Digital

Estrella MediaCo. said it is expanding its connected TV portfolio by launching three new channels with Curiosity that will first appear on Samsung TV Plus. The three free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, Curiosity Español. Curiosity Animales and Curiosity Motores, were announced at Estrella’s NewFront presentation Wednesday. Estrella also said it would be putting Hallmark Channel content in Spanish on its app and linear channels, as well as 300 hours of content from Hemisphere on the EstrellaTV app, which is being refreshed this month.

On Tuesday, Internet TV provider Fubo dropped all Warner Bros. Discovery networks from its lineup, alleging that the media company was seeking “above-market rates” and refused to license Turner Sports networks separately.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant said it brought in $143.31 billion in revenue in the first three months of this year, a 13% jump compared to the same period last year. Net income came out to $10.43 billion, or 98 cents per share. That soundly beat Wall Street analysts’ expectations for 84 cents a share, according to FactSet.

Samsung’s ad-supported streaming platform Samsung TV Plus is putting more sports in its lineup with free channels about baseball, golf, hockey, auto racing and combat sports.

The regional sports network that airs Pittsburgh’s MLB and NHL teams is launching a direct-to-consumer streaming service, the latest to take the step as more fans cut the cord. SportsNet Pittsburgh on Monday unveiled SNP 360, which will cost fans in its local market $17.99 a month to watch Pirates and Penguins games outside of the pay TV bundle. Viewers with pay TV subscriptions will also have access to the app.

To further boost the impact of Threads, Meta is offering influencers and high-profile creators $5,000 to post on its decentralized X competitor app, according to a screenshot shared by social media expert Matt Navarra. In a breakdown provided by Meta, the tech giant clarifies that the Threads bonus “is an invite-only bonus program,” adding that “if you are invited, you will receive a pop-up notification and an invite that appears in your Professional Dashboard on the Instagram app.”

The three media companies planning to launch a much-scrutinized sports streamer later this year are set to give advertisers a sneak peek at the new outlet. Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery plan to use their new streaming joint-venture — the official name of the video hub has yet to be announced — to boost the impressions they have to sell to Madison Avenue during the industry’s annual upfront market, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Beginning in mid-July, the price for Peacock Premium (with ads) will increase by $2 to $7.99 per month and Peacock Premium Plus (mostly ad-free) is also going up by $2 to $13.99 per month. Peacock Premium’s annual price will increase from $59.99 to $79.99, while Premium Plus is going from $119.99 to $139.99 per year.

The veteran streaming and advertising exec will lead the company’s digital go-to-market strategy at Scripps Sports, Ion, Scripps News and local news.

223 Local Now FAST channels offering local news, weather and entertainment will be available to owners of LG Smart TVs.

The introductions of HDR and Dolby Atmos immersive sound to coverage of the Kentucky Derby are among the group’s latest technical additions that also include new interactive and streaming services for viewers.

New jobs posted to TVNewsCheck’s Media Job Center include an opening for a digital platform specialist. Other existing job openings include ones for an account executive, executive producer, meteorologist, weekend anchor, sales manager, senior newscast producer, digital video producer and reporter.

CBS Sports has launched Champions League, a 24-hour streaming channel with nonstop goals and highlights from the flagship UEFA Champions League soccer club games out of Europe. The FAST channel featuring current season and historic game recaps will debut for free on Pluto TV and on connected TV sets through the CBS Sports app.

Canceled by Disney before it even aired, The Spiderwick Chronicles found a new home at Roku and has so far “delivered results beyond expectations,” its creator says.

Netflix is investing in Leanne Morgan. The streamer has handed out a 16-episode, straight-to-series order for an untitled multicamera comedy starring the stand-up comedian. Comedy kingpin Chuck Lorre (Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) co-created the series alongside Morgan and Susan McMartin.

Netflix’s 3 Body Problem delivered its second straight No. 1 showing among streaming titles, leading the rankings for the last week of March. The acquired series top 10 had several new entrants, thanks in part to a change in how Nielsen reports the numbers.

Google and YouTube parent Alphabet blew away Wall Street estimates with revenue up 15% to $80.5 billion driven by strong ad growth. The company also announced a major milestone, its first ever dividend of 20 cents a share in June. The stock is up more than 12% after market close. During a call, CEO Sundar Pichai said YouTube TV has more than 8 million subscribers, a stat YouTube CEO Neal Mohan noted in February.

Roku posted solid first-quarter financials, with positive results in several key metrics illustrating the benefits of ongoing price inflation in the streaming sector. Net losses totaled 35 cents a share, far better that Wall Street analysts’ consensus estimate of 62 cents and much narrower than the $1.38 recorded in the year-ago quarter. Revenue of $754.9 million fell significantly short of the Street’s expectation for $848.6 million, but the company notched its third straight quarter of positive Adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow.

Shares of Snapchat parent Snap popped 26% in late trading after the social media network said revenue jumped more than expected last quarter to $1.95 billion, up 21% from 2023. The number, and the outlook for the current quarter were nicely above Wall Street forecasts, as were daily active users, which hit 422 million.