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Oculus TV launches this month with a ton of streaming partners
Given that the main function of an Oculus headset is to let you escape reality for a while, using one to watch TV seems almost pedestrian. Yet it's a feature that's often overlooked, until now. Oculus TV is launching later this month and it's got a raft of entertainment partners on board, including Hulu, Showtime, Red Bull and Pluto TV, with more, including ESPN, in the pipeline.
Showtime swears 'Halo' TV show is still in 'active development'
It's that time of year again: that is, time to promise that Steven Spielberg's Halo TV series isn't dead. In an interview with TV Guide, Showtime CEO David Nevins promised that the live-action, gaming inspired show is "still in very active development." He didn't provide more details, but did note that he had seen scripts and that the network was "encouraged by what we've seen so far." He was confident it would not only please Halo fans, but Showtime's overall drama audience.
Amazon brings voice control to Hulu and other video apps on Fire TV
You can already use Alexa voice commands to steer some video playback on a Fire TV, but Amazon is about to throw the doors wide open. It just unveiled a slew of partners that will use the Video Skills Kit to add Alexa support to their video apps, and these are definitely companies you'll recognize: Hulu, PlayStation Vue, CBS All Access, Bravo, Showtime and multiple NBC apps will all take spoken playback commands. You might not have to lift a finger to skip backwards in The Handmaid's Tale or switch live channels in Vue.
Showtime websites used visitors’ browsers to mine cryptocurrency
Over the weekend, visitors to Showtime's website or its streaming site ShowtimeAnytime might have noticed their computers slowing down a bit. That's because someone slipped in some JavaScript into the sites that caused them to siphon off processing time from users' browsers in order to mine the cryptocurrency Monero. The Register reports that the software took up as much as 60 percent of visitors' CPU capacity.
Demand for Mayweather-McGregor fight crashed pay-per-view servers
Did you pay for an expensive pay-per-view or streaming pass to watch the hyped-up boxing match between Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor, only to boil with rage as your access went down? You're far from alone. Numerous reports have revealed that servers across the US crashed or buckled under demand for the fight, creating outages serious enough that organizers delayed the fight to make sure people could tune in. Mayweather himself said that pay-per-view servers in California and Florida crashed, while Showtime and UFC failed to load, ran into login trouble and otherwise couldn't keep up with interest.
CBS All Access is making its way around the world
More people all over the globe will be able to watch Star Trek: Discovery and CBS' other original online and TV shows without resorting to piracy. The network is launching CBS All Access in other countries around the world, starting with Canada in the first half of 2018. More countries in other continents will follow, though the company didn't reveal an exact timeline for its expansion plans.
CBS, Showtime and The CW are coming to DirecTV Now
This is a little convoluted, so bear with us: CBS will soon be available on DirecTV Now, the pay-TV provider's streaming service. CBS offers its own streaming service, CBS All Access, the exclusive home for Star Trek: Discovery. If you subscribe to DirecTV Now, you won't be able to watch that unless you pony up $6 a month for a subscription on top of what you're paying for DirecTV Now. You will, however, be able to watch NCIS (above) and its various spin-offs.
'AMC Premiere' will let you stream 'The Walking Dead' ad-free
Today, AMC announced a new way to watch its programming -- through a new service called AMC Premiere that allows subscribers to watch episodes of its current season shows without ads. However, unlike HBO's and Showtime's standalone apps, AMC Premiere is only available to those who have AMC as part of their cable packages. And for now, it's available to Xfinity customers exclusively.
Watch 'Citizenfour' team's WikiLeaks doc this summer on Showtime
There haven't been any shortage of documentaries about WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, but the one we've kept a keen eye on is from filmmaker Laura Poitras. You might remember her as the director of the the Edward Snowden documentary Citizenfour and as one of the 150 filmmakers calling for camera encryption. As it happens, Risk will see a theatrical release, but this summer the film will be available on the small screen thanks to Showtime, Variety reports.
Showtime's streaming apps can download video for offline viewing
A day after trumpeting that it's coming to cord-cutting Sling TV, Showtime is helping out another neglected group: Offline viewers. The premium network announced that its Showtime and Showtime Anytime apps now let users download content to watch later in both standard and 720p high definition format (or up to 1080p on tablets).
Stream Showtime on Sling TV for $10 extra a month
Showtime is coming to Dish's cord-cutting service, Sling TV. Showtime content will include eight linear channels and "nearly 2,000" on-demand titles, with more to follow weekly. Sling is far from the first service to offer Showtime over-the-top. It's available as an add-on for PlayStation Vue, Hulu and Amazon already. That said, Sling said that today's announcement marks the first time that a streaming service has offered content from all "four leading premium networks," i.e. HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and Starz. It'll be priced at $10 per month on top of your existing plan.
Apple hopes to sell premium TV channels in a bundle
Apple's attempts to offer its own TV service haven't panned out. However, it appears to have a Plan B: offer a bundle that includes just a handful of channels you can already watch on its devices. Recode sources understand that Apple is pitching a deal that would offer HBO, Showtime and Starz for one price. It's not certain whether or not you'd get a discount over the $35 per month it costs to subscribe to each network individually, but the focus would be on convenience. There's even talk of Apple potentially selling the bundle as a stand-alone product -- presumably, as more than just a collection of existing apps.
Twitter and Showtime stream a boxing match at 9PM Eastern
Twitter is no stranger to livestreaming sports, but it still has opportunities to break new ground. The social network is teaming up with Showtime to stream its first-ever boxing match. Tune in to Twitter on desktop or mobile tonight (February 18th) at 9PM Eastern and you'll see a trio of fights, headlined by former champion Adrien Broner squaring off against Adrian Granados. You can only watch in the US and Canada, but you won't have to log in to watch the pugilists in action.
Showtime's 'Twin Peaks' revival will finally premiere in May
You can breathe easy now. Showtime might have missed its 2016 target for the Twin Peaks revival, but it's still full steam ahead for the series' creators. In fact, you won't have to wait that much longer for its premiere: the cult classic's new season will begin at 9PM on May 21, 2017. The two-episode premiere will be two-hours long, followed by 16 more hour-long episodes. If you have Showtime On Demand, though, you'll have access to episodes 1 to 4 from the start.
CBS and Showtime have two million internet-only subscribers
While CBS is busy licensing content to Netflix for display outside of the US and Canada, here its own streaming services are off to a good start. On today's earnings call, execs said CBS All Access and the streaming version of Showtime have combined to reach more than two million subscribers, with the number "about evenly split" between the two.
CBS exec: no recent talks with Apple about a TV service
Since Apple itself doesn't have much to say about its long-rumored TV service, we're forced to look for signals elsewhere. In comments revealed just before CBS announced its earnings today, exec Les Moonves once again filled in the gap. Following previous comments that he believes the service is on hold, Moonves told CNN Money that "we haven't had recent conversations with them." That could mean any potential debut is even further off than we thought, although it doesn't seem to be hurting CBS any. CBS reported (PDF) its highest ever revenue for the fourth quarter, while claiming revenue from retransmission agreements is over $1 billion now, and will be at $2 billion by 2020. According to the exec, "something like 40 percent" of revenue his company is getting, didn't exist five years ago.
Preview premium channels for free on Verizon FiOS
Verizon announced a new perk for its FiOS customers on Monday that will allow them to preview HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, EPIX or Starz for up to 48 hours. The offer will be available on not only live TV but also for On Demand titles and through the Fios Mobile App. While you'll be able to preview each channel individually, you'll only be able to do so once a year. Still, it beats waiting for those randomly timed free preview weekends.
'Twin Peaks' will air on Sky as part of big new Showtime deal
In its bid to deliver high quality programming, Sky often inks deals with US networks to bring popular TV shows to the UK. Its tie-up with HBO, for example, allows millions of Brits to watch new episodes of Game of Thrones and Veep soon after they air in America. Today, the UK broadcaster announced that it's adding more high-quality programming to the Sky Atlantic roster after it agreed a wide ranging deal with paid TV network Showtime to air the Twin Peaks revival, coming in 2017, and older shows like Californication and Dexter.
Watch a full boxing match in VR for the first time
You're probably going to see a lot of virtual reality sports coverage before long, but there's still a lot of ground left to cover -- including, apparently, fisticuffs. Showtime has posted what it says is the first full-length VR video of a boxing match, giving you a 360-degree look at a middleweight championship fight between Daniel Jacobs and Peter Quillin. The footage isn't quite as immersive as you might like (it's ringside, not in the thick of the action), but it gives you an above-the-ropes perspective that even the managers wish they had. You won't see a live VR bout any time soon, but this is still a tantalizing glimpse of what boxing coverage could look like down the road.
Amazon lets you attach other video services to your Prime account
Those rumors of Amazon letting you attach other video services to your Prime subscription? They're true. The internet giant just kicked off the Streaming Partners Program, an alliance that makes it easier for you to sign up to multiple video services. So long as you have that Prime subscription, you only need your one Amazon account to handle everything. The option even gives you a multi-service watch list and integration with other Prime features, like ASAP playback, voice search and X-Ray. You also receive a discount on pricing, such as the $9 per month you'll pay for early launch partners Showtime and Starz.
