This week, Sling TV added Locast support to its Air TV Mini Guide and Tubi announced it’s adding around 80 local news stations to its free lineup. Elsewhere, The Roku Channel added more live TV streaming options and another app will be ditching support for older Apple hardware.
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.
Sling TV Adds New Local Channels from Locast to Its AirTV Mini Guide
This week, Sling announced it will add more local viewing options to its AirTV Mini devices. Specifically, the streaming service is adding content from Locast, the streaming service that offers up live streams of local broadcasts in 29 markets around the country. The update means those in supported areas can get access to available local channels without needing an OTA antenna.
Read our post for more on cities currently supported by Locast.
Tubi Will Add Nearly 80 Local News Station Feeds to Free Lineup
Tubi is building out its news section, aka News on Tubi. Around 80 live local channels will be joining the lineup, including options from Cox, Scripps, and more. The section currently features channels from Fox, Bloomberg, Black News Channel, Euronews and others. And with its new additions rolling out over the course of the year, Tubi says users will have almost 100 local feeds in 58 markets.
Learn more about Tubi’s news additions here.
Older Apple TVs Are Losing CBS All Access, Paramount+ Won’t be Supported
Last week, we reported that the YouTube app would drop support for third-generation Apple TVs. And this week, we’ve learned the CBS All Access app is going a similar route. The move comes as ViacomCBS transitions the existing CBS All Access service to Paramount+, which will launch on March 4th. The new version of the app will reportedly be leaving the older Apple hardware behind. Meanwhile, third-gen Apple TV users are seeing notices of the pending change, along with suggestions for upgrading their gear.
Find out more about CBS All Access dropping support for older Apple hardware here.
The Roku Channel to Add 13 New Live Channels to Its Free Lineup
The Roku Channel is adding 13 new channels to its live TV lineup, bringing the total of free linear options to over 165. Among the new additions is a Baby Shark channel dedicated to all things Baby Shark, Bloomberg Quicktake, and more. The new additions include dedicated music channels focused on specific genres and eras.
See what The Roku Channel is adding soon here.
Test Your Video Streaming Quality with Ookla Speedtest App Update
The popular Ookla Speedtest app now includes a test to gauge streaming video quality. The new feature involves playing back specific video files and measuring how well your data connection handles different video bitrates and quality levels. The test is now available on the iOS version of the app, with other platforms getting the update later.
Learn more about the new benchmarking feature here.
SpaceX Starlink is Now Available for the Public to Preorder
SpaceX is currently taking preorders for its satellite-based Starlink internet service. You’ll need to put down a $100 deposit, which will go toward the $499 Starlink Starter Kit that includes all the required hardware. You can check their site to see when service is scheduled for your area.
Read more about Starlink’s preorder process here.
Industry Report
What’s the latest on the industry?
AT&T and Cox Reach a Retransmission Deal Just in Time for the Super Bowl
Last week, we reported on a contract dispute between AT&T and Cox that led to several Cox-owned channels being removed from DirecTV and AT&T TV services. Just before the Super Bowl last week, however, the two sides came to an agreement, so those affected channels should now be available once again.
Learn more about the contract dispute here.
HBO Max Will Launch in Latin America in June 2021 & Discontinue HBO Go
HBO Max is prepping to launch in Latin America and the Caribbean this June, its first expansion outside the US. The launch is expected to include around 39 territories in all. The current HBO Go service in those regions will be phased out, and current subscribers will be rolled into HBO Max.
Read more about the upcoming HBO Max launch in Latin America here.
Disney Shares Latest Subscriber Numbers in Earnings Report
This week, Disney announced its quarterly earnings, which gave us a chance to see how its streaming services have fared recently. Disney+, for example, reached 94.9 million subscribers by January 2, 2021, while Hulu and ESPN+ also posted subscriber gains.
See Disney’s latest subscriber numbers here.
And you can check out the video version of our Weekend Wrap-Up at our YouTube channel: