About 46% of U.S. broadband households subscribe to four or more over-the-top video services, and 82% have at least one, up from 76% in the year-ago quarter, said a Q1 Parks Associates survey. Services are using different growth strategies, including external partnerships, to expand their reach and improve retention, said President Elizabeth Parks Wednesday.
Sonos added a Brian Eno station, The Lighthouse, to its $7.99-a-month Sonos Radio HD streaming service, it said Tuesday. The station premiered with 300 tracks and will include unreleased works. The company also announced it expanded Sonos Radio HD to Austria, Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands.
FuboTV is now available on LG webOS smart TVs dating to the 2018 model year, said LG Monday. Up to six users on a subscription can personalize their fuboTV experiences for recommendations and a customized guide that can be used to “favorite” channels. Users can have their own sets of recordings, which don't expire, it said. LG TV owners can get a free trial by scanning the QR code on the fuboTV app.
The average streamer spends more than seven minutes “searching for what to watch next,” said Roku’s Chris Bruss, head-Roku Brand Studio, announcing Roku Recommends Thursday, a 15-minute weekly show on the company’s ad-free channel to steer viewers to “best bets and hidden gems” across the platform. Walmart is the premier show sponsor. Roku uses trending data to help consumers find movies and shows and to help advertisers “go beyond the traditional 30-second ad to entertain streamers who otherwise spend time in ad-free, subscription-only environments,” said Bruss. Unlike with traditional TV sponsorships, marketers can use the Roku Measurement Partner Program to see whether a Roku Recommends integration “reaches SVOD-only streamers, adds incremental reach to their video ad campaign, shifts perceptions of their brand, drives consumers into stores/websites, or moves product off the shelf,” said the company.
The deal between Amazon and the NFL for streaming rights to Thursday night games beginning in 2022 will boost Amazon Prime Video subscriptions, said Parks Associates Wednesday: Some 55% of pay-TV households consider live sports an important part of the decision to keep their video service. “By offering live games, streaming services give the significant market of NFL fans a reason to subscribe,” said analyst Steve Nason. As over the top “becomes an integral part of its strategy, the NFL is working to secure viewers, and profits, for the next decade.” More than two-thirds of online pay-TV subscribers and 43% of traditional pay-TV subscribers who canceled their pay-TV service during COVID-19 were likely to resubscribe after the return of live sports, said Parks.
The “big deals” with Amazon buying MGM and with WarnerMedia/Discovery are a “resounding affirmation” of streaming and “about the value of content” and of brands, said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer on a quarterly call Thursday. Lionsgate/Starz won’t play in streaming mergers and acquisitions because “we've got a benefit in terms of lack of disruption here at the company,” he said: “The key thing that we're going to do is keep our head down, and just keep executing on our plan.” Starz grew subscribers by 23% year over year, finishing fiscal Q4 ended March 31 with 29.5 million global accounts, said Feltheimer. Starz growth for the year took Lionsgate “past the digital inflection point of more over-the-top than linear subscribers,” he said. Lionsgate surpassed the “milestone” of 10 million U.S. streaming subs, he said. Lionsgate sees the streaming industry as “unfolding” into separate “broad-based” advertising-supported VOD and premium VOD tiers of services, said Starz CEO Jeff Hirsch. “The second tier is where we sit, which is in that premium service as a very edgy, non-ad-supported, really tailored service.”
Roku locked up pay-one window streaming rights to movies from Saban Films for the ad-supported Roku Channel, it said Thursday. It’s the platform’s first pay-one licensing agreement. Upcoming titles include Echo Boomers, Happily, Percy vs. Goliath and Under the Stadium Lights.
Europe must up its game against fake news, European Commission officials said Wednesday. The EC published guidance on how to improve the 2018 code of practice. Recommendations address shortcomings identified in a 2020 review and lessons from COVID-19 disinformation monitoring. The EC wants the code reinforced by: (1) More participation by a wider range of relevant players, such as emerging platforms and the online advertising sector. (2) Demonetization of disinformation. (3) More comprehensive coverage of current and emerging forms of manipulative behavior. (4) Enabling users to better understand and flag disinformation. (5) More fact-checking and better access to data for researchers. (6) Better monitoring of results of the industry actions. The EC urged signers to develop a transparency center. Participants have until fall to come up with a revised draft code. It's needed to make online platforms and others address “the systemic risks of their services and algorithmic amplification,” stop policing themselves alone and prevent money being made on disinformation, while preserving free speech, said Values and Transparency Vice President Vera Jourova. Google and Facebook said they're assessing the guidance and are committed to making the code a success. It “became a true asset in the fight against COVID-19 disinformation and created strong cooperation between regulators and platforms,” Facebook said. “Regionally consistent co-regulatory standards are a crucial element in maintaining an open Internet, ensuring that platforms of all sizes can operate around agreed norms,” emailed Twitter Vice President-Public Policy Sinead McSweeney. “We need platform regulation by legislation and oversight,” not voluntary codes of practice, said European Parliament Member Patrick Breyer, of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance and Germany. He's preparing the report by the Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee on the EC-proposed Digital Services Act (see 2012150022).
Sling TV beta-launched an app Tuesday for Amazon Fire TV devices to ease content search and discovery, said the streaming company. It will continue rolling it out on compatible Sling devices this year, including Roku summer availability, it said: Sling’s engineering team developed the app “after a year of talking to customers,” it said.
Pandora launched exclusive hosted playlists by popular TikTok creators Monday that will take listeners through their favorite songs with commentary about the selections, said SiriusXM Monday. The TikTok Tastemakers series kicks off with Bella Poarch, Christian Shelton and Nick Tangorra; creators will promote the playlists on TikTok. The social networking service’s users will also have access to select re-airings of Pandora's original events series, Pandora Live, said SiriusXM. Pandora Live Powered by Women, featuring Gwen Stefani and Jazmine Sullivan, recently re-aired on TikTok, and more events will be announced through the year. In addition, SiriusXM will launch TikTok Radio this summer with content from TikTok creators, tastemakers and DJs. It’s designed to be a radio version of the platform’s For You page, SiriusXM said. TikTok Radio will be available in vehicles and as a streaming channel on the SiriusXM app, desktop and connected devices, it said.