Comcast announced NOW TV this week, a new streaming solution that includes more than 40+ live channels, 20+ integrated FAST channels and a subscription to Peacock Premium, priced at $20 per month for Comcast’s Xfinity Internet customers. NOW TV is designed for “the value-conscious consumer who wants an entertainment product that is simple and convenient with quality programming movies, top shows, live sports, and news,” the company explains. Launching in the coming weeks, NOW’s live cable offerings feature A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Hallmark and Warner Bros. Discovery, among others. Continue reading Comcast’s NOW TV Streams 60 Channels, Peacock Premium

Despite moving a significant portion of its chip work in-house, Apple is extending its chip-supply contract with Broadcom in a deal estimated to be worth more than $15 billion with plans to run through 2026. The chip manufacturer will provide Apple with components for wireless connectivity, including 5G radio-frequency. There had been speculation that Apple planned to phase out Broadcom. Some see the deal as Apple’s capitulation to political pressure to source more U.S. manufacturing. Broadcom’s 5G-capable manufacturing hubs are located in U.S. cities including Fort Collins, Colorado, where Broadcom has a major facility. Continue reading Apple’s 5G Broadcom Extension Valued More Than $15 Billion

Amazon has launched a new business-to-business program called Amazon Anywhere that lets makers of video games and mobile apps turn their platforms into e-retailers selling physical merchandise using Amazon’s back-end. “With Amazon Anywhere, you can now discover and buy physical products from Amazon stores without ever having to leave your game or app,” the company said, promising to enable “immersive shopping experiences” for virtual worlds, starting with Niantic’s new augmented reality pet game “Peridot.” Companies like Niantic can invite users to link their Amazon account to their apps to purchase merchandise like toys and apparel. Continue reading Amazon Anywhere B2B Platform Helps Creators Set Up Shop

Amazon is rolling out its Inspire shopping feed to all U.S. customers. The short-form video and photo feed, which has drawn comparisons to TikTok, lets customers explore products while shopping from content created by influencers and brands. After logging in to the Amazon Shopping app, the Inspire light bulb icon will connect users to a menu of more than 20 categories, from makeup and skin care to pets, gaming, travel, health and more. Users can vertically scroll the content feed and double-tap on the screen to create “likes” for the content displayed. Continue reading Amazon Expands Its Release of ‘Inspire’ Video Shopping App

Jack Dorsey’s alternative to Twitter called Bluesky is taking off. Last week, Bluesky had its biggest single-day jump in new sign-ups. Still in beta, the platform has only a few thousand users, but seems to have the right ones. High-profile socialistas including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) model Chrissy Teigen and influencer Dril (Paul Dochney) have joined, and thousands of others are waitlisted. Bluesky began rolling out to iOS devices in February and added Android last month. The app offers some of the same features as Twitter, including the ability to post short text and photo updates, replies and shares. Continue reading Dorsey’s Bluesky Heats Up with Well-Timed Influencer Invites

Twitter appears to be angling for a slice of the newsletter market, with tweets of up to 10,000 words now available to Twitter Blue subscribers in the U.S. That’s more than double the 4,000-character limit paid accounts were extended in February. Those using the platform’s free tier are still allowed only 280-character tweets. The lengthy posts are intended to help users monetize through subscriptions, which can be priced at $2.99, $4.99 or $9.99 per month. In addition to the character cap increase, Twitter Blue subscribers will also gain access to support for bold and italics text formatting. Continue reading Twitter Pushes Subscriptions and Increases Its Character Cap

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

Nintendo’s Mario the plumber is officially a movie star, becoming the top-opening video game adaptation worldwide this past weekend. “Super Mario Bros.” original game designer Shigeru Miyamoto says he plans to keep his celebrity duo — Mario and brother Luigi — away from the small screen, meaning mobile. The legendary video game creator can afford to be picky about his A-lister’s venues. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” animated feature easily topped the long Easter weekend box office charts by earning $204.6 million domestic and $377 million worldwide. Continue reading Animated ‘Super Mario’ Is the Top Game-Based Film Opener

Amazon has opened Sidewalk, its low-power, wide-area network (LPWAN), to developers. Introduced in 2019, Amazon’s early focus was using Sidewalk to optimize Ring cameras and Level smart locks. The company quietly extended coverage to what it says is 90 percent of the U.S. population, and indicates it is now ready to connect “the next billion devices.” Sidewalk can be useful for a multitude of IoT devices that need Internet connectivity yet can’t always rely on a robust four-bar signal, or just don’t require a lot of bandwidth or power. Continue reading Amazon Opens Low-Power Sidewalk Network to Developers

Spotify is adding new features that will allow for more social expression and help users discover new music, among other things. The audio streaming giant service is adding a video feed designed to recommend songs, podcasts and audiobooks via short clips, like those found on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and Instagram. “Previews,” as they’re called, allow users to swipe through content recommendations. Generated either via algorithm or configured by an artist or podcaster, the short videos are meant to encourage a deep dive into something new or saving for later.
Continue reading Spotify Launches New Video Feed to Keep Listeners Listening

Reddit is introducing changes designed to make it easier for users to browse and navigate its communities. Currently testing is a concept that separates text and video into separate streams, dubbed “Read” and “Watch.” Users can toggle between the split-view feeds. In the current format, both “Read” and “Watch” will include recommendations as well as posts that users subscribe to. “In 2023, the product and design improvements you’ll see from us will simplify and streamline how people discover, join, and contribute (post, vote, comment) to communities and bring new ways to engage in conversations and content,” Reddit explains. Continue reading Reddit Tests Split-View Text and Video Feeds, Other Updates

Bluesky has made it into the Apple App Store, where its reportedly generated more than 2,000 downloads in the past two weeks in an invitation-only beta mode, prompting speculation that a public launch is coming soon. Backed by Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky’s focus is a transfer protocol called AT (Authenticated Transfer) designed to facilitate an open, decentralized social network, not unlike the ActivityPub protocol that underpins Mastodon. The mobile app has been developed to showcase the protocol’s features. Incubated at Twitter starting in 2019, Bluesky is now a public benefit company. Continue reading Jack Dorsey-Led Bluesky Social Platform in Beta at App Store

Gen Z users are embracing Apple mobile in a big way, accounting for 34 percent of iPhone users as compared to 10 percent of Samsung users, according to adtech data firm Attain. The imbalance is creating a peer pressure dynamic where younger users around the globe reportedly feel social stigma if they lack Apple’s must-have devices. While Samsung still has a lead in the worldwide global smartphone market, the company is feeling pressure to get hip quick. In addition to the overall iPhone design, fans cite the cameras and AirDrop photo-sharing features as major selling points. Continue reading Gen Z Shifting the Global Smartphone Dynamic Toward Apple

YouTube is experimenting with a higher bitrate 1080p format for Premium subscribers. The enhanced 1080p Premium reportedly provides a better viewing experience. For now, 1080p Premium is only available to a very small group. The existing 1080p HD resolution on YouTube remains unchanged, according to the company. “1080p Premium is an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p which provides more information per pixel that results in a higher quality viewing experience,” explains spokesperson Paul Pennington, clarifying “there are no changes to the existing quality offerings for 1080p (HD) resolution on YouTube.” Continue reading YouTube Testing ‘1080p Premium’ with Its Paid Subscribers

Spotify is harnessing OpenAI’s generative artificial intelligence for DJ, a personalized audio guide that will not only curate tunes based on a listener’s taste, but will also deliver commentary and banter “in a stunningly realistic voice” that leverages technology from subsidiary Sonantic, acquired last year. The new feature is launching in beta this week in the U.S. and Canada with a high level of human oversight, expected to diminish over time. The combination of “generative AI tooling” and the expertise of Spotify music editors will allow the company to scale and customize “in ways never before possible.” Continue reading New Spotify AI DJ Offers Custom Playlists and Commentary