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Disney Eyeing NFL Sunday Ticket, Hallmark Channels on YouTube TV, Netflix Upgrades, and More - YouTube
Channel: Cord Cutters News
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Hi folks and welcome to mid-November.
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It is Friday, November 12th, 2021 and this
is Cord Cutting Weekly, the show where we
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wrap up the past week in cord cutting and
streaming news.
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And this week, weâve got new options on
YouTube TV, a price hike and more content
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for Frndly TV, still more earnings reports
to discuss, and more.
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But first, of course, if you havenât done
so already, please do take a second to consider
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clicking on those Like and Subscribe buttons
down below.
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Those really do help us out a ton and theyâre
a great way to support our channel.
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And as always, for anyone thatâs joining
us for the first time this week, just a quick
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note: For all the stories weâre about to
discuss here, youâll find links to those
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stories included down below in the video description.
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And those links will bring you over to our
news website, Cord Cutters News dot com, where
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you can stay up-to-date 24/7.
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And now that weâve laid that all out, letâs
dive into the news, starting with more content
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on YouTube TV.
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This week, we learned that YouTube TV subscribers
are getting a whole lot more Hallmark content.
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The live TV streaming platform and Crown Media
Family Networks have reached an agreement
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that brings the Hallmark Channel, Hallmark
Movies & Mysteries, and Hallmark Drama to
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YouTube TVâs lineup.
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The announcement comes right as Hallmark ratchets
up its annual holiday content push, and itâs
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fair to say thatâs not a coincidence.
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And in case youâre wondering, no, YouTube
TV has not announced any sort of price increase
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associated with the addition of these new
Hallmark channels.
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In any case, you can check out more details
in our post linked down below in the video
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description.
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And weâre also tracking yet another rumor
in the ongoing NFL Sunday Ticket saga.
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This latest report suggests Disney is showing
more interest in acquiring NFL Sunday Ticket
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for its own ESPN+ service.
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The Sports Business Journal report suggests
Disney is engaged in discussions and negotiations
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with the NFL regarding those rights.
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And itâs certainly not the only big name
rumored to be interested in acquiring the
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NFLâs out-of-market service.
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Weâll of course keep a close eye on this
developing story and stay tuned to Cord Cutters
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News dot com for the very latest.
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Next up, a quick follow-up on Netflixâs
new push into the world of gaming.
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So last week, we reported on the launch of
Netflix Games on Android devices here in the
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US.
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And at the time, an iOS launch was touted
for the coming weeks.
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Which apparently meant ânext weekâ â because
Netflix Games is now available on iOS and
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it includes the same initial collection of
five games, each available individually through
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the App Store.
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And as with the Android launch, these games
donât include ads or in-app purchases.
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And as we did with last weekâs launch: For
any iOS users that try out this first batch
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of games, let us know what you think of the
available titles so far.
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Do you think the new Netflix Games effort
has potential, feel free to sound off in the
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comments section down below.
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Speaking of Netflix, the streaming giant announced
that itâs starting to roll out a new video
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codec to select devices.
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The new tech is known as AV1 and, among other
things, itâs designed to offer higher quality
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video with lower bandwidth requirements.
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And that could lead to fewer drops in video
quality and more reliable, consistent streaming
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performance on supported devices.
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Netflix shared a healthy dose of technical
details regarding AV1, which we linked to
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in our full post linked in the video description
down below.
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The AV1 codec first launched on Android back
in 2020, and Netflix says more powerful hardware
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is able to run the new tech via software alone.
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However, less-beefy gear, like the platforms
found in many smart TVs, often require dedicated
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hardware help to properly support the new
format.
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Meanwhile, The Verge shared a roster of supported
hardware, which includes certain Samsung smart
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TVs, select Fire TV and Android TV devices,
and Sonyâs PlayStation 4 Pro console.
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Netflix says itâs working to bring AV1 to
more platforms in the future, but heads up
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for users on those supported devices.
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Youâll hopefully be seeing more reliable
and more consistent streams!
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Next up, weâve got an update for FRNDLY
TV users.
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The family-focused streaming platform announced
that itâs adding content from the A&E portfolio
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to its roster of live TV streaming.
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Those additions include, naturally, A&E, but
also The History Channel and Lifetime.
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The trio of new channel options are set to
arrive on November 18th, which means subscribers
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should gain access to a large slate of incoming
holiday content.
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Unfortunately, the addition of these A&E channels
also brings with it the serviceâs first-ever
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price hike.
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And so the price of FRNDLY TV jumps from $5.99
per month to $6.99 per month.
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And you can find out more in our full post
linked down below in the video description.
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In Discovery+ news, the streaming service
expanded its reach this week with a launch
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in Latin America.
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Specifically, the service rolled out in Brazil
on November 9th, making it the first country
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in Latin America to offer Discovery+.
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In addition to content created for Discovery+
in the US and other regions, Brazilâs lineup
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will include a number of locally produced
titles, including a reported 40 productions
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within the next couple of years.
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And there are more than 150 shows currently
in development.
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And to commemorate the launch, Discovery+
is offering an annual plan with monthly installments
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of $16.24 Real, which is a discount from the
regular monthly rate of $21.90 Real per month.
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Of course, you can find out more about Discovery+âs
push into Latin America in our full post linked
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down below.
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And if youâve given the service a shot in
any of the available regions, let us know
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what you think of the service and its available
content in the comments section located down
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below as well.
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Moving on to Disney+, the streaming service
has announced a new partnership with IMAX
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that includes offering several Marvel movies
in whatâs known as Expanded Aspect Ratio
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format.
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Thatâs a closer match to the 16:9 ratio
of modern widescreen TVs, and so the option
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means you should see thinner black bars taking
up space on your screen.
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Now, the Expanded Aspect Ratio is coming to
select films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
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and only for certain scenes â basically
in sections where the filmmakers wanted more
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vertical screen real estate so that more action
is visible on screen.
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And, naturally, weâve got the list of supported
titles included in our full post, and they
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include Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten
Rings, which premieres on the Disney+ on November
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12th, the same day this new screen format
is set to roll out.
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So if youâre a Marvel fan out there, keep
an eye out for the new IMAX Expanded Aspect
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Ratio format and feel free to let us know
what you think of the update.
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Does it add to the cinematic experience?
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You know where to let us know!
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And while weâre talking about Disney, we
should certainly discuss the companyâs latest
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earnings reports.
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And in its Q4 results, we learned that Disney+
ended the quarter with 118.1 million paid
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subscribers, up from the 116 million total
it reported at the end of the previous quarter.
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Overall, Disney CEO Bob Chapek cited a 60
percent jump in growth year-over-year for
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the two-year-old streaming service.
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Elsewhere, Disney also reported Hulu with
Live now has 4 million subscribers while Huluâs
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on demand side has 39.7 million users.
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And, by the way, with that 4 million total,
Hulu with Live keeps its spot at the top of
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the live TV streaming pile, with YouTube TV
in second with around 3 million users.
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And of course, thereâs ESPN+, the sports-focused
streaming service.
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And for Q4, Disney reported a total of 17.1
million subscribers, up from 14.9 million
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users in the previous quarter.
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During the past few months, weâve also seen
the price of ESPN+ rise from $5.99 per month
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to $6.99, and Disney did note an increase
in subscription revenue.
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And by the way, has anyone out there recently
signed up for ESPN+?
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Let your fellow cord cutters and streamers
out there know what you think of the service
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and its content offerings in the comments
section down below.
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Last, but not least, weâve got some Roku
news to discuss.
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Weâve reported in the past about how the
company is focusing more and more effort on
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securing original and exclusive content.
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And this week, the company shared three more
original titles heading to its free streaming
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platform, The Roku Channel.
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First up is the dark comedy, Bill Burr Presents
Immoral Compass, starring (as you might have
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guessed) Bill Burr.
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That series premiered back on November 5th.
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Thereâs also a new documentary called Ten
Weeks that examines Basic Combat Training
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in the US Army.
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And then thereâs Player vs. Player with
Trevor Noah, in which the Daily Show host
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engages in lengthy conversations with pro
gamers, celebrities, and more all while competing
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in popular video games.
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And yes, in case youâre wondering, each
of these shows were originally slated to appear
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on the ill-fated Quibi streaming service,
but theyâve since found a new home on Roku.
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And if you check any of these titles out,
definitely feel free to weigh in about what
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you liked and disliked!
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And so there you go â those were some of
the top headlines from the past week and as
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we often say at this point, thank you all
for watching.
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Again, please do consider clicking on those
Like and Subscribe buttons down below.
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They are a huge help to our channel and they
help signal to YouTube that it should continue
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recommending our content to more and more
viewers.
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For now, though, I thank you all again for
tuning in this week.
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My name is Philip Palermo.
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I hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
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Take care.
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