At first blush, this seems like an injudicious omission by Apple. There’s a lot riding on the company’s new services, and its video subscription in particular. On closer inspection, though, Apple is making a calculated bet that it doesn’t need those Android phone users — or has other ways of reaching them that don’t require cozying up to arch rival Google.
The main takeaway from the programming portion of the festivities is that there’s no reinventing the wheel — that Apple is in the same business as networks, studios and streamers, which involves courting talent and seeking to identify hits. The same applied, largely, to its efforts to streamline distribution, although at least the sales pitch there — a more a la carte-based approach in which you “Only pay for what you want” — has a clear potential consumer benefit.
After a lot of rumors and making us wait for what feels like 10 years, Apple has finally pulled back the curtain and given us a small glimpse into its upcoming streaming service, which will be called Apple TV Plus (stylized as Apple TV+) and is said to be “the new home for the world’s most creative storytellers featuring exclusive original shows, movies, and documentaries.” We still don’t know when the many programs Apple has ordered to series will make their official debuts, but we do know a little bit about what to expect from the service itself. So here’s a brief rundown of everything we know so far.
Apple also noted Monday that its Apple TV app brings together different streaming services and traditional cable subscriptions.
Exclusives
YouTube has denied that it is cancelling high-end dramas and comedies on its paid service platform, refuting the claims made in a report earlier on Sunday. A Bloomberg report said, citing sources, that the platform has stopped accepting new pitches for high-budget scripted shows and that it had canceled high end dramas and comedies.
Nearly two years after Apple first signaled its plan to become a programming powerhouse, the tech giant is set to unveil its vision for the future of entertainment. And it’s got Hollywood on the edge of its seat.
It’s a long-awaited attempt from the iPhone maker, several years after Netflix turned “binge watching” into a worldwide phenomenon. The new video service is expected to have original TV shows and movies that reportedly cost Apple more than $1 billion — far less than Netflix and HBO spend every year.
For the first time, more people are subscribing to streaming online video services than traditional cable TV services worldwide. That is according to the Motion Picture Association of America.
Apple has kept a tight lid on most of the details of its upcoming service, even keeping its creative partners in the dark about how exactly their work will be distributed. What is undisputed, however, is that the tech giant with a nearly $1 trillion market cap has lined up a who’s who of high-profile talent to vault it into the increasingly crowded original-content arena. Apple is set to unveil its plans on Monday.
The new service, “Flex,” available March 26, brings together apps that customers already pay for, like Netflix, Amazon’s video or HBO, and free services like YouTube, Pluto and Tubi, and lets users search for TV shows and movies across the different services.
Amazon on Wednesday announced that it’s adding the MLB.TV streaming service to its Prime Video Channels lineup, giving users the ability to sign up for the service on Amazon’s platform.
VITEC, a worldwide provider of advanced video encoding and streaming solutions, will demonstrate its broad portfolio of IPTV and contribution solutions for enterprise, broadcast, and entertainment applications at the 2019 […]
Magid’s Larson To Kick Off OTT News Summit
Katie Larson will outline the OTT ecosystem for news organizations, from audience growth, demographics and expectations to evolving market dynamics for content providers and, most important, monetization potential.
Netflix, the world’s dominant streaming service, will not make its TV shows and movies available through Apple Inc’s upcoming video offering, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said on Monday. “We prefer to let our customers watch our content on our service,” Hastings told reporters at the company’s offices in Hollywood. “We have chosen not to integrate with their service.”
Three streaming video subscriptions seems to be the ticket for cord cutters and binge watchers. But many consumers are beginning to feel weighed down by too many subscriptions, a new Deloitte survey finds.
According to Nielsen, traditional TV watching continues to wane, especially among younger consumers, as more homes get connected devices and streaming services.
HBO’s president of global distribution, Bernadette Aulestia, has announced her resignation, according to an internal memo obtained by CNBC. Her resignation follows that of HBO CEO Richard Pleper, who stepped down last month after realizing he would no longer have the autonomy to run the premium channel, which is part of Warner Media. Aulestia oversaw both of the company’s streaming services, HBO Now and HBO Go.
Hulu’s recent price cut for its basic ad-supported on-demand service — with an expected increase in subscribers — will accelerate advertising revenue, according to eMarketer. Its ad revenue is expected to climb 25% this year to $1.82 billion; 23% in 2020 to $2.24 billion; and 21% to $2.7 billion in 2021.
The tech company, about to have a showcase event on its campus, is expected to reveal details about a dozen or more programs ready to go or almost done.
WeTek and NexPlayer have partnered to create a full end-to-end OTT platform supporting Widevine DRM with both HLS & DASH. This solution can be deployed on Android, iOS, Android TVs, […]
One Day at a Time has been canceled at Netflix after three seasons. According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, producer Sony Pictures Television plans to shop the series elsewhere. The reboot of the classic Norman Lear sitcom was co-created Gloria Calderon Kellett and Mike Royce, who also serve as co-showrunners.
Ad-supported video-on-demand service Tubi today entered a content deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution for select seasons of The Bachelor. Available are the first seasons of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, as […]
About 11% Of Atlanta Homes Have ‘Cut The Cord’
Netflix is adding age ratings to more content on its U.K. service after partnering with the British Board of Film Classification. The goal of the new collaboration “is to work towards 100% coverage of BBFC age ratings across the platform,” the ratings board said.
DirecTV Now used to start at $40 a month. The cheapest for new customers will now be $50. Packages will now include the AT&T-owned HBO, but the service is dropping some popular lifestyle and entertainment networks not owned by AT&T, including HGTV, Discovery, Food Network and MTV.
Already the market leader in over-the-top advertising, Hulu is prepping for another big year as viewers continue to flock to connected TV screens — and advertisers chase after them.
PBS Living, a new over-the-top streaming channel featuring lifestyle and how-to content, will launch Thursday on Prime Video Channels, an Amazon subscription service. PBS Distribution, which is overseeing the channel deal, is also “restructuring and extending” its partnership with Amazon on PBS Kids content, PBSd Co-President Andrea Downing told station GMs.
NBC News plans to introduce a streaming service called NBC News Now in early May. Speaking at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, NBC News President Noah Oppenheim said the free, ad supported streaming service will launch with eight hours of programming, including live updates at the top of every hour.
The biggest screen in the house is becoming the go-to for watching online video, according to new research from Parks Associates. The firm said that 52% of U.S. broadband households surveyed now watch online video (SVOD, AVOD, etc.) on a connected TV. Not coincidentally, Parks also found that watching TV and movies at home is the most popular leisure activity for U.S. broadband households.
Kelly Bennett is leaving as Netflix’s chief marketing officer after more than six years leading the streaming giant’s branding and advertising teams during a period of massive growth.
The Gillette Gaming Alliance will be composed of 11 Twitch streamers from 11 countries active on the platform. Those gamers will represent the Gillette brand, and create related content for their viewers.
