latest
Could Google and NBCU please finish their dumb little spat so we could go back to watching YouTube TV already?
NBC threatens to remove 14 channels on September 30th
Remember back in the day, when your cable or satellite TV service was suddenly inundated with commercials about such-and-such channels going away soon, and to call your provider to complain? And then more commercials from the provider would air, telling you to call the channel office and complain instead? They're called carriage disputes, and they're very much still a thing, even in the age of cord-cutting. Now it's happening between Google-owned YouTube TV and Comcast-owned NBCUniversal.
Your Hulu plan is about to get more expensive
It's a $1 price hike for standard and ad-free, bundles and live TV remain the same
Birds gotta fly, fish gotta swim, streaming television services gotta get more expensive. So it goes with Hulu, the latest cord-cutting library of movies, TV shows, and original productions to get a little bit more expensive, and hope you won't notice. The price jump is scheduled for October 8th, after which most Hulu subscribers will be paying an extra dollar every month.
This app has tons of free live TV and movies streaming 24/7
Check out Pluto TV if you run out of Netflix to watch
If you've never heard of Pluto TV before, we aren't surprised: the app gets shockingly little attention for the tons of truly, actually free streaming video content it offers from huge names like Cartoon Network, FOX, and even major movie studios (there's literally a James Bond channel streaming Bond films 24/7). Pluto does have some limitations and quirks, but overall, if you're looking for stuff you probably won't find on Netflix, or that otherwise is often only available on cable cordcutter services like Hulu TV or YouTube TV, Pluto will surprise you with the breadth and depth of its library. Here's how it all works.
Plex launches its standalone music player and server management apps on Android
Both Plexamp and Plex Dash require a subscription
Plex started its own video streaming service not too long ago, but the platform remains dedicated to fans who value it for its core capabilities — managing and accessing their own media. To make life easier for these people, the company has introduced two new apps as part of its Labs program: Plexamp, meant to be the go-to destination to listen to your music, and Plex Dash, a mobile server management tool. The biggest caveat: You need the Plex Pass to use either.
Here's another way to watch live news, TV, and movies for free with your phone
XUMO TV has plenty to watch right now whether you're on a budget or just tired of Netflix
There are a lot of different free streaming services out there, and it's tough to know which is worth your time. We've looked at both live and on-demand services from Pluto TV to Plex and Kanopy, and based on our reader's repeated recommendations, now we're taking a dive into XUMO — another option for free live TV as well as on-demand content.
Plex has thousands of free movies and TV shows to get you through social distancing
Stuck at home? Plex has your back
More people than ever before are stuck at home, which is why we've been highlighting services that offer free movies and TV shows, like Pluto TV and Sling. You may already be familiar with Plex, a service that lets you stream content from your own PC to other devices, but did you know Plex has thousands of TV shows and movies you can watch for free?Plex has been around for years, but the service has always been based on organizing content you own — movies copied from DVDs, MP3 music collections, and so on. Plex expanded its reach last year by including access to a library of movies and TV shows, and you don't even need the paid Plex Pass.
Good news and bad news, Sling subscribers. The good news is that your package, be it Orange or Blue, is getting new features. But they're also both increasing in price, from $25 to $30 per month. If you've got both, you'll pay an additional $5, too: that plan is now $45.
Cutting the cord is a difficult decision, but Sling makes it easier. Its service offers live TV so there's no need to give up on football, your local stations, or the 24-hour news cycle. Sling has supported Chromecast for some time now, and today the company is adding voice control options as well as the ability to stream on your Google Assistant smart displays.
Sling TV is an over-the-top (OTT) internet television app that streams live cable TV to an extensive list of devices. After bestowing Roku users the ability to watch free content earlier this year, Sling TV is rolling out the same feature to all Android and Amazon Fire device users starting today.
Cable cutting is a full-blown trend in America, as Internet TV companies often offer better deals and the freedom to access your favorite channels on a multitude of devices — just consider YouTube TV. Philo, another online TV service, has had apps for Apple TV, Fire TV, and Roku for some time now, and recently added support for Android TV, too. Now, the company added proper support for Android phones and tablets.
Netflix has changed TV consumption behavior all around the world, but first and foremost in the US. It enabled many households to become cord cutters, turning their backs on traditional cable TV and relying on internet services like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, YouTube TV, and others instead. The advantage with many of these is that they have no or barely any advertisement, compared to regular TV. This has implications on kids in these households, too, saving them from up to 400 hours of ads a year.
Internet TV services are already a cost-effective alternative to traditional cable, and Sling is making its offering even more so for new customers. For a limited time, new subscribers get a 40 percent discount on their first three months of service.
AT&T surprise-announced WatchTV, its $15-a-month Sling TV competitor, in April. Earlier this month, the service went live for subscribers on certain AT&T plans. Now, it's available to everybody, and if you're in the market for an alternative to a basic cable package, it's actually looking like a pretty good option.
Sling TV announced a number of changes yesterday. Strangely, it seems people who don't subscribe to the service stand to benefit the most. While the price of a basic package has gone up by five bucks a month, from $20 to $25, the company has introduced free content for non-subscribers, as well as à la carte channel selections and additional on-demand programming that don't require subscriptions.
AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson let fly details about the company's new streaming service, WatchTV, during testimony in the AT&T-Time Warner merger antitrust trial in April. Now the merger has gone through, and the service is coming soon — but only to customers on one of two forthcoming AT&T wireless plans.
Back in September, Plex DVR launched, giving you the ability to record and save any broadcasts that your HDHomeRun tuner and antenna had picked up. It was a Plex fan/cord cutter's dream. But now to sweeten things further, Plex has announced Live TV, which will be available to all Pass subscribers at no extra charge.The biggest thing to note before going forward is that Live TV still requires a broadcast tuner, but the good news is that Plex has majorly increased the number of supported manufacturers that you can use — that means that you're no longer limited to an HDHomeRun. The company has also worked to make sure that this new service supports more than just U.S. OTA standards (Jason Williams, Director of Product and Growth, assured me that reaching a global audience was a priority). At launch, Live TV will also support multiple tuners in a single household for more recording and live viewing options. For those of you for whom this applies, that's great. If you're wondering what tuners will be supported, check out the table below or this link.
Some of you might know that Hulu rolled out a Live TV service to their existing streaming platform. I've spent a bit of time checking it out (if you do things right, kids, watching TV can be work) and I think I'm in a good position to provide a reasonably educated opinion on the service. Overall, I'm a bit confused about who, exactly, it's for.
Sling TV offers a compelling value for cord cutters who want to stream cable television channels without paying the hefty prices. One of its weaknesses was its all-live setup, which it addressed with the Cloud DVR "First Look" program. Initially limited to Fire devices, the company has now expanded access to the service to Android and Roku players.
Eager to get a slice of the growing cord-cutter pie, AT&T and DirecTV announced their own web-based premium TV service earlier this week. DIRECTV NOW officially launches today, so it's good to see that the service gets Android support immediately. The app is free and works with phones and tablets running Android 4.4 or higher. Sadly it's not compatible with Android TV, though Chromecast streaming is available on all videos.
AT&T announced a major development following its merger with DIRECTV, adding to what is quickly becoming a byzantine mixture of offerings for those who want a cable channel package. The latest service, called DIRECTV NOW, can best be described as a streaming version of DIRECTV's satellite channel lineups. In other words, DIRECTV NOW is a bit like a beefed-up Sling TV.