video streaming services

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on video streaming services:

Apple TV+ content rates highest for quality

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Apple TV+ best quality and other streaming service logos
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.

Netflix gets serious about cracking down on password sharing

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Netflix Downloads for You puts suggested shows right onto your iPhone
The days when millions of people could get Netflix for free are coming to an end.
Photo: Netflix

If you’ve been using your ex-girlfriend’s parents’ Netflix password for years, there’s a dark day coming. The video streaming service says it’s going to crack down on the 100 million households around the world using another household’s account.

But the company is also considering a cheaper, ad-supported option. That might attract people about to be cut off.

Sling TV promises week of free streaming service, no strings attached

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Sling TV
The “Stay in and Sling” offer promises 7 days of Sling TV, with no credit card required to sign up.
Photo: Sling TV

It’s not necessary to enter credit card info to sign up for a week of free Sling TV live channels and on-demand movies. The streaming service includes CNN, HGTV Cartoon Network and much more. And it’s all available for seven days with no strings attached to people sheltering at home during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Free Apple TV+ trial hasn’t enticed large number of subscribers: survey

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Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is spending big to attract paid subscribers.
Photo: Apple

Apple TV+ may be “off to a rousing start” in the eyes of CEO Tim Cook, but a new survey suggests those who have tried the streaming service don’t share his enthusiasm.

Only 28% signed up for the $4.99 monthly subscription after their free trial expired, according to the website Flixed, which helps people cut the cable by offering insights on the growing number of streaming services. Flixed also found most respondents “liked Apple TV+ less” than Netflix, Hulu and Amazon.

‘Transformative’ buy could lift Apple TV subs to 100 million

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apple tv
The Apple TV service expected son could bring in $7 billion to $10 billion annually.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Apple’s streaming TV service is going to be a very significant force in the market if a market-analysis firm is correct.

The service the iPhone maker is prepping could, in a few years, garner far more subscribers than some of its established competitors. 

Media mogul says Apple is foolish to challenge might of Netflix

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Barry Diller
Barry Diller doesn't see the competition catching up to Netflix.
Photo: J.D. Lasica/Wikimedia CC

Apple can try to compete with Netflix for video streaming subscribers, but Barry Diller says Apple and others are “fools” to chase Netflix.

Diller, a studio executive turned tech entrepreneur, does not see any company gaining the number of subscribers as Netflix, which began building a base by sending DVDs of choice movies by mail.

Netflix finally makes downloads smarter for iOS users

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75% of Netflix users have no plans to jump ship to Apple TV+ (right away)
The Netflix app can now be sure you always have the next episode of your favorite show downloaded.
Photo: Stock Catalog/Flickr CC

A handy Netflix feature announced last summer has come to iOS at long last: the app can automatically download episodes of your favorite shows.

With Smart Downloads, watching a TV episode offline results in the next episode automatically being transferred as soon as a Wi-Fi connection is available.

Coming-of-age drama Hala jumps from Sundance to Apple

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Geraldine Viswanathan appears in Hala, chosen for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.
Geraldine Viswanathan appears as the title character in Hala.
Photo: Parrish Lewis/Sundance Institute

One of the films making waves at the Sundance FIlm Festival is Hala, about a Muslim teenager’s struggles growing up in America. Apple likes it so much it bought the worldwide rights.

This is one of a growing collection of movies and TV programs that Apple is expected to weave into a streaming TV service.

Access a massive streaming library of world-class documentaries [Deals]

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Documentary streaming
Watch award-winning documentaries with CuriosityStream for $2 a month
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

With the endless hours of videos out there, it’s easy to fall deep into a YouTube rabbit hole or binge watch an entire season of reality TV on Netflix. But let’s be honest, that’s often not a very enriching experience. So if you need a regular video fix, it might as well be with content worth watching.

Why Apple should buy a major movie studio

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A reboot of Amazong Stories is one of the many shows coming to the Apple TV service.
A reboot of Amazing Stories is coming to Apple’s TV service, but one analyst says it needs much, much more content.
Photo: Cult of Mac

The best way for Apple’s upcoming streaming video service to compete against already established competitors like Netflix is to buy a movie studio, according to an industry analyst.

Apple is reportedly going to introduce its video service in the first half of this year, and the analyst recommends buying Sony Pictures, Lionsgate or another studio to increase its offerings.

Streaming TV is getting pricier by the minute

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Apple TV service facing competition
Unfortunately, Streaming TV cost has gone up for all of the biggest players in this market.
Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac

People looking to trim their cable bill turn to a variety of services that offer a smaller selection of channels streamed live over the internet. These streaming TV services go for a substantially lower cost than a traditional cable package.

But many of these aren’t as cheap as they once were. DirectTV Now, PlayStation Vue, Sling TV and YouTube TV have all hiked prices recently.

Disney hires Apple vet to build streaming service

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Photo: Tom Bricker
Disney is planning to take on Netflix.
Photo: Photo: Tom Bricker

Disney is bringing in an Apple veteran to help build its streaming service that will ultimately take on Netflix and maybe even Apple.

Kevin Swint, a former Apple employee that was in charge of the company’s worldwide iTunes movie business, was recently hired by Disney to help the company embrace streaming.

Apple pitches Hollywood on rushing movies to iTunes

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Apple wants a deal with studio execs to bring high-priced movie rentals to iTunes within days of release.
Apple wants a deal with studio execs to bring high-priced movie rentals to iTunes within days of release.
Photo: William Iven/UnSplash

Apple and Hollywood are reportedly in talks to provide home-video rentals of movies as little as two weeks after theatrical release.

Studio heads from Warner Bros., Universal Pictures and 21st Century Fox have indicated recently they are looking for deals. Two unidentified sources close to the talks told Bloomberg News the studios are considering partnering with Apple and iTunes.