FoxNow
Latest
Now Fox is live streaming its prime-time TV across the US
CBS All Access, NBC and Watch ABC were first to live streaming network TV on the internet, but this week Fox Now became the first broadcast network to stream its live TV nationwide. Unlike the CBS app, Fox is tying this "beta" access to the live streams to TV Everywhere authentications, which means cord cutters are not invited unless they snag a login from someone with cable TV (Disney-owned ABC and Comcast-owned NBC do the same). We'll have to wait and see if Fox ever opens things up for people to simply buy internet access, but for now its says 98 percent of pay TV subscribers should have access, representing some 96 million homes.
Apple TV gets two new apps: Fox Now and CNBC
One of the things you can't find on the Apple TV is an official store for apps, but this hasn't kept the tiny box from becoming a solid device for entertainment purposes. To make things better, the Apple TV is adding Fox Now and CNBC to its ever-growing content repertoire, though there are the usual pay-TV caveats to consider. If you do have the right subscription, however, you can unlock each application's full potential right away, which means access to a lot more videos, live and on-demand. Fox Now, for its part, features full episodes from different shows, including Glee, Family Guy, New Girl and Masterchef. CNBC, meanwhile, lets you watch a live stream of some of its programming if you're a cable subscriber; as 9to5Mac points out, there are on-demand clips available within the news-focused channel, but that's as much as cord-cutters should expect. Both new apps are showing up on our Apple TV already, so be prepared to see them on yours the next time you power it on.
YouTube cat videos can finally play on most Roku devices
Roku has just announced that the YouTube app, once exclusive only to the Roku 3, is now available to all of the company's "current-gen" players. That includes the Roku LT, Roku 1, the Roku 2, the Roku HD, the Roku Streaming Stick... and, well, pretty much all of them. Like we announced back in December, the YouTube app lets you send videos from your phone or tablet to the tiny media streamer when you're connected to the same wireless network. You're also able to sign in and watch your favorite subscribed channels -- like, ahem, ours perhaps? -- as you would on your computer. In other news, Roku has also announced that the Fox Now channel is now finally available to Comcast customers (it's already accessible via other providers like AT&T U-Verse and Dish). Simply link the app up to your Xfinity account, and you'll be able to watch the upcoming season of 24 whenever you like. To get either the YouTube or Fox Now app, simply download it from the store or just hit the links in this very sentence.
Fox mobile apps add TV Everywhere streaming, 24-hour sports network due this fall
Fox has been quietly busy over the last few days, unveiling plans for a 24-hour sports network that may be the biggest challenger to ESPN's throne, and adding new features to its mobile apps. Fox Sports 1 is scheduled to launch Saturday August 17th, loaded with content including NASCAR, soccer (Champions League, Europa League and World Cup in 2018 and 2022), weekly UFC fights, college football, college basketball and in 2014, pro baseball. The bad news? According to the LA Times, for Fox Sports 1 to live Speed TV will die this fall, while Fuel TV is expected to be replaced by Fox Sports 2 while Fox Soccer is turned into an entertainment channel. One tweak it will bring is the "double box" commercial format that keeps the game on while ads play, which is expected to be used frequently on the new channel. It will have a suite of studio shows to compete with the sports leader as well, and even a Fox Sports Go "mobile experience" on iOS, Android and the web with live video streaming and news/stats for authenticated subscribers. Speaking of "authenticated" cable and satellite subscribers, the broadcaster also updated the free Fox Now second screen apps on iOS and Android, adding access to stream full episodes of its TV shows wherever you are -- as long as you have a membership with a participating provider. That list currently consists of Mediacom and Verizon FiOS, but it may grow in the future. The Fox Now apps still have other features, with synced content, Twitter streams and behind the scenes info, so New Girl and Bones fans may still have a reason to check them out.
