BBC Studios, which first entered the FAST space in 2019, announced a deal with ad-supported video-on-demand streamer Amazon Freevee, which will exclusively provide five new FAST channels for U.S. audiences starting October 17. The editorially-curated FAST channels will feature more than 1,000 hours of content across categories including comedy, science fiction, game shows, travel and crime dramas. Thus far, BBC has launched 17 FAST channels in the U.S. Freevee content is available via its Android and iOS apps in addition to Fire TV, Prime Video and numerous smart TVs and delivery platforms. Continue reading BBC Studios Offers Five FAST Channels on Amazon Freevee

Xumo, a joint venture between Comcast and Charter Communications, has begun rolling out its Xumo Stream Box to Charter’s Spectrum customers, with plans to bring it to Comcast’s Xfinity homes soon. The Xumo Stream Box is powered by Comcast’s Entertainment Operating System (EOS), designed to simplify the process of finding content, regardless of where it resides. “Xumo is streaming simplified, bringing a live TV experience together with all the top apps,” Charter President of Product and Technology Rich DiGeronimo said of the new device. Xumo Stream Box can be used to find, discover and select content on-demand using voice control. Continue reading Comcast-Charter Venture Starts Shipping Xumo Stream Box

AMC Networks has begun rolling out an ad-supported version of its flagship AMC+ streaming service. Initial availability will be on AMC’s own direct-to-consumer platform and apps, with third-party platforms and channel providers added in the coming weeks. Priced at $4.99 per month, the ad-supported tier includes less than five-minutes per hour of sponsored messages and the same content that comes with the $8.99 per month ad-free plan (or $83.88 annually). Chief Commercial Officer Kim Kelleher says the new product offering is “bringing ads to the only piece of our distribution ecosystem that wasn’t already ad-supported.” Continue reading AMC Offers a New Commercial Tier for Its Streaming Service

E.W. Scripps subsidiary Nuvyyo has released a redesigned version of its Tablo DVR that will “better meet the needs of consumers by providing an enhanced over-the-air TV experience with content recommendations and a curated selection of free ad-supported streaming TV channels integrated into the live TV program guide,” the company explains. The puck-like device is available for a one-time hardware fee, with no subscription, contracts or fees required. The Tablo sells for $99.95 at TabloTV.com, Best Buy and Amazon, while the Tablo Total System, which includes a 35-mile indoor TV antenna, is available for the promotional price of $109.95 and will later cost $129.95. Continue reading New Tablo DVR Integrates FAST for Free All-in-One Solution

Nielsen just released its 2023 State of Play report analyzing trends in streaming media based on data and insights provided by its content solutions business unit Gracenote. While it’s no surprise that audiences are faced with overwhelming choice — with nearly 40,000 individual FAST channels, streaming providers and aggregators to choose from — what is a stunner is that 20 percent of viewers, or 1 in 5, say that when they don’t know what to watch, even after browsing, they opt to end the TV session and find something else to do. According to Nielsen, viewers now devote about 10.5 minutes per TV session figuring out what to watch. Continue reading Viewers Are Struggling with the Growth of Streaming Options

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 continues to expand its FAST portfolio, updating the Fire TV app with new channels from Variety, GameSpot, Rolling Stone, The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Funny or Die, TVLine, Honest Trailers, Looper, Slash Film and more. They join the 400-plus Fire TV Channels that Amazon launched in May when the free streaming service debuted with content ranging from sports and entertainment to cooking, travel and gaming, featuring brands such as ABC News, FOX Sports, CBS Sports HQ, IGN, IMDb and Martha Stewart. In addition to responding to Alexa voice commands, Fire TV features a newly introduced navigational sidebar for browsing. Continue reading Amazon Updates Fire TV: New Channels, Sidebar Navigation

Streaming accounted for 37.7 percent of overall U.S. TV usage in June, a record share for the digital format. Cable TV accounted for 30.6 percent and broadcast 20.8 percent, according to Nielsen’s monthly snapshot The Gauge. TV viewing was up 2.2 percent in June, the first monthly increase since January. The uptick was principally attributed to young viewers and the summer break. Notably, TV consumption among the 2-11 and 12-17 age groups was up 16.3 percent and 24.1 percent, respectively, compared with May. Alternative viewing options — including streaming and video gaming — accounted for 90 percent among those groups. Continue reading Nielsen: June Marks a New All-Time Record for TV Streaming

NBCUniversal has plumbed its vaults to fuel nearly 50 new FAST channels launching in July on Amazon Freevee and the new Xumo Play joint venture from NBCU parent Comcast and Charter Communications. The lineup, taken from NBCU’s Television and Streaming and Global Distribution libraries, includes verticals for “Saturday Night Live,” “Top Chef,” “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” and “The Real Housewives,” as well as Spanish-language programs from Telemundo. There are also nostalgia channels featuring “The Lone Ranger,” “Little House on the Prairie” and “Murder, She Wrote,” and genre-based streams of comedy, criminality and monsters. Continue reading NBCUniversal to Introduce Dozens of FAST Channels in July

Vizio has added a new discovery feature, Content Connections as part of its WatchFree+ service and smart TV interface. NBCUniversal’s Peacock has climbed aboard as the platform’s first Content Connections partner. With Content Connections, users can move seamlessly from Vizio’s FAST environment, WatchFree+, to services available through paid subscription. The Peacock Preview channel will let consumers with Vizio smart TVs have free access for a three-week period to select episodes from more than 16 Peacock series. Content Connections will serve viewers with “intuitive messages” directing them to participating platforms’ streaming apps. Continue reading Peacock Signs Up for Vizio’s WatchFree+ Discovery Feature

A group of independent ad-supported streaming companies have joined forces to leverage collective reach, launching the Independent Streaming Alliance. Founding members include Allen Media Group, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Cineverse, Scripps and Vevo. The members — representing smaller or niche platforms — plan to pursue a combined approach to measurement (working with iSpot.tv) as well as promotion, distribution and demand. On launch, the group claims to represent “over 2,200 independent streaming touchpoints” generating “more than half a billion hours” of monthly global consumer viewing time. Continue reading Independent Streamers Join Forces to Create Industry Forum

Amazon may be further leveraging its enviable position with Madison Avenue by launching an ad-supported Prime Video tier. The move makes sense given Amazon’s surging ad revenue from online sales. The company also owns the FAST service Freevee. Amazon’s ad savvy runs deep, and reports suggest the e-commerce giant is also in discussions with Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global to package the ad-supported versions of Max and Paramount+ under the Prime Video Channels banner. The news comes on the eve of the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the global marketing elite. Continue reading Amazon Explores Launching Ad-Supported Prime Video Tier

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

Telly, the TV hardware startup led by Pluto TV co-founder Ilya Pozin, is shaking up industry business models by offering 500,000 smart TVs free to consumers willing to watch 24/7 ads on a split screen with streaming TV shows and movies. The ad-subsidized sets feature a dual-screen that includes a 55-inch 4K HDR display with a nine-inch “smart screen” mounted beneath. The smaller screen is where the ads will appear, running alongside feeds featuring information such as weather, stock reports, and sports scores. Powered by TellyOS, the sets also have a built-in five-driver soundbar. Continue reading Telly Offers Free Smart TVs Featuring Ads on Second Screen

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