Spanish-language broadcaster Univision will offer the first season of Netflix original series “Narcos” on its network prior to the second season’s availability for Netflix streaming. Univision’s sister network UniMás will also air Netflix original “Club de Cuervos.” This follows a similar deal in Europe to air Netflix political drama “Marseille” on France’s TF1. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Netflix views the arrangement as a marketing test to see if airing old seasons of its shows on traditional television will help drive people to sign up for the streaming service ahead of the premieres of subsequent seasons.” Continue reading Netflix and Univision Sign Deal to Broadcast ‘Narcos’ on TV

Google plans to release the next version of its Android mobile operating system later this summer. While it has yet to announce an official name for Android N, the company says the new release will include more than 250 new features “such as a split-screen mode for tablets and phones, a smoother graphics-processing engine and the ability to choose the skin color of emojis,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Other multitasking improvements center around the recent-apps button, including the automatic removal of apps in the queue that you haven’t used in a while, and a ‘clear all’ option to start fresh.” The new version will also offer improved security measures. Continue reading Google Shares Details About its Upcoming Android Software

During its I/O developer conference this week, Google continues its efforts to blur “the lines between mobile apps and the mobile Web” by unveiling its “ambitious new feature that lets Android apps send users to specific parts of their app from any Web link, even if the user hasn’t downloaded the app” according to Re/code. “Apps, in essence, become just like the Web.” Android Instant Apps is designed to attract new audiences that may not be inclined to download apps, while protecting Google Search from being hurt by the consumer transition to apps. Although this approach is not the same as offering app streaming inside search, it does provide Google with “similar access to previously walled-off data inside apps.” Continue reading Instant Apps for Android Blurs Lines Between Apps and Web

AT&T plans to purchase Quickplay Media from Madison Dearborn Partners. Quickplay specializes in powering over-the-top video and TV Everywhere services. The acquisition will build upon the existing relationship between the two companies and enhance future AT&T video delivery initiatives. Quickplay currently supports AT&T’s U-verse TV Everywhere offering and will support upcoming streaming offers: DirecTV Now, DirecTV Mobile and DirecTV Preview. “Our strategy is to deliver video content however, whenever and wherever,” said John Stankey, CEO, AT&T Entertainment Group. Continue reading AT&T is Acquiring Quickplay Media to Power TV Everywhere

Cable lobbyist Michael Powell criticized the FCC during an INTX 2016 keynote in Boston this week regarding what he described as a “relentless regulatory assault” on the industry, unprovoked by the cable industry, that has led to “thundering, tectonic shifts that have crumbled decades of settled law and policy,” reports Ars Technica. “What has been so distressing is that much of this regulatory ordinance has been launched without provocation,” said Powell, CEO of the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and former FCC chairman. “We increasingly are saddled with heavy rules without any compelling evidence of harm to consumers or competitors.” Continue reading Michael Powell Blasts FCC’s “Relentless Regulatory Assault”

According to IDC, the major tech companies have yet to take over the wearables market as Fitbit held on to first place in Q1 2016, while Xiaomi slid into second place ahead of Apple (however, the Apple Watch has held second for its first three quarters). “Mobile companies shipped a total of 19.7 million wearables worldwide last quarter,” explains VentureBeat. “That figure is up 67.2 percent from the 11.8 million units shipped in Q1 2015.” Ranked behind the top three are Garmin, Samsung and BBK. “The wearables that we see today are several steps ahead of what we saw when this market began, increasingly taking their cues from form, function, and fashion,” said IDC’s Ramon Llamas. Continue reading Wearables See Major Growth in Q1, Fitbit Leads the Charge

For those looking for an affordable VR alternative, RiftCat has been busy developing an app called VRidge that streams virtual reality games from a PC to a smartphone over Wi-Fi. The beta is currently available for Android, but the company is also working on an iOS version. The most recent update added support for SteamVR and Razer’s open source OSVR project. The implications could be significant, especially when considering the cost of investing in a high-end VR headset, such as the $600 Oculus Rift or $800 HTC Vive, both of which still require a powerful PC starting in the $1,500 range. Continue reading VRidge Streams VR from PC to Google Cardboard, Gear VR

Following the shutdown of Aereo, Chet Kanojia is back with a new venture that intends to revolutionize broadband delivery. New York- and Boston-based startup Starry is looking to introduce a test version of its super-fast, wireless Internet service this summer. With its planned July beta release, Starry will join companies such as AT&T, Ericsson, Facebook, Google, Huawei, Qualcomm and Verizon that are working on millimeter wave fixed wireless systems to approach gigabit-per-second service in homes and businesses. Continue reading Starry to Roll Out Fast, Affordable, Wireless Internet Service

Apple has confirmed reports that some of its iTunes users have been experiencing deletions to music tracks in their libraries. While the company says it should have an update with new safeguards available this week, it has not been able to reproduce the problem, so any update does not guarantee a fix. According to 9to5Mac: “There’s a chance that the promised iTunes update of which Apple refers is more than a simple bug fix release — Apple is readying the release of iTunes 12.4 which will include some UI changes to streamline navigation in the app. The most likely situation is that Apple will release an emergency bug-fix update to the existing iTunes 12.3 software, given the timing.” Continue reading Apple Working on iTunes Update to Prevent Song Deletions

Amazon is planning to introduce new lines of private-label brands, including perishable foods, by the end of this month or early June. “The new brands with names like Happy Belly, Wickedly Prime and Mama Bear will include nuts, spices, tea, coffee, baby food and vitamins, as well as household items such as diapers and laundry detergents,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “Amazon is ‘carpet-bombing’ the market with new products,” said Bill Bishop, chief architect of consultancy Brick Meets Click. “Private label allows them to test out new prices and distinctive flavors with less risk.” Continue reading Amazon Plans to Roll Out Expanded Private-Label Offerings

As part of a multiyear partnership renewal, the National Football League will increase its in-game highlight clips available on YouTube, and for the first time, offer full-length games via the video service. “Under the expanded pact, the NFL will post a total of 96 games to its official YouTube channel, comprising three of the most memorable games for each of the 32 clubs, prior to the start of the 2016-17 season,” explains Variety. While YouTube will not feature any live NFL game broadcasts, Twitter recently signed an agreement with the NFL to distribute 10 Thursday night games online next season, “with rights to splash the broadcast feeds from CBS and NBC across multiple devices.” Continue reading YouTube to Feature Classic NFL Matchups for the First Time

Google announced yesterday that it plans to introduce NFL “in-game highlight videos to the top of its search results as part of an expanded partnership with the league,” reports Bloomberg. “Videos will be embedded along with related news and information into boxes that will appear at the top of Google search results while games are in progress.” The partnership is part of Google’s larger strategy to keep eyeballs on its own sites and services, such as YouTube, rather than send people to other websites. Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook all have deals to offer NFL content via their services. Continue reading Partnership to Add In-Game NFL Highlights to Google Search

Activision Blizzard announced at the Digital Content NewFronts in NYC that it would start publishing daily live programming via Facebook next month in an effort to attract more e-sports gamers and generate more advertising revenue. Activision Blizzard is currently seeking sponsors for the daily match highlights, stats, commentary and interviews it plans to publish live on its Facebook page for Major League Gaming. According to The Wall Street Journal, “Facebook will provide Activision Blizzard with data on viewership and help it build an audience for the video, some of which will be exclusive to the social network and at times featured on Facebook’s own sports page.” Continue reading NewFronts: Activision Blizzard Goes Social with Live Content

Apple has invested $1 billion in Didi Chuxing — the largest ride-hailing service in China and an Uber rival. The deal is a major strategic investment by the Cupertino-based tech giant, which generally invests quietly in smaller startups. Its last significant investment was the purchase of Beats for $3 billion in 2014. A move in China, where the company’s sales have sharply declined, is notable. “Apple is attempting to reinvigorate flagging iPhone sales in China, the company’s second-largest market, and just last month Apple shuttered its iBooks and iTunes movie stores in the country,” reports The New York Times. Continue reading Apple Invests $1 Billion in Chinese Ride-Hailing Service Didi

According to GfK research commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, digital video has surpassed primetime television in popularity among Internet viewers for the first time. IAB’s 2016 Original Digital Video Study found that adult respondents who view online video at least monthly indicated they were “most likely” to watch Internet video if given the option, followed by primetime broadcast or cable, and then local and national TV news, live televised sports and daytime TV (in that order). Meanwhile, Nielsen says 95 percent of time spent viewing video in Q4 2015 involved live or time-shifted TV. Continue reading IAB: Younger Viewers Prefer Internet Video Over Primetime TV