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Turner had to stream Woods-Mickelson golf event for free due to glitch
Online pay-per-view events are increasingly common, but it's clear they still have some technical hurdles to clear. Turner's Bleacher Report was forced to offer a free stream for a much-hyped one-on-one golf match between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (simply nicknamed "The Match") when purchasing glitches threatened to prevent paying customers from tuning in on time for the November 23rd event. The company told Variety in a statement that it had taken a "number of steps" to fix the issue, including the free stream to please customers.
AT&T, Dish point fingers after HBO blackout
It's been less than six months since HBO (and the rest of what is now called WarnerMedia) joined AT&T, and now we have our first bonafide carriage dispute. Both AT&T and Dish blamed the other for HBO and Cinemax going dark on the Dish Network and Sling TV services, in the first such tiff of HBO's 40-year history.
Classic cinema streaming service FilmStruck will close November 29th
FilmStruck, WarnerMedia's streaming service that focuses on classic and indie cinema, is shutting down November 29th. The two-year-old platform is already closed to new subscribers.
AT&T's WarnerMedia will launch streaming TV service in late 2019
Add AT&T to the list of media giants launching streaming services that revolve solely around their own content. The company's WarnerMedia is launching a streaming offering in the fourth quarter of 2019 with access to the group's collection of movies and TV shows. Most details are under wraps, but CNN has obtained an internal memo from CEO John Stankey showing that it would "start with HBO" and "package" Turner and Warner Bros. content. And while it would be a stand-alone service, Stankey stressed that it would "complement" the company's conventional TV distribution. It's trying to avoid a fight with cable and satellite giants worried they'll lose customers, in other words.
DirecTV Now helped AT&T turn around its shrinking video business
It's been clear for a while that DirecTV Now is keeping AT&T's TV subscriber numbers in the black, but it's now apparent just how much it's turning around its once-ailing video services. The telecom has posted second quarter earnings revealing that DirecTV Now added 342,000 subscribers in the spring, turning last year's 199,000-subscriber loss for AT&T's Entertainment Group into an 80,000-user gain. The telecom isn't shy about what that means -- its video customer base was "stable" thanks to internet viewership.
HBO's new owner needs to learn that 'more' doesn't mean 'better'
After AT&T bought Time Warner, the business was handed over to AT&T veteran John Stankey. Last month, the new boss told The New York Times that he would be hands-off, especially toward HBO, Warner's quirky, ultra-premium network. Stankey said AT&T lacked the ability to do a better job, and it would be business as usual at the home of blockbusters like Westworld. Sadly, it appears that Stankey has failed to heed his own advice.
HBO must 'change direction' to flourish, says its new boss
With 42 million US subscribers, almost six billion dollars in profit over the past three years, and 29 Primetime Emmy Awards in 2017 alone, it goes without saying HBO is doing something right. But according to AT&T executive and newly enthroned WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey, the network must broaden its focus if it wants to maintain proper competitive footing in the fluctuating media landscape.
AT&T's latest unlimited plans include a new live TV service
AT&T isn't wasting any time milking its nearly completed acquisition of Time Warner for all it's worth. The carrier has unveiled two new wireless plans, Unlimited &More and Unlimited &More Premium, that both include its previously hinted-at WatchTV service (plus a $15 credit for DirecTV Now) at no extra charge. The offering gives you 30-plus live TV channels as well as on-demand shows, and it won't surprise you to hear that WarnerMedia channels play a large part: CNN, TBS and TCM are in the mix alongside third-party channels like A&E, BBC World News and, in the near future, Viacom channels like Comedy Central.
Expect AT&T's 'WarnerMedia' to expand HBO's budget
Now that Time Warner is officially a part of AT&T, it's getting a new game. Unveiled in an internal memo, brands like HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. will call WarnerMedia home. We're not in love with the name either, but as-is, you will probably interact with the various channels and studios under it in the same way as usual and it's easier to remember that Time Warner Cable hasn't been connected to the business in years. AT&T exec John Stankey is taking over WarnerMedia (with CNN's Jeff Zucker, HBO's Richard Plepler and Warner Bros.' Kevin Tsujihara reporting to him), and revealed a bit about his plans in a series of interviews. Bloomberg has the impression that Stankey plans for HBO to have a bigger library and more content ready for viewing on-demand. Going forward, it sounds like he's proposing a push that will enhance direct-to-customer options like HBO Now, but we'll have to see how it shakes out and if HBO's $2.5 billion budget expands to take on Netflix (which is spending $8 billion this year) Amazon and the rest. Talking to the New York Times he was less definitive, saying "at the end of the day, we want our technology and we want our content to drive more customer engagement. If we have the opportunity to do that by investing we are going to invest to make that happen." While we wait for that to develop, one thing that's first up is the "$15" TV streaming package that AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson mentioned in his testimony. According to Bloomberg, the low-cost service will launch "in a few days" with Turner programming anchoring it, and a distinct lack of sports. There's also going to be a Netflix-esque use of data to inform programming decisions, not to mention the advertising and analytics business AT&T is building up based on "customer insights" from TV, mobile and internet subscribers.
