Digital TV News: Xfinity

FandangoNOW merged into Vudu
Aug 3, 2021 – Fandango is uniting its TV streaming services, Vudu and FandangoNOW. The new Vudu service will offer more than 200,000 new release and catalog movies and TV shows. Vudu replaces FandangoNOW on Roku in the U.S.
News categories: Fandango, Roku, Paul Yanover, Tedd Cittadine, Digital TV, Streaming, USA

Peacock coming to Sky later this year
Jul 29, 2021 – Comcast has announced that beginning later this year, Peacock will make its international debut on Sky platforms, including Sky Q, NOW, and Sky Ticket, for customers in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Austria, and Switzerland.
News categories: NBCUniversal, Sky, Jeff Shell, Dana Strong, Austria, Digital TV, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Satellite, Set Top Box, Streaming, Switzerland, UK

U.S. pay TV loses over 18 million subscribers between 2014 and 2020
Jul 8, 2021 – Parks Associates estimates that between 2014 and 2020, the US pay TV industry lost over 18 million subscribers. Pay TV operators are thus seeking alternatives to traditional pay TV for their consumer services arsenal.
News categories: Parks Associates, Kristen Hanich, Digital TV, Market Research, USA

Tubi supports Unified ID 2.0 initiative
Jun 22, 2021 – Tubi has announced that it will be the first CTV publisher to implement Unified ID 2.0, the new industry-wide approach to internet identity that preserves the value of relevant advertising across digital ecosystems.
News categories: Tubi, Mark Rotblat, Tim Sims, Advertising, Big Data, Digital TV, USA

Crackle app launches on Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex
Apr 14, 2021 – Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) has announced the launch of the Crackle app on Comcast's Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex. For access, Xfinity customers can simply say 'Crackle' into the Xfinity Voice Remote.
News categories: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Comcast, Philippe Guelton, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Streaming, USA

discovery+ launches on Xfinity Flex and soon on X1
Apr 8, 2021 – Discovery and Comcast have announced the launch of discovery+ on Xfinity Flex. Additionally, discovery+ will begin its rollout to X1 in the coming weeks, giving Xfinity TV customers access alongside their TV subscription.
News categories: Discovery, Inc, Comcast, Gabriel Sauerhoff, Rebecca Heap, Apps, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Streaming, USA

Comcast launches Disney+ and ESPN+ on Xfinity
Mar 29, 2021 – Comcast and The Walt Disney Company have announced the start of the rollout of Disney+ and ESPN+ on Xfinity. Disney+ and ESPN+ join a growing collection of streaming services available over the Internet on X1 and Flex.
News categories: Comcast, The Walt Disney Company, Rebecca Heap, Michael Paull, Apps, Digital TV, Set Top Box, Streaming, USA

FOX, FreeWheel offer programmatic advertising on Comcast STB VOD
Mar 25, 2021 – Fox Corporation (Nasdaq: FOXA, FOX) has announced that it has partnered with Comcast's FreeWheel to enable programmatic trading of addressable STB VOD within the Comcast Xfinity footprint.
News categories: FreeWheel, Fox Corp, The Trade Desk, Comcast, Dave Clark, Dan Callahan, Jon Tabak, Advertising, Cable TV, Digital TV, Set Top Box, USA

Disruptel gets seed funding for content-driven voice assistant
Mar 12, 2021 – Disruptel has completed a $1.15 million seed funding round. The company's Context product, allows users to ask questions about the content on their Connected TVs through their remote control and receive immediate answers.
News categories: Disruptel, Alex Quinn, Digital TV, UX, Venture Capital, Worldwide