streaming

As streaming becomes more and more the viewing norm, the content of the Netflixes, Amazons and Hulus of the world, bold and binge-friendly, is increasingly affecting the programming viewers see on cable and broadcast. Producers and networks alike know they have to create edgier, more serialized content to keep viewers attached to traditional TV and keep those legacy platforms relevant.

Sky is on the verge of a deal with Disney to bring the Hollywood superpower’s new streaming service to millions of British homes. The pair were putting the final touches to a multiyear partnership over the weekend. Sky’s rivals Virgin Media and BT will be able to carry the Disney+ app, however, they will be unable to offer Disney+ fully integrated with other programming.

Google’s YouTube Gaming unit escalated the talent war being waged among live-streaming powerhouses, announcing a deal with publishing giant Activision-Blizzard to exclusively stream events from three of the world’s most popular esports titles.

The Writers Guild of America’s demand for more streaming residuals from the studios could set the stage for the first industrywide strike in more than a decade. And it’s not just that writers are in a fighting mood after feuding with the agencies for more than nine months: there’s big money at stake – and not just from the ever-growing streaming market, but also from what the guild says are “hundreds of millions of dollars” that will be going into the pockets of the studios if it prevails in its lawsuit and packaging fees are eliminated.

Viewers in Sioux City, Iowa (DMA 148), can now get free broadband access to 20 local TV channels — though Locast solicits contributions to cover expenses. The new is the 17th for station streaming service that claims over 1 million sign-ups.

Cord-cutting isn’t stopping. As it turns out, that’s not such bad news for cable giants like Comcast Corp. It is, however, for AT&T Inc.

Sixteen months after private equity purchased the assets under Cisco’s Video Services umbrella for $1 billion and re-branded the collective unit as Synamedia, the U.K.-based video technology vendor has emerged with a multi-pronged plan to serve the fast-changing video industry. CEO Yves Padrines shares his perspective on the global video marketplace, and how his company — which counts Comcast’s Sky as an investor — fits into it.

The network said Thursday that it will hire some 50 new journalists, assign correspondents Linsey Davis and Tom Llamas to online leadership roles and increase the number of hours of live programming with the goal of becoming a round-the-clock service within a year. The rollout begins next month.

Comcast brass are wary of jeopardizing NBCU’s $11.8 billion cable revenue even as the conglomerate lays groundwork for its streaming future: “We think we’ve identified a unique approach.”

Hank Price: “Starting in July, Peacock premium subscribers will be able to watch The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and Late Night with Seth Meyers live, hours before they air in their regular slots on NBC affiliates. Instead of the fresh product NBC stations now carry after their late newscasts, they will instead be airing reruns of shows that have already aired on Peacock. This is an outrageous breach of trust between Comcast/NBC Universal and the NBC affiliate body.”

The company added 8.8 million worldwide subscribers during its fourth quarter, surpassing expectations at a time when it faces heated competition.

The company has bumped up the global launch of Disney+ by a week. It will now roll out in eight countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland on March 24, the company announced Tuesday. Disney didn’t explain why the launch date was moved up from March 31.

The free streaming platform now exceeds 1.6 million downloads, offers 100 linear channels, including a new 2020 election live-feed channel, and rolls out local on demand viewing of hit broadcast syndication TV shows.

The streamer offered a peek at its upcoming shows at TCA, but its future is still cloudy.

Last May, YouTube made a major shift with its original programming strategy, putting all of its original shows free in front of its paywall and streaming them with advertising. Less than a year later, the platform has plans to double its original output this year while continuing to offer both ad-supported (free) and ad-free (subscription) options.

The effort by TV signal streamer Locast.com to raise $500,000 to fight a lawsuit filed by the broadcast networks has so far raised only a fraction of its goal. Almost a a month in, Locast’s gofundme page has raised only $10,948, and only about $1,000 in the past 10 days.

The Media Rating Council today revoked accreditation for measurement services from Extreme Reach, Hulu and Protected Media, and denied accreditation for a service from DoubleVerify. It also granted accreditation for services from C3 Metrics, Hulu and Flashtalking.

Fresh off seven seasons of HBO stalwart Veep, she has signed a sweeping overall deal with the tech giant and streaming platform. Under the multiple-year agreement — which should be seen as a massive “get” for Apple video heads Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht — the Emmy-winning actress will develop new projects exclusively for Apple — as both an executive producer and star.

NBCUniversal on Thursday afternoon revealed details of its plan for new streaming service Peacock that differ from other streaming services. Networks typically offer free access to TV episodes the day after their broadcasts through their own apps and Hulu. Peacock will offer next-day access to first-year shows for free. For returning shows, it will be part of a premium offering that costs $5 with ads and $10 without.

Hulu is preparing to roll out new forms of advertising this year — one which will allow viewers to have more say in the ads that play, and another that lets the viewer engage with the brand in question, either by getting information sent directly to their mobile phone or by using QR codes. In later months, It is also considering digital product insertion to enhance the ad opportunities within its own original programming.

Netflix will spend $17.3 billion on content in 2020, according to a new forecast by Dan Salmon, an analyst with BMO Capital Markets. The company spent a bit more than $15 billion in 2019. Salmon sees the tally rising past $26 billion by 2026.

Broadcasters must deal with a host of complexities in delivering consistent video quality to their OTT viewers. Vendors are trying to help — and cut monitoring costs — with a range of technologies including monitoring by exception, real-time distribution alerts and using machine learning.