Few key things that happened around the Ad Tech & Media Tech world this week.
Google smart displays has enabled Netflix streaming
If you’ve bought a smart display or thought about buying one, you may have asked, “Can I watch Netflix on it?” Until now, watching the popular streaming service wasn’t an option on Google smart displays. Google on Tuesday announced Netflix integration for the Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max. Netflix is rolling out to Google smart displays globally. If you already have a Netflix subscription, you’ll be able to link your account in the Google Home or Google Assistant app. Start streaming by using a voice command like, “Hey Google, play Queer Eye” or try, “Hey Google, open Netflix” to scroll through content and select with a tap. You can also ask Google to pause, play or skip forward with a voice command. Google’s Nest Hub Max also includes Quick Gestures, so you can pause or resume your video by looking at the display and raising your hand. Google’s smart displays also stream Hulu, Starz, CBS All Access, SlingTV, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Peacock and Showtime, either natively or via a cast option from your mobile device. (Editor’s note: CBS All Access and Showtime are part of ViacomCBS, CNET’s parent company.)
NBCU’s Peacock streaming service hits 1.5M app downloads in first 6 days
NBCU’s Peacock appears to be having a somewhat better launch than Quibi did, based on data from app store intelligence firm Sensor Tower. While numbers pointing to new app downloads aren’t a complete picture of consumer adoption for a cross-platform service, they can provide a window into early traction outside of any official numbers provided by the companies themselves. In Peacock’s case, Sensor Tower says the mobile app has now been downloaded around 1.5 million times across the U.S. App Store and Google Play within its first 6 days on the market. For comparison, that’s 25% more than the 1.2 million installs Quibi saw during the same period post-launch in the U.S., but only 12% of the 13 million downloads Disney+ generated within its first six days. Sensor Tower chose not to compare Peacock with HBO Max due to the fact that HBO’s new service replaced the existing HBO Now app, which was already preinstalled on consumer devices. That would not be as apt a comparison. Peacock, of course, doesn’t have the brand-name recognition of Disney.
Plex Launches Free Live TV Channels, Available Worldwide
Plex, the popular streaming media platform for all your favorite media, today announced a new way for consumers to watch free Live TV with the addition of 80+ channels of completely customizable live programming, most available worldwide and more coming soon. Plex is the only streaming media platform to bring together all forms of media in one place, offering more content in a single platform than any other service on the market. Free ad-supported movies and shows, podcasts, streaming music, personal media, and now pre-programmed Live TV are all easily accessible via Plex, and on virtually every device. Today’s addition of Live TV on Plex offers consumers significantly more free options, ranging from news like Reuters and Yahoo Finance, to kids’ shows like Toon Goggles, to food, travel, and home & design programming on Tastemade, to all things sports including live games, original programming and movies/docs from fubo Sports Network, to gaming and esports on IGN1, and two new LGBTQ+ channels from Revry: entertainment and news.
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