It’s only a week at the beginning of the new year, but we have a lot to discuss. Several companies shared some of their plans for CES 2021 next week. And we already have our first streaming service launch of the year. Meanwhile, Roku ended the week acquiring the content left behind after Quibi closed.
Here’s what happened in the world of cable cutting and transmission.
Breaking news
Here are some of the top streaming news from last week.
Roku acquires Quibi content to broadcast exclusively on the Roku channel
We reported rumors of a possible deal, but at the end of the week, Roku officially confirmed that he had acquired Quibi’s content. The company plans to offer a series of films and programs on the Roku Channel, meaning that the public will still be able to check out the content that various groups have produced for the ill-fated Quibi.
Find out more about the Roku / Quibi business here.
Discovery + released this week: what you should know about the new streaming service
We have already seen our first new streaming service of 2021, in the form of Discovery +, which promises thousands of episodes from a wide range of Discovery networks and brands. We also took a tour of the new service in a video this week to see what Discover + has to offer.
Learn more about the launch of the new service here.
Samsung’s CES 2021 line includes Neo QLED TVs and massive MicroLEDs
CES 2021 starts next week and several renowned companies have offered previews of their latest equipment. In the case of Samsung, this includes a new arsenal of TVs, including the company’s new Neo QLED line. We will have much more at CES 2021 next week, of course.
Check out the new Samsung equipment here.
Sony’s 2021 Bravia XR TV line will feature sophisticated “cognitive” processing and Google TV
Sony also spent some time this week forecasting what it has in store for CES 2021. The main attraction of the company’s offerings is a new line of LCD and OLED TVs known as the Bravia XR line, boasting what the company calls “intelligence cognitive ”.
Find out what Sony has planned for 2021 here.
Industry Report
What’s new in the industry?
Roku now has over 50 million active accounts
Roku shared some preliminary figures for his fourth quarter of 2020 and it appears that the streaming platform has exceeded 50 million active accounts. The company reportedly added about 14 million accounts during the year.
Learn more about Roku’s fourth quarter here.
Former Disney and Discovery executives to launch new service, Struum, this spring
A new service called Struum aims to make niche discovery and specialized streaming services easier. The subscription-based offering is expected to launch later this year and we look forward to learning more about how it will work soon.
Read about Struum’s initial announcement here.
Hulu with Live adds 14 channels in expanded offer with ViacomCBS
A new agreement between Hulu and ViacomCBS will bring about 14 additional channels for Hulu with Live. The news follows recent price increases that saw the monthly price jump from $ 54.99 to $ 64.99.
Learn more about the new agreement here.
FuboTV is expected to reach 545,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter
FuboTV also released some numbers at the beginning of the fourth quarter and the company expects about 545,000 subscribers once the fourth quarter numbers are officially recorded. Revenue is also expected to range between $ 94 and $ 98 million, which would be a 77% increase year over year.
Learn more about FuboTV’s fourth quarter here.
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Roku is giving out 50 new Roku ultras
To celebrate over 50 million active users, Roku announced that it is giving away 50 new Roku Ultras, which we reviewed last year. You can find out more in our post at the link below.
See how to get in here.
Philip Palermo