What’s the best live streaming TV service in 2022 according to U.S. News & World Report? According to its analysis, three services vie for the top honors: fuboTV, YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.

One differentiator that probably didn’t make a big impact in its final tally is price: Both fuboTV and Hulu + Live TV start at $70 for a monthly subscription (with options to increase the fee) while YouTube TV is close behind at $65. 

Granularly, Hulu + LiveTV and YouTube TV garnered 4.1 stars while fuboTV came in at 4.0 but all three were considered the top contenders according to the publication. Trailing behind were SlingTV at 3.8, Philo at 3.7 and DirecTV Stream at 3.5.

As for Hulu + Live TV, U.S. News liked its unlimited DVR storage as well as its extensive library, which includes Disney+ and ESPN+ as part of its $70 monthly subscription. “That’s multiple libraries of original content and exclusive movies and TV series that no other live TV streaming service offers,” it said.

fuboTV, which has branded itself as a leading source of live sports streaming, was ranked the #1 Sports Streaming Service in the report, as well as tying for first among overall live TV streaming services. “It also offers a full range of entertainment channels, making it an appealing option for both devoted sports fans and general TV viewers,” they said. “With plans starting at $69.99 per month, it’s priced on the higher side of live-TV streaming services, but that price also includes up to 1,000 hours of cloud DVR storage and unlimited screens for simultaneous viewing at home.”

YouTube TV, which is most like Hulu + Live TV, differentiates itself from its competitor by offering a wider availability of broadcast channels (including PBS) as well as NBA TV and NFL Network and a lower-priced Spanish plan, U.S. News said. 

As for the also-rans, U.S. News says it likes Philo’s $25 monthly rate, calling it “a bargain for subscribers who are primarily looking for entertainment programming and aren’t interested in live sports or news.” Sling TV offers more live news and sports than Philo, including CNN and ESPN, but it doesn’t have the extensive sports programming of pricier live-TV streaming services and DirecTV Stream is the most expensive of the seven live streaming services. 

One factor also working against DirecTV Stream’s favor, however, is that, unlike the others on the list, it is more likely to get caught up in the ongoing retrans battles, resulting in loss of over-the-air channels. And despite the lack of daylight between monthly subscription rates among the leaders in the survey, picking the best live TV streaming service still comes down to price, U.S. News said. 

"Picking the right live-TV streaming service largely comes down to price. Smaller-scale services, Philo and Sling TV, may cost less than half of the monthly fee for pricier services like fuboTV and Hulu + Live TV."

MIAMI—Univision has announced plans to begin offering a 24-hour Spanish-language streaming news service targeted to U.S. Hispanics. 

The direct-to-consumer service will mark a notable expansion of streaming news content available to Hispanics. While Hispanics tend to be more active consumers of streaming content and digital media than the general population, they have been generally underserved by streaming services. 

In 2020, NBCUniversal launched the English-language LX digital news network and brand targeted to bi-lingual and younger viewers on its owned stations and on the Peacock streaming service. 

The upcoming Univision service will launch on the PrendeTV free, premium streaming service. 

Details on the service remain skimpy, with no confirmed launch date or name. 

In a general announcement of its new programming, Univision reported that “the new channel will offer live news and breaking stories in digital-friendly formats and snackable storytelling content across platforms.”

The move is part of an ongoing investment by Univision in news content for Hispanics, who are now the largest ethnic group in the U.S. 

On May 17, Univision launched a new studio for its news operations in its Miami facility for live broadcasts of “Noticiero Univision.”

The studio is designed to offer a more compelling news cast with a variety of new technologies. Those include augmented reality interactive graphics and real-time virtual graphics; high-definition LED screens that will provide the most complete storytelling; a new anchor desk with LED accent; multiple HD cameras and more than 100 LED light fixtures. 

The studio will also be used for content that will be available on the streaming news services. 

LOS ANGELES—Another streaming service has hit the market, this one from Byron Allen. Local Now is a free, ad-supported streaming service that offers local news and premium content, using proprietary software and artificial intelligence to curate content based on the user’s zip code.

“Local Now is the most localized news and entertainment free-streaming service on the planet,” claims Allen, founder, chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, Local Now’s parent company.

The streaming service has more than 300 free-streaming channels, including a Local Now channel in every zip code in the country, as well as additional local channels and content from the likes of Allen Media Broadcasting, News 12, E.W. Scripps, Meredith Broadcasting and Cox Media Group. Genre-based channels are also available from Allen Media Group, The Weather Channel, Entertainment Studios Motion Pictures, Lionsgate, Cinedigm, Gravitas and more.

Premium channels are also available, including Yahoo! Finance, Court TV, Newsy, Black News Channel, Bloomberg, Cheddar, People TV and more.

Per Allen, the Local Now software and A.I. produces, aggregates, curates and streams local news, weather, sports, traffic, movies, TV shows and more in real time, all based on the user’s zip code.

The user interface for Local Now puts local content out front. Users can create a “My Stream” channel for greater localization and personalization. 

Local Now is now available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Xfinity, Vizio, Samsung, Hisense, Android and iOS devices. It is also available on YouTube TV, Sling, Xuomo, fuboTV and Dish.

For more information, visit www.localnow.com.  

DALLAS—HBO Max is expanding its subscription possibilities, officially announcing that it will launch an ad-supported (AVOD) version of the streaming service to U.S. subscribers in June. This is just one component of AT&T’s HBO Max plans and why the company has upped its projection for global subscriptions in the next few years.

It had previously been announced that HBO Max would be getting an AVOD version at some point in 2021, but there wasn’t a clear timeframe. U.S. consumers can now expect an alternative to HBO Max’s current $14.99/month subscription plan in June, though no official date was provided in AT&T’s press release. 

During a virtual investor meeting, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said that the only difference between the current premium service and the AVOD version of HBO Max will be that day-and-date releases of Warner Bros. movies will not be available. He also confirmed that advertising would not be placed in HBO original series.  

AT&T also said that it expects to launch HBO Max in 60 markets outside the U.S. in 2021. This includes 39 territories in Latin America and the Caribbean in late June and 21 territories in Europe in the second half of 2021.

All of this has contributed to new projects for HBO Max’s global subscriber growth. In October 2019, AT&T projected HBO Max to have a global subscription base between 75-90 million HBO Max/HBO subscribers by the end of 2025. It is now upping that to a range of 120-150 million.

By the end of 2021, AT&T projects HBO Max/HBO to have a subscriber base of 67-70 million. When the fourth quarter of 2020 ended, the combined subscriptions were around 41 million, with HBO Max accounting for 17.2 million of those.

These projections come on the heels of Disney having recently announced that its streaming service, Disney+, just passed the 100 million global subscriber mark, four years ahead of schedule.

The HBO Max projections were part of an updated strategy and financial outlook from AT&T. Also included in the announcement was AT&T’s plans for the 80 MHz of C-band it acquired in the FCC’s C-band auction. AT&T plans to start deploying 40 MHz of this spectrum by the end of 2021.

SEATTLE—IMDb TV, Amazon’s premium free streaming service, has expanded the platforms that it is available on, officially launching on TiVo Stream 4K, LG Smart TVs, PlayStation 4 consoles and Nvidia Shield.

IMDb TV is the home to original and library film and TV content. The service is ad-supported.

These new platforms supporting IMDb TV are in addition to other recent announcements of the streaming service becoming available on Chromecast with Google TV and Roku. It is also available on Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles and Sony’s Android TV-based smart TVs.

For more information, visit www.imdb.com/tv.  

CLEVELAND—Local broadcast TV streaming service Locast is now being offered in the Cleveland market, with the ability to deliver 70 local TV channels to 4 million residents, per Locast. Cleveland also marks the 30th market that Locast is serving.

Locast delivers local TV stations via the internet to phones, tablets, laptops and streaming media devices at no cost to the consumer (though donations are welcomed). This gives consumers who may have opted to cut the cord access to their local news, storm coverage, emergency information, sports and entertainment programming.

In Cleveland, Locast is offering the market’s ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates, PBS station and more for a total of 70 channels.

The counties covered by Locast in the Cleveland market include Ashland, Ashtabula, Carroll, Cuyahoga, Erie, Geauga, Holmes, Huron, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, Richland, Stark, Summit, Tuscarawas and Wayne.

Locast operates as a non-profit organization, which the company claims puts it under the Copyright Act of 1976 so they do not need a copyright license. This has been a point of contention for broadcasters.

To date, Locast has more than 2.5 million registered users across its 30 markets nationwide. Locast says that its service is available to half of the U.S. population.

For more information, visit www.locast.org.  

NEW YORK—Paramount+, the rebranded version of the CBS All Access streaming service from ViacomCBS, will officially launch on March 4 in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, ViacomCBS announced.

Paramount+ will add additional legacy and original content to what was already included on the CBS All Access service. This will include content from Showtime, CBS Television Studios, Paramount Television Studios, BET, Nickelodeon, MTV and Paramount blockbuster and classic movies.

In addition to the markets included in the March 4 launch, ViacomCBS reports that Paramount+ will become available to other international markets, including the Nordics on March 25 and Australia in mid-2021.

The streaming market has grown rapidly over the last year with the launch of new services like Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+ and Peacock, as well as the pandemic increasing people’s viewing habits and reliance on streaming services. Paramount+ hopes to be able to garner interest in the market with its content library.

While not mentioned in the press release, previous reports suggested that Paramount+ would have the same cost as CBS All Access (starting at $5.99/month), including options for ad supported and ad free versions. 

Also omitted in the announcement was what platforms Paramount+ will be available on at launch, particularly Roku and Amazon Prime Fire. CBS All Access was available through both platforms.

ViacomCBS also announced in its press release a streamed investor event on Feb. 24 to go over fourth quarter and full 2020 financial results, as well as present the company’s streaming strategy. For more information, visit ViacomCBS’ website. 

MIAMI—Univision is officially throwing its hat into the streaming service fray, announcing that it intends to launch PrendeTV for U.S. audiences in the first quarter of 2021. PrendeTV will be a free ad-supported streaming service catered to U.S. Hispanic audiences and featuring 100% Spanish-language programming.

Reports of Univision creating its own streaming service first popped up in December 2020.

“PrendeTV is an important, early step in Univision’s broader efforts to build the same leadership position we have in Spanish-language TV, in the emerging Spanish-language streaming space,” said Univision CEO Wade Davis. “The announcement of PrendeTV within two weeks of closing our acquisition of Univision underscores our focus and commitment to rapidly driving the transformation and growth of the company. PrendeTV is unlike anything our audience has access to today and will completely change the landscape for video streaming in Spanish-language media in the United States.”

PrendeTV will carry premium and exclusive content, including Hollywood blockbusters, global television series, novelas, comedies, classic sports, documentaries, lifestyle shows and children’s programming all in Spanish, as well as Univision and Televisa’s own content libraries.

At launch, PrendeTV is expected to have 30 channels and 10,000 hours of video-on-demand programming, with more content expected to be added. Content will be accessed through a channels-based program guide or on-demand library menu, all in Spanish. There will be no login requirements and programs will feature limited commercial breaks, per Univision.

Consumers will be able to access PrendeTV on desktop and mobile devices via Prende.TV, and via free mobile and connected TV apps. Distribution partners will be announced at a later date, Univision said.

Univision programming will continue to be available through cable, satellite and select vMVPD distributors.

No official launch date has been announced. 

More information is available at Prende.TV. 

NEW YORK—Univision is reportedly planning to get into the streaming business, as a report from Bloomberg says that the Spanish-language broadcaster is working on a streaming service designed for its viewers.

The streaming service is said to be a top priority of Univision’s incoming CEO Wade Davis, who believes the new flurry of streaming services aren’t serving Hispanic audiences, per Bloomberg.

A Univision streaming service is expected to include advertising and rely on the library of Mexico’s Group Televisa SBA, a Univision investor and programming supplier. The hope, according to Bloomberg, is to have the streaming service ready for the first half of 2021.

The full story is available on Bloomberg. 

NEW YORK—Another streaming service is just on the horizon, as BBC Studios has announced it will be launching BBC Select, an ad-free subscription streaming channel,  in early 2021 for U.S. and Canadian consumers. 

BBC Select will offer U.K. programs that cover three main topics: culture, politics and ideas. A good portion of the programs will be exclusive premieres for North American audiences. Among the programs set to be available on the streaming service will be “Grayson Perry: Big American Road Trip,” “Brainwashing Stacey” with Stacey Dooley, “The Romantic Revolution” from Sir Simon Schama and work from filmmaker Louis Theroux.

“BBC Select is for those who crave knowledge, new perspectives and programs that are not your standard fare,” said Louise la Grange, general manager & launch director. “BBC Select will combine a rich line up of never-before-seen shows in the U.S. and Canada with a prized portfolio of thought-provoking, eye-opening programs that provide context and color to the world we all share—all in one place.”

“As we shift our business focus to engaging our fans direct, the digital space offers us the opportunity to bring audiences a portfolio of shows that bring new ideas and perspectives into the conversation,” said Rebecca Glashow, president, BBC Studios—America. “Our research has shown that audiences are looking for an alternative to what is already out there. BBC Select is it.”

BBC Select will initially be available on Amazon Prime Video and the Apple TV app. Other platforms, the full slate of content and the services price will be revealed at launch. For more information, visit www.bbcselect.com.  

LOS ANGELES—HBO Max, the streaming service created by WarnerMedia, is now available, adding a new platform for consumers’ seemingly constant expanding options of streaming services.

HBO Max offers content from WarnerMedia’s catalog—highlighted by “Friends,” “Game of Thrones,” “The West Wing” and “South Park”—as well as original content, which amounts to 10,000 hours of content, according to WarnerMedia. Other available content comes from HBO, Warner Bros. movies and TV shows, titles from New Line, DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes Cartoons and a selection of classic films curated in partnership with Turner Classic Movies.

Product features include editorialized landing pages, premium trays of curated content, HBO Max hubs, genre and category pages. There are multi-user profiles as well as features like Continue Watching, My List and My Downloads. Additional features include parental controls and the ability to download content to watch offline.

“Today we are proud to introduce HBO Max—a dream that was created and nurtured by an incredible team of talented executives who dedicated the last year-and-a-half to making it a reality for consumers nationwide,” said Bob Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer. “However, this is just the beginning of our journey. We will continue to innovate and evolve this one-of-a-kind platform that brings together beloved programming from across the WarnerMedia family and around the world, while also paving the way for the creative voices of tomorrow.”

HBO Max is automatically available to existing HBO and HBO Now subscribers at no extra cost; the HBO Now app will automatically update to HBO Max. Those interested in subscribing can do so through HBOMax.com, which also has the full list of providers. HBO Max is available for $14.99 a month.

However, consumers that have Roku and Amazon Fire TV will not be able to access HBO Max as of the launch, according to reports from TVT’s sister publication Next|TV.

HBO Max is the third new streaming service to launch this year, following Peacock and Quibi, and the fifth in the last year—Disney+ and Apple TV+ launched in 2019.

BURBANK, Calif.—In less than three months since its initial launch on Nov. 12, 2019, Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger revealed that the Disney+ streaming service has 28.6 million subscribers as of Feb. 3.

The Disney+ streaming service was created as the new streaming home for classic Disney, Marvel, National Geographic and Star Wars content, as well as new original programming, like the popular Star Wars spin-off “The Mandalorian.”

Currently, Disney+ is available in the U.S., Canada, Puerto Rico, Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands. It is slated to expand to markets across Western Europe—the U.K., Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain. Austria and Switzerland—on March 24 and in India on March 29; additional Western European markets will add the service in summer 2020. Expansion into Latin America is expected in 2021.

“We believe the subscriber growth to date and the overall reaction to Disney+ reflects a variety of factors that includes the uniqueness of the service, an excellent user interface and the high quality of our brands and content,” said Iger during an earnings call. Iger said that the success of Disney+ exceeded the company’s expectations.

Part of Disney+’s strategy with its launch was to also provide Disney+ for free to new Verizon customers for a year, as well as traditional free trials. Iger also noted that conversions of free to pay subscribers and churn were better than the company initially predicted.

Iger also took time to during the call to announce premiere dates for new original programming, including Marvel’s “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier” (August) and “WandaVision” (December), as well as the second season of “The Mandalorian” (October).

Disney also released subscriber information for its other streaming platforms, Hulu and ESPN+. As of Feb. 3, Hulu had 30.7 million subscribers and ESPN+ had 7.6 million.

NEW YORK—Peacock, NBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming platform, will strut its feathers starting in April for Comcast customers before it becomes available to everyone later in the year, officially joining the ongoing streaming wars between many major studios and networks.

NBCU unveiled the plan for Peacock at a Comcast investor presentation on Jan. 16, offering a myriad of details for the free, ad-supported streaming service that will feature subscription tiers and content that includes more than 600 movies and 400 TV shows, as well as live and on-demand news, sports, late night and reality content.

Comcast Xfinity X1 and Flex customers will have access to Peacock as of April 15, three months before it will be available nationally on July 15.

Unlike its already released competitors Disney+ and Apple TV+, Peacock is offering tiered subscription plans for the service, including a free, ad-supported option. Peacock Free, as it is known, offers next-day access to current seasons of freshman broadcast series, complete classic series, movies, curated daily news and sports programming—which will include the Olympics—Spanish-language content, select episodes of Peacock originals and tent-pole series, and access to Peacock streaming genre channels like “SNL Vault,” “Family Movie Night” and “Olympic Profiles.”

Then there will be Peacock Premium, which will have an ad-supported version that can be bundled at no additional cost to Comcast and Cox subscribers, and available for $4.99 per month for non-bundled customers; NBCU says it expects to expand its bundling partners in the coming months. In addition to all of the Peacock Free offerings, Premium will provide the full seasons of Peacock originals and tent-pole series, next day access to current seasons of returning series, early access to late night talk shows and additional sports programming, including the Premier League.

If customers want to go for an ad-free service it will cost an additional $5 per month for Premium customers, or $9.99 per month for anyone.

As far as what content will be available for Peacock customers, the service announced it will be the streaming home for Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order” and “Chicago” brands; Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone”; as well as “Two and a Half Men” and “The George Lopez Show.” These shows join previously announced content that included “30 Rock,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Cheers,” “Downton Abbey,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,” “Frasier,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Married … With Children,” “The Office,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Saturday Night Live” and “Will & Grace.”

Peacock will also host a number of original series. Kevin Hart’s Laugh Out Loud network signed a multi-year deal that in addition to the network’s archived content will include a stand-up special from Hart, an original interview series and a series of short-form content. There will also be the Tina Fey-produced “Girls5Eva,” international series from NBCUniversal International Studios and a number of classic series reboots like “Saved by the Bell,” “Punky Brewster” and more.

Peacock will also take advantage of the Olympics in its first few months of existence, with the streaming platform providing live coverage of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies before they air on NBC in primetime and three daily Olympic shows, including “Tokyo Live,” “Tokyo Daily Digest” and “Tokyo Tonight.” The service will also have more than 1,000 hours of the Paralympics and will have access to the Olympic Channel, following the Tokyo games.

Other sport offerings will include the Premier League starting in August and the 2020 Ryder Cup in September.

Peacock will also feature live breaking news coverage through its NBC News Now streaming network, which will feature “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt,” “Today,” “Meet the Press With Chuck Todd” and other NBC News content.

More information on Peacock is available at www.peacocktv.com.

LAS VEGAS—TiVo is getting into the streaming business, with the unveiling at CES 2020 of TiVo Stream 4K, a live TV and cloud DVR service through Sling TV.

TiVo Stream 4K will be a small device that plugs into the HDMI port on a TV. In addition to Sling TV, it will provide other video services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO, YouTube and TiVo’s own TiVo+ service. TiVo also says it can deliver Dolby Atmos sound and Dolby Vision HDR.

TiVo Stream 4K is set to be released in April 2020 for $69.99.

For more information, read TVT’s sister publication Multichannel News’ full report.

BURBANK, Calif.—After much fanfare and analysis about what it means for the future of streaming, Disney officially launched its Disney+ streaming service today, offering up nearly 500 films and 7,500 TV shows. The service will cost subscribers $6.99 per month or $69.99 yearly, but some carriers, like Verizon are offering up deals for its own mobile subscribers with unlimited data plans as well as FiOS subscribers to access the service free for one year. Viewers may also subscribe to a package including Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu for $12.99 per month.

Disney says it plans to spend $1 billion on original programming, including new series from its Star Wars, Marvel and High School Musical franchises. These programs will join programming from ABC, Disney Channel, Freeform, National Geographic, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars after their original runs on primetime TV.

The company said it expects to break even by 2024, when it predicts it will have upwards of 60-90 million subscribers worldwide. The launch is beginning in the U.S. and Canada, Australia and New Zealand next week and much of Europe in the spring.

“The launch of Disney+ is a historic moment for our company that marks a new era of innovation and creativity,” said Bob Iger. “Disney+ provides an exceptional entertainment experience, showcasing our library of beloved movies, TV series and exclusive original content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic.”

Planning for the streaming service has dictated Disney’s consolidation efforts in recent years, culminating with its acquisition of much of 21st Century Fox’s assets for $71 billion last spring.

Find out more on Disney+'s website.

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.”

DENVER—Frndly TV, a newly launched live TV and on-demand streaming service, wants to be the go-to offering for family-friendly viewing. Now available for $5.99 per month, Frndly TV features 12 networks specifically picked to offer what it calls “positive, uplifting family friendly” programming.

The lineup of channels at launch for Frndly TV includes Hallmark Channel, Game Show Network, The Weather Channel, Outdoor Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Hallmark Drama, PixL, Light TV, BabyFirst TV, QVC, Sportsman Channel and World Fishing Network. The streaming service hopes to expand to 20 channels in the next year.

Among the features of the streaming service are a linear grid TV guide, unlimited cloud DVR in select packages, more than 1,000 on-demand titles, 72-hour “Look Back” capability to catch up on recent episodes and the ability to start a program live from the beginning.

Frndly is now available on Roku, Amazon and Chromecast devices, as well as for mobile with iOS and Android devices. It is expected to become available on Apple TV by the end of the year.

The standard $5.99 subscription service offers the main Frndly TV features and channels in SD available on one device at a time. For $7.99, content is available in HD, can be used on two devices simultaneously and has the unlimited cloud DVR with 30 days of storage. At $9.99 per month, Frndly TV can be used on four devices and has cloud storage of up to 90 days. There is also an annual plan where customers pay for 10 months and get two months free.

More information, and the option to start a seven-day free trial, is available at www.frndlytv.com.

NEW YORK—NBC is known as the peacock network thanks to its classic logo, and it is keeping that identity with its upcoming streaming service, which will simply be known as Peacock. NBCUniversal also announced that it will launch the service in April 2020.

The Peacock streaming service will offer both original series, reboots and serve as the exclusive streaming home for many NBC classic series, while also offering film content, news, sports, late-night and reality programming. As part of its announcement it unveiled its initial content lineup.

As previously announced, the service will be the exclusive streaming home for series like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” In addition, Peacock will host popular series including “30 Rock,” “Bates Motel,” the original “Battlestar Galactica,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Cheers,” “Chrisley Knows Best,” “Covert Affairs,” “Downton Abbey,” “Everyone Loves Raymond,” “Fraiser,” “Friday Night Lights,” “House,” “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” “King of Queens,” “Married … With Children,” “Monk,” “Parenthood,” “Psych,” “Royal Pains,” “Saturday Night Live,” “Superstore,” “The Real Housewives,” “Top Chef” and “Will & Grace.”

New dramas set to premiere on the streaming service include “Dr. Death” with Alec Baldwin based on the popular podcast; “Brave New World” starring Demi Moore; original Spanish-language dramedy “Armas de Mujer”; a reboot of “Battlestar Galactica”; “Angelyne” with Emmy Rossum; and “One of Us Is Lying” based on the best-selling young-adult mystery thriller.

On the comedy side, new programs will include “Rutherford Falls” starring Ed Helms; “Straight Talk” from Rashida Jones and Jada Pinkett Smith; a new season of “A.P. Bio”; a second movie spin-off of “Psych”; and a pair of reboots of “Punky Brewster” with original star Soleil Moon Frye and “Saved by the Bell” with Elizabeth Berkley and Mario Lopez.

There will also be a handful of new unscripted programs. Lorne Michael’s has created an “SNL” docuseries called “Who Wrote That”; Jimmy Fallon will launch a new original talk show series; there will be a weekly late night show from Seth Myers starring Amber Ruffin; and a spinoff of “The Real Housewives” series.

Launching in 2020, Peacock is also set to be part of NBC’s coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

In addition, Peacock’s slate of film content will feature popular titles from Universal Pictures and Focus Features. Universal Pictures is also developing original films and animated series for the streaming service, while DreamWorks Animation is working on original animated content for kids.

When it launches in April, NBC says that Peacock will feature more than 15,000 hours of content.

The streaming service will be supported both by advertising and subscription services. Pricing and distribution details are expected to be announced closer to launch.

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.

BURBANK, Calif.—Disney+ will waste little time rolling out to international markets, as TVT’s sister publication Broadcasting & Cable has reported the Walt Disney Co.’s plans for its new streaming service. Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand will have access to Disney+ as of November, with it launching in Canada and the Netherlands the same day as in the U.S., Nov. 12, and Australia and New Zealand debuting it a week later on Nov. 19.

In addition to launch dates, Disney announced pricing in those countries. For Canada, the streaming service will cost $9.99 in Canadian dollars; €6.99 in the Netherlands; Australians will be able to sign up for $8.99 in Australia dollars; and $9.99 New Zealand dollars in that country. In the U.S., the service will cost $6.99.

Disney says that is has distribution deals with all major platforms to access Disney+ on mobile and connected TVs, including Apple, Google, Microsoft, Xbox One, Sony Android-based TVs, PlayStation 4 and Roku players and TV models.

LOS ANGELES—WarnerMedia today unveiled “HBO Max” as the name of its new streaming service that will launch in 2020. WarnerMedia is the content arm of parent company AT&T, which completed an $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner earlier this year.

In addition to HBO programming, HBO Max will also be the exclusive streaming home to “Friends,” “The Fresh Prince of Bel Air” and “Pretty Little Liars,” as well as new Warner Bros.’-produced dramas for The CW beginning with the fall 2019 season and new exclusive movie production deals with Hollywood producer Greg Berlanti and actress and producer Reese Witherspoon. Programming will also come from Warner Bros., New Line, DC Entertainment, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, The CW, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Crunchyroll, Rooster Teeth and Looney Tunes.

HBO Max is anticipated to premiere with 10,000 hours of premium content.

“HBO Max will bring together the diverse riches of WarnerMedia to create programming and user experiences not seen before in a streaming platform. HBO’s world-class programming leads the way, the quality of which will be the guiding principle for our new array of Max Originals, our exciting acquisitions, and the very best of the Warner Bros. libraries, starting with the phenomenon that is ‘Friends,’” said Robert Greenblatt, chairman, WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-To-Consumer.