Plex is joining the live-streaming trend, announcing the addition of more than 80 live/linear channels to its platform.
Los Gatos, Calif.-based Plex is an outlier in the OTT business, combining a popular media servicer solution with a growing AVOD offering.
Starting Thursday, the new Live TV on Plex featuring adds to the viewing options, with users able to stream linear channels including Reuters, Yahoo Finance, Tastemade, fubo Sports Network, Toon Goggles and Revry, just to name a few.
As messily coordinated press strategies go, Cinedigm announced separately that it has made a deal with Plex, which includes eight of Cinedigm’s free, ad-supported channels worldwide: The Bob Ross Channel, Comedy Dynamics, Bambu, Docurama, CONtv, Dove Channel, CONtv Anime and Whistle Sports.
Also read: Cinedigm Streaming Free Linear Channels on Plex
The live channels add to an already established OTA feature that enables users to build a pay TV-like live/linear programming grid, complete with DVR.
“Combining the new Live TV service with the over-the-air TV and DVR feature, Plex offers the most comprehensive and least expensive streaming TV service in the world,” said Keith Valory, CEO of Plex, in a statement.
Plex is following a business trend: Roku, which is stacking around 120 licensed live/linear streaming channels with its customer’s OTA antenna feed and creating a grid that looks like your average Dish Network guide.
“Two of the most important factors for an enjoyable streaming experience are easily being able to find something of interest to watch, and being able to watch it from any device you choose,” Valory added. “Plex offers consumers across the globe a simple yet powerful platform for access to all types of content that can be streamed from all types of devices.”
Plex’s core, monetized offering is a media server technology. Plex allows users who store all their digital entertainment—music, illegally and quasi-legally ripped movies from DVDs, podcasts, etc.—on a personal computer or portable hard drive, accessing this content from a wide variety of devices. It charges $5 a month for the ability to gain this access via iOS and Android mobile devices.
There are plenty of media server solutions on the market that do the same things, but Plex has been lauded for the way it takes your all your content and presents it in contextualized way that would make Netflix proud.
Adding live/linear streaming channels, an AVOD service, as well as music streaming service Tidal, achieves Plex’s goal of adding to its users personal media collections and making the platform an all-in-one media solution for users.
