Disney Plus is set to become Europe’s third largest streaming service behind Netflix and Amazon Prime Video after it launches Tuesday in eight major markets, blogged Futuresource Friday. COVID-19's “stay-at-home directive,” plus new distribution partnerships, will drive “subscriber uptake” to reach “even higher levels than previously anticipated,” it said. But Futuresource predicts pent-up Disney Plus demand at launch in Europe will be lower than in the U.S., where the service signed on nearly 30 million paid subscribers in the 13 weeks after the Nov. 12 debut (see 2002040068). “The key challenge for Disney across all markets will be maintaining its growth in new subscriptions after such quick traction, whilst retaining its existing monthly subscribers,” said Futuresource. Its research found slightly more than half of Disney Plus European subscribers will be on monthly plans.
Hulu went live on Xfinity Flex Thursday and will roll out to the X1 voice remote “soon,” said Comcast. Users can say, “Hulu” into the remote to launch the app or request a program by title without toggling or switching inputs.
Increased dependence on video-sharing technology is going to force "some hard conversations" about when a service's termination of accounts is legally required due to repeat copyright infringement under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Santa Clara University Director-High Tech Law Institute professor Eric Goldman blogged Monday. He said the U.S. District Court in San Francisco's dismissal Friday (docket 19-cv-05422) of a complaint against YouTube by a user over his account's termination didn't stand a chance because the law is clear that internet services have "unilateral authority ... to decide who they want to provide services to."
Streaming service VidAngel filed a Chapter 11 reorganization plan with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Salt Lake City that would see Hollywood studio plaintiffs that sued it for Copyright Act and Digital Millennium Copyright Act violations paid the full $62.4 million verdict (see 1906180003), it said Thursday. Company bankruptcy trustee George Hofmann said in a statement that the verdict "initially seemed insurmountable," but VidAngel's business growth makes paying the judgment in full feasible. "I look forward to the court confirming a plan so that VidAngel can emerge from bankruptcy, pay its debts and focus on growing," he said. In an accompanying disclosure statement (in Pacer), Hofmann said he intends to appeal the verdict to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals after post-trial motions are fully decided. The Parents TV Council said VidAngel is "demonstrat[ing] its commitment to conducting its content filtering business honorably and within the expressed intent of Congress as documented in the Family Movie Act of 2005." PTC said Friday that Congress should, through an update to the act, "make it unmistakably clear to the courts, and to Hollywood, that consumers have free speech rights to filter out explicit streaming content that is pouring into their homes." The group criticized Disney, which was part of studios' 2019 motion (in Pacer) to convert the bankruptcy to Chapter 7 liquidation. “Disney lawyers are fighting against collecting the very financial judgment that they themselves secured, in order to drive a dagger through the heart of filtering technology once and for all. We hope the courts see through Disney’s smokescreen," PTC said. The company didn't comment now.
YouTube TV isn't paying market rates or accepting market terms and conditions that other YES Network distributors have agreed to "for its own selfish reasons," YES tweeted Thursday, announcing the vMVPD dropped it. It said Sinclair -- its partial owner (see 1908290063) -- made a deal for some but not all of its regional sports networks. YouTube tweeted that in its Sinclair deal, it won't carry Fox regional sports networks "in select areas." Sinclair said its YouTube TV deal will have 19 of the 21 Fox RSNs on the streaming service, with Prime Ticket and Fox Sports West going dark.
Advertising-supported VOD service Tubi has a deal with in-room entertainment platform company Enseo, it said Tuesday. Hotel guests in over 20 hotel and resort brands get access to the free service’s movies and TV shows from 250 content partners, it said.
A&E and History Channel network content will be part of the library for NBCUniversal's advertising-supported Peacock streaming service when it launches later this year, Comcast said Wednesday. It announced a licensing deal with A+E Networks.
AMC Networks and Dish Network inked a long-term distribution agreement that continues carriage of AMC's linear channels including AMC, BBC America and IFC. It includes launches of the programmer's subscription VOD services, its advertising-free AMC Premiere and its IFC Films Unlimited streaming service, AMC said Tuesday. The deal includes Dish's vMVPD Sling.
Cable ISP Wow is trialing a promotion of streaming MVPDs fuboTV, Sling and YouTube TV with a free in-home set up and Amazon Fire TV Stick as an alternative to cable TV service, it said Tuesday. The trial is in the Charleston, South Carolina, area.
Windstream is offering YouTube TV, it said Monday. Windstream’s Kinetic ISP users can connect to YouTube TV via a smart TV or streaming media device, it said, for “the best place to enjoy streaming video.”