Cordcutting Fortnightly provides readers with a collection of news in cordcutting that has occurred over the past two weeks. View last fortnight’s news.
Google Home Adds New Video & Audio Partners
As we reported earlier, users will soon be able to use their voice and the Google Assistant to queue and play videos on their TV from HBO Now, CBS All Access, and many other services, making it easier than ever to discover and access content. Videos also show Google Home will be able to work with YouTube TV to switch to channels or play content from the DVR.
Facebook & MLB Partner to Stream Games
Twenty Major League Baseball games will be streamed live on Facebook thanks to between the two groups. Games will appear weekly and cover a variety of teams. In the future, the discovery capability of social combined with this content may provide a vital audience.
Dish adds Alexa Support
In addition to Google Home getting support for media, Amazon’s Alexa also seems to be getting into cable. Dish to support Alexa’s voice commands. Users will be able to say things like “Alexa, change channel to ESPN” or “Alexa, find comedy movies” in order to quickly navigate the box.
YouTube Live Streaming Is Coming to Everyone
YouTube has slowly been rolling out its live streaming feature on mobile, letting anyone immediately start broadcasting to their friends and anyone around the world. At first users needed 10,000 subscribers, but that count has slowly reduced and now it seems like some users without reaching that milestone. This will probably continue to roll out to more users until everyone is able to do it. With the addition of , live video may become a vital part of the platform.
Fibe Alt TV Puts Live TV on your Smart TV
Telecom company Bell Canada is releasing a new app called “Fibe Alt TV” which will allow subscribers to watch live TV from their smart TV, phone, or laptop. It will do away with the cable box and provide the cable streams as an Internet-based service. The app will be coming to Android TV later this year. Their new cable plans will provide thirty channels at $15 CAD (about $11 USD).
Microsoft Renames “Beam” to “Mixer”
For what is likely trademark issues in some countries, Microsoft is renaming its game streaming service to “Mixer”. It seems like it’ll continue to be integrated into the Xbox One and Windows 10 as a core platform feature. The company is also working on a mobile app to stream games from there as well. The company is working on features like a multiplayer mode where several users’ streams can be merged into a single one. They’ll be using it to stream the action at the E3 game conference. Viewers can also get started by visiting the service’s website.