This week saw HBO Max finally arriving on Amazon’s Fire TV platform. Hulu announced a price hike for its live TV streaming service and we learned that Wonder Woman 1984 will premiere in theaters and on streaming on the same day. Here at Cord Cutters News, we also examined the state of streaming on the brand-new PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S and Series X.
Here’s what happened in the world of cord cutting and streaming.
Breaking News
Here are some of the top streaming stories from the past week
HBO Max Comes to Fire TV Devices
This week, we learned that HBO Max would be making its way to Amazon’s Fire TV platform. Of course, Fire TV was one of the major streaming platforms, alongside Roku, that the HBO Max streaming service did not launch on when it debuted back in May of this year. But the two sides have apparently made peace and the HBO Max app was made available on the platform on Tuesday.
Read more about HBO Max’s arrival on Fire TV here.
Wonder Woman 1984 Will Get Same-Day Premiere on HBO Max At No Added Cost to Users
We also learned this week that Wonder Woman 1984 would launch on HBO Max in the US on Christmas Day, Dec. 25th — the same day it premieres in theaters. The superhero sequel will be available at no extra cost to subscribers. Wonder Woman 1984, like many films this year, had been pushed back a few times due to the ongoing pandemic. And many in the industry have been wondering when, or indeed if, the film would premiere in actual movie theaters this year.
Learn more about premiere plans for Wonder Woman 1984 here.
Hulu with Live Will Raise Its Price Next Month
Hulu announced this week that its live TV streaming service would see a price hike, jumping up $10 per month to $64.99 a month. That price hike is expected to start next month, on December 18th. The move is perhaps not all that surprising given that rivals like YouTube TV and fuboTV announced similar price hikes earlier this year. And with this $10 increase, Hulu with Live will match YouTube TV’s plan pricing and fuboTV’s Family plan.
Find out the details surrounding Hulu’s pending price hike here.
AT&T Will Raise DirecTV Prices in January 2021
In other pricing news, AT&T announced it will raise prices on several DirecTV and U-Verse TV packages starting on January 17, 2021. And as is often the case with these sorts of increases, AT&T is citing increased programming costs for the pricing adjustments.
See which DIRECTV and U-verse plans are affected here.
Tired of Live Streaming Service Price Hikes? Here are Four More Affordable Options
If you’ve seen these recent price hikes and have been wondering about lower-cost alternatives, we rounded up a quartet of options this week. You’ll find long-running options like SlingTV, as well as brand-new players in the streaming service field, including T-Mobile’s new TVision Live service.
Read more about affordable streaming options here.
Verizon Launches Second-Gen Stream TV Device
Verizon launched a second-generation Stream TV device. The Android TV-powered streaming box usually retails for $69.99. Although the company says if you sign up for its Fios Gigabit Connection, you can get a new Stream TV for free. The new device supports up to 4K resolution, as well as high-dynamic range video via HDR10 and HDR10+.
Learn more about Verizon’s new streaming device here.
Samsung Adds Tizen Smarts to Computer Display for a ‘Do-It-All’ Monitor
Samsung looks to be capitalizing on the whole work-from-home, multi-use approach with its new computer monitors. These latest displays include the company’s Tizen operating system and marketplace, which means these monitors also double as full-on smart TVs.
Read more about Samsung’s new smart computer displays here.
Pluto TV is Adding 6 New Channels for Classic TV Fans
ViacomCBS’ Pluto TV is adding a half-dozen new channels dedicated to some well-known shows, including Happy Days, Wings, Family Ties, The Love Boat, and more. Pluto TV says that amounts to over 60 seasons of classic TV to choose from and the channels are expected to go live on November 24th.
FInd out more about Pluto TV’s latest classic TV channels here.
Exploring Streaming Apps on Next-Gen Gaming Consoles
This week, we took a closer look at the new generation of video game consoles and whether or not they can cut it as streaming devices in addition to their gaming capabilities. If you’ve been eyeing a PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series S or Series X, our deep dive should help shed some light on the current state of streaming on these new, high-powered devices.
Watch our next-gen game console video here.
Industry Report
What’s the latest on the industry?
Sinclair Regional Sports Networks Will Be Rebranded as Bally Sports
Sinclair has made a deal with Bally’s, which owns the Bally’s Atlantic City Hotel and Casino. The deal reportedly includes 21 of Sinclair’s regional sports networks, or RSNs, which will be rebranded and renamed Bally Sports. The 10-year deal, pending approval from major sports leagues, is said to be worth $85 million and also allows Bally’s to promote its online sports wagering tool.
Learn more about Sinclair’s RSN deal here.
T-Mobile is Discontinuing TVision Home
TMobile will be discontinuing its TVision Home service. That’s not to be confused with the new TVision streaming service it launched in October. Instead, the older, if similarly named, TVision Home was a rebrand of Layer3, the IPTV service T-Mobile acquired a few years ago. TVision Home launched in April 2019 and as of December 30th of this year, the service will no longer be offered.
Read more about T-Mobile’s plans for current TVision Home customers here.
Deal Alert
Save some cash with these current and upcoming deals.
Black Friday Preview Deals
We’re continuing to monitor major retailers to bring you the latest deals this holiday shopping season. This week, we learned more about Amazon’s Fire TV Black Friday deals, as well as holiday pricing for Roku’s line of streaming devices.
Learn more about Black Friday Fire TV deals here.
And get the latest on Roku’s deals here.
And you can also follow along on our Black Friday deals page, where we collecting all our deals posts and stories in one handy location.