Disney’s ESPN all-access streaming app, priced at $30 per month for an “unlimited” package, will roll out this fall. Those who subscribe as part of a Disney+ and Hulu ad-supported bundle will get all three services for $36 per month, discounted to $30 per month for customers who sign up at launch. Included in the new app — simply named “ESPN” — will be live NFL, NBA, college football and basketball games as well as programming from sister services ESPN2, the SEC Network and ESPN on ABC. The package will also feature new betting tie-ins, fantasy products, documentaries and studio programming. A “select” plan starts at $12 per month. Continue reading ESPN Announces Its New Streaming App Will Launch This Fall

CNN announced the planned fall launch of a new streaming direct-to-consumer service. Pricing and start date details have yet to be revealed, but network CEO Mark Thompson announced the new product Wednesday at the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront in New York City. Thompson said the streaming service will be tied to a CNN.com subscription product. As with recent streaming launches from FOX and ESPN, CNN is taking care not to compete with its most lucrative customers, traditional cable providers, who will be able to pass through the new offering at no additional charge. Continue reading CNN Shares Plan to Introduce New Streaming Product in 2025

Amazon’s Audible audiobook service is partnering with select publishers to bring more print and e-books into the spoken word realm and is leveraging AI narration and translation to help it happen at scale. This move aims to quickly boost Audible’s product offerings so it can compete more effectively against streamers like Apple and Spotify who have rapidly expanded their literary market share. “Audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in publishing,” yet of the millions of titles available today in print and as e-books, only 2-5 percent exist in audio form, according to the company. Continue reading Audible Using AI Narration and Translation to Expand Catalog

Amazon’s second Upfront presentation featured a lineup of Hollywood celebrities including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Momoa and Jamie Lee Curtis joined by sports stars such as Travis Kelce and John Cena. The streamer announced that “Spider-Noir,” the Marvel series starring Nicolas Cage, debuts on Prime Video next year, while the post-apocalyptic drama “Fallout” returns for a third season. The Academy of Country Music Awards will call Prime Video home for the next three years. The ad-supported version of the streaming service has added 15 million monthly customers since January 2024 and now reaches about 130 million U.S. households monthly. Continue reading Amazon Touts Prime Video Subs, Series and Sports at Upfront

FOX One is the brand name of the aggregated portfolio of FOX’s direct-to-consumer streaming products, due to launch this fall as a subscription service ahead of the NFL and college football seasons. The package bundles FOX sports, news and entertainment content including cable and local stations and the FOX broadcast network. Fox Corporation CEO Lachlan Murdoch floated the news during Monday’s earnings call, also reporting that revenue was up 27 percent year-over-year to $4.37 billion. A launch date and pricing for FOX One will be shared at a later date. Continue reading All-In FOX One Streaming Platform to Launch Later This Year

Peacock wants to be the place to watch basketball this fall when the NBA makes its debut on the streamer with the 2025-2026 season. As the result of an integration between the platform and the NBC Sports production team, Peacock will give basketball fans special functions that make watching NBA games more convenient in their living rooms or on their phones. Multiview and key plays, two popular YouTube features, are coming to the NBA on Peacock. The idea is to provide viewers with an immersive NBA experience. NBCUniversal shared the news at the NBC Upfront presentation at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Continue reading NBCU Enhances Streaming Features for Peacock NBA Debut

Former Bungie developers have formed teamLFG, a PlayStation studio housed within Sony Interactive Entertainment. Hermen Hulst, CEO of the Sony Interactive Entertainment Studio Business Group, said teamLFG has “rallied developers from across the industry to bring to life an ambitious incubation project” that the company is “very excited about.” The first game from teamLFG will see players inhabit “a lighthearted, comedic world set in brand-new, mythic, science-fantasy universe,” the principals hinted, noting it was a multiplayer actioner “that draws inspiration from fighting games, platformers, MOBAs, life sims, and frog-type games.” Continue reading Sony Interactive Spins Out New PlayStation Studio teamLFG

Netflix is testing a short-form video feature for mobile to compete for the attention of those spending time on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. The news came out of the company’s inaugural product and tech event where it also shared plans for an OpenAI-powered search tool that lets users describe their desired content conversationally. Netflix plans to introduce improved real-time recommendations and a redesigned TV homepage, rolling out globally in the coming weeks and months, according to Chief Product Officer Eunice Kim, who presided over the event with Chief Technology Officer Elizabeth Stone. Continue reading Netflix Highlights Original Shows in New Vertical Shorts Feed

Disney revenue hit $23.6 billion during the recent quarter, a 7 percent increase year-over-year, with net income vaulting to $3.28 billion, up from a $20 million loss during the same period last year. The results outperformed on the top and bottom lines, sending shares surging by about 10 percent on Wednesday morning. Disney’s strong fiscal second quarter was propelled by better-than-expected Disney+ subscriber growth of +1.4 million subscribers and energetic overall performances in Entertainment as well as Experiences. The icing on the earnings cake was news of a new theme park planned for Abu Dhabi, announced by CEO Bob Iger. Continue reading Disney Reports Strong Quarter, Announces New Theme Park

As part of a larger push to boost its global subscriptions, Google’s YouTube is pilot-testing a discounted two-person Premium plan with select users in France, Hong Kong, India and Taiwan. The tier’s pilot program, which allows users to share their YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium membership with another household member (13 years or older) without committing to a family plan, comes as the platform looks to diversity beyond its advertising business. YouTube is testing whether the plan, similar to the Duo offering from music streamer Spotify, would be appealing to couples or roommates looking to minimize costs while maintaining separate accounts. Continue reading YouTube Tests Two-Person Premium Tier to Help Grow Subs

Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max streaming service has followed Netflix’s lead in battling password sharing by selling Extra Member subscriptions in the U.S. for $8 per month. The move aims to give existing subscribers “greater flexibility and control over how they manage sharing their Max accounts,” the company says, promising a seamless transition from subscription squatting to authorized account user with “profile transfer available for extra member add-ons.” Those in the midst of binging, say, “White Lotus” will not see their viewing disrupted, according to WBD. Continue reading WBD Adds ‘Extra Member’ Option for Max Password Sharers

Roku is partnering with Adobe to integrate its Roku Data Cloud with Adobe Real-Time Customer Data Platform (CDP) for a new real-time advertising data platform. The idea is to allow advertisers to access more in-depth insights that can potentially be used to launch “more personalized and performant advertising” while prioritizing privacy, according to Roku. “This integration will unlock the opportunity for traditional performance marketers — like search and social buyers — to plan, activate, and measure campaigns on Roku,” said Miles Fisher, the streamer’s senior director of strategic advertising partnerships. Continue reading Roku Teams Up with Adobe on a Real-Time Ad Data Platform

Netflix posted record profit of $2.9 billion in Q1, a 24 percent increase year-over-year that exceeded its forecast of $2.44 billion. Revenue was up nearly 13 percent to $10.54 billion for the three month period. The streamer attributed the strong performance to “slightly higher subscription and ad revenue and the timing of expenses.” The company is looking ahead to a strong 2025 and robust growth in upcoming years, with an internal goal of doubling annual revenue to $80 billion by 2030 and global ad sales aiming to hit $9 billion. Full-year revenue is forecast to land between $43.5 billion and $44.5 billion. Continue reading Netflix Reports Another Record Quarter with $2.9 Billion Profit

Netflix is testing a new recommendation engine that uses OpenAI technology to suggest viewing options based on input that goes beyond the usual parameters of cast and genre. The system is being introduced gradually and is already available in Australia and New Zealand where subscribers must opt-in to try it out, reports say, noting it allows input of more nuanced parameters, including mood, to populate search results. The partnership underscores OpenAI’s efforts to have its technology applied practically and commercially as it seeks to transition from a non-profit to a for-profit public benefit business structure. Continue reading Netflix Tests Content Recommendations Powered by OpenAI

ByteDance is testing TikTok for Artists, a free feature performers can use to manage music and mesh with fans. Aimed at generating exposure and building engagement, the feature also provides analytics — from fan insights to performance metrics and trend reports. The Artists platform is now being tested in Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea and New Zealand. Though the U.S. deadline for ByteDance to remove TikTok from Chinese control was extended by 75 days (a second time) from April 5 to June 19, the social media app’s future here is more uncertain than ever. Continue reading ByteDance Tests TikTok for Artists with Its U.S. Fate in Limbo