Comcast plans to spin off several of its cable TV networks into a standalone company as it shifts focus to streaming and other profitable ventures like Peacock, theme parks, and broadband services. The Associated Press reports: Those one-time stars for Comcast's NBCUniversal cable television networks include USA, Oxygen, E!, SYFY and Golf Channel, as well as CNBC and MSNBC. Movie ticketing platform Fandango and the Rotten Tomatoes movie rating site would also become part of the new company. Peacock will remain with Comcast, as will Bravo, which provides significant content for the Peacock streaming service. Comcast telegraphed the potential shift last month as it released quarterly earnings before confirming Wednesday that it will spin off assets that generated about $7 billion in revenue over he past 12 months ending September 30. That's about 5.5% of Comcast's total revenue during that period, according to the company. But there is a shrinking pool of cable subscribers as millions cut the cord and rely increasingly on streaming platforms for entertainment. Mark Lazarus, current chairman of NBCUniversal Media Group, will serve as the new entity's chief executive officer. Anand Kini, the current chief financial officer of NBCUniversal, will take on the same title with the new company as well as the chief operating officer role. [...] Comcast expects the new company to have the financial flexibility to be "a potential partner and acquirer of other complementary media businesses." The spin-off is targeted for completion in about a year, the entertainment giant said, pending financing and approval from its board and government regulators. "Like millions of US consumers, Comcast finally cut the cord by divesting itself of most of its cable TV channels," said Paul Verna, principal analyst at market research company eMarketer. "The benefits are clear to Comcast. It's dropping money-losing assets from a technology and media empire that will retain its lucrative (internet service provider) business, theme parks, broadcast networks, and Peacock streaming service."

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[Deal du jour] Avec ces C4, LG propose une gamme de téléviseurs OLED premium, polyvalents et performants, un taux de rafraîchissement élevé et une excellente luminosité. Le modèle 48 pouces est en promotion pour ce Black Friday.

According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple plans to license some of its Apple TV+ content to competing services in an effort to save money and spread its reach. From the report: Apple has hired an executive to license its original productions to other companies, a strategy designed to increase sales from its film business and improve the visibility of its content. [...] Apple is focused on licensing its movies to other companies, such as foreign TV networks and stores, where viewers can rent or buy them, according to a person familiar with the plans. The company isn't planning to license its original TV shows to third parties. (At least not yet.)" Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and services boss Eddy Cue have pushed the team overseeing Apple TV+ to lower costs, improve the financial performance of the service and deliver more hits. The company has spent billions of dollars on original films and TV shows and has received strong reviews and praise from critics. Yet few of its titles have attracted a large audience and its streaming service doesn't make money. Apple has already started selling TV+ via Amazon in a bid to increase the audience for the service. Licensing to third parties will generate additional revenue and introduce Apple movies to people who don't yet pay for TV+. Since Apple TV+ launched in 2019, Apple has spent over $20 billion to build a library of original content. Yet, the streaming service only garnered 0.3 percent of U.S. screen viewing time in June 2024, according to Nielsen. "Apple TV+ generates less viewing in one month than Netflix does in one day," wrote Bloomberg's Lucas Shaw in July. Ars Technica notes that Apple is estimated to have 25 million subscribers, making it "one of the smallest mainstream streaming services."

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Dans sa newsletter du 17 novembre, le journaliste Mark Gurman de Bloomberg relance une rumeur vieille de 15 ans : Apple envisagerait de lancer une télé. De quoi susciter de nombreux débats en ligne, même s'il est très peu probable de voir ce produit arriver un jour.

"Here's how Apple's next major product will work," writes Bloomberg's Mark Gurman: The company has been developing a smart home command center that will rival products like the Amazon Echo Hub and Google Nest Hub... The product will run many of Apple's core apps, like Safari, Notes and Calendar, but the interface will be centered on a customizable home screen with iOS-like widgets and smart home controls... The device looks like a low-end iPad and will include a built-in battery, speakers and a FaceTime camera oriented for a horizontal landscape view. The square device, which includes a roughly 6-inch screen, has sensors that let it change the interface depending on how far a user is from the screen. It will also have attachments for walls, plus a base with additional speakers so it can be placed on a table, nightstand or desk. Apple envisions customers using the device as an intercom, with people FaceTiming each other from different rooms. They'll also be able to pull up home security footage, control their lights, and videoconference with family while cooking in the kitchen. And it will control music throughout the home on HomePod speakers. The device will work with hundreds of HomeKit-compatible items, a lineup that includes third-party switches, lights, fans and other accessories. But the company doesn't plan to roll out a dedicated app store for the product. Given the lack of success with app marketplaces for the Vision Pro, Apple Watch and Apple TV, that's not too surprising. Looking ahead, the article concludes "The success of this device is still far from assured. Apple's recent track record pushing into new categories has been spotty, and its previous home products haven't been major hits." But Gurman shares the most interesting part on X.com: If the product does catch on, it will help set the stage for more home devices. Apple is working on a high-end AI companion with a [$1,000] robotic arm and large display that could serve as a follow-up. The company could also put more resources into developing mobile robots, privacy-focused home cameras and speakers. It may even revisit the idea of making an Apple-branded TV set, something it's evaluating. But if the first device fails, Apple may have to rethink its smart home ambitions once again. Gurman also writes that Apple is also working on a new AirTag with more range and improved privacy features (including "making it more difficult for someone to remove the speaker.")

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Les audiences du samedi 16 novembre 2024 pour les programmes diffusés en première partie de soirée.

© Icon Sport / Abaca

[Deal du jour] Avec ces C4, LG propose une gamme de téléviseurs OLED premium, polyvalents et performants, un taux de rafraîchissement élevé et une excellente luminosité. Le modèle 48 pouces est en promotion pour ce Black Friday.

[Deal du jour] Les téléviseurs de LG sont parmi les meilleurs sur le marché. Ce modèle, qui embarque la technologie QNED, n’a rien à envier à l’OLED, et est de plus un TV polyvalent. Il est tout de suite plus intéressant lorsqu'il passe sous les 800 €.

Customers have formed new habits of regularly pausing subscriptions and returning to them within a year. From a report: As subscription prices rise and streaming-centric home entertainment becomes the norm, families are establishing their own hierarchies of always-on services versus those that come and go with seasons of hit shows or sports. New data from subscription analytics provider Antenna offer a deeper look at the subscription pausing habits customers are developing as services like Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+ become the go-to way of watching TV in many households, instead of cable. The monthly median percentage of premium streaming video subscribers who rejoined the same service they had canceled within the prior year was 34.2% in the first nine months of 2024, up from 29.8% in 2022. The habit of pausing and resuming service means that the industrywide rate of customer defections, which has risen over the past year, is less pronounced than it appears. The average rate of U.S. customer cancellations among premium streaming video services reached 5.2% in August, but after factoring in re-subscribers, the rate of defections was lower at 3.5%. The increasingly ingrained habit underscores the importance of streamers regularly delivering hit shows and films as well as live fare such as sporting events. Streaming services are trying to use a mix of bundles, promotions, well-timed marketing emails and lower-cost ad-supported plans to lure customers back faster or help them feel they are getting enough value to stick around longer.

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Alors que l’IPTV rencontre un succès grandissant, mais reste controversée quant à la légalité de son utilisation, il est important de faire un rappel rapide de ce qu’est l’IPTV et de n’utiliser que des applications sécurisées.

[Deal du jour] Xiaomi propose sa nouvelle gamme de téléviseurs Mini LED à des prix déjà attrayants. Le modèle de 75 pouces est proposé à moins de 1 000 €. De quoi créer une petite salle de cinéma dans votre salon pour pas cher.

According to The Verge, Netflix plans to delist almost all of its interactive shows and films as of December 1st. Only four of the 24 interactive titles will remain: Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend, Ranveer vs. Wild with Bear Grylls, and You vs. Wild. From the report: The removal of the titles marks a disappointing conclusion to Netflix's earliest efforts into interactive content. The company first launched the interactive titles in 2017 with Puss in Book: Trapped in an Epic Tale, and I remember being wowed (and horrified) by paths in Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. In addition to specials based on franchises like Carmen Sandiego and Boss Baby, Netflix also tried ideas like a daily trivia series and a trivia game you could play with a friend. But the relatively few titles available suggests the format wasn't much of a hit -- Puss in Book has apparently been gone for a while. "The technology served its purpose, but is now limiting as we focus on technological efforts in other areas," spokesperson Chrissy Kelleher says.

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L'IPTV rencontre un succès de plus en plus grand. Derrière ces quatre lettres, très souvent du piratage de compétitions sportives, qu'on ne comprend pas toujours. Mais alors, c'est quoi l'IPTV ?

Et si c'était la fin des box TV fournies par les opérateurs ? Ils sont de plus en plus à créer leurs applications pour Apple TV et Android TV. Le dernier en date : SFR TV qui arrive sur Android TV.

[Deal du jour] Canal+ propose un abonnement qui inclut plusieurs services de streaming et la chaîne beIN Sports, pour un prix très compétitif. De qui occuper les longues soirées d'hiver qui s'annoncent.

Speaking of streaming services, an anonymous reader shares a story that looks into Apple's entertainment offering: Ever since its launch in 2019, Apple TV+ has been carving out an identity as the new home for prestige shows from some of Hollywood's biggest names -- the kind of shows that sound natural coming out of Jimmy Kimmel's mouth in monologue jokes at the Emmys. While the company never provides spending details, Apple is estimated to have spent at least $20 billion recruiting the likes of Reese Witherspoon, M. Night Shayamalan, and Harrison Ford to help cultivate its award-worthy sheen. For all the effort Apple has expended, and for all the cultural excitement around Ted Lasso during its three-season run, the streaming service has won nearly 500 Emmys ... while attracting just 0.2% of total TV viewing in the U.S. No wonder the company reportedly began reining in its spending spree recently. (Apple did not reply to a request for comment.) "It seems like Apple TV wants to be seen as a platform that's numbers-agnostic," says Ashley Ray, comedian, TV writer, and host of the erstwhile podcast TV I Say. "They wanna be known for being about the creativity and the love of making TV shows, even if nobody's watching them." The experience of enjoying a new Apple TV+ series can often be a lonely one. Adventurous subscribers might see an in-network ad about something like last summer's Sunny, the timely, genre-bending Rashida Jones series about murderous AI, and give it a shot -- only to find that nobody else is talking about it in their social media feeds or around the company Keurig machine. Sure, the same could be said for hundreds of other streaming series in the post-monoculture era, but most streaming companies aren't consistently landing as much marquee talent for such a limited library. (Apple currently has 259 TV shows and films compared to Netflix's nearly 16,000.) How is it possible for a streaming service to have as much high-pedigree programming as Apple TV+ does and so relatively few viewers, despite an estimated 25 million paid subscribers? How can shows starring Natalie Portman, Idris Elba, and Colin Farrell launch and even get renewed without ever quite grazing the zeitgeist? How does a show set in the same Monsterverse as Godzilla vs. Kong, and starring Kurt Russell and his roguishly charming son, not become a monster-size hit? For many perplexed observers, the blame falls squarely on Apple's marketing efforts, or seeming lack thereof.

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Nouvelle salve de blocage de services IPTV en France pour contrer le piratage des matchs de football. Cette fois, c'est Canal+ qui a été à la manœuvre pour protéger les rencontres sportives liées à la Ligue des champions.

Micros Habits, un faux gestionnaire de vie personnelle disponible gratuitement sur l'App Store, permet en réalité d'accéder à un catalogue de films et de séries en streaming. Face au tollé, Apple vient de supprimer l'application… mais l'application est réapparue sous un autre nom.

Nouvelle salve de blocage de services IPTV en France pour contrer le piratage des matchs de football. Cette fois, c'est Canal+ qui a été à la manœuvre pour protéger les rencontres sportives liées à la Ligue des champions.

L'Apple TV, le Google TV 4K ou encore la Nvidia Shield TV vous tentent ? Vous avez bien raison, ces appareils sont d'excellentes alternatives aux interfaces parfois limitées et affreusement de certains téléviseurs. Avec une offre de plus en plus diversifiée, allant des clés HDMI aux boîtiers multimédias ultra-complets, il peut être compliqué de choisir le modèle qui vous conviendra le mieux. Dans ce guide, nous faisons le tour des box TV que nous avons testées chez Numerama pour 2024.