In this week's collection of recent cord-cutting news items from around the web: What's coming to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime in June; Netflix shows said to be sending destructive messages to teens; Hulu now has 800,000 live TV subscribers; why Roku is the Internet video box leader, while Google is slipping; FOX Sports App to include World Cup games; FCC asks Amazon and eBay to stop selling pirate boxes; and more!
Variety tells us what's coming to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime in June 2018. "Netflix kicks off the month with some fan favorites for the first blistering hot days of the summer with 'National Treasure,' 'Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok,' and 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi...' Hulu offers its own dish of classics, including 'Apocalypse Now,' 'Carrie,' and 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...' Amazon rounds out the month with some comedy flicks, including 'The Disaster Artist,' 'Nacho Libre,' and the entire 'Leprechaun' franchise."
Forbes reports that Chicago's "cloud tax" on streaming sServices has survived a legal challenge. Chicago's "streaming tax on Netflix and similar internet services, the first of its kind in the country... was a 9% surcharge for the privilege of streaming internet-based entertainment, including video, music and gaming services." The Liberty Justice Center filed a lawsuit challenging the tax.
"Netflix's Latest Shows For Teens Send Destructive Messages," claims Gabriella Patti in an article on The Federalist. Referencing the series "13 Reasons Why," and "The Kissing Booth," Patti argues that "[b]oth depict teen struggles and issues related to sex, bullying, and puberty in an overly dramatic and potentially harmful manner to anyone who watches them, but especially those in the high school audience the shows are geared toward."
"Hulu Hits 800,000 Live TV Subscribers," says Variety. As for competitors, "AT&T's DirecTV Now tallied 1.46 million subscribers while Dish Network's Sling TV stood at 2.3 million as of the end of Q1 2018."
According to surveys by research firm Parks Associates and
"CheddarU comes to nine million students on over 600 campuses via 1,600 screens in public spaces and campus cable networks," according to a press release from the Cheddar news network. "In time for students to return to campus this August, Cheddar will broadcast live, non-partisan headline news, technology coverage, and startup stories to the newly rebranded CheddarU network."
"FOX updates FOX Sports App to include World Cup games," according to WorldSoccerTalk, but there's good news and bad news. "The good news is that the app has added a lot of new functionality for sports fans. The bad news is that you won't be able to watch World Cup games with the app unless you have a cable or satellite TV subscription." If you've cut the cord, you can get Fox Sports app access with a trial subscription to DIRECTV NOW, Sling TV, and some other streaming TV services.
The FCC has asked Amazon and eBay to stop selling pirate boxes, says Forbes. "Moving to stamp out a fast-growing form of video piracy, the Federal Communications Commission has asked the chief executives of Amazon and eBay to step it up in removing sale listings for fake pay-TV boxes with fake FCC seals from their sites... The Commission is referring to the growing trend of consumers using otherwise legal software apps like Kodi with inexpensive set-top boxes and add-ons that let them access linear channels and on-demand content illegally. "
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