Read original story on: WSJ
Sony first announced its over-the-top TV streaming service PlayStation Vue last November, and now 4 months later, the company is ready to officially enter the crowded and ever-shifting OTT market. The subscription-based service will first launch commercially in New York City, Chicago, and Philadelphia in the next two weeks, with nationwide rollout planned by the end of the year.
We reported last week on the new information on the standalone HBO streaming service, and now Apple has confirmed its involvement in launching this much-anticipated OTT service. Kicking off today’s event, Apple surprised the industry by announcing exclusive support for HBO Now.
Responding to the offerings from its competitors, especially Google’s Chromecast and Amazon Prime, Apple is also lowering the price of Apple TV from $99 down to $69 to give it a competitive edge. We expect to see Apple TV taking on an increasingly important role as Apple continues to push into the OTT market.
Header image taken from Apple.com
Update: Apple will have the online exclusive for three months, according to HBO. HBO Now may still come to existing pay-TV partners before that.
New information on HBO’s much-anticipated standalone service surfaced last week. The new subscription service, reportedly titled “HBO Now”, will cost $15 per month and be available on Apple TV through an early partnership between the two companies.
Meanwhile, NBC is confirmed to be developing a comedy-focused OTT service to court cord-cutters. Staple shows like Saturday Night Live and The Tonight Show will be included and the subscription fee is reported to be around $3 per month.
Read original story on: Re/code
Popular Internet radio service Pandora is launching a pilot test this week that will allow music artists to send personalized audio messages to the listeners, which the company foresees will be used to plug upcoming tours and new albums, or simply to provide context on a particular song.
More interestingly, the company also mentioned its plan to make this new Artist Audio Messaging feature geo-targeted and hyperlocal. This means that soon artists and brands alike on Pandora will be able to target fans in a specific city or region with relevant, localized messages.
Read original story on: TechCrunch
LINE, Japan’s most popular messaging app, continues to expand its core business as it starts testing LINE TV, a YouTube-like video service in Thailand. Available via Android and iOS apps as well as on the web, the platform features a wide range of TV shows and music videos from local Asian markets.
More importantly, LINE TV is deeply integrated with LINE’s messaging app so that users can easily share content with friends. Some videos even contain quick links to follow the official accounts of featured actors within the messaging app. By trying to take control of both the media channel and content, LINE is ambitiously building its business towards a multi-faceted media channel, not unlike what Snapchat is doing.
With the proliferation of OTT and mobile devices, new emerging media channels are popping up every week. This week, that honor goes to GoPro and Snapchat.
Wearable camera-maker GoPro has always been a pro at content marketing, as evidence by their über-popular YouTube channel with over 2.7 million subscribers. Other existing distribution partners of GoPro include Microsoft Xbox, LG, and Virgin America. Now, GoPro is making another big step in becoming a media channel and content provider by launching its own Roku channel dedicated to sports and action videos shot with its cameras.
Meanwhile, messaging app Snapchat continues to make strides towards becoming a full-fledged media channel. Following its announcement that it is experimenting with original content last week, Snapchat scored the exclusive premiere of the newest music video from Madonna, the first established artist to debut content on the messaging app.
Any brand with a sizable audience can try their hands at becoming a media channel, either by partnering up with existing distributors, as is the case with GoPro, or building out on their own like Snapchat. But in the end, only the ones with great content will win out.
Read original story on: 9to5Mac
Apple acquired streaming services Beats Music back in May 2014, and now we are finally getting some updates on its fate. Reports suggest that Apple is planning to launch a redesigned Beats Music later this year that will be deeply integrated into iOS, iTunes, and the Apple TV.
To compete with existing services like Spotify or Rdio, Apple is reportedly looking to set the monthly subscription fee at just $7.99. Would the Cupertino company be able to upend the OTT music market with system integration and competitive pricing? Stay tuned to find out.
Read original story on: Wired
Sony announced that it’s replacing its existing streaming music service, Sony Music Unlimited, with a new Spotify-powered service called PlayStation Music. With the Spotify partnership, Sony acquires not only an immense library of music, but also the infrastructure to infiltrate the increasingly competitive streaming music market. The new service is set to launch some time this spring on the PS4 and PS3 game consoles, as well as on Sony’s Xperia smartphones and tablets.
Read the original story on: Gigaom
Cablevision is reportedly launching a WiFi-based phone service next month, hoping to leverage its Optimal Wi-Fi hotspots and existing customers into the growing mobile market. Freewheel, as the new service is called, will cost Cablevision costumers $9.95 a month ($29.95 for non-subscribers) for unlimited call, text, and data, which gives it a significant advantage over the usual carrier plans.
While the price might be quite attractive, the caveat remains that users won’t be able to do much unless they are connected to WiFi, since there is no cellular service to fall back on. It could work well in areas with a high density of mobile hotspots, such as college campuses and metropolitan cities. Outside those areas though, traditional carriers are probably the safer bet.
Read the original story on: Ad Age
Fresh off its major Golden Globe wins, Amazon has unleashed a dozen new TV pilots on its streaming platform Prime Instant Video. The company is looking for feedback on the pilots to decide which ones to order to series, a sign of its belief in the power of big data.
But Amazon’s ambition does not just stop at TV. The company also announced its plan to produce up to 12 full-length feature movies each year as part of the new initiative. Those original movies produced by Amazon will become available to US Prime subscribers just four to eight weeks after they premiere in theaters.
