After months of teasing the eventual launch of DirecTV Now — a live-TV streaming service that doesn’t require a subscription to cable — AT&T has finally announced the important details of the product that will kick off on Nov. 30 at a price ranging from $35 for around 60 channels to $70 for more than 120 channels. [More]
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‘DirecTV Now’ Streaming Service Will Launch Nov. 30; Starting At $35 For 60 Channels
By 11.28.16 — Updated: 11.29.16
24+ Hours Of Thanksgiving Movies & TV You Can Stream Instead Of Talking To Your Family
By 11.23.16
The turkey has been cleared, the pie has been devoured, and the dishes are done, man. And now, your father-in-law wants to talk politics. Your options include feigning a disaster in another room, straight up ignoring him, or faking a pressing bathroom break. Or, you could turn on a Thanksgiving-themed movie or TV show and have everyone gather ’round, shut up and watch it together. [More]
Has Instagram Made Snapchat Irrelevant?
By 11.21.16
Once upon a time, Instagram was where you publicly posted the photos you were really proud of and wanted the world to see, while SnapChat was where you privately posted other photos that you were proud of, but only wanted a few people to see — and where there was no lasting record of the visuals. In the years since, Instagram has increasingly encroached on SnapChat’s turf, and the Facebook-owned service’s latest update may lead some to wonder: Is there any reason to have both SnapChat and Instagram? [More]
FCC Has “Serious Concerns” About AT&T Exempting DirecTV Video From Mobile Data Caps
By 11.11.16
In September, AT&T announced that it would not charge streaming DirecTV content against wireless customers’ monthly data caps. It’s a controversial practice known as “zero-rating” that some believe has anticompetitive effects, especially when the content company is owned by the wireless provider. It’s an issue the FCC has not yet ruled on definitively, but one that the Commission says may be cause for concern. [More]
PlayStation Vue Ditches Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, BET, CMT & Many More
By 11.9.16
Sony’s PlayStation Vue live-TV streaming service has been marketed as a true cable-replacement option for cord-cutters, but the company just announced changes to its channel lineup that will see the removal of several big-name cable networks. [More]
Report: ‘DirecTV Now’ Will Give Away Free Streaming Devices; Has Restrictions On ESPN, NBC
By 11.7.16
AT&T has been teasing its live-TV streaming DirecTV Now service for months, but aside from some vague pricing information recently mentioned by AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson, there has been very little in terms of concrete details. However, some new apparently leaked documents may give some indication of what to expect. [More]
Cisco Says It Can Now Shut Down Pirated Live Video Feeds Mid-Stream
By 10.21.16
There are a growing number of pirated live video streams available online, giving viewers unauthorized access to pay-TV, pay-per-view events, and other feeds. Copyright holders say the usual method of sending a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice isn’t fast or effective enough, as hosts of these streams either ignore the demands or quickly move to a different host. Now, Cisco says it has developed a way for copyright holders to play a better game of Anti-Piracy Whac-A-Mole by giving them a way to cut off feeds mid-stream. [More]
Google Starts Shaping Up “Unplugged,” Its YouTube-Based Pay-TV Service
By 10.19.16
People looking to cut the cable TV cord will be getting more options in the months to come, with AT&T still planning to launch its DirecTV Now streaming service by year’s end, and news that Google is signing up broadcasters for the YouTube-based live-TV offering it hopes to launch in early 2017. [More]
Hulu Drops Price To $5.99, But Only For New Users & Only For 12 Months
By 10.3.16
It’s no secret that Hulu, in spite of being owned by three major TV networks, decent original and exclusive content, and being available on just about any device out there, has never attained an audience the size of competitors like Netflix or Amazon Prime. Now, in an apparent effort to entice more subscribers, the streaming service has slashed its price, but only for new users. [More]
Survey Says: Most Netflix Customers Would Be Willing To Pay More For The Service
By 9.1.16
Despite any grumbling customers might have done amid Netflix’s recent price hike, a new survey shows that the company could probably raise rates again and most customers would be fine with paying more. [More]
North Korea’s Parents Now Have A Streaming Video Service To Distract Their Kids With
By 8.22.16
Although North Korea is often regarded as one of the least connected countries in the world, those who do have access to the state-run version of the internet will have a few more things to watch — and a few more things to distract their kids with. [More]
Disney Confirms ESPN Streaming Service Without ESPN
By 8.10.16
A month ago, we told you about rumors that ESPN would be offering a new, standalone streaming service but that it wouldn’t include access to the flagship ESPN pay-TV channel. Now ESPN’s parent company Disney has confirmed that such a project is in the works, and that it may use the ESPN name but won’t look like the ESPN you know. [More]
The Next Season Of Big Brother Will Be Online-Only
By 8.2.16
Since it debuted more than 15 years ago, CBS’s Big Brother has sold online access to the live feeds directly from the BB “house.” Now the network is going all in for the next season of the long-running reality competition, making it an online exclusive. [More]
4 Times Apple Shot Itself In The Foot Trying To Reach Streaming TV Deals
By 7.28.16
Apple revolutionized the music market with the iPod and iTunes, then made traditional cellphones and laptops a thing of the past with the iPhone, yet it’s lagging behind Sony, Dish — and soon AT&T/DirecTV — in introducing a cable-replacement live-TV streaming service. Not for lack of trying. In fact, a new report claims that Apple has been trying too hard and has repeatedly talked its way out of giving cord-cutters an Apple video option. [More]
Netflix Sees Subscriptions Dip Amid Price Hike, Blames Press Coverage
By 7.19.16
As it turns out, raising the price of something can have the effect of turning people off that product. So it went for Netflix, which said this week that it’s lost some customers after instituting planned price hikes that affected around 17 million customers. [More]
No, You Won’t Go To Federal Prison For Sharing Your Netflix Password
By 7.12.16
Last week, a federal appeals court issued a ruling that has been widely reported to imply that sharing your password for Netflix of HBO Go is a federal crime that could get you locked up in federal prison. However, looking at the actual case involved in this ruling, it’s more than a bit of a stretch to apply this decision to the common practice of sharing login info. [More]
YouTube Will Add A Live-Streaming Feature To Its Mobile App As Expected
By 6.24.16
It’s not enough just to have a video service, technology companies these days are now falling all over themselves to deliver those videos live to social audiences. As predicted a few months back, YouTube will be the latest to join the live-streaming fray, with a new feature that will allow users to broadcast live from mobile devices. This way, everyone will get to see how funny your cat is in real time. [More]
You Might Be Able To Watch Some Netflix Content Offline By The End Of The Year
By 6.24.16
After a few months of wondering whether Netflix may usher in a new offline viewing era, reports are circulating now that say the feature could be launched by the end of the year. [More]
