Broadcaster Cox Media Group has teamed with the McClatchy newspaper chain on a free ad-supported hyper-local streaming network called Neighborhood TV. The partners expect NTV to reach thousands of small communities across America. Cox designates as “local” a cluster of neighborhoods or towns within and adjacent to designated market areas (DMAs), thereby building out rather than directly competing with established operations. The service is expanding after desktop and mobile tests in Atlanta, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina notched more than 100 million monthly impressions, according to Cox. Continue reading Cox Media and McClatchy Launch Hyper-Local FAST Service

Amazon is using artificial intelligence to change the way viewers experience “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime Video this season. Now in the second year of its 10-year NFL deal, Amazon joins Disney’s ESPN in using AI to change how people experience televised sports by parsing a variety of analytics and using machine learning to interpret 2D video into 3D for a variety of viewpoints on any play. Amazon is auto-generating highlights feeds for each game, so late arrivals can catch up. September 14 marks the debut of the new AI Prime features and the games in 1080p HDR. Continue reading Amazon Integrating AI to Modernize NFL Viewing Experience

Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platform Max will soon introduce 24/7 live news from CNN as part of an open beta in the U.S. that will experiment with new features and content while seeking feedback from subscribers. CNN Max plans to launch on September 27 with programming from CNN US, CNN International and original programming produced for Max. News programming and original series will be available across all Max packages, which includes Max With Ads, Max Ad-Free and Max Ultimate Ad-Free. The beta test will be evaluated and fine-tuned “before being rolled out more broadly,” according to WBD. Continue reading Max Will Offer CNN News Content for Its Streaming Audience

The National Football League is raising the price of its streaming service, NFL+, now in year two, as live streams of the NFL Network and NFL RedZone cable channels are becoming part of the package. Cost of the premium plan will be $14.99 a month (or $99.99 per year), up 50 percent from $9.99, with the bundled NFL Network and its exclusive regular-season games, and fan-favorite RedZone, which carries live action from all Sunday afternoon games. A subscription to NFL+ with only the NFL Network added will increase 40 percent to $6.99 per month (or $49.99 per year), from $4.99. The changes will coincide with the start of the new season on September 10. Continue reading NFL+ Boosts Prices as It Bundles with NFL Network, RedZone

DJI’s Osmo Action 4 sports video camera promises “remarkable low-light performance” thanks to a larger 1/1.3-inch image sensor that captures more light through an utrawide f/2.8 aperture 155-degree lens. At $399, the Action 4 retails for about $70 more than the Action 3 but offers improvements including the ability to shoot in 10-bit D-Log M format for higher dynamic range that allows for greater color-correction flexibility in the editing room. The Action 4 also supports greater storage of up to 512GB using a required microSD card (the camera has no internal storage). Continue reading DJI Delivers Upgrades to Its Osmo Action Sports Video Cam

Local TV news may soon undergo an AI-driven revolution that will make artificially-generated newscasts a reality nearly 40 years after digital anchor Max Headroom introduced the concept. Veteran newsman and author Hank Price predicts that while the transition is still a few years in the making, the process is already underway, with AI already being used to alter the voice and images of human anchors and offering the possibility to eventually create computer-generated newsreaders with their own personalities. Comparing the advent of newsroom AI to switching to robotic cameras, he says the move will be costly but save money over time. Continue reading Artificial Intelligence Will Likely Impact the Future of TV News

YouTube TV is bundling Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max with its own NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market football package. YouTube parent Google entered into an exclusive, seven-year deal to offer the NFL Sunday Ticket package through YouTube TV and YouTube Primetime Channels, beginning with the 2023 season. Max has become a Sunday Ticket partner as part of a broader deal with WBD that includes getting Google TV behind WBD’s relaunch of HBO as Max. Philipp Schindler, chief business officer for Alphabet and Google, shared news of the promos with analysts during his company’s Q2 earnings call. Continue reading YouTube TV Will Bundle WBD’s Max with NFL Sunday Ticket

Charter Communications is debuting a “sports lite” cable tier designed to curb cord-cutting by offering customers the opportunity to save money by opting out of regional sports networks. The new package will begin rolling out in Q3, on a market-by-market basis beginning with Charter’s Spectrum-branded cable service. Spectrum Select Plus will include a full slate of sports, including regional networks, while the reduced-rate Spectrum Select Signature will feature limited sports. Charter owns two regional sports networks at a time when those specialty channels have felt the impact of subscribers leaving cable for streaming. Continue reading Charter Regional Sports Strategy Aims to Lower Cable Costs

Amazon is offering advertisers a unique marketing opportunity within “Thursday Night Football,” inviting them to take advantage of new streaming tech by programming different creative messages within the same 30-second slot. “For the first time in NFL history, fans across the country will no longer view the same national commercials while enjoying live coverage provided by Prime Video on Fire TV devices,” Amazon said at the NewFronts. For example, an automotive brand could promote sports cars to younger adults, SUVs to outdoor enthusiasts and a general spot for everyone else — all in the same 30-second window. Continue reading Amazon Offers New Ad Model for Thursday Night NFL Games

Peacock struck a deal with Meta Platforms that will allow its subscribers to view movies, TV shows and sports in virtual reality on Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro headsets. That includes MLB and NFL games, “all in VR on your own giant, personal screen.” VR will be available to all Peacock subscribers, starting with the ad-subsidized $4.99 per month Premium tier, but those who sign-up with a qualifying Quest 2 or Quest Pro before April 11, 2024 will be eligible to receive Peacock Premium for 12 months at no additional cost. Those who had qualifying Meta headsets registered on or before April 11, 2023 will be eligible for three free months of Peacock Premium. Continue reading Peacock Now Streaming VR Content on Meta Quest Headsets

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

YouTube TV is rolling out a new feature aimed at live sports fans. Called “multiview,” it lets people watch up to four different streams at once. Just in time for March Madness, multiview is debuting in early access to select U.S. subscribers and only for sports content, YouTube says, adding that it’s exploring how to apply the quad-screen format across a variety of content and will gradually make it available to more users. Slow-walking the initial launch will allow the platform to collect feedback and improve the feature in time for the fall NFL football season. Continue reading YouTube TV Launches Its ‘Multiview’ Display, Ideal for Sports

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

Well-funded software startups are springing up to target the enterprise market with generative artificial intelligence technology of the type popularized by ChatGPT. In 2022, global venture-capital investors parked $1.3 billion in more than 78 generative AI startup deals, according to PitchBook Data. That’s nearly as much as the combined capital investment in other tech startups over the past five years, and it came at a time when the broader investment sector was experiencing a slowdown, PitchBook found. Two of Q4’s biggest venture deals were for the generative AI startups Jasper, based in Austin, Texas, and Stability AI, headquartered in London. Continue reading Venture Capital Investors Are Drawn to Generative AI Startups

The National Basketball Association is extending its partnership with Meta Platforms in a multiyear deal that will include virtual reality experiences via the Horizon Worlds online platform and Meta Quest, “the official VR headset of the NBA and WNBA.” The NBA Arena in Meta Horizon Worlds will feature live NBA League Pass games in VR throughout the season. NBA-licensed apparel will launch in the Meta Avatars Store. Authenticated NBA accounts will also be able to experience shared watching in HD using Quest with VR sports hub Xtadium. Continue reading NBA Arena and Avatar Apparel Debut in Meta Horizon Worlds