CNBC and MSNBC will continue to be simulcast on SiriusXM, the satellite radio company and NBCUniversal News Group announced Wednesday. Today Show Radio Channel also will continue on SiriusXM, they said. The agreement also has SiriusXM acting as exclusive advertising representative and ad tech platform for various NBC News, MSNBC and CNBC podcasts, they said.

HBO Max, Apple TV+ and Disney+ “rearranged the top ten list” of video streaming services in September, Parks Associates reported Wednesday. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu held for now the top three spots, said analyst Steve Nason. Disney+ is No. 4, where it’s been for nearly a year after launching with 10 million users, showing "how difficult it will be for any service to break into the ‘Big 3,’" said Nason: "Partnerships are essential.” HBO Max, ranked sixth, will get a boost from being on Amazon Fire TV devices (see 2011160026), he said. NBCUniversal’s Peacock is starting to make inroads in paid subscriptions, though most of its users are in the free, ad-supported tier. Sling TV and MLB.TV dropped off the list; at No. 5, ESPN+ is the only sports-based service in the top 10. Seven through 10 are Apple TV+, CBS All Access, Showtime and Starz.

Roku had “significant growth” in election-related news viewing, it said Wednesday. “In the not-too-distant future, the majority of voters -- and for that matter the majority of consumers -- will no longer be reachable on traditional pay TV,” said Alison Levin, vice president-global ad revenue and marketing solutions. Campaigns have adapted to the technology and trend shifts as major brands did during the 2020 election season, she said. On Election Day, an estimated 12 million viewers streamed their news on the Roku platform for free, more than half tuning directly to The Roku Channel’s live news offerings from networks. Total streaming hours of The Roku Channel’s live linear programming increased more than 500% on Election Day vs. the prior day, a record.

Sports was temporary wind in the sails in Q3 for MVPDs, but expect those losses to widen in Q4, nScreenMedia's Colin Dixon blogged Monday. Sports and especially the NFL seem to have slowed subscriber hemorrhaging, as MVPDs lost 1.1 million subscriptions -- "a big improvement" from deeper losses in Q1 and Q2, the analyst said. VMVPDs added 1.6 million. MLB and NFL ratings, while strong when they first resumed play, later dropped, and Q4 won't bring any additional major sports franchises, he said.

Cinedigm “dramatically expanded” its streaming business this year by establishing “a key strategic advantage in connected TV streaming” through deals with Samsung, Roku and Vizio, said CEO Chris McGurk on a fiscal Q2 investor call Monday. Cinedigm’s free, ad-supported linear and on-demand portfolio has 26 channels “launched or under contract,” up from six in the year-earlier quarter, he said. The company is on pace to beat its goal of a 30-channel portfolio a year ahead of schedule, he said. Viewership and subscription numbers “skyrocketed” during the pandemic, he said. Its streaming channels are attracting more than 15.2 million monthly viewers, up 238% from a year earlier, he said. November is expected to “easily exceed” 16 million monthly viewers, he said.

Roku is the only major video streaming service without HBO Max, after HBO's announcement Monday the service will be available on Amazon Fire TV devices starting Tuesday. Roku customers had access to HBO Go before the shutdown of that app in July but can’t get HBO through the Roku platform due to ongoing talks (see 2007010059). “We’re in discussions with Roku,” emailed a spokesperson at HBO parent AT&T Monday. Roku didn’t comment. The $14.99 monthly HBO Max service begins rolling out on Amazon Fire TV streaming players, Fire TV Edition smart TVs and Fire tablets Tuesday. Existing HBO subscribers through Amazon’s Prime Video channels will be able to log into the HBO Max app with their Amazon credentials “at no additional cost,” said HBO. The HBO app on Fire TV and Fire tablets will automatically update to become the HBO Max app, and customers will be able to log in using existing HBO credentials. HBO Max customers, regardless of how they subscribe to the platform, can access all of HBO Max via supported Fire TV and Fire tablet devices using existing provider credentials, it said. The agreement includes integration with Alexa for voice search. HBO Max content is also integrated into universal search on Fire TV: Its content will appear in searches such as “Alexa, find dramas” or “Alexa, find Game of Thrones,” for example. Since HBO Max launched in May, 8.6 million customers activated subscriptions.

Streaming service Philo launched a viewer phone line (855-924-3225) to help subscribers find content to watch. Philo Phone Line is available 6-9 p.m. EST leading into World Television Day Saturday, it said. The service will be available through the holiday season, providing recommendations across various streaming services for seasonal movies and more. A recorded outgoing message before live phone lines opened Monday featured the Hallmark Channel's Debbie Matenopoulos encouraging viewers to tune into two Christmas-themed Hallmark channels.

Rhapsody said Friday its Powered by Napster audio platform service is the engine behind Sonos' original stations on Sonos Radio and Sonos Radio HD (see 2011120038). It’s an expansion of an existing partnership. The Powered by Napster platform offers licensing and rights holder management, media streaming and download infrastructure, applications, personalization, recommendations, customer billing and royalty administration capabilities, said the company.

Sonos jumped into the premium music streaming business Thursday, announcing an ad-free, high-definition streaming tier of Sonos Radio. The $7.99 monthly service will have more exclusive content than the free version of Sonos Radio, delivered in lossless 16-bit/44.1 kHz FLAC, said the company. The HD FLAC coded is supported by all Sonos speakers, a spokesperson emailed. He downplayed concerns that streaming service partners would perceive the Sonos subscription as competition, saying the offering “is complementary to these services.” Sonos has a “commitment to choice,” he said, noting customers can choose from more than 100 streaming services on Sonos, including the free, ad-supported Sonos Radio and premium Sonos Radio HD. On whether Sonos plans to offer track and playlist capability in the future, bundle hardware and streaming services, or make Sonos Radio HD available to other audio hardware companies, the spokesperson said the company is “always exploring ways to bring new listening experiences to customers.” It has "nothing to share on these items." Exclusive content is part of the Sonos Radio HD service, including artist-curated stations that go in-depth with interviews, “obsessions, inspirations, and nostalgic tracks.” The first to go on air is Songteller Radio, hosted and curated by Dolly Parton; her first show is available on Sonos Radio HD and on Mixcloud. New artist-curated stations will drop regularly, Sonos said, including five new ones early next year. The service plans “deeper exploration” into genres and music scenes by curators and expert DJs, including Nashville Now and Americana Ramble, jazz performances, R&B and soul. Also on tap are soundtracks for cooking, working and relaxing, along with audio promoting mindfulness, productivity and relaxation. Sonos is offering a free one-month trial.

Altice is now producing News 12 New York, a streaming feed of news stories from its regional cable news channels around the metropolitan New York area, it said Tuesday. 12 New York is available on Tubi and The Weather Channel's Local Now streaming service, and will soon be on Plex and the Vizio SmartCast, it said.