of that, Fox is attempting to acquire the parts of UK's Sky that it doesn't already own, and if that's successful then Disney will get it too.
Comcast is also interested in buying most of Fox's assets
It's not just Disney interested in snapping up a large chunk of 21st Century Fox. Wall Street Journal tipsters claim not just that Disney has resumed "active talks" to buy most of Fox's movie and TV assets, but that Comcast has entered discussions as well. Apparently, the initial leak of Disney-Fox negotiations prompted a frenzy of interest. Sony and Verizon have reportedly shown interest at the same time, but it's not certain that they're as deeply involved as Comcast and Disney.
The 'X-Files' revival continues with a mobile game
X-Files' resurgence isn't just limited to new TV episodes. Fox has taken the wraps off of X-Files: Deep State, a mystery title for Android, iOS and Facebook that should arrive February 6th, 2018, or just over a month after the January 3rd TV premiere. You'll fill the shoes of an FBI agent finding clues, solving puzzles and grilling witnesses between seasons 9 and 10 (during the alien invasion timeline). There's an element of Telltale's serialized storytelling to it with decisions affecting the storyline and new cases showing up every month.
Comcast, Verizon, and Sony are also after Fox's film and TV units
Talk of Disney eyeing Fox's assets has ignited the interest of more media juggernauts. The new batch of contenders includes Comcast, Verizon, and Sony's entertainment arm, according to The Wall Street Journal.
A 'Hitman' series is coming to Hulu from the creator of 'John Wick'
Past attempts at Hitman movies haven't fared so well, but Hulu is betting that it can do justice to the assassination game franchise through an online series. Deadline has learned that Hulu is partnering with Fox 21 on a Hitman show that will be executive produced by Derek Kolstad, better known as the chief architect of the John Wick movies. You couldn't have asked for more appropriate talent, really -- he knows a thing or two about producing assassin-themed stories with memorable thrills. There are few details about the plot, but it'll reportedly hew closely to the story of IO Interactive's franchise, which is as much about Agent 47's mysterious origins as it is his targets.
Sky could sacrifice Sky News to ensure Fox merger
While the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigates the potential merger with Fox, Sky has warned that it may be forced to close down Sky News if it obstructs the approval of the deal. In a submission to the CMA last month, which was released this week, Sky told the regulator that it would "would likely be prompted to review" its position "in the event that the continued provision of Sky News in its current form unduly impeded merger and/or other corporate opportunities available in relation to Sky's broader business".
21st Century Fox held talks to sell most of its assets to Disney
Like it or not, the trend toward media consolidation isn't slowing down any time soon: CNBC sources understand that 21st Century Fox recently held talks to sell most of the company to Disney. The media giant would offload its movie studios, TV production business, entertainment channels (like FX and National Geographic) and international properties like Sky. This would theoretically create a "more tightly focused" company that revolves around news and sports -- reportedly, Fox believes it doesn't have the kind of scale needed to compete with the assets it currently has, while Disney does.
