TV - page 3

HBO plans to pull its shows off Amazon Prime next year

By

You'll have to subscribe to HBO Now to see Game of Thrones.
You'll have to subscribe to HBO Now to see Game of Thrones.
Photo: HBO

The battle for video streaming supremacy is already turning allies into rivals.

After making some of its best shows available on Amazon Prime since 2014, HBO revealed today that it does not plan to renew its licensing pact with Amazon once it expires next year.

Apple slashes commissions for App Store referrals

By

App Store
Apple is cut affiliates' pay.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple has decided to lower the amount of money it pays affiliate who funnel customers to buy apps and in-app purchases from the iOS App Store.

In an email update sent out today to members of its affiliates program, Apple says its cutting commission rates by more than half, leaving companies and websites with less money from what can be a valuable revenue stream.

WikiLeaks vows to share CIA ‘cyberweapons’ so tech firms can fix holes

By

Wikileaks'
Wikileaks' "Vault 7" data dump allegedly reveals CIA hacking tools used to compromise iPhones, Android phones and other devices.
Image: Gordon Johnson/Pixabay

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has vowed to give technology firms like Apple access to the CIA’s “cyberweapons” arsenal so they can develop fixes that make our devices more secure.

Earlier this week, thousands of leaked documents and files revealed the full extent of the CIA’s cyber attacks on smartphones, computers and even smart TVs. WikiLeaks says the spy agency has lost control of it all in a “historic act of devastating incompetence.”

Senior Apple execs fight for Hollywood deals

By

Eddy Cue
Eddy Cue is one of three Apple chiefs trying to secure original content.
Photo: CNBC

Three senior Apple executives are in talks with Hollywood’s “most successful” TV and movie producers over original content for Apple TV, according to a new report.

Each member of the trio, which includes Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of internet software and services, is so desperate to secure the first deal that they supposedly are fighting against each other.

Apple’s Carpool Karaoke show will roll with a new host each episode

By

Carpool Karaoke
Missy and Michelle be puttin' it down in Carpool Karaoke.
Photo: CBS Studios

Instead of having a single host, Apple’s upcoming TV show Carpool Karaoke will put someone new in the driver’s seat each episode.

The company also plans to add more interview elements to the show, which was created by Late Late Show host James Corden. The show will pair different musicians and celebrities for each of the first 16 episodes during Season 1.

Mikey Jumps, iBooks StoryTime, and other awesome apps of the week

By

Awesome Apps
'Appy weekend everyone!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, it’s been a seismic, earth-shaking week. With that in mind, what better way to temporarily tear your eyes away from the news than with a sampling of the latest delectables to land in the App Store?

Whether you’re on the hunt for a superb bite-sized platformer, two great Apple TV apps, or a major Gmail update, here are the new apps and app updates that have been dominating our Apple devices this week.

iOS 10.2 brings Emergency SOS feature to iPhone

By

IMG_0496 - Edited (1)
iOS 10.2 can help you get out of a sticky situation.
Photo: Killian Bell/Cult of Mac

Apple released its second iOS 10.2 beta this week, and while we all got excited for brand new emojis and the TV app, we missed an awesome new feature that’s even more important: Emergency SOS.

Adopted from Apple Watch, Emergency SOS lets you discreetly contact the police in an emergency.

Eddy Cue says TV ‘needs to be reinvented’

By

Eddy Cue
Apple VP Eddy Cue runs Apple's media business.
Photo: CNBC

Watching television is still a dreadful experience, according to Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of internet software and services.

The Apple exec sat down for a joint interview with HBO CEO Richard Plepler at Vanity Fair’s New Establishment Summit in San Francisco today. The two media titans discussed the rapidly changing landscape of television, but Cue told the audience that more changes are needed to make the experience better.

Carpool Karaoke TV show will be an Apple Music exclusive

By

Carpool Karaoke
Missy and Michelle be puttin' it down in Carpool Karaoke.
Photo: CBS Studios

James Corden’s popular “Carpool Karaoke” segment from The Late Late Show on CBS is set to become its own show later this year — and you’ll only be able to watch it on Apple Music.

The viral segment has been a breakout hit of 2016, thanks to appearances by Adele, Justin Bieber, Michelle Obama, Elton John and dozens of other stars who drive around Los Angeles singing popular songs. Now fans will be able to get their karaoke by streaming full episodes every week.

YouTube might beat Apple to reinventing TV

By

youtube-will-show-hdr-video-on-your-fancy-new-tv-image-cultofandroidcomwp-contentuploads201601LG-HDR-YouTube-png
YouTube Unplugged to stream your favorite cable channels.
Photo: Cult of Mac

If you bought an Apple TV in anticipation of Apple’s rumored TV streaming service, it seems you may have been barking up the wrong tree.

YouTube could beat Apple to reinventing the cable experience, according to a new report. Its new “Unplugged” service will let viewers pay a monthly subscription fee for a bundle of cable TV channels, which will be available for streaming on-demand.

Apple is secretly planning to take over Hollywood 

By

Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Apple TV might get exclusive TV shows.
Photo: Apple

Hollywood’s top filmmakers held secret meetings with Apple at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, according to a new report that claims Apple is planning to make a big play to take on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video by creating its own original TV shows and movies.

Apple hosted a secret ‘iTunes Lounge’ at Sundance for a number of invitation-only events for film makers, producers, actors, and other A-list talent to hear the company’s pitch on how it plans to create a ton of original content that will be exclusively available on Apple TV.

5 tech trends you don’t want to miss at CES 2016

By

Tech is taking over Vegas for the week.
Tech is taking over Vegas for the week.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac CES 2016 full coverage 2016 is here and that can only mean one thing: It’s time for CES.

The world’s biggest consumer electronics show, CES 2016, is getting underway this week in Las Vegas, which means nerds and all the companies that make the gadgets they love are instinctively flocking to the desert oasis like the salmon of Capistrano.

This year’s show promises to be bigger than ever, with all the latest tech trends on full display. Cult of Mac will be on the scene all week long bring hands-on looks at the coolest and weirdest gadgets CES has to offer.

Here’s what we expect to see at the show:

11 awesome TV shows we couldn’t stop watching in 2015

By

We couldn't peel our eyes from these shows in 2015.
What we've all been watching in 2015.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac's Best of 2015 2015 brought us a souped-up Apple TV, so it’s great news that the same year yielded plenty of high-quality entertainment to watch on the fourth-generation device.

From tenured favorites like ’60s Madison Avenue masterpiece Mad Men to the arrival of smash hits like Mr. Robot, there was no shortage of great entertainment gracing our screens.

In our humble opinions, these were the best TV shows of 2015.

Apple’s Watch gets updated and their television gets scrapped on The CultCast

By

cultcast-apple-watch-com-head

Photo:

This week: ok sure, Apple may have forever shelved plans for a proper television, but reports of a souped-up Apple TV debuting at WWDC will make you forget all that. Plus: the good stuff in Apple’s first Watch update; new Macbook Pros and iMacs get faster specs and bigger price tags; and Steve Jobs teaches bad actors a lesson they shan’t forget.

Our thanks to Squarespace for supporting this episode. Squarespace 7 is live, and it’s their biggest update in years. Now building a beautiful website is faster and easier than ever. Learn more at Squarespace.com/seven and use code “CultCast” at checkout for 10% off any order.

cultcast-180-post-player-image

Show notes ahead!

Xiaomi’s beautiful new Android HDTV doesn’t rip off Apple for a change

By

post-316987-image-bb8b5ddc9611ffadf7eb360d198d0602-jpg

Short of Samsung, there’s no other company that gets as bad a rap for copying Apple as Xiaomi. The Chinese gadget maker, though, has just beaten Apple to market in at least one category. Although a proper Apple HDTV has been rumored by the likes of Gene Munster for ages, Xiaomi has beaten Cupertino to the punch with a beautiful — and affordable! — Android smart TV.

Where to watch the Better Call Saul premiere for free online

By

Bob Odenkirk as infamous lawyer Saul Goodman. His show has already been renewed for a second season. Photo: AMC
Bob Odenkirk as infamous lawyer Saul Goodman. His show has already been renewed for a second season. Photo: AMC

Breaking Bad is dead, but it’s all good man. Saul Goodman is back!

The Breaking Bad prequel, Better Call Saul, broke cable records with 4.4 million viewers last night, and there are several ways to watch the premiere online.

iTunes and AMC are offering Episode 1, titled “Uno,” for free.