BOSTON—Many of the viewers tuning in to Apple TV+’s “Friday Night Baseball” may be quite familiar with the iPhones in their pockets and purses, but what might surprise many is that tonight’s game between the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers will feature footage captured using the new iPhone 17 Pro.

The iPhone 17 Pro will be used to capture live gameplay as well as batting practice, player introductions, dugout angles and fan atmosphere. The game from Fenway Park will mark what is believed to be the first use of the iPhone in a live professional sports broadcast workflow, Apple said.

The iPhones will capture video from multiple positions inside Fenway, including the home dugout, inside the Green Monster and via a roaming RF cam from around the stadium. Footage from the iPhone cameras will be identified with special overlays when used during the broadcast.

Apple has previously worked with Major League Baseball on other production enhancements, such as in-stadium drone shots, real-time probability graphics, umpire helmet and body cams, mic’ed plays and megalodon cameras, the company said.

The final “Friday Night Baseball” broadcast of the season on Apple TV+ begins tonight at 7:10 p.m. ET.

Step-by-step instructions on how to watch the game are available online.

Comcast has officially launched its discounted $15-a-month StreamSaver streaming bundle of Netflix, Peacock and Apple TV+ services. The previously announced bundle went live on May 29.

Comcast is also offering a $30 a month bundle that includes those three streaming apps with 40+ streaming channels from its NOW TV offering.  

The $15 a month StreamSaver bundle includes a subscription to Netflix Standard with ads, Peacock Premium, and Apple TV+, delivering a savings of over 30% or nearly $100 a year.

Comcast reported that current and new Xfinity Internet or TV customers can add Xfinity StreamSaver for an everyday price of $15 per month, with no annual contracts. Customers can also combine the bundled apps with NOW TV for one all-in-monthly price of $30. 

Together, the NOW StreamSaver bundles includes access to programming from three of the most popular streaming apps alongside 40+ live TV channels including, AMC, A&E, Hallmark, History Channel, Lifetime, WEtv, plus over two dozen integrated FAST channels like AccuWeather, NBC News, TODAY All Day and Xumo Movies, Comcast said. 

More information is available here. 

PHILADELPHIA—Comcast has released pricing and launch details of its recently announced StreamSaver bundle of Apple TV+, Netflix and Peacock services with the news that the service will launch next week at $15 for new and existing Xfinity Internet and TV customers.

The heavily discounted service was first announced on May 14 by Comcast’s chairman and CEO Brian Roberts. It includes a subscription to Netflix  Standard with ads, Peacock Premium, and Apple TV+, delivering a savings of over 30% or nearly $100 a  year, Comcast reported. 

“StreamSaver is a homerun for consumers who want top-tier entertainment and live sports, and for our  world-class partners Peacock, Netflix and Apple who benefit from the reach and depth of our  entertainment platforms and Xfinity’s marketing engine,” said Dave Watson, CEO of Connectivity and  Platforms, Comcast. “StreamSaver also reinforces the value of our broadband products, offering  customers new ways to save money on streaming entertainment via the nation’s best and most reliable  network in and out of the home.” 

The launch is the latest example of how streamers and pay TV operators are crafting bundles of streaming services as way of adapting to relatively mature streaming market where consumers are looking to cut hefty steaming bills.  

Most recently, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney announced that they would launch a new streaming bundle this summer that includes Disney+, Hulu and Max. 

Earlier this year, Fox, Disney and WBD also set up a joint venture to launch a major sports streaming service. 

Comcast said that current and new Xfinity Internet or TV customers can add Xfinity StreamSaver for $15 per month, with no annual contracts. 

Customers can also combine the three bundled apps with NOW TV for one monthly price of $30. 

The NOW StreamSaver bundles offers access to programming from three of the most popular streaming apps  alongside 40+ live TV channels including, AMC, A&E, Hallmark, History Channel, Lifetime, WEtv, plus  over two dozen integrated FAST channels like AccuWeather, NBC News, TODAY All Day and Xumo  Movies.  

Customers can access all this programming via Comcast’s Entertainment OS platform and voice remote, where each of these apps are integrated into X1, Xumo Stream Box and Flex  devices. Additionally, customers can find the StreamSaver apps everywhere they access streaming  content today, including Apple TV and other connected TVs and devices, Comcast said.  

To sign up for Xfinity StreamSaver or NOW StreamSaver, customers can visit Xfinity.com.  

 Comcast is planning to begin offering a new streaming bundle of Peacock, Netflix and Apple TV+ sometime later this month at a “vastly reduced price,” Comcast chairman and CEO Brian Roberts said at the MoffettNathanson Media conference in NYC on May 14th. 

The launch is the latest example of how streamers and pay TV operators are creating streaming bundles in a relatively mature streaming market where consumers are looking to cut hefty steaming bills. 

Most recently, Warner Bros. Discovery and Disney announced that they would launch a new streaming bundle this summer that includes Disney+, Hulu and Max. 

Earlier this year, Fox, Disney and WBD set up a joint venture to launch a major sports streaming service. 

No pricing has been announced for any of these bundles, but Roberts said that the Comcast bundle would be called StreamSaver and he promised it would be priced at a “vastly reduced price” to anything on the market right now. 

Roberts said Comcast would be releasing more details about the StreamSaver package shortly. 

The interest in creating bundles of streaming services has prompted some analysts to argue it represents a move back to the old pay TV model that simplified the consumer experience and made it easier to find content. Such bundles are particularly appealing to companies like Comcast, Disney and WBD who have struggled with the transition from pay TV bundles to the more costly and insecure economics of streaming services. 

DirecTV for Business has announced that it has renewed its agreement to deliver Apple TV+’s “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader to its network of more than 300,000 restaurants, bars, hotel lounges, retail shops and other venues. 

Last week, DirecTV for Business also announced that it had renewed an agreement to deliver MLS Season Pass, the subscription service from Apple and Major League Soccer to commercial establishments. 

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader, will be available to Apple TV+ subscribers on Fridays throughout the 2024 regular season. Fans in 60 countries and regions can enjoy two marquee matchups over 26 weeks with no local broadcast restrictions. “Friday Night Baseball” will begin on opening weekend of the 2024 season Friday, March 29. 

“We’re so excited to bring fans another great season of ‘Friday Night Baseball’ on Apple TV+,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “We have an outstanding lineup of games for Apple TV+ subscribers to watch across all their favorite devices, and an incredible group of talented broadcasters returning to bring fans closer to the games every week.”

“Friday Night Baseball” is produced by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team. Each game will feature state-of-the-art cameras to present vivid live-action shots, and offer immersive sound in 5.1 with Spatial Audio enabled. “Friday Night Baseball” will again utilize drone cameras for beautiful aerial stadium shots, as well as player mics and field-level mics to immerse fans in the gameplay and stadium atmosphere.

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple is following in the footsteps of other major streaming service providers by dramatically increasing the subscription price of its streaming service. 

In the U.S. the monthly sub fee for new and existing subs has jumped from $6.99 to $9.99. The annual price has also increased from $69 to $99. 

The company also is imposing price hikes on Apple Arcade, which is increasing in price from $4.99 per month to $6.99 per month in the U.S. and Apple News+, which is going from $9.99 per month to $12.99 per month in the U.S. 

Apple launched Apple TV+ service at $4.99 a month in 2019 and increased it to $6.99 in October of 2022. 

The move comes as Netflix, Disney and others have announced price increases to improve the service’s finances and to boost ad revenues by pushing less affluent users into their lower cost ad-supported tiers. 

Apple is the only one of the major streaming players who does not as yet have an ad-supported option. 

MONTREAL—Air Canada has expanded its in-flight entertainment by inking an exclusive deal to offer Apple TV+ original programming. 

The move makes Air Canada the first airline in Canada and the second in the world to offer Apple TV+ to fliers. It also expands the company’s in-flight entertainment to more than 2,500 hours of movies, TV shows, podcasts, music as well as live TV news and sports, nearly double last year.

"At Air Canada, we know that inflight entertainment is an important part of our customers' travel journey, particularly on long-haul flights. We continually evaluate opportunities to expand our entertainment and introduce exclusive, current content that our customers will love. We look forward to welcoming customers onboard to catch up on their favorite Apple TV+ shows or discover new hits during their flight," said John Moody, managing director of product design at Air Canada. "This new partnership with Apple puts us on track to increase our onboard entertainment content by more than 95 per cent since last year. We look forward to introducing even more entertainment before the end of 2023."

Last November, Air Canada became the only Canadian carrier to offer live Canadian TV featuring English and French channels. 

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader, will be available to all Apple TV+ subscribers on Fridays throughout the regular season starting on Friday April 7. 

Apple acquired the rights for the doubleheaders for an estimated $85 million and aired the first season of the games in 2022 for free. This year fans will need to pay $6.99 a month for Apple TV+ for two marquee matchups over 25 weeks with no local broadcast restrictions. 

“We can’t wait for ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to start up again, and we’re excited for fans to experience everything new we’re bringing this season,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “Apple TV+ truly has something for everyone, from two live baseball games every Friday night, to an incredible slate of award-winning original films and series — there’s never been a better time to sign up.”

“Friday Night Baseball” will begin the 2023 season on Friday, April 7, with the Texas Rangers at the Chicago Cubs for the inaugural “Friday Night Baseball” daytime game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, and the San Diego Padres at the Atlanta Braves.

“Friday Night Baseball” will be produced by MLB Network’s production team in partnership with Apple. 

Each game will feature state-of-the-art cameras to present vivid live-action shots, and offer immersive sound in 5.1 with Spatial Audio enabled, the companies reported. 

“Friday Night Baseball” will again utilize drone cameras for beautiful aerial stadium shots, as well as player mics and field-level mics to immerse fans in the gameplay and stadium atmosphere. 

Fans in the U.S. and Canada will also have the option to listen to the audio of the home and away teams’ local radio broadcasts during “Friday Night Baseball” games.

In the U.S., the games will also be available in bars and restaurants via DirecTV for Business, which will deliver all the action to its network of more than 300,000 restaurants, bars, hotel lounges, retail shops, and other venues throughout the regular season on existing satellite equipment. 

LONDON—New research is providing some insights into the people who drop streaming services and then move to another service. According to a new study from Ampere Analysis, Apple TV+ and Paramount+ are the most widely chosen platforms for SVOD switchers.

Ampere defines that group as those who move from one subscription service and commit to another contract within 60 days. 

“This sub-group of churning streamers are particularly interesting because they represent customers who, rather than simply adding a new service on to their existing in-home bundle, are deliberately transferring spend from one to another,” explained report author and analyst at Ampere Analysis Ben French. “As such it shows where each platform needs to look for its direct competition. Switchers are experimenting with different platform mixes within the home, moving spend to some of the newer and less penetrated services while maintaining a core base of services. It’s some of these newer, smaller services that the incumbent streamers most need to keep an eye on.”

Of all switchers across all platforms analyzed by Ampere Analysis, 11% choose Apple TV+ and an equal proportion selected Paramount+. Netflix was third choice for the group.

The study, which looks at the 27-month period between Q1 2020 and Q1 2022, shows not only which competitors are most likely to take direct spend from each U.S. streaming service (because switchers are specifically moving their spend from one service to another), but also how existing in-home service choices impact the direction of switching platform. 

Apple TV+ is the first choice for Netflix deserters, but Prime Video and Hulu are close seconds. The report also found that those leaving Netflix have been less adventurous in trying new services than switchers from other streaming services: they currently have the lowest number of streaming services among leavers from any of the major platforms.

The researchers also found that providers with a family of streaming services benefit from the bundling effect in terms of cross-promotion, greater average revenue per user opportunities and customer retention. The advantages are especially clear for Disney+. The most popular next service for Disney+ switchers is its sister platform Hulu. Similarly, Hulu switchers' first choice is a Disney+ subscription.

A similar effect is also seen among Paramount+ churners. While Apple TV+ is the first choice and Netflix the second, switchers choose Showtime (owned by Paramount) as their third choice, the researchers found. 

Overall, around 30% of streaming subscribers switch services in any given two-month period. Of users who leave a service, just over half (56%) choose not to re-subscribe or switch to a new service within two months. However, 14% of customers leaving a platform return within two months, and this boomerang behavior reduces effective churn rate, the report found. 

Netflix leavers are most likely to boomerang: 23% of its churners resubscribe within two months. The comparable rates for other services are 11% for Disney+ and Hulu, 10% for Apple TV+, and 15% for both HBO Max and Paramount+.

The analysis also shows that higher-spending high-stack households are engaging in 'dipping' - moving in and out of services higher up the stack. Smaller services are currently being taken in homes that are already avid SVOD watchers and chasing more variety. By contrast, those with only one or two streaming services are content (for now) with the major providers and tend to move between the big two or three streaming choices.

Apple knows. It read your messages on Twitter, saw the articles, and is probably even aware of the unkind things former Met First Baseman and longtime Mets announcer Keith Hernandez said about the Friday Night Baseball debut.

At least the evening had everything a baseball fan could hope for. In the first game (there are two per night for a total of 50 games this season), the Mets played the Washington Nationals and endured non-working stadium lights, a 9th inning rain delay, and a bench-clearing near brawl when Francisco Lindor was beaned by Nationals pitcher Steve Cishek.

That last moment should have been (and still mostly was) the story of that game but all people could talk about on social media was Apple TV+ and how it handled the game.

Apple announced the MLB partnership in March and, perhaps, set itself up with the first streamed game between two eagerly-watched teams with, at least in the Mets' case, intensely devoted fan bases. 

Fans, industry watchers, and other play-by-play pros tore into the Apple TV+ team hired to cover the game: Melanie Newman (play-by-play), Chris Young (analyst), Hannah Keyser (analyst), and Brooke Fletcher (reporter). Hernandez quipped during the next Mets game broadcast covered by him and Gary Cohen, that Mets fans had already had one horrible broadcast experience this season. Granted, this is the same slightly tech-phobic fellow who a week later recounted on air how he was almost taken in by a phone phishing scam. 

Comments that complained about how the play-by-play didn't seem to know how to emphasize the importance of the right plays and how they talked over some of them, and sometimes around topics unrelated to the game or baseball.

The thing is, though, this may all be part of the plan.

Will Apple's Changeup Work?
Apple is purposely not doing things exactly as they've been done for decades of game broadcasts. It's intentionally widening the diversity and perspective of the typical game announcers. It purposely pulled together teams that offer new faces demographics and fresh perspectives.

That can take some getting used to but Apple, which appears to have grander baseball plans than just this Friday night slot (though we're guessing here),  not only wants the traditional baseball fan to enjoy these games but is also hoping to build the audience beyond the endemic.

Perhaps that's why, despite the strong criticism, Apple is sticking with these game-calling teams. As it listens to and learns from the critical feedback, it will make adjustments but all the while Apple will still try to manage a difficult balance of satisfying the old (some of which had never tried out Apple TV) and welcoming the new. It knows it can't afford to alienate existing fans, but as a tech company, it can't help but innovate America's favorite pastime (by the way, Apple Friday Night Baseball is also streaming to Canada, Mexico, Australia, South Korea, and Japan - all hubs for baseball fanaticism).

The tech hurdles were real for those who have grown up watching games on broadcast TV where pressing a single number on a remote was enough to bring up the day's game. Apple TV and the original content platform TV+ was a new frontier for them and Apple didn't spend any time teaching longtime baseball fans how to access the game.

At least these Friday night games are free for now (no word on when that ends), and if you have an Apple ID you can log into TV+ through Apple TV or a variety of other third-party platforms to watch the games. And really, Mets fans had no choice because, aside from radio, there was no place else to watch that Nationals game (that broadcast blackout will carry through for all 50 Apple TV+ Friday baseball games).

Home Run Tech
Leaving aside the criticisms and tech frustration, there were some notable Apple touches. Yes, the company splashed its proprietary SF Pro font all over everything to give the proceedings a very Apple feel. 

The company also employed some high-end camera tricks like using the Megalodon camera rig that the NFL and golf games on CBS have been using to great effect. 

Megalodon, which is not a new camera but a collection of technologies (a Sony a7R IV camera mounted on a DJI Ronin-S gimbal, a 6-inch field monitor, and a backpack to carry external batteries and a 1080p wireless transmitter), creates a recognizable cinematic effect. Players, usually walking on or off the field, are in share focus while the rest the of scenery is out of focus. It's a cinematic effect that instantly raises the drama. One could wonder, though, why Apple isn't using its own iPhone 13 Pro, which also shoots Cinematic video. 

Apple is also employing a Phantom camera to shoot super-high-speed frame rate footage that can then slow down a slider to show what's really happening when the pitcher throws it, the ball bends down and in, and a player swings past it.

Plus, if you noticed that the overall game looked just a bit crisper, it could because Apple is broadcasting in 1080p 60fps. That's above what you'd get from a typical broadcast or cable game. Sadly, no one is delivering these games in 4K, yet.

It's early days in Apple's made scramble from home to first, as it attempts to promote the heck out of these games on Apple TV (the app), TV+, and even in Apple News. It might garner more eyeballs this way, but ultimately, it has to win over baseball fans. It failed to reach first this inning, but there are 50 more this season and, potentially, a long MLB partnership ahead of it to work out a run.

This article originally ran on TV Tech sister brand, TechRadar. 

Apple today unveiled details about its Friday Night Baseball games, which debut on Apple TV+, April 8. 

“Friday Night Baseball” games and additional content, including new exclusive programs such as “Countdown to First Pitch” and “MLB Daily Recap,” begin today in the Apple TV app.

The broadcast team includes Melanie Newman (play-by-play), Chris Young (analyst), Hannah Keyser (analyst), and Brooke Fletcher (reporter) will call the New York Mets at the Washington Nationals at 7 p.m. ET; and Stephen Nelson (play-by-play), Hunter Pence (analyst), Katie Nolan (analyst), and Heidi Watney (reporter) comprise the crew that will call the Houston Astros at the Los Angeles Angels game at 9:30 p.m. ET. 

Game assignments for “Friday Night Baseball” broadcasters will be announced on a weekly basis. In her new role with “Friday Night Baseball,” Newman becomes the second woman to lead play-by-play duties for a national broadcast team; she joined the Baltimore Orioles’ broadcast team in 2020.

Apple has hired MLB Network’s production team to produce the games and Apple says the coverage ”will offer a modern and dynamic broadcast experience that appeals to new viewers and veteran fans alike.”

Each game broadcast will employ state-of-the-art cameras, including high-speed Phantoms, the high-resolution Megalodon, and more throughout the season to present vivid, live-action shots, and offer immersive sound in 5.1 with spatial audio enabled.

“Friday Night Baseball” will also incorporate new on-screen graphics that include new probabilities-based forecasts of different situational outcomes, plus highlights and live look-ins from around the league integrated right into the broadcast. Throughout the “Friday Night Baseball” broadcasts, fans will be able to listen to on-screen callouts about batters’ walk-up songs from Apple Music, test their knowledge of baseball trivia with help from Siri, and more. And, in a first for MLB games, “Friday Night Baseball” will feature rules analysis and interpretation from former MLB umpire Brian Gorman.

“Friday Night Baseball” live pre- and postgame coverage will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, along with a rotating group of analysts and former Major League Baseball (MLB) players, including Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd, and Yonder Alonso.

In addition to two marquee games on Friday nights throughout the regular season, Apple TV+ will offer new 24/7 live programming with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more. On Thursday, “Countdown to First Pitch” will preview the week’s upcoming games, and every morning, “MLB Daily Recap” will offer highlights from across the league, both available only on Apple TV+. The “MLB Big Inning” whip-around show will feature live look-ins and in-game highlights every weeknight. Additionally, fans will be able to watch full games, as well as condensed game replays, on demand on Apple TV+ after the completion of the live broadcasts each week.

“Friday Night Baseball” games will be available on any device that carries Apple TV+, including on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and HD, and on tv.apple.com, along with smart TVs, gaming consoles, and cable set-top boxes. “Friday Night Baseball” will be available on Apple TV+ in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, and for a limited time, without the need for a subscription. 

BALTIMORE—After a contentious, months-long lockout between its players and owners, Major League Baseball got back in the game last month with a new agreement. On the heels of that announcement came news of a new player in the 2022 lineup that’s joining MLB Network, Fox Sports and ESPN: Apple TV+.

The deal between MLB and Apple TV+ is the latest extension of what’s been happening in other sports leagues, such as ESPN exclusively carrying selected NHL games on ESPN+; it calls for Apple TV+ to carry two Friday night games under a similar arrangement.

While the reportedly $85 million, seven-year deal was light on details, it led to more discussion about how viewers consume live sports, and just how Apple will present the games. Will it create its own infrastructure, with broadcast and production crews? Or stream via mlb.com?  

The economics suggest that the overall setup may soon include a variety of sports programming. Today, however, all involved are just happy to see the 2022 season get underway.

Leading Off
As the lockout ended, MLB Network was preparing to roll out a key update at its headquarters in Secaucus, N.J.: the refresh of Studio 3, so named for George Herman “Babe” Ruth.

“Studio 3 has been a workhorse for us,” said Susan Stone, senior vice president, operations/engineering for MLB Network. “It has seven distinct areas, including a spot for social media that we’ve turned into a demo area.”

That demo area, dubbed the “On Deck Circle,” features a 2.6mm LED floor in an appropriate 12-foot radius, with SemiLumen floor tiles and interactive touch capability. “It can present moving video, sponsor signage,” said Stone, “or anything we want.”

Other parts of the update include a media wall, dubbed “the Backstop,” which measures 23x13 feet, with 1.8mm SemiLumen tiles. Other new features include a curved 1.9mm LED wall, called (of course) “the Curve,” which measures a whopping 30x11 feet; and a new second news desk fronted by a curved 2x9-foot LED screen. The latter two displays are flexible.

The engines for the four new screens in Studio 3 are revved by Avid’s Maestro 4K system. The additions were created by New York-based Clickspring Design and built by Dimensional Worldwide with equipment from GrantAV. 

In addition to Studio 3, MLB Network will continue to work with its colleagues at the Office of the the Commissioner on expanded use of Statcast 3D, which analyzes player movements and athletic abilities; and FieldVision, which uses tracking data and transforms it into a 3D experience.

 Coming Soon
So, how did Fox Sports monitor if and/or when the 2022 season was going to start, and how it will start getting set up at the various MLB ballparks? 

“We didn’t really know what our schedule was going to look like if/when the players came back,” said Michael Davies, senior vice president, field and technical operations for Fox Sports. Still, “As we’ve worked on the tent poles [for the All-Star and Field of Dreams games], this preparation did not stop and kept its pace.” 

Concerning new ways to capture content, which the major networks often present during signature events, Davies was noncommittal. He did, however, hint at new approaches. 

“It’s too early to tell,” he said. “We’ve done a lot of innovation with our dirt cams and mic-ing of players,” he said. “I think that the All-Star Game will, once again, be all about access. We do have some new things in store for the ‘Field of Dreams,’ but I don’t think we’ll be unveiling them until later.  

“What I will say,” said Davies, “is that we’ll double down on drones, cinema cameras and all of the things that made the ‘Field of Dreams’ game special last year.” 

Back to School
Phil Orlins, vice president, production for ESPN, said the network’s innovation is “directed more toward MLB, with some also directed toward college” and that new technology “has more to do with information, data, screen layout,” etc., “as they are with cameras.”

Meg Aronowitz, vice president, noting that the network carries 2,000 college baseball and softball games every season, elaborated about ESPN’s extensive schedule. The hubs for its productions are the control rooms, with the spokes the fiber connections to the network’s facilities in Bristol, Conn.; Charlotte, N.C.; and The Woodlands (Houston).

As for the tech setup required when various conferences and many colleges are involved, Aronowitz discussed “The School Project,” which consists of 29 Southeast Conference (SEC) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) institutions that operate and staff their own control rooms as ESPN’s partners. “That’s where the bulk of our programming originates.”

Typical game coverage consists of five-camera coverage, with operators stationed at the traditional spots: high home, high first, centerfield, low first and low third (compared to seven or eight locations for a typical MLB regional sports net presentation), with the cameras of choice being Sony 1500s to 2500s (and perhaps 4300s for super slo-mo), and various Ikegamis and Canon lenses.

“We throw more resources at the bigger games,” she said, noting that the equipment roster is most often rounded out with Ross Xpressions for graphics, Evertz DreamCatcher replay systems and routers, and Clear-Com and Riedel for comms.

Telling Stories
Still, control room technology “can vary depending on the school, but most are multi-million dollar facilities equipped for major network productions,” Aronowitz said. For SEC and ACC broadcasts, trucks aren’t needed, but can be on other occasions. “That’s when a truck would be brought in from NEP, Game Creek or F&F. Or there could be a REMI setup when the network only does camera feeds or maybe just a sprinter van,” she said.

While college baseball is decidedly a lower-budget affair, there are still many similarities with MLB broadcasts, Aronowitz added.

That said, the college game also offers greater possibilities: ESPN just aired a softball tournament in Florida that included 40 games, with four games from four fields often aired simultaneously, with 20 on the various ESPN networks; the other half streamed via ESPN+.

“We didn’t have that option pre-ESPN+,” Aronowitz said. “We feel that there are a thousand ways to tell a story. Between Phil and I, we make the best decisions with the resources we have to get as many games on the air as possible.” 

Fox Sports' Michael Davies will discuss the network's live production strategies during the panel "New Life for Live Production Tech" at the TV Tech Summit, March 31.   

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) have inked a major rights deal giving Apple TV+ rights to stream “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and postgame shows that will be available to fans in eight countries exclusively on Apple TV+ as soon as the regular season begins.

The MLB and the players union are currently locked in a labor dispute that has delayed the start of the regular season and it isn’t clear how soon the two sides might come to a new agreement. 

When the season does begin, “Friday Night Baseball” will be available on Apple TV+ in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, and will expand to additional countries at a later date.

In addition to “Friday Night Baseball,” Apple TV+ will offer “MLB Big Inning,” a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season. 

Baseball fans in the US and Canada will also have access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more, as well as a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content, Apple said. 

The deal will allow fans to watch marquee games on Friday nights, free from local broadcast restrictions, on the Apple TV+ app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and HD, and on tv.apple.com, along with select smart TVs, gaming consoles, and cable set-top boxes, Apple said. 

“Just like all baseball fans, we can’t wait for the season to open,” said Peter Stern, Apple’s vice president of Services. “Baseball has a special place in the heart of so many Apple customers — not just in the United States, but in many countries around the world. We’re proud to make Apple TV+ the home for great baseball moments throughout the season.”

“Apple is the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “Following milestones like the launch of At Bat on day one of the App Store in 2008 to the integration of Apple technology in ballparks across the country, this robust new game package is the perfect next collaboration in our long history of offering quality and innovative content to our fans. With national availability and international reach, MLB on Apple TV+ offers an exciting new platform to fans that allows a wider audience to connect with the game.”

PHILADELPHIA—Comcast and Apple have announced the launch of Apple TV+ across Comcast’s entertainment platforms in the U.S., including Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass TV.  

“With the launch of Apple TV+, our customers now have access to all of today’s most popular streaming services through our aggregated user experience and award-winning voice technology.” said Sam Schwartz, chief business development officer, Comcast. “By leveraging our global technology platform, our partners can distribute apps on one tech stack to reach tens of millions of viewers.”

Apple TV+ will begin its rollout on Xfinity X1, Xfinity Flex and XClass TV on March 7 and will be available across all eligible devices in the coming days. Apple TV+ launched on Sky devices (Sky Q and Sky Glass) in the UK and Europe in December.

Comcast noted that Apple TV+ is the first app built using a common set of development tools and resources through Comcast’s global technology platform. The platform enables content providers to design, develop and rapidly deploy apps that can reach 50+ million devices across Comcast, Sky and devices from syndication partners.

Between March 15 through March 21, Apple will offer Xfinity customers a preview of some of its most popular Apple TV+ original series and films across X1, Flex and Stream with no sign-up or sign-in required. Xfinity customers will be able to enjoy the first seasons of many of its most popular shows, as well as the blockbuster Apple Original film “Greyhound.”

Additionally, Xfinity customers who are not currently Apple TV+ subscribers are eligible for a three-month free trial of Apple TV+ when they sign-up via their Xfinity device by April 25.

“Apple TV+ offers the highest quality programming from the finest creators in the world, and one of the best ways to enjoy it is on the big TV in your living room,” said Peter Stern, Apple’s vice president of services. “Our work with Comcast lights up that experience for tens of millions of new devices, and we are thrilled that so many Comcast customers have a compelling way to enjoy their new favorite shows on Apple TV+."

PHILADELPHIA, Penn.—In an important example of how operators are adding streaming services to their platforms, Comcast has announced that it will be bringing Apple TV+ and the Apple TV apps to its Xfinity and Sky customers on a variety of devices. 

Brian Roberts, chairman and CEO of Comcast made the announcement during the company’s third quarter earnings call. No timeline was provided but Variety has reported that the Apple services will be added in the coming months. 

“I'm pleased to also announce today that Apple will bring Apple TV Plus and the Apple TV app to our Xfinity and Sky customers on X1, Flex, XClass, Sky Glass and Sky Q devices and Comcast is bringing the Xfinity stream and Sky Go apps to Apple TV devices,” Roberts explained at the start of the earnings call. “We're working together with our partners to deliver the best apps and experiences on our platforms and our teams are sharing capabilities and collaborating across the company. Collectively, drawing on our scale and leadership in broadband, aggregation and streaming to innovate and profitably serve new and existing customers.”

Later in the call when asked about Comcast’s move into smart TVs with XClass and Sky Glass, Roberts stressed that the company wants to become an even bigger streaming player with a wider array of offerings and he explained that adding Apple TV+ was part of that effort. 

“We -- the global technology platform, we do about 5 billion entertainment streams a week on 75 million devices,” Roberts said. “So we have a huge global scale. And one of the great things that we've been working on... is having a global technology platform….So to specifically talk about the connected TV -- streaming TV, which is what Sky Glass and XClass are really all about, I think it's a natural evolution. So I think it's a beginning of a logical extension.” 

“It is really a breakthrough idea, I think on how people buy it and pay for it, but mostly it's a embodiment of what we do well, which is aggregation and that we're going to find a way for consumers to get to what they want faster, personalize it and have fun along the way,” he added. “And then it's a platform for innovation on a go forward basis for where we think television may evolve, and whether it's gaming, whether it's fitness, healthcare, education and so having that be part of your relationship with our company, I think is novel territory for us to do R&D off of.”

These efforts will also allow the company to expand beyond its traditional footprint. “In the US and finally, it allows us to take it all over Europe, potentially as you say in and out of footprint,” Roberts said. “So we're starting in the UK, but we have ambitions to expand quickly to other countries, and it's great for streamers and streaming services. So our importance to the streaming universe will continue to grow and our relationship and certainly the Apple announcement today is….the latest iteration of that.”

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.—The Apple TV+ streaming service is now available on Chromecast with Google TV, with plans to launch on more Google TV devices in the future, according to a blog post from Google.

Google TV users globally can now access Apple TV+’s original content, as well as any library titles that a user may have purchased from Apple. For U.S. users, Apple Originals are also now available in personalized recommendations and search results, and the Apple TV+ app or titles can be opened via voice controls to Google TV; these features will roll out globally in the coming months.

In addition to Chromecast with Google TV, Apple TV+ will be available on Google TVs from Sony and TCL. Android TV-powered devices are expected soon.

Apple TV+ is Apple’s dedicated streaming service, offering original TV shows and movies. Despite launching before Disney+, Peacock or HBO Max, Apple TV+ trails most of those services in terms of subscribers.

DALLAS—While no one has knocked Netflix or the other well-established streaming platforms off their perch, the new players in the market have made moves and planted themselves firmly in the top 10 of Parks Associates’ U.S. subscription OTT video services rankings for the third quarter of 2020.

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu continue to round out the top three services, per Parks’ report, but the list below them is now quite different. Disney+ comes in fourth, with HBO Max (sixth) and Apple TV+ (seventh) also among the year-old or less services earning spots. Parks reports that Peacock, another of the newest services, is making inroads with paid subscriptions, but its user base consists mainly of those accessing its free ad-supported tier.

“For many years, the Big 3 in OTT, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, have ruled the top of the subscription-based OTT service space," said Steve Nason, research director, Parks Associates. "However, with newer entrants and expanded offerings, that trend may be about to change. The Big 3 and their main challengers have gone to market with varying content and distribution strategies, with the same goal in mind: reach elusive consumers with a compelling content offering and user experience to be a foundational essential service in an OTT subscriber's service stack."

Disney+ recently reported that it had more than 73 million subscribers just about a year after launching. However, Parks notes that Disney+ has remained in the fourth spot on this list since its launch, showing the challenge in overtaking any of the top three services.

In addition, HBO Max will also hope to boost its subscriber base with the launch of its service on Amazon Fire TV devices.

Here is the Parks’ complete top 10:

Sling TV and MLB.tv were knocked out of the top 10 in this most recent report.

For more information, visit www.parksassociates.com.  

CUPERTINO, Calif.—If you’re eager to rewatch “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on one of your local TV stations this year, you may end up waiting like Linus does in the pumpkin patch. 

For the first time since 1966, the Peanuts Halloween special will not air on traditional broadcast TV, instead it will be available only on the Apple TV+ streaming service. This will actually be the case of all of the Peanut holiday specials moving forward, as Apple TV+ is now the home for both new and classic Peanut programs.

Apple TV+ will make “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” available for free for anyone from Oct. 30-Nov. 1. Similar windows will be offered for “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (available for free Nov. 25-27) and “A Charlie Brown Christmas” (Dec. 11-Dec. 13). Otherwise all Peanuts programming will only be available to Apple TV+ subscribers.

For some on Twitter, the news has the feeling of Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown:

In addition to hosting the classic holiday special, Apple TV+ has partnered with WildBrain, Peanuts Worldwide and Lee Mendelson Film Productions for new original content featuring the Peanuts gang, including new holiday specials centered around Mother’s Day, Earth Day, New Year’s Eve and going back to school. 

EDMONTON, Canada—Here’s a tech irony: The company that’s made its bones on offering products with superior user interfaces and experiences comes in dead last with consumers when compared to other streaming video services and cable TV.

A survey of more than 1,200 pay-TV and streaming platform users released in mid-August from Flixed found Apple Inc.’s Apple TV+ garnered the lowest ratings from respondents when compared to Netflix, Hulu, Disney+ and cable TV for their satisfaction with the service’s user interface—64% vs. 85% for Netflix, which topped the lists.

Similarly when it came to finding something to watch, Apple TV+ came in last. Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported they found Apple TV+ easy to use to explore new shows, and 55% said the platform made it easy to search for something specific.

PLUS: Hub: Half of TV Viewers Check Streaming First

By way of comparison, Netflix topped the list for being easy to explore new content at 85%, followed by Hulu at 81%, Disney+ at 75% and cable TV at 68%. Similarly, Hulu (84%) led the pack among respondents for being easy to search for something specific, followed by Netflix (82%), Disney+ (73%) and cable TV (63%), the survey said.

The bad news for Apple TV+ doesn’t stop at content discovery, however. “Apple TV+ is the least preferred streaming platform [12% among users and 3% among all respondents] and scored low across a variety of metrics,” according to an article from Flixed summarizing the study’s findings. 

Apple TV+ ranked lowest in percentage of users satisfied with each platform at 60% versus Netflix, which topped the list at 91%. Drilling down on satisfaction, the survey asked respondents whether they were satisfied with the quality and variety of content offered on each platform. Here again Apple TV+ brought up the rear.

“Not only was Apple TV+ seen as having the worst quality content (60%), users indicated it had the least amount of variety (64%) and the most unfriendly user interface (64%),” the article said.

The survey also revealed viewers are spending a lot of time finding something to watch. Overall, Americans spend an average of one day per year deciding what to watch. One in 10 reported spending an hour or more on at least one occasion looking for something to watch.

Nearly seven in 10 respondents said they were satisfied with the content recommendations made by Netflix, followed by Disney+ at 58%, the survey found. However, word of mouth from friends and family at 84% was the most valued source of content recommendations.

Flixed is a publisher focused on helping people cut the cord and offering information to consumers on streaming.

CUPPERTINO, Calif.—Apple has plans to integrate augmented reality content to its Apple TV+ shows as early as next year, according to a report by Bloomberg.

With AR technology, characters or objects from the shows could be integrated into viewers’ environments through their phones or tablets as new bonus content, Bloomberg reports. The goal is apparently not only to add value to the Apple TV+ service, but to boost interest in AR tech as Apple works on a headset that could be out in 2022.

An example of possible AR content provided by Bloomberg would be having a virtual lunar rover in your living room while watching the Apple TV+ original “For All Mankind.”

For more information, read the full story from Bloomberg.

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple TV+ subscribers will soon have the option to add a discounted bundle of CBS All Access and Showtime content, according to a report from Bloomberg.

Apple has plans to offer its first discounted bundle on its TV+ service featuring as soon as next week. Currently, Apple TV+ subscribers can only get different content providers on an a la carte basis.

Per Bloomberg, starting Monday, Aug. 17, Apple TV+ will provide both CBS All Access and Showtime channels in Apple TV’s app for $9.99/month combined.

This is part of a broader plan from Apple to make bundle services available across all of its major offerings later this year called “Apple One.”

For more information, read Bloomberg’s full story. 

CUPERTINO, Calif.—During Monday’s WWDC event, Apple announced a number of new features for its Apple TV service.

As part of an update to tvOS14, the company plans to launch a number of new features in the autumn including YouTube playback in Ultra HD.

“Watch the latest YouTube videos in their full 4K glory,” says the webpage for the update. “Your favourite music, slo‑mo, outdoor and vlog footage never looked better.”

Other new features will include picture-in-picture so viewers can minimize a film or TV series if they want to check something else on the app. Viewers will also be able to share audio, pairing two sets of AirPods with the Apple TV so two people can watch content while not bothering others.

Apple also said its app is now present on a billion devices, CEO Tim Cook revealed that the app was active on more than 900 million iPhones in the last year alone.

While Apple’s streaming service hasn’t caught viewers’ imaginations quite as much as Disney+, tech, media and telco analyst Paolo Pescatore tells TVT's sister publication TVBEurope the company is not trying to compete with other SVoD services (for now). “It has done a superb job of positioning itself as an aggregator with Apple TV—which is much more than a TV platform.”

“Apple TV+ allows the company to differentiate its overall offering. In essence it is a different service, which complements other so called rival services. It has a huge installed base, which is extremely attractive to content creators. This will help it understand viewer habits and behavioral patterns. While others will struggle, Apple’s broad reaches will ensure it success as it steadily expands its catalog and genres.”

LONDON—The popularity of Disney+ has only increased during the coronavirus pandemic, as shelter-at-home orders have seen viewers increase their TV consumption habits. But not everyone is seeing the same kind of surge that Disney+ has had, according to findings from MIDiA Research.

In the first quarter of 2020, binge watching and live TV consumption both increased by 2% (51% and 50%, respectively) from their Q4 2019 numbers. In addition, the number of multiple SVOD service subscribers increased by 3%, MIDiA says.

Disney+ saw its weekly engagement in Q1 2020 nearly double from Q4 2019 to 20%. That puts it in fourth place behind the three major SVOD services, Netflix (59%), Amazon Prime (46%) and Hulu (30%). Disney+ does lead the pack, however, as the fastest gainer among the top seven paid streaming services.

Growth is not equal though among the streaming services, as evidenced by MIDiA’s numbers for Apple TV+ and CBS All Access. CBS All Access’ weekly usage comes in at 5%, while Apple TV+ comes in at 3%, the lowest among the top seven services. 

While newer streaming services like Peacock and HBO Max were ready at the time of the report, MIDiA makes a point that these services have an inherent advantage over Apple TV+ because of their established content. CBS All Access, meanwhile, is planning to adjust its platform to add more of its ViacomCBS content.

For more information, visit www.midiaresearch.com.  

ADDISON, Texas—Debuting with much fanfare in the fall of 2019, Disney+ and Apple TV+ have gained solid traction in the streaming video market, with both services rounding out the top five OTT platforms six months after their launch.

Parks Associates conducted a consumer survey, “Market Snapshot: Disney+ and Apple TV+,” which shows that since its launch, Disney+ has a 25% adoption rate among U.S. broadband households, putting it as the fourth most adopted streaming service. Apple TV+ has seen 10% adoption, making it fifth. The top three are the more established streaming services: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, in that order.

Other new streaming services—HBO Max, Peacock and Quibi—were not represented in the Parks Associates report, as all of these streaming services have debuted in the last couple of months.

Additional findings from Parks Associates’ report 81% of Disney+ subscribers also subscribe to Netflix, as do 72% of Apple TV+ subscribers. Also, nearly a half of Dinsey+ subscribers have cancelled another OTT service in the last 12 months; nearly two-thirds of Apple TV+ subscribers did.

With the outbreak of COVID-19, Parks Associates also found that three in 10 broadband households have reported that their use of online video services has increased during the pandemic.

Both Disney+ and Apple TV+ have likely benefited from subscription deals provided upon launch,according to Steve Nason, research director for Parks Associates. These included a free year of Apple TV+ being available for anyone who purchased a new Apple device and with Disney offering a bundle for Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ and a free year for unlimited or new Verizon subscribers.

As far as content, Disney+ relied on established brands like Star Wars, Marvel, Pixar and 20th Century Fox properties, while Apple TV+ originally went with original titles, though is working to add more third-party content, Nason reports.

Looking toward the future, Nason contemplates whether Disney+ has earned the status as an “essential service” for its subscribers if household budgets tighten, as very few subscribers only subscribe to Disney+. Apple TV+, on the other hand, has a higher percentage of exclusive non-Netflix subscribers, leading Nason to believe that it has a “group of dedicated subscribers.”

The survey was conducted as an online survey with more than 10,000 participants, conducted between March 8 and April 3.

The full “Market Snapshot: Disney+ and Apple TV+” report is available on Parks Associates’ website. 

CUPERTINO, Calif.—“Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet,” an Apple TV+ original series, has written and produced a special episode remotely during the coronavirus pandemic that will debut on the streaming service on May 22, aptly named “Mythic Quest: Quarantine.”

The cast and crew worked remotely in multiple locations around the country to produce the episode. The entire episode was shot on iPhones.

The episode will feature the main cast, which includes Rob McElhenney and F. Murray Abraham, as they attempt to deal with the challenges—technological and personal—that come from quarantining.

"Mythic Quest" is following other scripted shows that have crafted and produced episodes during the pandemic, including "All Rise" and "Saturday Night Live."

“We needed to shoot this episode fast without sacrificing quality,” said McElhenney, who also is the series’ co-creator. “Thankfully, we’re living in a time when everyone’s got a camera in their pocket. Having an iPhone, coupled with the ingenuity of our crew, allowed us to make this unique piece of television in just days.”

Here is the trailer for the episode:

“Mythic Quest: Quarantine” will be available on Apple TV+ on Friday, May 22. 

ADDISON, Texas—OTT platforms like Netflix, Hulu and Apple TV+ are finding that a trophy is more than just a nice thing to have on the mantle, but that it can also be a way to maintain subscriber numbers. This is an element covered in Parks Associates’ latest “OTT Video Market Tracker.”

The “OTT Video market Tracker” updates monthly on the latest trends and market activities in the OTT video space. The latest batch of research finds that awards—like the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, Emmys, etc.—benefit OTT services, particularly at launch.

“Awards recognition brings legitimacy to the original content in a streaming service and can be a significant boost especially in the early days after its launch,” said Steve Nason, research director, Parks Associates. “Such recognition certainly helped Netflix when the company first ventured into original content.”

Parks Associates found that 64% of Netflix subscribers feel it would be difficult to give up the service—47% feel it would be very difficult—which was the highest when compared to the other top OTT video services measured, including Hulu and Amazon Prime Video.

For more information, visit Parks Associates’ website. 

FOSTER CITY, Calif.—Baby Yoda and other new streaming content increased the amount of time that viewers spent streaming in the fourth quarter of 2019, according to the latest report from global streaming media intelligence company Conviva.

In Conviva’s “State of Streaming” report for Q4 2019, consumers’ time spent streaming increased 58% from the same period last year, strongly motivated by the launch of new services like Disney+ and Apple TV+. The report also found that on-demand streaming is more popular than live streaming, with on-demand making up 66% of global streaming.

Another part of Conviva’s report looked at advertising in streaming, which is still experiencing issues. Conviva found that start time for ads nearly doubled from Q3 2019 to Q4, from 1.14 to 2.27 seconds, which makes it more likely that viewers will exit an ad (49% exit before an ad starts). Ad buffering also remains an issue, seeing a 48% increase quarter over quarter. Small gains were seen, however, with the number of streaming ad attempts that failed to play (down to 36.5% from 39.6%) and ad start failures (35.7% to 30.8%). The average time of ads also shrunk from 38 seconds in Q3 to 26.6 seconds in Q4.

“From recent entrants like Disney+ to soon-to-be-launched services like NBC’s Peacock and HBO Max, we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface of streaming’s impact not only on consumer behavior, but also on the multi-billion dollar advertising and entertainment industries,” said Bill Demas, CEO at Conviva. “As with any disruptive technology, growing pains are inevitable. The companies that win the streaming wars will be those able to offer viewers a fast, clear, reliable experience regardless of where in the world they live, or what device they use.”

In addition, Conviva also revealed in its report of improved performance of the leading streaming player Roku, seeing reductions in video start failures, video start times, buffering and improved bitrate and picture quality.

Other findings in the report included the rise of streaming internationally, Android’s dominance in the mobile streaming sector and news and sports use of social platforms for streaming content.

For more information, read the full report from Conviva.

LONDON—When 2019 closes, data and analytics company GlobalData estimates that there will be 147 million subscribers to SVoD services throughout North America. However, more than 90% of that comes from the U.S. market alone.

This was one of the key findings of GlobalData’s “OTT Video Content, Pricing and Market Opportunity in the Americas” report. With such a huge chunk of the market in the region, the U.S. is one of the most competitive SVoD markets in the world, per GlobalData. The emergence of SVoD platforms is also helping to drive consumers’ cord-cutting trends.

Building off of the estimated 147 million subscribers at the end of 2019, GlobalData forecasts a compound annual growth rate of 9% through 2023. This projection builds off not only already popular streaming services like Netflix and HBO, but also new ones that have or will be launched in the near future.

“The recent launch of new SVoD Platforms Apple TV+ and Disney+ will heat up competition in the U.S. market even further, increasing pressure not only on traditional pay-TV operators but also on incumbent SVoD platforms such as Netflix,” Eulalia Marin-Sorribes, technology analyst at GlobalData. She also cites the 2020 launch of HBO Max in the report.

The full “OTT Video Content, Pricing and Market Opportunity in the Americas” report is now available.

MIDDLESEX, U.K.—With Disney+ now available, the much anticipated streaming service is expected to receive a lot of interest from subscribers. New projections from Digital TV Research show that by 2025, Disney+ will be the third most popular streaming service across the world, only trailing Netflix and Amazon.

Disney+, with its access to new and archived Disney-owned content that includes “Star Wars,” Marvel and other popular brands, is expected to build up a subscriber base of more than 101 million from its launch to 2025. Of the new streaming services launching—Apple TV+ and HBO Max—that puts it far ahead; Apple TV+ is projected to have 27 million subscribers, and HBO Max comes in at 30 million.

With established services Netflix and Amazon still leading the way (235 million and 135 million, respectively), the total global SVOD subscribers across the top five platforms will hit 529 million in 2025, a growth of 257 million subscribers.

Disney+ and the other new streaming services are grabbing the headlines, but Netflix’s reach will continue to grow over this period, especially beyond the U.S. Netflix’s subscriber base is expected to grow by 70 million by 2025, however only 6 million of those will come from the U.S. Digital TV Research points out that by 2025, only 29% of Netflix subscribers will be in the U.S. In comparison, for a newer service like HBO Max, 80% of its subscribers in 2025 are expected to be in the U.S.

These numbers do not take into account non-paying consumers, which Digital TV Research says could triple the subscriber numbers for the likes of Apple TV+ and HBO Max.

The full “SVOD Platform Forecast” is available on Digital TV Research’s website.

LOS ANGELES—As both Apple TV+ and Disney+ ready for their big debuts in early November, about 42% of consumers expect that they will add one of the new services (which will eventually also consist of HBO Max and Peacock), but even more (87%) are worrying at the cost it will be to keep up with the latest offerings.

These findings come from a joint study by TV Time and United Talent Agency’s UTA IQ data and analytics group, titled “Beyond the Big Three,” that sought to determine awareness, purchase intent and how specific offerings will motivate consumer adoption.

While almost half of respondents say they plan to add one of the upcoming streaming services, that number drops to 20% at the prospect of adding two new streaming services. One reason for this is likely that the emergence of these new options will not impact the subscribers of the big three current services—Netflix, Hulu and Amazon—as 70% said they were not “likely” or “very likely” to drop a current service.

Another 70% of consumers also believe that these new additions will create an environment of too many streaming services and, as mentioned above, result in a bill more expensive than they would like. But it’s not just cost that some are skeptical about, other frustrations include the need to toggle between services (67% people cited this), the process of account setup and management (58%) and the inability to find content easily (45%).

Consumers also shared that while subscription-only models are still the most popular (56%) compared to ad-supported models (44%), there are those willing to convert to ad-supported if it helps alleviate the cost of the service.

As for what will be the biggest draw for consumers to a particular service, library content is more important than originals. What library content was available on the service was “important” or “very important” to 90% of respondents; originals earned 68% in those categories.

When it comes to the awareness of these new services, Disney+ (88%) and Apple TV+ (63%) are the most well known, though HBO Max (37%) and Peacock (28%) aren’t launching until spring 2020.

The study also took a closer look at the Disney+ service, including what type of customers are likely to subscribe to the service. Though Disney does have a family-friendly image, family households were only slightly more likely to sign up for the service than adult-only households (57% to 55%). And in international markets where Disney+ plans to launch, interest is a little lower than the U.S. (56%); the Netherlands come in at 49%, Canada at 42% and Australia 38%.

The study was conducted in September and used TV Time’s global community of more than 12 million users in the U.S. and the three international markets where Disney+ is launching.

The full report is available here.

LOS GATOS, Calif.—Apple TV is spreading its wings, with consumers now able to access the app on Roku platforms as of Oct. 15. This will also allow for Roku users to signup for and access the Apple TV+ streaming service when it launches on Nov. 1; this could help counter recent reports that the reach of Apple TV+ could be limited at launch.

Roku users can access the Apple TV app through the Roku Channel Store, which will give them access to TV shows, movies and their iTunes video library, as well as the ability to subscribe to Apple TV channels. When Apple TV+ launches, Roku users will be able to subscribe ($4.99/month) directly through the Apple TV app.

In addition to the U.S., the Apple TV app will be available on Roku devices and supported streaming services in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, France Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom.

“With the Apple TV app coming to Roku, our customers will enjoy an even broader range of exciting entertainment, including the highly anticipated Apple TV+ service,” said Scott Rosenberg, senior vice president and general manager of platform business with Roku.

LONDON—Apple is not holding back with the advertising and planned content for its Apple TV+ streaming service. However, according to a new report from IHS Markit, the reach and potential subscriber growth for the service could be limited when it launches on Nov. 1.

Apple TV+ is estimated to only be available to a little more than half of the total U.S. market on its initial rollout. Set to be accessible for customers using iOS devices, Samsung Smart TVs and web browsers, IHS estimates its potential addressable base to be about 70 million households, or 57%.

Compare that to the streaming services of Apple’s expected competitors: Netflix reaches 95% of U.S. homes, while Disney+ will be available for 92% initially. IHS does not that the Disney+ streaming service’s reach is based on availability on Android mobile devices, as it has “a lack of Smart TV partnerships” at this time. Other streaming services expected to be launched in the next year include WarnerMedia’s HBO Max and NBCUniversal’s Peacock.

To broaden its market reach, IHS says that Apple must make Apple TV+ on third-party devices, including competitors’ digital media adapters. There are expected launches on Roku and Fire TV devices, as well as additional smart TV models, but no date has been announced as of yet.

“By opening up to other platforms, Apple TV+ will see its addressable base increase by 24% to 87 million U.S. households,” said Fateha Begum, principal research analyst at IHS Markit. “This will improve Apple’s position, but the company will still be at a disadvantage compared to competitors who can address the entire U.S. market of 124 million online households.”

CUPERTINO, Calif.—As a slate of new streaming services are set to be released in the coming months, Apple’s entry—the Apple TV+—will be the first on the market as the company has set its launch for Nov. 1 in more than 100 countries and at a monthly subscription price of $4.99.

In comparison to other hotly anticipated streaming services, Disney+ is scheduled to go live on Nov. 12 with a monthly subscription of $6.99/month in the U.S. (a combination of Disney-owned Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ will be available for $12.99/month). HBO Max and the planned NBC streaming service are likely eyeing 2020 releases and have yet to announce price information.

When Apple TV+ goes live, it will have a number of its original programming available for consumers, including the Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Ansiston and Steve Carell drama “The Morning Show”; the Jason Mamoa led “See”; Oprah Winfrey conversations with authors; and others like “Dickinson,” “For All Mankind,” “Helpsters,” “Snoopy in Space,” “Ghostwriter” and “The Elephant Queen.” More original programs will be released on the app each month.

At launch, most of the series will premiere with three episodes, with a new episode being released each week. Some series will have their full seasons made available right away.

Subscribers to the Apple TV+ streaming service will be able to watch content online and offline, ad-free and on-demand through the Apple TV app. In addition to certain Apple products and tv.apple.com, the Apple TV app is also going to be available on select Samsung smart TVs, and will eventually be available on Amazon Fire TV, LG, Roku, Sony and Vizio platforms. If added to the Up Next feature on the Apple TV app, viewers can also be notified when an original series premieres.

Apple has also announced that viewers can get a seven-day free trial of Apple TV+ before the $4.99 subscription kicks in, and a purchase of any iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac will also net a one-year subscription for free.

“Apple TV+ is an unprecedented global video service with an all-original slate,” said Jamie Erlicht, Apple’s head of Worldwide Video. “We look forward to giving audiences everywhere the opportunity to enjoy these compelling stories within a rich, personalized experience on all the screens they love.”

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Christmas may come a little early this year for people anticipating Apple’s new streaming service, Apple TV+. A report from Bloomberg says that a November launch of Apple TV+ is the plan, though no official announcement has been made yet by Apple.

A November release would put Apple TV+ in the same release window as Disney+, the upcoming streaming service from the Walt Disney Company, which has already announced a launch date of Nov. 12 at a price of $6.99.

In addition to when Apple TV+ may become available, the Bloomberg report also provided details on how Apple may be looking to provide its content, and at what cost. Upon initial release, Apple TV+ will have a small selection of shows, from which the catalog will expand over several months Bloomberg’s sources said.

Apple apparently is also weighing how it wants to release its shows. One reported strategy is to release the first three episodes of a program at once, followed by weekly installments.

As the library builds, Apple TV+ may be available as a free trial but then turn into a subscription fee of $9.99 a month, Bloomberg reports.

Apple TV+ is one of multiple new streaming services expected to be released in the coming months. In addition to Disney, AT&T, and NBCUniversal are also working on their own streaming services.

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Apple may end up charging a fee for its new TV service despite analysts originally expecting it to be free to Apple TV users.

During a phone call to discuss the company’s fiscal third quarter, CFO Luca Maestri said that the launches of Apple Arcade and Apple TV+ will add to the company’s current 420 million subscriptions to its services business, which includes Apple Music, iTunes, Apple Pay and iCloud.

That has now led to speculation Apple will charge a subscription fee for Apple TV+ instead of offering it as a free add-on for Apple TV users, as has been previously suggested.

Maestri also said that there would be trial periods upfront, so “the road to monetization takes some time.”

The company also reported double-digit revenue growth from Apple TV in the third quarter, with the new Apple TV app generating a year-on-year increase of 40%  in viewers in the U.S.

There is still no official launch date for Apple TV+.

Last month, and hot off the heels of the Apple Plus TV announcement, Disney too signaled an industry-changing move by launching their own new streaming service, Disney+. Both developments were shrouded by speculation for quite some time, but now that both brands have made their plans public, industry discussion has turned to how the growing pool of streaming services can compete for viewers and the golden opportunity for cinematographers.

According to new research by analyst house Ampere Analysis, consumers believe the quality of content offered by Disney+ at launch (due to be November this year) will be higher than that of its SVoD rivals, Amazon, Netflix and HBO. Taking a quality over quantity approach, Disney’s launch content will be just a fraction of the size of the U.S. Netflix catalogue.

THE ORIGINALS OPPORTUNITY

The opportunity for streaming services to compete successfully for market share lies in the creation of quality original content. Apple is expected to spend $2 billion this year on original material for its Apple Plus TV in the hope to compete with shows from Netflix (which will spend $15B), Amazon ($7B) and others. UBS Analytics estimates Disney+’s investment of original content at around $800 million.

Ultimately, this is all good news for cinematographers and DoPs. Additional streaming services provide yet another opportunity to showcase their most creative work—from documentary features to cinematic dramas. However, with Disney’s reputation for premium cinema content and the likely subscriber demographic of Apple Plus TV, we anticipate both platforms will introduce quality standards to help DoPs futureproof their content with industry-leading kit and meet the ever-evolving creative demands of the industry and customers.

THE QUALITY DEMAND

Netflix has the right formula to meet these high standards. Part of its success comes down to the governance of its originals content, with the introduction of the Netflix Post Technology Alliance, which launched September 2018. The purpose of this program is to bring together industry leaders and manufacturers, committed to working closely with Netflix, to innovate production workflows and support creatives globally. Netflix understands that quality comes from all corners.

Four Canon EOS cameras were selected for the program, chosen by filmmakers behind many Netflix Originals, including the Academy Award-winning documentary ”Icarus,” feature film ”Our Souls at Night” and Emmy-nominated series ”Grace and Frankie.” Other Netflix Originals shot on Canon include: ”Hot Girls Wanted,” “Strong Island” and “The Confession Tapes,” with more currently in production.

PUSHING BOUNDARIES WITH TOP KIT

The importance of manufacturers’ unwavering commitment to supporting state-of-the-art productions from streaming services to blockbusters is made even more clear when you look at this year’s Oscar nominees for the 2019 Best Documentary Feature. All five were filmed with Canon kit—including “Free Solo,” Jimmy Chin’s production about professional rock climber Alex Honnold’s attempt to conquer the first free solo climb of famed El Capitan's 3,000-foot vertical rock face at Yosemite National Park. Such filming put the “Free Solo” filming team, and their kit, to the ultimate test of physical demand and endurance—to say they required reliable, quality kit is an understatement.

Other hotly discussed, award-winning productions this year includes Netflix’s “Roma,” which was nominated for 10 Academy Awards—winning Best Cinematography, Best Director and Best Foreign Language Film. This win is clear evidence that streaming services are creating content fit for industry-award recognition—a great opportunity for cinematographers.

4K AND BEYOND…

One of the conditions of Netflix’s Post Technology Alliance is around resolution. Netflix does not accept any content that is less than 4K, however the bar is rising and it is likely to be a focus for other services.

While 4K televisions are yet to become the norm in most households, the technology is becoming more affordable and as such, we’re naturally seeing the appetite for 4K content rise. Down sampling to 4K from higher resolutions has resulted in premium content that meets viewers’ increasing demands for high-quality content. However, as the expectations and needs of consumers continue to grow, requirements of the broadcast industry are shifting.

8K is also firmly on the industry’s radar, as there is no doubt that streaming services are already looking seriously at 8K to further futureproof their content and stand out from competitors. In terms of resolution, 8K has many other benefits as it surpasses what the eye can see. In the future, when the infrastructure is in place and internet speed increases, 8K will enable consumers to have incredible immersive experiences—allowing them to be part of the content from the comfort of their own home, including through VR.

These are exciting developments for cinematographers. New streaming services provide a plethora of opportunity to showcase their work alongside other original series and films, grabbing the hearts and attention of a global audience. There is no doubt that we will see more streaming services aiming to create high-quality, award-winning content that does not only compete with productions made by their fellow competitors but also mainstream blockbusters.

Stephen Hart Dyke is the European product marketing manager at Canon Europe.

This story originally appeared in TVT’s sister publicationTVBEurope’sJune print issue.

CUPERTINO, Calif.—Apple has announced the launch of Apple TV+, a new streaming service featuring TV, films and original content on demand.

So why now? Michail Chandakas, analyst at Kagan, a media research group within the TMT offering of S&P Global Market Intelligence, points toward declining hardware sales: “Apple is pursuing a more diverse consumer approach with the Apple TV and Apple 4K TV streaming devices that aggregate a number of OTT services, much like Roku and Amazon channels, through Apple ID or directly through the available SVoD services.”

“Services is a revenue stream that has been growing strongly for Apple,” adds Toby Holleran, senior analyst at Ampere Analysis. “It already offers a Cloud storage service, a music service and in some markets a subscription plan for iPhones that ensure prompt upgrades."

“Launching a video service is another product to add to its services portfolio, especially as consumers are spending more and more time watching video through online video services,” he continues. “By offering multiple services, Apple puts itself in a position to provide a single-fee multiple service offering, which will keep its users within the Apple ecosystem.”

Apple also benefits from a ready-made audience who are famously flush with their cash when it comes to entertainment. “For Apple, an already established 1.3 billion active user base gives it a head start in terms of distribution—compare that to Spotify’s 100 million and Netflix 139 million at end-2018,” notes Chandakas.

“Factor in Apple’s new partnership with Samsung confirmed earlier this year, placing an exclusive iTunes content app on the South Korean manufacturer’s TVs, and it has a solid base to build on,” adds David Sidebottom, principal analyst and Futuresource Consulting.

Holleran predicts that Apple will initially target consumers already within their ecosystem, using Apple Music as a test bed for whether users will sign up: “Among those responding to our consumer survey in 20 markets worldwide, almost 90 percent of Apple Music subscribers own an iPhone, while 95 percent own at least one Apple product.

“Thus, existing Apple device owners (especially those subscribing to other Apple services) are the best addressable market for a video streaming service. Additionally, both Apple Music subscribers and Apple device owners have a high engagement with online video services,” he explains.

However, not even a company as wealthy as Apple can afford to be complacent in an SVoD market dominated by Netflix and Amazon. “As a newcomer to the online video space, Apple is unlikely to cause a dent in the market in the short term,” says Holleran.

“Online video services such as Netflix or Amazon will definitely keep an eye on a company with one of the largest cash reserves in the world, but there will be teething issues for Apple’s service, not least of which could be the limited availability of content,” he continues. “Studios appear to be more focused on launching services of their own rather than licensing their content out, while Netflix and Amazon often secure multi-year contracts for the content they license.”

Sidebottom agrees: “Apple will be nothing without the necessary content markers. Even with its well-entrenched fan base, a strong and wide content offering will be needed from day one. Comparisons with Netflix’s content will be inevitable, and Apple will require a powerful portfolio to attract and retain subscribers. They’ll need to plan continued forays into exclusive or original content, but given Apple’s likely key subscriber demographic, these customers will be taking Apple as an additional service, rather than cannibalizing their existing video subscriptions.”

The rise in SVoD “stacking” is therefore expected to limit Apple TV+’s impact on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. “Futuresource research shows there’s a continuing customer acceptance of multiple subscriptions,” explains Sidebottom. “In the U.S.A., there are nearly 80 million households with SVoD services, and on average each of these households takes two services.” In Europe too, more than half of SVoD consumers subscribe to two or more services.

“Our research suggests that this will trend towards three subscriptions in the coming years, although this will be marginally lower in Europe,” Sidebottom continues. “However, the sheer number of SVoD services available could see consumers become more comfortable with trial memberships and special offers, dipping in for short periods and then cancelling subscriptions as they become increasingly aware of the number of services they are taking.”

Disney+ is also expected to launch this year, as well as streaming service plans by WarnerMedia, which Chandakas expects to impact Netflix and Prime Video: “The new services should put a pressure on the growth of most subscription OTT/SVoD services in Europe during the next one to two years, but that time scale is too short for any major changes.

“The total SVoD revenues will keep growing as a proportion of the total spending that goes to subscription video services (multichannel and OTT) due to the increase of the overall number of available services. We expect the top two services, Netflix and Prime Video, by subscribers and revenues to experience lower shares compared to 2018,” he concludes.