Hopefully this won't piss users off like Netflix's Apple TV app did. Photo: Netflix
A redesigned Netflix iPhone app brings a cleaner interface, revamped navigation and an entirely new vertical video discovery feature called Clips, the streamer said Thursday.
We’ll see how Apple users receive the update. The recent revamp of Netflix’s app for Apple TV, which switched from a native tvOS player to a custom one that blocked Apple TV features, didn’t go over well.
Too bad Apple TV will miss out on all that primo programming. AI image: Grok/Cult of Mac
Apple’s efforts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery to bolster the Apple TV streaming service ended in disappointment Friday, with Netflix emerging victorious in one of Hollywood’s most competitive bidding wars in recent years.
Netflix said Friday it will purchase Warner Bros. Discovery’s entertainment assets for $72 billion, outbidding Apple and other tech giants to secure one of the industry’s most valuable content libraries. The deal, far larger than any Netflix (or Apple, for that matter) has attempted to date, includes Warner Bros. studios, HBO and the HBO Max streaming service. Those assets would have dramatically transformed Apple TV’s positioning in the streaming wars.
In episode 8 of "The Studio," Seth Rogen's studio-head character attends the Golden Globe awards, where Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos lets him in on a little secret about how to get stars to thank you in their acceptance speeches. Photo: Apple TV+
Apple TV+ subscribers get an inside look at Hollywood’s streaming wars through Seth Rogen’s hit comedy series The Studio — complete with a surprising guest appearance Wednesday night from rival streaming executive Ted Sarandos, co-CEO of Netflix. Apple tried to prevent the Netflix CEO cameo with a Tim Cook substitution, according to a new report Wednesday.
Netflix and Apple TV cooperating?! No. Image: Netflix, Apple
Netflix content started showing up for the first time in the Apple TV application. Until now, the streaming behemoth refused to cooperate with Apple’s app that displays content from a variety of services.
Netflix’s new integration with Apple TV appears to be still rolling out, so it’s not yet available to all users.
Update: A Netflix spokesperson now says integration between the streaming service and the Apple TV was just a mistake.
Now you can get a whole season of a show from Netflix on your iPhone or iPad with a tap. Photo: Brad Gibson/Cult of Mac
Netflix introduced a new “Season Download” button in its app Wednesday that allows iPhone and iPad users to download entire seasons of their favorite shows with a single tap. That streamlines offline viewing for iOS users, who previously had to download episodes individually.
Netflix keeps getting more expensive. Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac
Netflix is getting more expensive in the US and several neighboring countries again. The streaming service will hike its prices despite a healthy addition of 18.9 million new subscribers in Q4 2024.
The streaming service last hiked its prices in October 2023. However, since the pandemic, Netflix has increased its subscription prices several times.
Monument Valley 3 would gladden the heart of M. C. Escher. Image: ustwo games
Monument Valley 3 launched Tuesday, the latest edition in one of the best puzzle game franchises ever. The challenges offer the same M. C. Escher-esque defiance of visual perspective as their predecessors, but there’s a new twist: a sailboat.
ustwo’s latest creation is available for iPhone and iPad (plus) Android, but it’s a Netflix Games exclusive. A subscription to the streaming service is required to play.
Your pre-2015 Apple TV is about to lose access to Netflix. Photo: Brad Gibson / Cult of Mac
The Netflix streaming service will soon stop working on second- and third-generation Apple TV models. It’s not a shocking development as both are over a decade old.
If you’ve been looking for a reason to buy a newer tvOS device, it may have just arrived. (By coincidence, Verizon currently offers the Apple TV 4K for just $89.99.)
Comcast now offers StreamSaver with three top streaming services bundled together. Photo: Apple/Netflix/NBC
Streaming TV fans now have the option to bundle Apple TV+ with Netflix and Peacock. And Xfinity StreamSaver is only $15 per month, a savings of 35% off getting the services separately.
It is a significant new option for cordcutters who want to save money.
A new survey supports the idea that Apple TV+ offers the best stuff (but not the most stuff). Image: Cult of Mac
Apple TV+ may not pack in as many movies and TV shows as other major streaming platforms, but what it showcases rates highest for quality on IMDb, according to a new report.
Apple TV+ tops quality ratings in 19 genre categories on the movie-database site, including drama, comedy, action, biography and children’s content. But its relatively small catalogue helps keep it from ranking high on value for its price.
As part of a trend among streaming services, Netflix will jack up the price of ad-free streaming soon. Photo: Netflix
With the writers and actors strikes now over if tentative agreements hold, Netflix plans to raise its ad-free streaming subscription price soon, joining other streaming platforms in doing so, a report said Tuesday.
With this projector, you can use AirPlay or ChromeCast to project a big screen almost anywhere. Photo: BenQ
Want to create an immersive cinematic experience almost anywhere? Now you can with the GV31 Portable Projector BenQ released earlier this month.
With built-in Netflix and Android TV among other streaming options, the 1080p projector can stream on walls or ceilings via AirPlay from your Mac, iPad or iPhone, or from Android devices via ChromeCast.
A just-announced Netflix cloud gaming service will bring games to TVs, as well as Mac and Windows. Graphic: Netflix
Netflix games (remember Netflix games?) are finally expanding beyond iPhone and Android. The streaming service has begun testing its games on TVs and computers, too, via a cloud-gaming service.
A unique aspect of the upcoming service is that gamers playing on a TV will be able to use their iPhone or other handset as a controller.
The cheapest ad-free Netflix plan is no more. Photo: Netflix
Netflix just killed its Basic plan, forcing people to pay more for an ad-free experience. And the cost of all Peacock plans went up, with or without commercials.
Apple TV+, with no ads at all, looks like a better deal than ever.
Netflix's crackdown on password sharing arrives in the US. Photo: Netflix
Netflix’s crackdown on password sharing has arrived in the US. Going forward, your friends or family members will have to pay extra to stream content from Netflix if they were leeching from your account.
Netflix’s new account-sharing rules require all members to reside in the same household.
The time to pay for your own Netflix account is coming. Photo: Netflix
Netflix’s restrictive new account-sharing policy will go live in the United States in the first half of 2023. The streaming company started cracking down on password sharing in New Zealand, Portugal, Canada and Spain earlier this year.
It is fairly common for friends and family members to share a Netflix account among themselves. With its new account-sharing rules, the company wants to clamp down on such behavior.
Not many Brits watch "Ted Lasso," but it's not necessarily for reasons of taste. Photo: Apple TV+
The smash-hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso is set in greater London. It’s about the unlikely coach of a fictional team in England’s (and the world’s) top soccer league, which is England’s (and the world’s) favorite sport. So why don’t Brits actually watch the show?
No, it’s not some disconnect between American and British humor. The real reason has more to do with adoption of the streaming service itself. And some people blame Apple TV+ for that.
Lean back and enjoy a film on Netflix in spatial audio. Photo: Apple
Netflix greatly increased the amount of its most-popular content with support for spatial audio, which lets the tv shows and films offer a surround sound-like experience but without all the speakers.
But the enhanced sound is not for every subscriber. The streaming service is using spatial audio as a way to tempt viewers to its Premium plan.
Apple TV is currently unable to access the cheap new Netflix ad-supported plan. Photo: Netflix/Cult of Mac
The inexpensive new Netflix “Basic with ads” plan launched Thursday, but users of Apple TV quickly discovered they couldn’t access it. Netflix promised a fix, though.
Users of other devices can now watch the streaming service for only for $6.99 a month, as long as they also watch commercials.
You'll soon be able to get Netflix at a lower cost by watching commercials. Photo: Netflix/Cult of Mac
The price of Netflix dropped like a rock for those willing to watch commercials. The streaming service announced Thursday that its new ad-supported subscription plan is only $6.99 a month – 30% to 55% below the current cost.
The new option will debut in November 2022. It’ll then be a cheaper option for enjoying a large library of shows and movies on a Mac, iPad or Apple TV.
You'll soon be able to get Netflix at a lower cost by watching commercials. Photo: Netflix/Cult of Mac
The price of Netflix is going way down … if you’re willing to watch commercials. When the streaming service revealed that it’s prepping an advertising-supported option for subscribers, it didn’t reveal how much it will cost. The price has now leaked out, and it might be 30% to 55% below the current cost.
The new option could debut before the end of 2022.
Viewers are more satisfied with Apple TV+ this year. Screenshot: Apple
Apple TV+ subscribers seem much more satisfied with the streaming service than they were a year ago, according to a survey of viewers. The home of Ted Lasso and Severance even made gains on Netflix – streaming’s 800-pound gorilla – in a couple of categories, including value.
And more people than ever would make Apple TV+ their one and only streaming service.
You'll soon be able to get Netflix at a lower cost by watching commercials. Photo: Netflix/Cult of Mac
It’s official: Netflix is adding a cheaper ad-supported tier to its streaming service. The change is apparently intended to reverse a recent drop in subscribers.
It’s part of a trend, as rival streaming service Disney+ announced this spring it is making the same move.