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Warner Bros. Discovery

Business
HBO Max Raising Prices As Warner Bros. Discovery Explores Sale HBO Max Raising Prices As Warner Bros. Discovery Explores Sale
HBO Max Raising Prices As Warner Bros. Discovery Explores Sale HBO Max is raising its subscription costs as the latest streaming service to implement price hikes. Warner Bros. Discovery announced that the HBO Max Basic with Ads plan will rise to $10.99 per month or $109.99 per year. The Standard plan will climb to $18.49 per month or $184.99 per year, while the Premium plan will cost $22.99 per month or $229.99 per year.  The higher prices go into effect for new subscribers on Tuesday, Oct. 21. Current customers will pay the higher prices after their next billing cycle on or after Thursday, Nov. 20. Each increase adds between $1 and $2 month…

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by Chris Spiker
News
MSNBC Gets New Name, Drops Peacock Logo: Here's Why MSNBC Gets New Name, Drops Peacock Logo: Here's Why
MSNBC Gets New Name, Drops Peacock Logo: Here's Why MSNBC will undergo its biggest identity shift in decades, as the cable TV network splits from NBC News. The channel will be known as "MS Now" by the end of 2025, CNBC reported. MS Now's name will be an abbreviation for "My Source News Opinion World." MSNBC and CNBC are expected to be spun off into a new media company called Versant as Comcast sheds NBCUniversal's cable channels. The separation means MS Now and CNBC will be run as completely separate news operations from NBC News. Versant CEO Mark Lazarus told MSNBC staffers in January that the left-leaning network would keep its name.…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Hulu, Disney+ Combining Into One Streaming App: What To Know Hulu, Disney+ Combining Into One Streaming App: What To Know
Hulu, Disney+ Combining Into One Streaming App: What To Know Hulu is folding into Disney+ in the latest major shakeup for the entertainment giant. Disney will fully integrate Hulu into Disney+, the company revealed in executive commentary on Wednesday, Aug. 6. The new app experience is expected to launch in 2026. CEO Bob Iger and chief financial officer Hugh Johnston said the merger is a "major step forward" in improving Disney's streaming options. "This will create an impressive package of entertainment, pairing the highest-caliber brands and franchises, great general entertainment, family programming, news, and industry-leading live…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Ad-Free Service That Costs $2.99 Launches As Latest Streaming Wars Contender Ad-Free Service That Costs $2.99 Launches As Latest Streaming Wars Contender
Ad-Free Service That Costs $2.99 Launches As Latest Streaming Wars Contender Roku is looking to undercut its rivals by offering a cheaper, ad-free streaming service. Howdy officially launched on Tuesday, Aug. 5, Roku announced in a news release. The new platform promises no commercials and thousands of popular titles for just $2.99 a month. Roku said Howdy has no contracts or hidden fees, and that the $2.99 monthly price is not a promotional rate. Howdy will only be available on Roku devices for now, but the service is planning to expand to mobile and other devices. Howdy will feature nearly 10,000 hours of content from companies like FilmRise, Lions…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Fox Sets Launch Date For All-In-One Streaming Service: See How Much It Costs Fox Sets Launch Date For All-In-One Streaming Service: See How Much It Costs
Fox Sets Launch Date For All-In-One Streaming Service: See How Much It Costs Fox has set a release date for its all-in-one streaming service. The new app called Fox One will officially debut on Thursday, Aug. 21, the broadcasting giant announced on Tuesday, Aug. 5. The service will cost $19.99 per month or $199.99 annually. Fox One will offer live and on-demand access to Fox's full lineup of news, sports, and entertainment content. "We're eager to launch Fox One in just a few weeks and super serve our viewers with the best in live news, sports and entertainment content all in one place," said Pete Distad, who will be the CEO of Fox One. "In bringing …

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Peacock Reportedly Making Biggest Price Hike Yet: Here's What You'll Pay Peacock Reportedly Making Biggest Price Hike Yet: Here's What You'll Pay
Peacock Reportedly Making Biggest Price Hike Yet: Here's What You'll Pay The home of "Love Island," Premier League soccer, and many popular movies is about to get more expensive. Peacock is raising its monthly rates by $3 starting on Wednesday, July 23, Vulture reported. It's the biggest price hike since the NBC streaming platform launched in 2020. The ad-supported Peacock Premium plan will climb nearly 40% to $10.99, while the ad-free Premium Plus tier will jump about 20% to $16.99. The new prices take effect for new and returning customers on July 23, while current subscribers will see the hike on or after Thursday, August 22, depending on billing. …

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by Chris Spiker
Lifestyle
HBO Debuting Billy Joel Documentary As Iconic Singer Battles Brain Disorder: When To Watch HBO Debuting Billy Joel Documentary As Iconic Singer Battles Brain Disorder: When To Watch
HBO Debuting Billy Joel Documentary As Iconic Singer Battles Brain Disorder: When To Watch HBO has announced when it will release a two-part documentary about Billy Joel's career shortly after the iconic singer was forced to cancel his tour as he battles a rare brain condition. The two-part HBO Original documentary "Billy Joel: And So It Goes" debuts Friday, July 18 at 8 p.m. on HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery said in a news release on Tuesday, June 24. Part two will premiere at the same time on Friday, July 26, and both two-and-a-half-hour episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max. Emmy winners Susan Lacy and Jessica Levin directed the documentary after working with …

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Paramount+ Drops Showtime Name From Premium Tier In Latest Streaming Shakeup: What To Know Paramount+ Drops Showtime Name From Premium Tier In Latest Streaming Shakeup: What To Know
Paramount+ Drops Showtime Name From Premium Tier In Latest Streaming Shakeup: What To Know Paramount+ has dropped Showtime from the name of its top-tier plan in the latest move by a streaming platform to rebrand in an increasingly crowded market. Paramount Global said that "Paramount+ with Showtime" was officially renamed "Paramount+ Premium" on Monday, June 23. The tweak removes the ad-free tier's association with the premium TV network that's the home of popular shows like "Californication," "Dexter," "Homeland," and "Yellowjackets." The change is only a rebrand, with the $12.99/month plan's offerings remaining the same. "Since we recently introduced a sampling of Showtim…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Streaming Passes Traditional TV Viewing For First Time, Nielsen Says: Here's How Streaming Passes Traditional TV Viewing For First Time, Nielsen Says: Here's How
Streaming Passes Traditional TV Viewing For First Time, Nielsen Says: Here's How Streaming has officially overtaken traditional TV. In a record-setting month, streaming accounted for 44.8% of all television use in May, outpacing the combined share of cable and broadcast for the first time. The data came from Nielsen's monthly report of The Gauge, released on Tuesday, June 17. Broadcast TV made up 20.1% of total usage, while cable came in at 24.1%. The total of 44.2% was slightly behind streaming for the first time since Nielsen began tracking in May 2021. The shift reflects a dramatic rise in streaming over the past four years, with streaming usage jumpi…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils Major Split: What It Means For Streaming, Sports Fans Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils Major Split: What It Means For Streaming, Sports Fans
Warner Bros. Discovery Unveils Major Split: What It Means For Streaming, Sports Fans Warner Bros. Discovery will split into two publicly traded companies in the latest move to adapt to the rapidly changing streaming industry. The entertainment giant behind CNN, HBO, TBS, and TNT announced the split in a news release on Monday, June 9. Warner Bros. Discovery will separate into two companies, Streaming & Studios and Global Networks, through a tax-free transaction. CEO David Zaslav will lead the Streaming & Studios company. Chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels will become CEO of Global Networks. Executives said the move will give each business the …

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Sunny Days Ahead: Netflix Welcomes Sesame Street To Streaming Platform Sunny Days Ahead: Netflix Welcomes Sesame Street To Streaming Platform
Sunny Days Ahead: Netflix Welcomes Sesame Street To Streaming Platform More than 50 years after first welcoming viewers to its sunny neighborhood, Sesame Street is heading to Netflix with a revamped 56th season and 90 hours of classic episodes – even as the show's creators face layoffs, unionizing staff, and lost funding. Sesame Street will debut its 56th season on Netflix later in 2025, the show said in a news release on Monday, May 19. The deal gives Netflix exclusive global premiere rights to the show, which will also remain free to US viewers through PBS and PBS Kids digital platforms. The reimagined season features one 11-minute story per episode, new int…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
HBO Max Returns: Here's Why Max Is Reviving Its Old Name HBO Max Returns: Here's Why Max Is Reviving Its Old Name
HBO Max Returns: Here's Why Max Is Reviving Its Old Name The digital home of hit shows like "White Lotus," "The Pitt," and "The Rehearsal" is going back to its old name. The streaming platform Max will be called "HBO Max" once again, Warner Bros. Discovery announced on Wednesday, May 14. The change is expected to happen in the summer, although an exact date remains unclear. The return to the HBO Max branding comes as the app tries to focus on high-quality programming, separating it from competitors with larger libraries. "The powerful growth we have seen in our global streaming service is built around the quality of our programming," s…

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by Chris Spiker
Sports
ESPN Launching Streaming App With Live Games, Full Channel Lineup: Here's What It Costs ESPN Launching Streaming App With Live Games, Full Channel Lineup: Here's What It Costs
ESPN Launching Streaming App With Live Games, Full Channel Lineup: Here's What It Costs For the first time, sports fans can get ESPN's full TV network lineup without cable through a new standalone streaming service. ESPN announced the pricing and details of its new direct-to-consumer platform on Tuesday, May 13. The app, simply called ESPN, will feature more than 47,000 sporting events each year, along with SportsCenter and the network's vast content library. Unlike ESPN+, the new ESPN app will offer many channels without a cable subscription, like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network, and SEC Network. The unlimited package, which does include ESPN+ content, will cost $29…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Fox Launching All-In-One Streaming Platform To Compete For Cord-Cutters Fox Launching All-In-One Streaming Platform To Compete For Cord-Cutters
Fox Launching All-In-One Streaming Platform To Compete For Cord-Cutters Fox is rolling out a new streaming service for its full lineup of live and on-demand content across all of its channels. The broadcasting giant unveiled the platform called Fox One on Monday, May 12. An exact launch date and pricing haven't been announced, but Fox One is expected to be available in the fall before the NFL and college football seasons. Fox is finally creating a uniform streaming platform years after competitors CBS and NBC put their content on Paramount+ and Peacock. Fox has used the free service Tubi, along with its subscription-based platform Fox Nation, to attract co…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Trump’s 100% Movie Tariff Plan Rattles Studios, Sends Streaming Stocks Sliding Trump’s 100% Movie Tariff Plan Rattles Studios, Sends Streaming Stocks Sliding
Trump’s 100% Movie Tariff Plan Rattles Studios, Sends Streaming Stocks Sliding President Donald Trump said he wants to slap a 100% tariff on foreign-made movies to support what he called a "dying" industry, sparking pushback from film producers and lawmakers. Trump announced his plan for the movie tariffs in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on Sunday, May 4. His post claimed he was authorizing the Department of Commerce and the United States Trade Representative to begin instituting the 100% tariffs on films made outside the US. It's unclear how tariffs would be imposed on movie production and distribution. "The Movie Industry in America is DYING…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Sesame Workshop To 'Downsize Significantly' Amid Funding Cuts, Streaming Partner Loss Sesame Workshop To 'Downsize Significantly' Amid Funding Cuts, Streaming Partner Loss
Sesame Workshop To 'Downsize Significantly' Amid Funding Cuts, Streaming Partner Loss Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit production company behind the beloved children's educational TV show "Sesame Street," is facing major staff cuts after losing key funding. Daily Voice confirmed the layoffs in an email from a Sesame Workshop spokesperson on Wednesday, Mar. 5. The job cuts were first reported by Semafor media editor Max Tani, who obtained an internal staff note from CEO Sherrie Rollins Westin. The spokesperson didn't disclose how many employees were affected. "As production of our 56th season begins next month, we remain as committed as ever to bringin…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Game Over For Venu Sports: ESPN, FOX, Warner Bros. Discovery Scrap Joint Streaming Venture Game Over For Venu Sports: ESPN, FOX, Warner Bros. Discovery Scrap Joint Streaming Venture
Game Over For Venu Sports: ESPN, FOX, Warner Bros. Discovery Scrap Joint Streaming Venture Three giant media companies have abandoned their plans to launch Venu Sports, a service that aimed to drastically shake up the streaming industry by bundling many sports channels together, officials said. Venu Sports has officially been discontinued, ESPN said in a news release on Friday, Jan. 10. The massive venture was a partnership between the "Worldwide Leader in Sports," FOX, and Warner Bros. Discovery. The companies released a brief statement announcing the end of Venu Sports. "After careful consideration, we have collectively agreed to discontinue the Venu Sports joint ven…

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by Chris Spiker
Business
Disney, Fubo To Combine Streaming Services In Major Merger Disney, Fubo To Combine Streaming Services In Major Merger
Disney, Fubo To Combine Streaming Services In Major Merger Disney is set to acquire a majority stake in FuboTV Inc., merging its Hulu + Live TV service with Fubo in a transformative deal expected to reshape the streaming landscape. The combined business, operating under the Fubo name, will continue offering Hulu + Live TV and Fubo as separate services, the companies announced in news releases on Monday, Jan. 6.  With 6.2 million North American subscribers, the new venture aims to deliver greater consumer choice through expanded programming and flexible pricing. "This combination enables us to deliver on our promise to provide consumers with g…

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by Chris Spiker