NFL Network and NFL RedZone will join Hulu + Live TV by Aug. 1, they said Tuesday. A priority at NFL Media is “broadening the distribution platforms for NFL content,” said Chief Operating Officer Hans Schroeder. Terms weren't disclosed.

Netflix had 3.98 million paid net additions in Q1, nearly 34% short of its Jan. 19 projection of 6 million and nearly 75% below the 15.77 net adds in Q1 2020, when the service thrived amid lockdowns. It’s forecasting a million Q2 paid net adds. Netflix finished Q1 with 208 million paid memberships, up 14% year over year but below its January guidance forecast of 210 million, it said Tuesday. “We believe paid membership growth slowed due to the big Covid-19 pull forward in 2020 and a lighter content slate in the first half of this year, due to Covid-19 production delays,” said the shareholder letter. “We continue to anticipate a strong second half with the return of new seasons of some of our biggest hits and an exciting film lineup. In the short-term, there is some uncertainty from Covid-19; in the long-term, the rise of streaming to replace linear TV around the world is the clear trend in entertainment.” The stock fell 10.4% to $492.34 at 5 p.m. EDT.

Vizio added the Spanish-language EstrellaTV and Estrella News network apps to its SmartCast smart TVs, said the vendor Monday. EstrellaTV encompasses 15 owned or operated stations and more than 30 broadcast affiliates, claiming a catalog of more than 20,000 hours of programming.

Without global footprints and subscriber bases, streaming subscription VOD and ad-based VOD services will have a tough time profitably scaling up, MoffettNathanson's Michael Nathanson wrote investors Wednesday. He said media companies pivoting to streaming models will be particularly challenged if they rely on a U.S.-centric focus. He said the big business opportunities seem to lie in advertising's shift from linear to digital and the large addressable markets internationally.

FuboTV bought exclusive livestreaming rights for English and Spanish commentary to the South American Football Confederation’s Qatar World Cup 2022 qualifying matches, it said Thursday. Rights include the remaining 70 matches, scheduled to begin in June; additional match windows are scheduled through 2021 and into 2022, it said. Re-air and highlight rights are included.

Discovery+ launched on Comcast’s Xfinity Flex streaming player and will roll out to its X1 app in coming weeks, the companies said Thursday. Discovery+ is $4.99 per month with ads, $6.99 for the commercial-free version. Content includes episodes from HGTV, Food Network, TLC, ID, Own, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. The service also offers nonfiction content from A&E, The History Channel and Lifetime and natural history programming from the BBC.

E.W. Scripps' streaming news network Newsy will be available over the air for free starting Oct. 1 as it gets carried largely by Scripps-owned Ion stations and some Scripps local TV stations, plus those of other station groups, Scripps said Tuesday. It said Newsy will be headquartered in Atlanta and will have close to a dozen bureaus around the country, including Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver and Phoenix, and use Scripps' Washington bureau and its local TV stations in 41 markets.

More than a quarter of direct-to-consumer video streaming services are used in more than one household, reported Leichtman Research Group Friday. Of the 27%, 13% are used and paid for by subscribers who share them with someone outside the household, and 12% are used in one household but borrowed from another household that is paying for the service, said the researcher. Some 69% are paid for and not shared with others outside the household, said LRG, while 16% of all households have at least one DTC service fully paid for by someone else. Four percent of services aren't paid for because they're included in another service, it said. Of those ages 18-34, 26% have at least one DTC service fully paid for by someone else, vs. 12% of those 35 and older. Among virtual MVPD subscribers, 77% are “very satisfied” with their service, up from 69% in 2018; 13% are very likely to switch from a vMVPD service in the next six months, vs. 27% in 2018; 18- to 44-year-olds have 63% of vMVPD subscriptions; and 20% of all vMVPD services are shared by multiple households, said LRG. Sharing of streaming services “should not solely be viewed as lost revenue, as the ability to share with others is also part of the retention strategy for the services,” said principal Bruce Leichtman.

FuboTV will carry Chicago Cubs games, it said Wednesday, signing an agreement with Marquee Sports Network. Fans can stream Cubs games, pregame and postgame shows, exclusive content and original programming on Android and iOS smartphone and tablets; Amazon Fire TV; Android TV and smart TVs; Apple TV and the Apple TV app; Chromecast; Hisense and Samsung smart TVs; the Roku platform; and Xbox consoles.

Twelve companies joined the Digital Entertainment Group: AMC Networks, Azure, Breaker, Cinedigm, Movies Anywhere, Pixelogic, Respeecher, ScreenHits TV, SmithGeiger, Starz, Verizon Business Group and Vuulr. All but Breaker, Movies Anywhere, Pixelogic and Respeecher also plan to join the D2C Alliance Council, DEG’s initiative to promote direct-to-consumer content delivery, said the group Monday.