EPIX Launches App On 4th-Gen Apple TV
EPIX last week launched an authenticated TV Everywhere app for the Apple TV (fourth generation) that supports the premium programmer’s live feeds and VOD library. The app, which offers EPIX original series such as Berlin Station and Graves, also factors in some features such as “contentforward,” which lets users watch a multiplex of EPIX live linear channels, the ability to add titles to a personal queue, free samples of EPIX content, curated content collections and movie trailers. EPIX has also developed and launched apps for iOS and Android mobile devices, Xbox and PlayStation consoles, the Google Chromecast, Roku players, and Android TV devices. Atlantic Broadband was the first MVPD to support the EPIX app on TiVo-powered set-tops.
Vimeo Taps Concannon As OTT Firm’s CTO
Vimeo has tapped e-commerce vet Michael Concannon as chief technology officer of the over-the-top specialist. Concannon, who reports to IAC CEO and interim Vimeo CEO Joey Levin, oversees the technical strategy of Vimeo’s platform. His hiring follows the departure of former Vimeo chief technology officer Andrew Pile, who left last April. Of recent note, Vimeo launched a global television store, which includes Starz and Lionsgate among its content partners. Concannon most recently was CTO of “vertically integrated fashion company” ELOQUII. He also was CTO of Quidsi, the company behind retail sites Diapers.com and Soap.com that was acquired by Amazon in 2010, and is late of Barnes & Noble and Sony Music Entertainment and AT&T Bell Labs.
Starz, Starz Encore Join DirecTV Now
DirecTV Now, AT&T’s new over-thetop TV service, broadened its premium fare with the launch of both Starz and Starz Encore. Starz on DirecTV Now sells for $8 per month. The launch of Starz on DirecTV Now initially will feature more than 2,500 episodes and movies that are available on-demand, plus access to three linear feeds: the East Coast feeds of Starz, Starz Encore and Starz Kids & Family. The addition of Starz follows the intro of DirecTV Now’s earlier, separate offer of Starz Encore with the OTT TV service’s $70 per month “Gotta Have It” package, when DirecTV Now launched last November. DirecTV Now signed on about 200,000 paid subscribers during its first month in service. Carriage on DirecTV Now complements Starz’s other OTT ambitions, including a direct-to-consumer subscription service that sells for $8.99 per month, and an offering on Amazon Channels that also fetches $8.99.
Xumo Puts Cheddar On Its OTT Platform
Xumo, a company that has developed a free, ad-supported OTT video aggregation service, has integrated Cheddar’s live feed into its native platform for smart TVs made by companies such as LG Electronics, Vizio, Panasonic and Hisense. Xumo, which has also developed apps for mobile devices, said Cheddar is the first channel on its platform to feature live daily shows, including Opening Bell (9 a.m. ET) and Between Bells (Noon ET).
FandangoNow, HBO Strike Deal for Series
FandangoNow, the electronic sellthrough service that’s now part of NBCUniversal, has struck a deal with HBO Home Entertainment that allows users to purchase and download series and individual shows from the premium network. FandangoNOW is starting that deal by selling HBO titles and series such as Game of Thrones and The Sopranos, Girls, Divorce, Insecure, The Night of and Band of Brothers. Series such as Ballers, Silicon Valley, Veep, True Detective and The Newsroom and others will be added later.
