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HBO Max will be the only place to stream ‘Big Bang Theory’
HBO Max is snatching up content ahead of its launch in the spring of 2020. After announcing that Friends -- one of Netflix's most-streamed shows -- would become an HBO Max exclusive, the Warner-owned service announced that it would be home to The Big Bang Theory as well. This is the first streaming contract for the show, and it'll last for five years.
Apple can make TV+ ubiquitous through brute force
Apple CEO Tim Cook didn't waste any time at the company's 2019 iPhone event. One of the first announcements he made was that Apple's highly anticipated video-streaming service, Apple TV+, will launch November 1st for $4.99 per month. Since introducing it in March, Apple has teased a number of the originals that will be exclusive to Apple TV+, including series such as For All Mankind, The Morning Show and Dickinson. And while Apple has managed to get plenty of A-list celebrities to join its push into original content (like Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and Jason Momoa), that may not even be the company's best weapon as it takes on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Amazon and, soon, Disney.
Wandering the VR halls of 'Westworld Awakening'
My name is Kate and I've been brutally murdered in an old west farmhouse. Moments after meeting my doom, I'm awake. Barely. I'm in a sterile room with two people lording over me. They talk to each other while I try to understand what's happening. My limbs no longer seem to respond to my desires. The same thing happened when a maniac ended my life what seems like only moments before.
HBO Max snaps up Steven Soderbergh's latest Meryl Streep movie
HBO Max has acquired the rights to Steven Soderbergh's movie Let Them All Talk (working title) that features an all-star cast led by Meryl Streep, Gemma Chan and Diane Wiest, according to Deadline. The move is a coup of sorts for HBO as Soderbergh's last two projects, The Laundromat and High Flying Bird, were both done with HBO's arch-rival Netflix.
HBO's 'Westworld Awakening' VR game arrives August 20th
HBO has announced a Westworld virtual reality game, and you won't have to wait long before you can play it. Westworld Awakening -- which it produced with Survios, Kilter Films and the help of Westworld's showrunners -- will hit Oculus Store, Viveport and Steam Tuesday, but only for headsets linked to PCs. There aren't any current plans to release it for Oculus Quest. The game will also be playable in hundreds of VR arcades across the planet, and there's a pretty intense trailer to whet your appetite.
HBO's 'Euphoria' isn't afraid to show how teens really use tech
It's easy to mistake Euphoria as an R-rated version of typical teen TV fare. It stars former Disney Channel mainstay Zendaya; it's set in a nameless American suburb; and it focuses on troubled high school students who, at first, fall right into the John Hughes playbook of stereotypes. And living up to HBO's reputation, it's chock full of sex, drugs and just about everything else that makes parents cringe. But the show's first season, which ended this past Sunday, made it clear that creator Sam Levinson (Assassination Nation) is aiming to tell a deeper story about the struggles teenagers face today.
HBO will let you stream full episodes of fan-favorite shows for free
If you're hunting for something new to watch, you may have looked to Twitter for suggestions. The site often serves as a human-powered recommendation tool for new TV shows and movies, with fanbases of shows like Game of Thrones and Big Little Lies tweeting reactions in real-time. In a clear bid to leverage all that social media buzz, HBO has launched a new site, "Recommended by Humans" that both compiles fan picks and gives curious non-subscribers the chance to watch episodes for free.
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.
The biggest streaming announcements from Comic-Con
Another San Diego Comic-Con has come and gone, and as always, there were a colossal number of trailers and previews for upcoming shows and movies, including many in the streaming realm.
'Westworld' season 3 trailer shows robots venturing beyond the park
HBO has released the first full trailer for Westworld's third season, and it's clear that there's much, much more to see than what you caught in the teaser. The clip shows a future city where the park robots have slipped into human society, with Dolores well aware that she and her fellow bots are prime targets. She'll clearly be involved with Caleb, the construction worker played by Aaron Paul. We also see Maeve in a WWII-themed park -- as if Westworld's robots weren't dangerous enough.
What to watch to celebrate Apollo 11's 50th anniversary
What better way to celebrate the Moon landing than to gather your family around the couch and relive the experience? Even if you weren't lucky enough to see Neil Armstrong plant his feet on the Moon fifty years ago, there are plenty of films and shows that'll let you recapture the magic of that moment. And if you're not eager to honor the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's momentous mission (you monster), it's still worth reminding yourself of what NASA, and mankind writ large, can do under pressure. The planet might be in the midst of a political and environmental meltdown today, but we managed to walk on the Moon once, damnit. It's all a reminder there may be hope for us yet.
'Game of Thrones' and Amazon's 'Mrs. Maisel' lead Emmy nominations
The Television Academy has revealed this year's Emmy nominations and to absolutely no one's surprise, Game of Thrones scooped up the most nods with 32, including Outstanding Drama Series and 10 nominees across various acting categories. The show with the second-highest tally of nominations is Amazon Prime Video's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel with 20. It won several awards last year, including the top Outstanding Comedy Series prize. It's nominated again in that category.
HBO Max will be the exclusive streaming home of 'Friends'
AT&T's WarnerMedia finally has a name for its streaming service -- and some unfortunate news for people hoping it would share some classic shows. The new platform will be named HBO Max, and will unsurprisingly use HBO's material as its base on top of originals and shows from other Warner networks. Most notably, that includes exclusive rights "at launch" to every episode of Friends -- true to its word, AT&T won't let Netflix and others share its classics. There are similar on-launch exclusives for Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Pretty Little Liars.
HBO's 'Hackerville' cybercrime series debuts in the US
HBO is releasing Hackerville, its German series about a talented Romanian teenage hacker, to American audiences. The show follows German cybercrime investigator Liza Metz (Anna Schumacher) who is sent back to her hometown in Romania to investigate a major hack against a German bank. Lisa teams up with a local cop, Adam Sandor (Andi Vasluianu) to hunt down the criminals. Meanwhile, a local teenager and talented hacker, Cipi, (Voicu Dumitras) is being scouted by both the police and those with more nefarious motives. Shot in both Romania and Germany, Hackerville was HBO Europe's first co-international production. For American audiences, the network is only releasing the series on HBO Now, HBO Go and HBO On Demand.
The sixth season of 'Silicon Valley' will be its last
Silicon Valley will return to HBO later this year for its sixth season. Unfortunately for its fans, it will also be the end of the show's run. Variety reported today that the upcoming season of Mike Judge's tech-centric comedy will be the last. Season six will consist of seven episodes -- an abbreviated run compared to previous seasons -- which will be used to wrap up the story of upstart compression company Pied Piper.
The Engadget staff on that 'Game of Thrones' finale
For this month's video IRL, we couldn't miss talking about the conclusion of one of the biggest TV series ever, HBO's Game of Thrones. After years of speculation about how the epic story would end, we finally have (some of) our answers. But is that enough?
'Game of Thrones' finale blocked in China due to trade war
The Game of Thrones finale may have aired last night but the show isn't over yet -- at least in China, where the episode has yet to air. Tencent Video, the streaming platform that controls the rights of HBO's series in China, didn't broadcast the show's conclusion Monday morning when it was supposed to air. Instead, the service displayed a message that the show wasn't available due to "transmission medium problems," though HBO believes it is fallout from the recent trade dispute between the US and China.
HBO teases 2020 return for 'Westworld' with a new trailer
While everyone figures out what they think of the Game of Thrones finale, HBO has pitched a reason to stick around with its first trailer for the third season of Westworld. This one doesn't take us back to the Old West, India or an age of Shoguns and samurai warriors, instead it focuses on Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul walking around in a futuristic -- and maybe real -- city. Tessa Thompson is returning to the show this season, and Evan Rachel Wood makes an appearance in the trailer. Otherwise, Lena Waithe and French actor Vincent Cassel are joining the cast, but we'll have to wait until next year to see how it all (probably) goes wrong again.
Apple's new TV app is a work in progress
Apple's approach to digital video can best be described as slow and steady. While iTunes and the iPod effortlessly transformed the way we purchased and listened to music, it took the company years to figure out how to position the Apple TV. For the most part, films and TV were just additional categories in iTunes, which, as its name implies, was primarily focused on music. But now that Apple finally has a solid 4K set-top box, the next issue is helping people organize everything they have to watch.
iOS 12.3 is out now with overhauled TV app
Just seven weeks after rolling out iOS 12.2, Apple has released iOS 12.3. The biggest update this time around is a major refresh of the TV app ahead of the Apple TV+ streaming service debuting later this year. Through the new-look app, you can subscribe to various TV networks through Apple TV Channels and watch their shows all in one place.
