Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Viacom Expands Presence In the Live Streaming Space with fuboTV and Charter Partnerships

Viacom today announced partnerships with Charter and fuboTV which will expand its presence in the live streaming space! Please see the press releases below for full information about each of Viacom's new partnerships.

Update (4/30) - FuboTV today added Viacom channels Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., BET, CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1 on its live TV streaming platform!

Update (4/26) - FuboTV and Viacom today announced to Appleosophy that Viacom channels Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., BET, CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV, Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1 will be launching on FuboTV's live TV streaming platform on Tuesday, April 30, 2019! The channels will be part of fuboTV’s base “fubo” package of 85+ channels. The April 30th launch includes live programming as well as video-on-demand (VOD) from Viacom. The new VOD additions bring the total number of TV episodes and movies available on demand with fuboTV to 14,000 per month.

Update (4/24) - A tech support agent with FuboTV has revealed to Appleosophy that the company is expecting to launch Viacom networks in the second or third week of May 2019!

Update (4/1) - fuboTV has announced that the service will add Viacom channels Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., MTV, Comedy Central, BET, CMT, VH1, Paramount Network and TV Land in May 2019!



Official Viacom Press Release via Business Wire:

fuboTV and Viacom Announce Expansive Distribution Partnership


Viacom’s Domestic and International Media Networks to Launch on fuboTV Streaming Service

February 20, 2019 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time


NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIAB, VIA) and fuboTV today announced a carriage agreement that will extend Viacom’s global portfolio of premier entertainment brands to fuboTV’s live TV streaming service.

Viacom’s nine core media networks – BET, CMT, COMEDY CENTRAL, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1 – will soon be included in fuboTV’s base package, “fubo.” An expanded suite of Viacom channels will also be available in the premier package, “fubo Extra,” including BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, Logo, MTV2, MTV Classic, MTV Live, mtvU, Nick Music, Nicktoons, and TeenNick.

This partnership also enhances fuboTV’s Spanish-language base package, “fubo Latino,” with Viacom’s Telefe and MTV Tr3s networks.

“fuboTV is quickly evolving as a major force in the streaming television space, and the addition of Viacom’s media networks as a cornerstone of fuboTV’s entertainment offering demonstrates the power and popularity of our global brands and programming,” said Tom Gorke, EVP, Head of Distribution and Business Development, for Viacom. “This is a great opportunity to continue to grow our reach and audiences across the OTT landscape and connect with our fans wherever they consume content.”

The offering will bring fuboTV viewers access to television's most popular shows, including MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, Nickelodeon’s Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Telefe’s Campanas en La Noche and much more.

“We’re very excited to enter into this strategic partnership with Viacom, which continues to make prescient and aggressive moves in the digital media space,” said Joel Armijo, CFO, fuboTV. “fubo remains singularly focused on offering sports fans a compelling pay TV alternative with a robust content offering able to serve the viewing needs of the entire household."

About Viacom

Viacom creates entertainment experiences that drive conversation and culture around the world. Through television, film, digital media, live events, merchandise and solutions, our brands connect with diverse, young and young at heart audiences in more than 180 countries.

For more information on Viacom and its businesses, visit www.viacom.com. Keep up with Viacom news by following us on Twitter (twitter.com/viacom), Facebook (facebook.com/viacom) and LinkedIn (linkedin.com/company/viacom).

About fuboTV

fuboTV is the world’s only sports-focused live TV streaming service with top leagues and teams, plus popular shows, movies and news for the entire household. Its base package, fubo, is available for $44.99 per month and features more than 85 channels, and the fubo Extra package offers 100-plus channels for $49.99 per month. Both bundles include including a growing line-up of national channels, local broadcast stations and regional sports networks (RSNs); personal Cloud DVR storage; and two simultaneous streams – with no contract or set top box required. Get fubo.tv on the web and across popular mobile and connected TV devices.

Headquartered in New York City, fuboTV has quickly evolved into the top independent virtual MVPD in the U.S. and a sports-first cable replacement for the entire family, after initially launching as a streaming soccer service in January 2015. With the launch of fuboTV EspaƱa in 2018, it became the first U.S. virtual MVPD to enter Europe. fuboTV has raised more than $150 million in funding to date, including a $75 million Series D round that closed in April 2018 and included 21st Century Fox, AMC Networks, Luminari Capital, Northzone, Sky and the former Scripps Networks Interactive (recently acquired by Discovery, Inc.). Investors also include DCM Ventures, i2bf, LionTree Partners, Univision Communications Inc., Edgar Bronfman, Jr. (former Chairman and CEO of Warner Music Group), Chris Silbermann (founding partner, ICM Partners) and former NBA Commissioner David Stern.

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Official Charter Communications, Inc. press release via PR Newswire:

Spectrum To Offer New, Innovative Video Service 'Spectrum TV Essentials' To Spectrum Internet Customers

Priced at $14.99, Spectrum TV Essentials Will Feature More Than 60 Live Popular Channels Including Networks from Viacom, Discovery, A&E, AMC and Hallmark


STAMFORD, Conn., Feb. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Charter Communications, Inc. today announced that it will launch Spectrum TV Essentials, an innovative internet delivered over-the-top (OTT) video service, to be made available exclusively in Charter's footprint to Spectrum Internet customers who don't already subscribe to Spectrum video services. Launching by the end of March, Spectrum TV Essentials will include more than 60 live popular lifestyle, entertainment and news channels, and access to all of the associated On Demand content these networks make available. Charter reached separate agreements with programming partners including Viacom, Discovery, A&E, AMC and Hallmark to create this new offering.

"Spectrum TV Essentials is an OTT offering designed to provide Spectrum Internet-only customers a new low-price, high-value video option," said Tom Rutledge, Charter Chairman and CEO. "As we began to assemble the rights for this new video service, we received great enthusiasm and encouragement from these key programming partners, who share our view and embrace creating an innovative video offering we believe will resonate with our internet customers. Notably, Viacom shared its strong belief and research that suggests there is a large untapped opportunity for a low-priced, entertainment-only bundle unencumbered by the high cost of broadcast retransmission consent fees and expensive sports programming."

"We're thrilled to expand and deepen our relationship with Charter. They share both our commitment to the evolution of the the Pay TV ecosystem as well as our understanding of the changing needs of consumers," said Bob Bakish, Viacom President and CEO. "As the video marketplace continues to segment across price points and offerings, we believe a high quality, lower priced option for internet-only subscribers is very important. We're excited to have our global brands as part of Spectrum TV Essentials at launch."

At launch, Spectrum TV Essentials will be available for $14.99 plus tax, with no additional fees or installation charge. The entire TV Essentials line-up will be available through the Spectrum TV App, one of the highest-used, IP-based live TV apps in the U.S., on all supported mobile and connected devices – iOS and Android phones and tablets, Apple TV, Roku, Xbox One, Amazon Kindle Fire, Samsung Smart TVs and computers via SpectrumTV.com. Spectrum TV App provides a fully interactive and seamless viewing experience, allowing customers to browse shows and movies by category or network, aggregate a "Watch List" of favorite content, set parental controls and much more. In the coming months, Charter plans to introduce a Cloud DVR service on the Spectrum TV App.

Networks available on Spectrum TV Essentials include: A&E, AMC, American Heroes Channel, Animal Planet, AXS TV, BBC America, BBC World News, BET, BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, Bloomberg, Cheddar, CLEO TV, CMT, CMT Music, Comedy Central, Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, DIY, Food Network, FYI, Game Show Network, Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Drama, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, HDNet Movies, HGTV, HISTORY, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Lifetime Movie Network, Logo, MotorTrend Network, MTV, MTV2, MTV Classic, MTV Live, MTVU, NewsmaxTV, Newsy, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nick Music, NickToons, Outdoor Channel, OWN, Paramount Network, Science Channel, Sundance TV, Teen Nick, TLC, Travel Channel, TV Land, VH1, Viceland, The Weather Channel and WEtv. Spectrum News will also be a part of the lineup in New York, Los Angeles, Tampa, Charlotte, Orlando and other markets . Additionally, starting in May 2019, Spectrum Originals will become available to all Spectrum TV Essential subscribers.

About Spectrum
Spectrum is a suite of advanced broadband services offered by Charter Communications, Inc., a leading broadband communications company and the second largest cable operator in the United States. Spectrum provides a full range of services, including Spectrum TV®, Spectrum Internet®, Spectrum Voice®, and Spectrum Mobile™. Spectrum Business® similarly provides scalable, and cost-effective broadband communications solutions to small and medium sized business organizations, including Internet access, business telephone, and TV services. Spectrum Enterprise is a national provider of scalable, fiber-based technology solutions serving many of America's largest businesses and communications service providers. Charter's advertising sales and production services are sold under the Spectrum Reach® brand. Charter's news and sports networks are operated under the Spectrum Networks brand. More information about Spectrum can be found at spectrum.com.

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.

Related Links
http://www.charter.com

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From the Viacom News Center:

VIACOM EXPANDS PRESENCE IN THE LIVE STREAMING SPACE WITH CHARTER AND FUBOTV PARTNERSHIPS

Two new deals represent Viacom’s latest strategic moves to put its content on next-generation platforms.

Viacom content will be newly available to millions of potential viewers on two streaming platforms, according to a pair of separate partnerships with Charter Communications and fuboTV announced earlier today. Together, these deals illustrate Viacom’s continued, strategic focus on making its content available on next-generation platforms to meet the needs of today’s—and tomorrow’s—consumers, as well as position itself as a key partner to an expanding network of industry leaders and innovators.

As announced this afternoon, Viacom will be one of Charter’s programming partners for “Spectrum TV Essentials,” a new streaming service set to launch by the end of March. As well, in a separate deal announced earlier today with fuboTV, content from across Viacom’s portfolio will be available across the fuboTV’s suite of packages.

The Deals in Brief

The big idea: Viacom is moving beyond its linear network legacy to increase the availability of its programming—including hits like Comedy Central’s The Daily Show and MTV’s Jersey Shore: Family Vacation—for live and on-demand streaming platforms. This means its content is available for those who choose to pay for a subscription service in addition to, or as an alternative to, a traditional cable subscription.

Industry context: The move signals that Viacom’s a valuable partner in the fragmented video distribution landscape—dubbed “OTT Overload” by AdWeek . The ecosystem is slated to become even more competitive in the next year with the debut of The Walt Disney Company’s Disney+ platform, AT&T’s yet-to-be-named direct-to-consumer platform, and an ever-increasing number of a la carte OTT offerings from cable companies and wireless providers.

Good to know: Viacom’s also invested in a streaming model that’s supported by advertising rather than subscription fees (in other words, free for consumers). Viacom agreed to acquire the ad-supported streaming service Pluto TV earlier this month. The deal, which is expected to close at the end of March, will put its programming in front of more than 12 million subscribers and position it as a leading content provider in the free-streaming ecosystem.

On-the-record: “I think one of the things we've done as a company in the last couple of years is to make acquisitions that are really, really transformative of our business,” said Shari Redstone, the non-executive vice chair of Viacom’s board of directors, recently in a conversation with Bob Bakish during a Viacom town hall event.

A Launch Partner for Charter’s Spectrum TV Essentials

Priced at $14.99 plus tax per month, the over-the-top (OTT) Spectrum TV Essentials video service will offer more than 60 live lifestyle, entertainment, and news channels to the Spectrum internet customers who don’t subscribe to the cabler’s video services.

“We’re thrilled to expand and deepen our relationship with Charter. They share both our commitment to the evolution of the Pay TV ecosystem as well as our understanding of the changing needs of consumers,” said Viacom President and CEO Bob Bakish in the release. “As the video marketplace continues to segment across price points and offerings, we believe a high quality, lower priced option for internet-only subscribers is very important.”

“Spectrum TV Essentials is an OTT offering designed to provide Spectrum Internet-only customers a new low-price, high-value video option,” said Tom Rutledge, CEO and chairman of Charter in the announcement. “As we began to assemble the rights for this new video service, we received great enthusiasm and encouragement from these key programming partners, who share our view and embrace creating an innovative video offering we believe will resonate with our internet customers. Notably, Viacom shared its strong belief and research that suggests there is a large untapped opportunity for a low-priced, entertainment-only bundle unencumbered by the high cost of broadcast retransmission consent fees and expensive sports programming.”

Expanding fuboTV’s Content Offerings

The fuboTV partnership will make content from Viacom’s core networks (which include MTV, Comedy Central, BET, and VH1) available to stream on fuboTV’s base package, while an expanded portfolio of channels (which include BET Her, MTV2 and Logo) will be available across fuboTV’s premiere packages. Plus, Viacom’s Telefe and MTV Tr3 networks will expand fuboTV’s Spanish-language base package, “fubo Latino.”

“fuboTV is quickly evolving as a major force in the streaming television space, and the addition of Viacom’s media networks as a cornerstone of fuboTV’s entertainment offering demonstrates the power and popularity of our global brands and programming,” said Tom Gorke, EVP, head of distribution and business development at Viacom in the announcement . “This is a great opportunity to continue to grow our reach and audiences across the OTT landscape and connect with our fans wherever they consume content.”

fuboTV is a rapidly growing, ad-supported live streaming service. Since launching in 2015 as the “Netflix of soccer,” it’s attracted a quarter of a million subscribers and expanded beyond sports programming. It was the first MVPD to offer live 4K HDR video, and introduced addressable advertising in January 2018 —months before its competitors in the live-streaming space.

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From The Streamable:

Viacom Channels Like MTV, Comedy Central, & Nickelodeon Officially Live on fuboTV

In February, fuboTV and Viacom announced a deal to bring 22 of Viacom's channels to the service. This morning, the Live TV Streaming Service officially added the channels to their channel lineup. The most popular of Viacom's channels (BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Paramount Network, TV Land and VH1) are part of the base fuboTV package.

This means you can now watch shows like Jersey Shore on MTV, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah on Comedy Central, RuPaul's Drag Race on VH1, and SpongeBob SquarePants on Nickelodeon.

The rest including BET Her, BET Jams, BET Soul, Logo, MTV2, MTV Classic, MTV Live, mtvU, Nick Music, Nicktoons, and TeenNick were added to their 115-channel fubo Extra plan. Currently, the only way to subscribe to fubo Extra is by subscribing to the fubo Ultra ($80) bundle which includes fubo Extra, Cloud DVR Plus (500 Hour DVR), Family Share (3 Simultaneous Screens), Sports Plus, and Showtime.

fuboTV now joins Philo, Sling TV, and DIRECTV NOW as the only Live TV Streaming Services with Viacom channels. The networks used to be carried by PlayStation Vue, but were removed due to rising costs in November 2016.

With the addition of Viacom-owned networks, fuboTV ($55) base plan now includes 28 of the Top 35 cable channels -- more than any other Live TV Streaming Service. PlayStation Vue and Hulu Live TV each include 26 Top Cable channels, which is slightly more than those by YouTube TV (25), Sling TV (24), DIRECTV NOW (23).

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More Nick: Nickelodeon Embarks on New Direction with its Biggest, Most Wide-Ranging Content Slate Ever!

Originally published: Thursday, February 21, 2019.

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