NEW YORK—Shortly after we usher in 2021 there will be another streaming platform entering the U.S. market, as Discovery has announced that Discovery+ will be available to U.S. viewers as of Jan. 4.

Discovery+ will be the exclusive streaming home from Discovery brands that include the Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, Animal Planet, TLC and ID, as well as programming from A&E, History and Lifetime, with more than 55,000 episodes from more than 2,500 current and classic shows as well as new original series. The platform will also be the streaming home for BBC’s natural history shows “Planet Earth,” “Blue Planet” and “Frozen Planet.”

Subscribers will be able to watch Discovery+ on mobile devices, tablets, computers, game consoles and connected TVs.

Discovery is offering both ad-supported and ad-free subscriptions for Discovery+. The ad-supported version will cost $4.99/month, while the ad-free version will cost $6.99/month.

The Jan. 4 date is the U.S. launch of Discovery+; it is already available in the U.K. and Ireland. There are plans to launch in 25 countries within the streaming platform’s first year.

According to a report from the Hollywood Reporter, Discovery+ has teamed with Verizon to offer a year’s subscription for free to some Verizon customers.

For more information, visit the Discovery+ website. 

NEW YORK—Paramount+ is the next SVOD service that will attempt to draw viewers’ eyes when it launches next year, per ViacomCBS. 

Paramount+ will be a rebrand of CBS All Access, ViacomCBS’ current streaming platform, while adding additional legacy and original content. This will include content from Showtime, CBS All Access, CBS Television Studios, Paramount Television Studios, BET, Nickelodeon, MTV brands as well as Paramount blockbuster and classic movies.

Original series from Paramount+ are also set for the SVOD platform, including a spy drama from Taylor Sheridan called “Lioness” and a reimagination of the popular “Behind the Music” series. New series from BET, Comedy Central, CBS, Nickelodeon and other ViacomCBS entities will also be developed for Paramount+.

In addition to the CBS All Access rebrand, Paramount+ will launch in new international markets in 2021, including Latin America and the Nordics.

“Paramount is an iconic and storied brand beloved by consumers all over the world, and it is synonymous with quality, integrity and world-class storytelling,” said Bob Bakish, ViacomCBS CEO. “With Paramount+, we’re excited to establish one global streaming brand in the broad-pay segment that will draw on the sheer breadth and depth of the ViacomCBS portfolio to offer an extraordinary collection of content for everyone to enjoy.”

It is expected that Paramount+ will have the same cost as CBS All Access, including options for ad supported and ad free versions.

Paramount+ is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2021.

NEW YORK—Following its three-month preview for Xfinity X1 and Flex customers, NBCUniversal is now bringing its new Peacock streaming service to all viewers, and officially entering the ever growing streaming market with its launch on July 15.

Peacock is the latest example of a major media company launching its own streaming platform for both new original content and classic fan favorites, a strategy that has been deployed to varying degrees of success for new services like HBO Max, Apple TV+ and, most notably, Disney+. However, there is one new wrinkle that NBCU hopes will be an advantage over its competitors—a free service that features more than 13,000 hours of content with advertisements.

Additional subscription options are available for consumers, including a premium tier with 20,000 hours of content with plans of $4.99-per-month with commercials and a $9.99-per-month plan without any ads at all.

Among the content that Peacock will be offering viewers at launch are 10 original productions, including “Brave New World,” a reboot of SyFy series “Psych” and “The Capture.” Some planned original series had to be put on hold because of production limitations as a result of COVID-19, including a “Friends” reunion special.

Sports will also be a part of the platform, another unique feature to the service compared to most of its competitors. Peacock will be the exclusive U.S. streaming home to the 2020-2021 Premier League season, with the premier tier having access to 175 games. It will also serve as the streaming hub for Olympics content, starting next year with the delayed Summer Games in Tokyo. Other sports that will be available on the platform include an NFL Wild Card Game, the Tour de France and the Ryder Cup.

In addition, current NBC shows will debut new episodes on Peacock one week after airing for the free tier, and one-day after for paid tiers. Full libraries of classic shows will also be available, from “The Carol Burnett Show” and “Saturday Night Live” to “Fright Night Lights” and “Battlestar Galactica,” and many more.

One of NBCU’s flagship programs, “Today,” is also launching something brand new on Peacock—“Today All Day,” 24 hours of lifestyle programming, including original video and digital series, and “Today” segments. The new offering will be available for free on Peacock, as well as Today.com.

“This is a historic moment for our company as we proudly introduce Peacock to consumers nationwide—a groundbreaking vision that was brought to life by an incredible team of people from across Comcast, NBCUniversal and Sky,” said Matt Strauss, chairman of Peacock. “From current, classic and original movies and shows, to live news, sports, curated channels and trending content from around the world, Peacock is the only free, premium ad-supported streaming service that brings together everything consumers love about television and streaming—all in one place.”

NBCU says that at launch Peacock will be available on Google gadgets—Android mobile devices; Android TV-powered smart TVs, set-tops, dongles and streaming sticks; Chromecast dongles and streaming sticks; and Chromebook computers. Support will also be available on Apple iPhones, iPads and Apple TVs, Microsoft Xbox One gaming consoles, and Vizio and LG smart TVs. PlayStation 4 gaming consoles will support the service as of July 20.

However, there is no current deal in place that will allow Peacock to play on Roku or and Amazon TV devices.

For more information, visit www.peacocktv.com.  

COLOGNE, Germany—As new digital platforms have emerged in recent years in the broadcast industry—like Netflix, Apple, Amazon and others—RTW has updated its standards to ensure that streamers have their own loudness delivery guidelines.

In some cases, the guidelines are similar among different platforms in terms of Integrated Loudness (LUFS), but there are some variations when in comes to True Peak (dBTP).

“With so many different streaming services around these days, we saw a need for gathering all of the available information in one place so that content providers can get an easy overview,” said Mike Kahsnitz, RTW senior director of product management.

Kanhsnitz says that RTW has listed 35 different specifications that vary depending on region, individual country and content type. He also says that RTW will update the list in case specifications change at any point, or when new ones arise.

View RTW’s loudness delivery guide online. 

LOS ANGELES—Quibi has officially entered the streaming wars with its launch on Monday, April 6, in the U.S. and Canada.

Quibi, which was founded by Jeffrey Katzenberg, is an entertainment platform designed specifically for the phone. It features original content that are all 10 minutes or less, with more than 25 new episodes of content released every weekday, or seven days a week for news, sports and weather content, per Quibi.

The new platform touts its lineup of original programming featuring major Hollywood talent. Among the content available at launch is “Survive” starring “Game of Thrones” alum Sophie Turner; “Most Dangerous Game” with Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz; “Punk’d” with Chance the Rapper; “Thanks a Million” from Jennifer Lopez; “Chrissy’s Court” starring Chrissy Teigen; as well as other programs like “Murder House Flip,” “Around the World by BBC News” and “The Replay by ESPN.”

Quibi plans to release 175 original shows and 8,500 “quick bites” of content in its first year. It still has some big names to come, including Steve Spielberg, Will Smith, Bill Murray, Anna Kendrick, Laura Dern and more.

On the tech side of Quibi’s offering is what it calls Turnstyle technology. The patented technology allows viewers to move seamlessly between full-screen portrait and full-screen landscape without any delay.

TV Technology sister publication B&C sat down with Katzenberg ahead of Quibi’s launch to discuss the new platform.

Quibi, which can be downloaded either through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, will be available for a 90-day free trial if you sign up before the end of April. After the free trial, Quibi costs $4.99 with ads and $7.99 without ads.

Quibi joins an ever increasing content landscape with stalwarts like Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, new entrants like Disney+—which has had quick success—and Apple TV+, and other upcoming platforms like NBCUniversal’s Peacock and HBO Max. 

SANFORD, Fla.—Today’s TV viewers don’t seem to mind being patient waiting for their favorite show to come back, but they may have issue waiting week to week for new episodes. This is one of the findings from a recent study by ItsWorthMore that looked at TV viewing habits in the streaming age.

According to a pool of more than 900 respondents, 53% said that they will wait to watch new seasons of shows until they are available on streaming platforms. Among the reasons given for this was that 67.4% wanted to be able to binge-watch the entire season, while another 67.4% said it was to avoid commercial breaks. Other factors included the ability to watch a show at any time, the ability to pause the show and the fact that it is often cheaper to stream. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “The Walking Dead” were two examples of shows that fans will wait to come on streaming.

The study also found that among viewers who started to watch a show on TV, 42% switched to watching in on a streaming platform. Another 32% say they watch shows exclusively on streaming platforms, with those subscribing to Hulu being the most likely to do so.

ItsWorthMore also noted that the interest in streaming can be partially attributed to the improvement in phones, tablets and computers to present programs in high quality.

The move to streaming also could have an impact on the advertising industry. For some of the top shows on TV, which often demand the biggest advertising dollars, of the 65% of viewers who started watching on TV, 14% of them shifted to watching on streaming platforms. If the advertising rates were adjusted based on viewership, ItsWorthMore says that networks could lose more than $19 million per season in ad revenue.

Other findings from the study indicated how viewers perceive the production quality and diversity of offerings between traditional TV and streaming, and how they learn about new shows.

“Streaming affords more convenience and control, and many viewers are willing to wait to enjoy their favorite shows on digital platforms,” wrote ItsWorthMore.

“If network and cable channels aim to remain relevant, they must do more than move their content online. Indeed, they must create shows worthy of devoted audiences—and compelling enough to stand out in a saturated media environment.”