In this week's collection of recent cord-cutting news items from around the web: Roku rejects calls to drop NRA TV, Sling TV tops 2 million subscribers, Amazon selling UFC pay-per-view fights, Fox News to launch OTT streaming service, Warner Archive service to be rolled into FilmStruck, 'offer surfing' of streaming TV services is a concern, cord-cutters are killing satellite TV, and more!
"Amazon, Apple, Google, Roku Face Pressure to Dump NRA Channel Following Shooting," The Street reports. But according to CBS News, "Roku rejects call to drop NRA TV channel." "Roku says it doesn't censor or curate channels based on their content if they are operating lawfully otherwise. 'We do not and have not ever had a commercial relationship with the NRA,' wrote Roku spokeswoman Tricia Misfud in an email. 'We too want to see an end to these terrible tragedies.' NRA TV, which describes itself as a 'comprehensive' news source on Second Amendment issues, is free to Roku users and doesn't carry any ads.
"Dish reveals it has over 2 million Sling TV subscribers," according to The Verge's Chaim Gartenberg. "That number — 2.212 million, to be exact — represents a 47 percent growth year over year for the streaming service, which Dish claims is the '#1 live and on-demand internet streaming service' available. That works out to a gain of around 700,000 new users in 2017."
"Amazon will start selling UFC pay-per-view fights," reports Kurt Wagner for recode. "That means you'll be able to buy UFC fights, including Saturday's UFC 222, directly through Amazon, and you won't need to pay through an existing relationship with cable or satellite providers... You won't need an Amazon Prime account to watch, either." UFC 222 is available for $64.99, and you can watch it through Amazon's Prime Video app on all devices that carry that app.
Sarah Perez, writing for TechCrunch, tells us that Fox News will launch an over-the-top streaming service. "The Fox News Channel officially announced... the upcoming launch of an over-the-top streaming service called Fox Nation that will include live exclusive daily programming as well as long-form content available only to subscribers. Fox Nation also will include access to exclusive events and more than 20 years of Fox News Channel programming, the company says."
WB's Warner Archive subscription-streaming service — launched in 2013 — will be shut down, says Variety's Todd Spangler "Time Warner's Turner and Warner Bros. are focusing their movie-streaming firepower on one service for film buffs: FilmStruck. The corporate cousins reached a deal to stock Turner's FilmStruck with more than 600 classic Hollywood films each month from the Warner Bros. library. At the same time, WB's Warner Archive subscription-streaming service — launched in 2013 — will be shut down, and current customers will be migrated over to FilmStruck over the next few weeks."
Variety gives us a list of what's Coming to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime in March 2018. "Heavily anticipated series premieres, reboots, and sequels will flood Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime throughout March." The full list of titles coming to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime can be found here on Variety.com
Telecompetitor reports that "Retransmission Fees May Reach $19 Per Subscriber, Per Month by 2020." "According to the ACA [American Cable Association], retransmission fees represent the fastest growing part of customers' cable bills. In some cases, cable subscribers across the country could see up to $15 in retransmission fees added to their monthly cable bills by 2020."
"Cord-cutters are basically killing satellite TV" according to Fast Company. "Last quarter, satellite TV subscriptions fell by 4.7%, which is the industry's biggest loss yet. The downward spiral of traditional subscribers at Dish Network and DirecTV is even sharper than what cable providers like Comcast are experiencing, according to analyst firm MoffettNathanson."
Writing for Multichannel News, Jeff Baumgartner says that 'offer surfing' of OTT TV services [is] a growing concern. "The rise of virtual MVPDs are giving programmers new ways to reach audiences, but they are also creating some concerns as their various free trial periods enable consumers to quickly switch from one provider to another."
Baumgartner also reports that "The five largest virtual MVPDs ended 2017 with about 4.6 million subscribers... The 'Big 5' virtual MVPDs (Sling TV, DirecTV Now, YouTube TV, Hulu Live and PlayStation Vue) added about 2.6 million subs over the past year, more than doubling that total, and tacked on nearly 800,000 in the past quarter."
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