Weekend Wrap Up: Top 11 Cord Cutting Stories from This Week


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This week, we took a look at Disney’s decision to release Mulan for a premium price on its streaming service, more earnings reports, Hulu’s new user interface, and more. Here are some of the top stories from the past week.

‘Mulan’ Premium Price

One of the biggest entertainment stories this week came from Disney and its announcement that the highly anticipated and oft-delayed Mulan would be coming to Disney+. In an unprecedented move, the film will be offered for a $30 premium price on top of regular monthly subscription fees and it’ll be interesting to see how successful this approach will be.

Read more about Mulan’s premiere here.

Disney’s Streaming Services Hit 100 Million Users

Disney also reported strong subscriber numbers for its trio of streaming services. Leading the pack, Disney+ has reached 57.5 million subscribers after roughly eight months. Meanwhile, Hulu’s user base hit 32.1 million and ESPN+ brought in 8.5 million customers. In all, the company is touting a reach of 100 million subscribers worldwide.

Read more about Disney’s streaming numbers here.

Roku’s Strong Quarter

Roku had a strong second quarter, likely propelled by families spending more time at home and streaming. In all, the company said it reached 43 million active users for the quarter, capping a growth of 41 percent year over year. Much of that was fueled by strong sales of both its streaming devices and Roku TVs. What’s more, existing subscribers also added more Roku gear to their accounts, to the tune of some 3 million new devices.

Read more about Roku’s second quarter here.

ViacomCBS’ Subscriber Numbers

ViacomCBS also reported strong subscriber numbers for its various streaming services. CBS All Access and Showtime have reached 16.2 million users, while free service Pluto TV has hit 26.5 million active users for the quarter. Pluto TV’s rise has come, in part, thanks to expansions into new regions like Latin America and Europe. It’s also scored deals with companies like Verizon, TiVo, and LG, which announced this week that the Pluto TV app is available on 2020 LG TVs.

Read more about ViacomCBS’ streaming services here.

ViacomCBS Planning a ‘Game Changer’ Streaming Service for 2021

In other ViacomCBS news, the company also announced plans to launch a global streaming service sometime in 2021. The company will release more details closer to launch, but so far, we’ve learned that the new service will feature exclusive content from Showtime, CBS All Access originals, and shows and movies from in-house networks like Comedy Central and MTV. ViacomCBS describes the upcoming service as a “game changer” and we’ll definitely keep a close eye on its development.

Read more about a new global streaming service from ViacomCBS here.

Hulu’s Updated Menus Hit More Devices

Earlier this year, we reported on Hulu’s updated user interface coming first to Apple TV devices, but in recent weeks, we’ve started seeing the new interface pop up on other platforms, including Roku, iOS, Android, and more. We also published a video detailing some of the changes and how it compares to its streaming stablemates Disney+ and ESPN+.

Read more about Hulu’s menu redo here.

Walmart’s Drive-In Program Comes to 160 Stores

Walmart released details about its new drive-in theater program. To recap, the retailer is converting some of its store parking lots into pop-up, drive-in movie theaters so families can enjoy a movie experience from the safety of their vehicles. We have details on times, dates, and locations for hundreds of events throughout the country.

Read more about Walmart’s drive-in theater program here.

An Updated Speed Test App from the FCC

The Federal Communications Commission released an updated speed test app on both Apple and Google app marketplaces. The app lets you gauge actual upload and download speeds from your internet service providers, including new and emerging 5G networks. The data should help the FCC monitor real-world performance of various internet service providers.

Read more about the FCC’s speed test app here.

fuboTV Gets ESPN, Disney, and More

fuboTV users got a big upgrade thanks to a deal with Disney that brings several new channels to the sports-centric streaming service. Highlight include ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel and more, and subscribers can add further channels via different add-ons and packages.

Read more about fuboTV’s new channels here.

STIRR’s Shark-Focused Programming

Note: This is a sponsored post. All opinions remain our own.

STIRR is offering a slate of shark-focused programming called Deadly Waters starting on Sunday and continuing on through Wednesday. You can see the full schedule in our post linked down below.

Read more about STIRR’s Deadly Waters here.

Sling TV Adds Live Local Channels on 2020 LG TVs

Sling TV announced it’s integrating live, over-the-air channels into its app for 2020 LG TVs. That includes LG’s OLED and NanoCell models, and should be as easy as hooking up an antenna and having your TV scan for channels. No word yet on whether the live channel integration will come to older LG TVs or other brands, but we’ll keep an eye on the feature.

Read more about Sling TV’s live channel integration here.

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