Rebecca Day

Roku users can now access NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming video. The free tier includes 13,000 hours of current, classic and original movies and shows, plus live and on-demand content covering news, sports, reality, late-night and Spanish-language programming. For $4.99 monthly, Roku customers have access to the full Peacock Premium portfolio of 20,000 hours of content; another $5 zaps advertising, said Peacock Monday. A Roku spokesperson emailed there's no update on talks with AT&T to carry HBO Max, which isn't available on Roku or Amazon Fire TV platforms. Peacock is available on Apple devices, Google platforms and devices, Microsoft’s Xbox One family consoles, Vizio SmartCast TVs, Sony’s PlayStation 4 family consoles and LG Smart TVs. Eligible Comcast Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and eligible Cox Contour customers get Peacock Premium for free. In July, Comcast said Peacock had 10 million signups (see 2007300032).

Miami-based custom installation firm AHT Global pivoted to the Crestron Home residential control platform for nearly all projects, Principal Al Reinhard said on a dealer roundtable at the virtual Crestron Next event Wednesday. He called it Crestron’s “platform of the future.” Crestron organized and sponsored the roundtable, but didn't pay the dealers to participate, emailed Vice President-Residential John Clancy. "They are just fans of Crestron Home who told two different versions of the same story really well -- from two very different ends of the spectrum."

Samsung highlighted its Terrace outdoor TV, its first Premiere laser-based ultra-short-throw projector, the rotating Sero and 8K TVs in a virtual CEDIA Expo media briefing Tuesday. The models, introduced at CES (see 2001060010), are targeted to residential and commercial markets, along with the multiscreen The Wall, a modular microLED design shown as a 292-inch TV wall in Las Vegas. Samsung also added 32- and 75-inch screen sizes for the Frame portfolio that's designed to showcase digital art. The 4K Premiere with Filmmaker Mode (see 2009020037) allows 130-inch projections in smaller spaces with smart TV functionality at an affordable price, said Jim Mayo, Samsung senior director-custom install (CI) channel/strategy. Mayo also promoted the Q-Symphony, which pairs audio from Q series sound bars with QLED TV speakers. The combination, developed by Samsung’s California audio lab, delivers a fuller, more immersive sound experience than a standard sound bar, he said. Mayo reviewed Samsung’s invitation-only CI Platinum program offered to the company’s top dealers and installers. Launched in February, it offers dealers more attractive margins, inclusion in regional distribution in hitting targets, individual volume incentive rebate programs, priority allocation, demonstration program enhancements and an accommodation program, he said. A charity component matches member donations to select organizations. The Platinum program has more than 500 dealers. Samsung has physical design and executive briefing centers for CI dealer and integrator use, said Mark Quiroz, vice president-marketing, display. Samsung has sites in Dallas; Washington; Irvine, California; and Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, where dealers can see products in different applications.

Omnichannel shopping options were key to Kohl’s operations during the pandemic, said Kohl’s CEO Michelle Gass on a Thursday webinar, part of the National Retail Federation Leadership Series. The retailer is continuing to be a return location for Amazon purchases since reopening stores, Gass said. Along with buy online, pick up in store fulfillment and curbside pick up, it's bringing customers into retail locations, said Gass, who remains a "big, big believer in stores." Kohl’s had 60% growth in digital shopping during the pandemic, as lockdown created new digital shoppers: “For folks who hadn’t adopted digital, this was the time.” Some customers are now shopping both channels, and “they’re the most valuable,” six times more productive than digital-only shoppers and four times that of store-only consumers. While stores were closed, many acted as distribution centers. Some 50% of digital orders were fulfilled by stores during lockdown, “taking advantage of the inventory sitting there.” Value is more important than ever to consumers, amid uncertainty about the future and after the end of stimulus checks from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act, said Gass, noting the retailer introduced a new customer rewards program last week. The holiday season “will be like no other,” said the executive, who expects shoppers to begin holiday shopping next month, for ease, convenience and “certainty.” With unknowns looming about the virus’ path, shoppers will want the security they will be able to get items on their holiday lists, she said. It's a “tough week” at Kohl’s, which announced a restructuring and cut 15% of staff.

Spotify sees its integration of podcasts and audio as a differentiator as the company looks to stave off competition from Apple’s bundled service package, announced Tuesday (see 2009150060), and Amazon’s entry into podcasts Wednesday.

Apple energized its growing services business at its Tuesday event, announcing a subscription-based fitness app, Fitness+ ($9.99 a month; $79 yearly), and an expected bundled services offering (see 2008130029) under the moniker Apple One. “It’s all about recurring subscription revenue,” tweeted Futurum analyst Daniel Newman. Gartner's Mikako Kitagawa called the prices “competitive,” questioning if they will be enough to pull in users “other than existing Apple service customers.” Heavy Spotify or Netflix users need to have “a good reason to add Apple Music or TV," she emailed.

Labor Day weekend e-commerce sales were below forecast, “even for a world without COVID-19 and lockdowns,” blogged Adobe Monday. E-commerce spending during the three-day Labor Day weekend was $2.6 billion, up 12% year on year; prior-week sales grew 33%, said Adobe’s Digital Economy Index.

Making internet services as ubiquitous in the future as household utilities are today was a pervasive theme among speakers at Silicon Labs’ virtual Works With developer event Wednesday and Thursday. “Our services should melt into the background, becoming as reliable and essential as running water or electricity,” said Grant Erickson, Google principal software engineer.

IoT's potential won’t be realized without universal interoperability, seamless operation, an easy development process and strong security, said Silicon Labs General Manager-IoT Matt Johnson, keynoting the second day of the company’s first “Works With” developer conference, held Wednesday and Thursday. “If we don’t get the trust and security right, this is not going to happen.” “We saw this need in the industry,” Johnson told us, detailing the company’s reasons for holding the virtual conference that drew 5,500 attendees. The chipmaker sees its role as pivotal to the advancement of the IoT.

“It’s a tough time right now and we need to rethink how we go to market, COVID or not,” David Fekete, managing partner at event services company Circle TPR, told Consumer Electronics Daily. Circle had a dozen clients at CES 2020, handling services ranging from designing booths for exhibitors in Central Hall to arranging dinners. Like so many businesses that depend on the trade show industry, Circle is feeling the pain from CES 2021 shifting virtual due to the pandemic.