If you prefer to stream live television on your laptop rather than through the company's mobile apps, a new beta launch should get you excited. The company has announced the arrival of Sling TV streaming in Google's Chrome browser, though the entire thing is still in a beta right now. The streaming is possible within Chrome sans the use of a plugin or app.
Remember the big HBO hack? The latest one, that is. The company just suffered another blow as the hacker has leaked new Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes online, making them available for anyone to download. That's a big problem for HBO, which announced last year that it would be reviving the beloved series. The new show hasn't yet premiered on the network.
Robert Kirkman, creator of The Walking Dead franchise, has made a surprise move in signing a new two-year deal with Amazon Studios over AMC, the network that runs the hit post-apocalypse zombie series. The deal means that any new shows to come from Kirkman and his production company Skybound Entertainment will be developed exclusively for Amazon Prime Video.
Netflix, which recently went on a cancellation spree, has just brought another show to a premature end. Gypsy only lasted for a single season before earning the company's banhammer, something that perhaps isn't surprising given its relatively mild launch and mixed bag of reviews. Sources claim that at one point Netflix was in talks with show producers to buy a second season.
The 1984 novel by William Gibson, Neuromancer, will soon be reborn as a movie destined for a theatrical premiere, it has been announced. Neuromancer is regarded as kicking off the cyberpunk genre, and it'll be in the skilled hands of Deadpool director Tim Miller with Simon Kinberg as producer. Who will be writing the flick, however, isn't yet known.
CBS is gearing up to launch a streaming sports channel, but it will only be made available through TV services that provide live television channels over the Internet. The channel will be launched later on 2017, and though we don't yet know what this channel will be called, we do know it'll distinguish itself from competing sports offerings like Fox Sports and ESPN. The streaming channel will be modeled after the company's existing CBSN infrastructure, as well.
Vizio is changing the way its smart TVs work, shedding the tablet and casting requirement to bring apps directly onto the television's display. It's a welcomed change that finally makes the company's smart TVs more akin to what you get from companies like Samsung. Coming alongside this revamped television interface is the launch of an Amazon Video app for SmartCast TV, bringing the arguably vital movie and TV app to Vizio's product lineup.
DirecTV NOW just announced a major expansion involving CBS Networks. Among other things, DirecTV is rolling out 25 local CBS stations to its NOW subscribers, enabling those users to watch their local CBS affiliate station over the Internet. In addition to the local stations, this new expansion will bring SHOWTIME, The CW, CBS Sports, and more. The nation's biggest cities will most benefit from this particular expansion.
Once upon a time, you were forced to pay for big, expensive cable packages if you wanted access to all your favorite channels. Times are changing, though; streaming alternatives like Hulu are a hot item, but the next transition in home entertainment is already happening. Now more than ever, you can sign up for on-demand streaming access to your favorite networks, and FX will soon be counted among them.
Plex recently launched some key features for cord-cutters, making its software an attractive option for those who don't want cable but do have an over-the-air TV antenna. The company first introduced the DVR feature, though as a beta, that allows users with a Plex Pass to record their favorite shows from their OTA antenna. That feature has now exited beta, and it has been joined by a vital feature that improves the TV-watching experience: time shifting content.
The number of homes in the U.S. that don't have at least one television is growing, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. According to a study it published earlier this year, which looked at television trends in the US from 1997 to 2015, US households experienced a sudden decrease in TV ownership between 2009 and 2015, the reasons for which likely have a lot to do with mobile phones and tablets.
Hulu, as part of its efforts to acquire vast numbers of movies and TV shows, has announced a new big milestone for the company: it just got the rights to offer up ABC's 'classic' TGIF sitcoms spanning the 1990s. Hulu has nabbed exclusive streaming video on-demand rights for these shows via a new deal with Warner Bros. Shows will include Family Matters, Full House and more.
