In addition to the free streaming video content that has helped propel YouTube to more than 225 monthly unpaid U.S. users, the Google platform has become a major player in the television market, offering cable-like channel bundles for a monthly fee. Now, it is expanding those offerings with more than 10 genre-specific packages coming in early 2026. The first unveiling from the new skinny bundles is the YouTube TV Sports Plan, with access to the major broadcasters, sports networks including FS1 and NBC Sports Network, as well as all ESPN networks and ESPN Unlimited. Continue reading YouTube TV Sports Plan First of New Skinny Bundles for 2026

FixBot is a new AI app from iFixit that can figure out what’s wrong with broken devices and guide you through the repair using hands-free instruction, visual analysis, and instant access to the world’s repair knowledge. Available from the App Store and Google Play, the FixBot is optimized for mobile. Free on launch, the company is developing an alternate Enthusiast tier that will cost $4.99 per month or $50 per year and include perks like voice and document upload. FixBot is iFixit’s second attempt at a repair app, following an attempt that ran from 2011 to 2015. Since it went dark, the company’s community kept asking for a more mobile-friendly redux. Continue reading iFixit’s AI-Powered FixBot Puts Expert Advice in Your Pocket

Cable news channel MSNBC, which rebranded as MS NOW last month, has more changes in store with plans to distinguish itself from other digital subscription offerings by bundling streaming with a 24/7 linear programming network and other services as part of a package scheduled to debut in mid-2026. It follows parent NBCUniversal’s scheduled spinoff of its cable TV holdings as Versant, which is set to begin trading on Nasdaq in January under the leadership of longtime Comcast executive Mark Lazarus. Speaking at an investor meeting Thursday, NBCU execs also shared a strategy for Versant to transition the Fandango at Home streaming hub (formerly Vudu) into a FAST service. Continue reading Versant Planning New Strategies for MS NOW and Fandango

AMC Networks launched a new streaming service called All Reality yesterday, featuring 2,500 hours of reality television from We TV and other AMC brands. The service is initially being offered as an add-on to Prime Video for $4.99 per month. Available series include “Love After Lockup,” “The Braxtons,” and “The Graham Norton Show,” while an updated version of “Bridezillas” will be the first original series. According to AMC, additional content will be introduced and the service will join more platforms in the near future. All Reality joins AMC’s other targeted streamers including AMC+ (scripted dramas), Acorn TV (international mysteries), Shudder (horror) and HIDIVE (anime). Continue reading AMC Launches ‘All Reality’ Streamer with Unscripted Content

Swedish audio streaming and music service Spotify plans to add music videos to its content lineup in the United States and Canada in the coming weeks. The popular streamer had since March 2024 been beta testing music videos in Europe, Asia, South America and other foreign territories and was satisfied with the results, calling the visual clips “a powerful way to build connections between artists and fans.” On average, “songs discovered with music videos are 24 percent more likely to be saved or shared in the following week by those who watched,” Spotify said of the beta test. The move seems to indicate Spotify wants to give its paid subscribers a reason not to switch to YouTube Music. Continue reading Spotify Targets 1B Subs, Adds Music Videos in North America

Snap Inc. has secured San Francisco-based Perplexity as its new partner in artificial intelligence, with Perplexity’s AI-powered answer engine to become an in-app feature of social service Snapchat starting in early 2026. Snapchat’s community of over 943 million monthly active users will be able to converse with Perplexity, asking questions and getting “clear, conversational answers drawn from verifiable sources,” Snap explains. Perplexity will pay Snap $400 million over the next year through a combination of cash and equity, gaining access to Snap’s mobile-native audience, comprised of more than 75 percent of 13–34-year-olds in over 25 countries. Continue reading Perplexity Deal Will Bring Conversational AI to Snapchat App

Spotify passed 700 million monthly active users in Q3, with subscribers hitting 281 million, a 12 percent increase over the same period in 2024. Total revenue was $4.9 billion, up 12 percent year-over-year, while net income surged 200 percent to $1 billion, attributed to price hikes, subscriber growth and strict cost management. The Swedish company surpassed analyst expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Revenue from premium subscriptions grew 9 percent in Q3. Advertising revenue for the period was down 6 percent, however, to about $515 million. Spotify recently integrated with ChatGPT so that users can get podcast and music recommendations from the popular chatbot. Continue reading Spotify’s Profits Surge 200 Percent for Q3, Topping $1 Billion

Cloud Streaming for the Sony PlayStation Portal portable gaming device has officially launched this month after a year in beta testing. PlayStation Plus Premium members can now play “a massively expanded selection of PS5 Games” on the wireless handheld unit without the need to connect to the PS5 console through Remote Play. Sony has retooled the home screen, adding three tabs dedicated to the different modes: Remote Play, Cloud Streaming and Search. Cloud Streaming “makes it easier to enjoy PS5 games on the go” anywhere with a high-speed Wi-Fi connection, playing even when the PS5 console at home is powered off or is in use by another account, according to Sony. Continue reading Sony Is Rolling Out Cloud Streaming for the PlayStation Portal

Canva has retooled the pricing of its Affinity image-editing and publishing apps to better compete with Adobe. The company announced a new offering that bundles Affinity’s Photo, Publisher and Designer apps into a software package called “Affinity by Canva” that is free for users with a Canva account but requires a paid subscription to access generative AI features. Canva’s paid subscription plans start at $120 a year for individuals. Previously, Affinity software was available by perpetual license, a pricing option that Canva — which purchased Affinity late last year — is retiring. Canva also had to reconcile its acquisition’s anti-AI stance, something it seems to have accomplished. Continue reading Affinity by Canva Is a Free Photo, Design and Layout Bundle

Alphabet has notched its first $100 billion-plus quarter, with revenue of $102.35 billion, a 16 percent increase for the period ending September 30. The result exceeded analyst estimates of $99.89 billion. CEO Sundar Pichai noted the results marked a 100 percent increase in Q3 revenue since 2020, when it was $50 billion. “We’re firmly in the generative AI era,” Nadella said, noting diversification “with successful businesses in Cloud, YouTube and subscriptions.” The company was onboard with the trend in increased spending, upping its capital expenditure range from $85 billion to $91 billion – $93 billion for 2025. Continue reading Cloud and AI Drive Alphabet to First $100 Billion-Plus Quarter

Spotify has added a feature that lets users follow their favorite venues to stay current on upcoming performances. In March the music streamer created a Concerts Near You playlist option, updated weekly, that helps fans discover when their favorite artists are touring nearby. Now, Spotify says its redesigned Live Events feed, updated daily, is available to both Free and Premium subscribers directly in-app, letting users view venue and scheduled concert details right from their libraries. Spotify is also recommending other smaller venues fans may enjoy based on their tastes. “Great live music isn’t just about the artist you see — it’s also about where you see them,” Spotify believes. Continue reading Spotify Updates Live Events Feed, Lets Fans Follow Venues

Amazon is updating its AI business toolkit with a new automation subscription designed to speed office work. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is rolling out Quick Suite, an agentic AI application that connects across internal repositories and, via the model context protocol (MCP) to more than 1,000 third-party business apps. The result aims to transform how employees “find insights, conduct deep research, automate tasks, visualize data, and take actions across apps,” according to AWS. “Working with an AI agent is now as simple as chatting with a teammate,” Amazon suggests, explaining that “Quick works to help you go from insight directly to action.” Continue reading AWS Quick Suite a One-Window AI Integration and Agent Tool

Google is launching new subscription AI services that aim to help businesses build agents. Gemini Enterprise starts at a monthly fee of $30 per user for large organizations, while the $21 per person monthly Gemini Business is aimed at smaller clients. Premade Google agents are packaged with the new subscriptions to pave the way for automated software development, data science and customer engagement efforts. Access to agents from Workday and others is also provided, and they can draw on data from Microsoft, Salesforce and Box. The Google launch was announced just a few days after OpenAI revealed that tools from third-party apps can now be accessed in ChatGPT. Continue reading Google Launches No-Code AI Agent Tools for Enterprise Users

As part of an initiative to broaden its reach beyond TV shows and film, Netflix is adding party games to its programming lineup with a push beyond mobile. The streaming giant is offering diversions like “Pictionary” and “Boggle” to enhance fun for family and friends through the holiday season. “We’re creating a completely new way to play games — one that’s as easy as streaming a show on a Friday night,” Netflix explains, adding that all you’ll need to experience the gaming action is “Netflix and your phone.” Other games include “LEGO Party!,” “Tetris Time Warp,” “and a fresh take on the social deduction genre ‘Party Crashers: Fool Your Friends.’” Continue reading Netflix Will Offer Party Games via Its TV Service for First Time

AI search startup Perplexity has made its Comet browser available for free worldwide as it seeks to gain market share against the major players in the field. Comet was first released three months ago to its Max plan subscribers, who pay $200-per-month. While the free version comes with a Comet Assistant, paid subscribers will get access to the new, higher-level Background Assistant, which leverages agentic capabilities to perform multi-step tasks simultaneously and asynchronously in the background. It joins the Email Assistant Perplexity announced last week for those on the Max plan. Perplexity is also rolling out early previews of Comet for mobile, so assistants can be managed from anywhere. Continue reading Perplexity Comet Browser Free Globally and Coming to Mobile