Few key things that happened around the Ad Tech & Media Tech world this week.
Sony buys anime streaming service Crunchyroll from AT&T for $1.2bn
Sony has agreed to buy AT&T’s anime streaming service Crunchyroll for $1.2bn in its latest drive to expand its entertainment portfolio of video games, films and animation. The sale would allow the US telecoms group to reduce its debt following last year’s $85bn acquisition of Time Warner, and focus its efforts on creating a streaming service, HBO Max, to rival Netflix. The deal with Sony’s Funimation Global Group also coincides with an auction to sell AT&T’s satellite division DirecTV as part of a review of its assets. For Sony, the purchase of Crunchyroll is part of an aggressive acquisition drive led by chief executive Kenichiro Yoshida to cement its position as a supplier of global content for films, music and games. Its deal activity has expanded into animation and content for children with Sony’s music unit buying a $185m stake in Peanuts, the company behind the characters Snoopy and Charlie Brown, in 2018. Last year, Sony Pictures Television acquired Silvergate Media, the producer behind Netflix’s Hilda and Peter Rabbit animated series, for $195m…More
Stadia is rolling out direct-to-YouTube livestreaming now
Ahead of its next set of announcements probably scheduled for tomorrow, Google appears to be rolling out one of the biggest Stadia features yet — direct streaming to YouTube. Tonight, it seems that Google has at least started a slow rollout of direct YouTube livestreaming for its Stadia platform with the button no longer showing a “coming soon” banner for some users. It’s live for my account, but not my colleague Kyle Bradshaw. The feature is only available on the web app, not Chromecast or Android. I was able to briefly test this feature after getting streaming to work on my account. After tapping the “Stream directly to YouTube” button under the livestream button in Stadia’s friends menu, Stadia asks for a title for the streaming video as well as privacy options, the audience (for/not for kids), and the option to show a viewer count while you’re playing. You can also turn on optional features such as Crowd Choice and Crowd Play from this UI, although the latter feature still isn’t rolling out widely…More
Redbox’s free ad-supported streaming service adds on-demand movies
Redbox has added on-demand movies to its free ad-supported streaming service in a section called Free On Demand (via Engadget). Last February, the company launched Free Live TV, with ad-supported live TV channels from specific publishers like Tastemade and curated channels based on genres. Free movies now make that offering a bit more enticing. Redbox is still best known for its red kiosks for renting DVDs and Blu-rays, but free streaming and its digital rental service now allow the company to reach customers who might not have a kiosk in their area or don’t own a DVD or Blu-ray player. The selection in Free On Demand lacks some of the big blockbusters and classics that you might expect from a streaming service, but there are a few notable cult hits. You can currently watch director Rian Johnson’s second film The Brothers Bloom, a dubbed version of the cyberpunk anime Ghost in the Shell, and Kicking and Screaming, the feature debut of Noah Baumbach. Redbox’s service joins several other free streaming options like Pluto TV and Tubi in what’s quickly becoming a crowded market. Other than a connection to Redbox’s brand name and a theoretically curated catalog, there’s not a clear difference between Free On Demand and any other ad-supported streamer. But if you have the Redbox app already downloaded, you now have a new avenue for free content…More
Discovery Launches Streaming Service as It Looks Beyond the Cable Bundle
Discovery Inc. said it would launch a new streaming service that will include shows from all of its major cable networks, a move that follows the media company’s earlier strategy of offering smaller, thematic plans catering to groups from foodies to home-improvement enthusiasts. The new streaming service, Discovery+, which will launch in the U.S. on Jan. 4, will cost $4.99 a month with ads and $6.99 without, the company said Wednesday. It will feature content from channels including TLC, Food Network, Discovery Channel and Animal Planet. The service will also include library programming licensed from other companies, including the BBC, A&E Networks and Group Nine Media. Discovery has struck an agreement with Verizon Communications Inc. to provide the streaming service free to the wireless company’s U.S. customers for a year, with Verizon and Discovery sharing the cost of those subscriptions, according to people familiar with the deal. Discovery is launching a streaming service months after some of its biggest competitors. Chief Executive David Zaslav is betting that Discovery, one of the biggest traditional TV companies, can compete for subscribers with the likes of Comcast Corp.’s Peacock, AT&T Inc.’s HBO Max and Amazon.com Inc.’s Prime Video by offering most of its cable-TV shows directly to video-streaming subscribers…More
6 streaming services you can give as gifts
Chances are your holiday shopping looks a little different this year, as do the types of gifts your family and friends might enjoy as we all hunker down for the winter ahead. But if there is one gift that is almost a guaranteed hit this year: A subscription to a streaming service. That could mean signing your loved one up for Netflix, Disney Plus, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Spotify, Apple Music or any of the growing list of others available for the first time, or it could mean paying for part of their existing subscription. Either way, a TV, movie or music streaming service is a great quarantine-friendly gift. And it’s one you can increasingly enjoy together, with features and extensions such as Teleparty (formerly called Netflix Party), Disney Plus GroupWatch and Amazon Prime Video Watch Party that let you watch and chat together from afar. Here’s how to give each of the major TV and movie streaming services as a gift this year…More
