The still unnamed country music service — comprising a broadcast diginet and an OTT streaming platform — will operate from offices and production facilities in Nashville. Drew Riefenberger has been tapped to head the joint venture as general manager. The OTT version, a mix of linear and on-demand programming, will not simulcast the multicast version, although there will be some overlap.

YouTube and Verizon have minted a distribution deal that will cross-promote both the telecom giant’s offerings, including 5G and broadband, and the internet-delivered pay-TV service. Under the deal, Verizon will offer promotions on YouTube TV to customers regardless of the service they get.

Convergence Research Group’s new study, “The Battle for the American Couch Potato: OTT and TV,” estimates U.S. OTT access revenue grew 37% to $16.3 billion in 2018 and will grow even further to reach $22 billion for 2019. It was based on 66 over-the-top providers, led by Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

The influx of new video streaming services and the escalating war for contentamong them is beginning to make cord-cutting a less appealing option for your wallet than it once was, but you can’t reverse the natural progression of technology. Streaming is now the dominant entertainment medium for everything but live sports, and cable TV providers continue to lose millions of subscribers each year.

A survey finds that 72% of viewers recalled ads and 40% said they paused to learn more about a product or service. Fifty-four percent preferred a cheaper or free ad-supported service compared to a more expensive ad-free service.

Amazon said Thursday that YouTube will appear on Amazon’s Fire TV devices and smart TVs in the coming months, but did not give an exact date.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday that the San Jose, California-based entertainment video-streaming service will invest up to $100 million in the city.