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

AT&T revealed more information about its HBO Max streaming service, scheduled to debut in May 2020. The service, priced at $14.99 per month, will be free for existing HBO and HBO Now subscribers, and premium AT&T customers, and feature shows from TV producer Greg Berlanti and actress/producer Mindy Kaling as well as content from HBO and Warner Bros. movie/TV library, including “Friends” and “The Big Bang Theory.” It is also acquiring streaming rights for shows such as Comedy Central’s “South Park.” Continue reading AT&T Reveals More Info About HBO Max, Debuting in May

AT&T just unveiled its new Facebook Messenger chatbot, dubbed Atticus, that’s full of interesting trivia about a range of broadcast television programs, including “Modern Family,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “American Horror Story,” “Pretty Little Liars,” and “The Office.” Described by AT&T as a “goofball,” Atticus has been known to say, “If the Dunphy family is looking for another kid, I’d be happy to join them. I’d be no trouble. Especially since I don’t physically exist. We’d be a real ‘Modern Family’.” Continue reading AT&T Unveils Atticus Chatbot to Answer Questions About TV

TiVo Research & Analytics has released its first “TiVo State of TV Report,” which provides insights into television viewing habits, advertising and commercial retention rates, and the top streamed and time-shifted programs. The team analyzed viewing data from multiple datasets, including TiVo and non-TiVo households, from July to September. The results point to a significant increase in time-shifted viewing and binge watching, while sports programming and primetime animation led the charge for live viewing. Continue reading Viewers Turn to Time-Shifting, Except for Sports and Animation

According to anti-piracy firm Excipio, the number of global illegally downloaded files has gone relatively unaffected by the recent shut down of The Pirate Bay. During the six-day period following the recent raid of the piracy organization’s data hosting center, illegal downloads slightly dropped, only to go up again a few days later. Even without The Pirate Bay’s active online presence, people have plenty of other alternative sites to visit for pirated movies, music and TV shows. Continue reading Online Piracy is Still Going Strong Despite Pirate Bay Closure

The premiere of Fox’s “Gotham” was illegally downloaded 1.33 million times over the course of 13 days. That is more than five times the number of downloads of any other new TV series in the U.S. More than 177,000 of those downloads took place in the U.S., even though the show was available for free online streaming the next day. Viewers in Australia, the U.K., Brazil, and Canada also heavily pirated the show, indicating the Batman-based series has worldwide appeal. Continue reading Fox’s ‘Gotham’ Pilot is Most Pirated New TV Show this Fall

In a new first, Google claims that it now processes an average of one million pirate link removal requests per day. Copyright holders are reporting more infringing search results and overloading Google with DMCA takedown notices in an effort to combat growing piracy. During the second quarter of this year, “Game of Thrones” episodes were downloaded from P2P networks worldwide nearly 299 million times. Australia, Brazil and the U.S. lead in the number of shows downloaded. Continue reading Piracy: Google Faces One Million Removal Requests Per Day