Max, the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max, has redesigned its homepage with features designed to foster personalization and help fight search fatigue. Last month Max rolled out “whole page optimization,” with added rows of personalized content across the entire homepage. Since that change went well, according to parent Warner Bros. Discovery, the company is doing more along those lines, emphasizing an algorithm-driven approach to content curation, similar to that used by Netflix. Viewing history and selection patterns now inform recommendations as to which shows, movies or content categories users might like. Continue reading Max Embraces Homepage Personalization After Positive Tests

In 2023, U.S. audiences streamed the equivalent of 21 million years of video, according to Nielsen, which says that’s a record, surpassing by 21 percent the 17 million years’ worth of video streamed in 2022. Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” was the most streamed original, while “Suits” was the most-streamed show in a single year. Its 57.7 billion viewing minutes on Netflix and Peacock surpassed “The Office,” which generated 57.1 billion viewing minutes on Netflix in 2020. According to Nielsen’s Gracenote, “audiences had 90 different streaming services to choose from at the end of last year, up from 51 at the start of 2020.” Continue reading Nielsen: 21 Million Years Worth of Video Was Streamed in 2023

Streamers will have a major presence at the TV Upfront presentations to advertisers in New York this week. Research firm Antenna says nearly 25 percent of domestic customers of Disney+, Netflix and Max opted for reduced-price, ad-supported subscriptions in February, while more than half the customers for Hulu+ and Peacock opted for the same. Antenna CEO Jonathan Carson said that “given the choice, Americans are choosing ads,” which is good news for marketers, who were initially concerned that the shift from cable to a la carte subscription streaming would edge out advertising. Continue reading Ad-Supported Streaming Tiers Vie for Piece of the Upfront Pie

HBO Max will start streaming as Max in the U.S. beginning May 23, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. With the rebrand, significant content from Discovery+ as well as new original programming including a series derived from “The Big Bang Theory” and a prequel to the HBO Original “Game of Thrones” will join the platform’s offerings. “The one to watch for every mood and every moment,” is WBD’s tagline for Max, which will offer three tiers. The top-tier Max Ultimate, at $19.99 a month or $199.99 per year, will stream ad-free at up to 4K UHD with Dolby Atmos sound. Continue reading WBD Rebrands HBO Max, Announces New Original Content

YouTube Premium is upping is value proposition, adding new features including an enhanced bitrate for web and iOS, SharePlay so Apple users can watch together on FaceTime, and the ability to manage queues using mobile devices. The broader functionality is designed to impress upon potential subscribers that the $12 per month service offers more than ad-free viewing. YouTube says it now has 80 million Premium members “and trialers” taking advantage of a “more immersive YouTube experience.” In the coming weeks, enriched 1080p HD video will be available for Premium accounts first on iOS and then on the web. Continue reading YouTube Premium Adds Value to Platform with New Features

Roku is upgrading to OS 12, which will offer improvements including to streaming live TV and sports, among other things. A concurrent mobile app update features a new home screen and new tools for account management and photo storage. The company also announced that new Roku-branded TVs will be sold exclusively through Best Buy and online. Unveiled at CES 2023, the Roku Select and Plus series TVs made by Roku are now shipping, with 11 models spanning two lineups that offer sizes ranging from 24- to 75-inches. Pricing starts at $150 and scales to $1,200. Continue reading Roku Updates OS, Adds News, Announces Best Buy TV Deal

Netflix has cut prices in 30 countries — the U.S. not among them — as customers reevaluate whether they keep the service amidst new password-sharing restrictions in a more competitive streaming market that has generally seen rates increase. The reductions only apply to some tiers, in some cases reducing prices by as much as 50 percent. Affected territories reportedly include Nicaragua, Ecuador and Venezuela in Latin America. In Europe, rate reductions will be available in Bulgaria, Croatia and Slovenia. Parts of Asia — including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Phillippines and Thailand — will also see price reductions. Continue reading Netflix Reduces Its Pricing in 30+ Countries but Not the U.S.

The Roku and Tubi streaming platforms are the first partners for Warner Bros. Discovery’s new FAST channels, helping WBD CEO David Zaslav’s promise that the company would be “aggressively attacking” the free, ad-supported streaming TV market in 2023. This spring the WBD FAST channels will launch on the Roku Channel, which will additionally add another 2,000 hours of WBD on-demand programming, via more than 225 ad-supported titles. Tubi, which is owned by Fox Corporation, began introducing WBD content this week, with plans to add three new FAST channels — WB TV Family, WB TV Reality and WB TV Series. Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery to Debut Roku, Tubi FAST Channels

Samsung has introduced its 8K Premiere ultra-short throw projector that CNN calls a “first-of-its-kind.” The projector, and update to the company’s 4K Premiere, supports a maximum picture of 150-inches for a massive screen. Native 8K remains a ways off, but the system artificially up-rezzes 4K content while future-proofing. Sitting just inches from a screen or wall, with Dolby Atmos, the unit minimizes wires and auxiliary equipment, which has been a trend at CES 2023. Due for release later this year, pricing was not announced, but the 2020 model that this one builds upon started at $3,500. Continue reading CES: Samsung 8K Premiere Projector Marks an Industry First

Verizon is opening its +play streaming hub in beta to mobile, 4G LTE and 5G home Internet customers. To sweeten the deal, the carrier is offering Netflix Premium free for a year to customers that sign-up for “a 12-month or seasonal subscription” to one of its other content partners. Verizon claims there are 20 platforms onboard for the beta launch, among them: HBO Max, Discovery+, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, NFL+ and Peloton. Netflix Premium usually costs $20 per month (or $240 a year) and includes 4K streaming as well as ability to simultaneously download or watch on four devices. Continue reading Verizon’s +Play Rollout Includes a Free Netflix Premium Offer

Amazon Prime Video has overtaken Netflix as the most popular OTT video service in the U.S., according to a new study by Parks Associates, marking the first time Netflix fell from No. 1 in the history of the company’s annual report. Peacock entered the top 10 list for the first time in 2022, debuting at No. 9, while Showtime dropped off. The research firm reports that 83 percent of U.S. broadband households have at least one OTT service, while 23 percent subscribe to nine or more OTT subscriptions. While Netflix, Prime Video and Hulu have traditionally held the top three spots, the list has recently become more varied due to an influx of new players. Continue reading Amazon Prime Video Knocks Netflix from Top Streamer Spot

YouTube’s U.S. Top 10 Trending Videos of 2022 were viewed more than 650 million times over 55 million hours, according to the platform, which said the channels hosting the top 10 collectively have more than 225 million subscribers. At No. 1, with more than 87 million views, was “so long nerds,” the farewell message from the “Minecraft” gamer known as Technoblade, who this year died of cancer at age 23. Actor Will Smith’s infamous Oscar smackdown of host Chris Rock, uncensored from Guardian News, was the second most viewed clip of 2022. Continue reading Technoblade and MrBeast Among YouTube’s Most-Streamed

Warner Bros. Discovery saw streaming subscriptions grow to almost 95 million globally in Q3 across HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+, propelled largely by “House of the Dragon,” the hotly anticipated “Game of Thrones” prequel. The buoyant performance prompted WBD CEO David Zaslav to announce on the earnings call that the company has accelerated the U.S. launch for the new streaming platform that combines HBO Max and Discovery+ to spring, rather than waiting until summer 2023 as originally planned. The growth translates to 2.8 million HBO, HBO Max and Discovery+ subscriptions added from Q2 to Q3 — 500,000 of them domestically. Continue reading Warner Bros. Discovery Adds Nearly 3 Million DTC Subs in Q3

Streaming broke another all-time record in September, claiming 36.9 percent of total television usage. YouTube captured an 8 percent streaming share, enough to make it the No. 1 most-watched service, a first for the Google-owned platform, according to Nielsen’s monthly media snapshot “The Gauge.” Broadcast’s share also grew in September, climbing to 24.2 percent, while cable dropped to 33.8 percent. Total television usage increased 2.4 percent over August, with Nielsen citing the return of football as the rising tide that lifted all boats in in September, “as it provided new content across broadcast, cable and streaming.” Meanwhile, Pluto TV made a splash entering the rankings for the first time. Continue reading YouTube Tops Nielsen Gauge for First Time, Pluto Breaks Out

Apple has secured main sponsorship rights to the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, with Apple Music replacing Pepsi, which had a lock on the slot for the past 10 years. The event takes place February 12, 2023, at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, broadcasting on FOX. The price wasn’t disclosed, but the NFL had reportedly been asking $50 million for the prime halftime positioning. The deal played out against a backdrop of the NFL’s Sunday Ticket rights sale, with a reported $2.5 billion asking price and Apple said to be the most serious bidder. Continue reading Apple Music Displaces Pepsi as Super Bowl Halftime Sponsor