Since launching its new aggregation overlay for Android TV, dubbed Google TV, along with its new Chromecast device in October, Google has made some progress in terms of expanding the reach of the platform.

The name Google TV seems to serve two purposes. It will replace the “Android TV” brand over time. But for now, Google TV refers to the new content aggregation interface that sits on top of Android TV. 

More Tech: ViacomCBS Takes to the Cloud With AWS | HBO Max’s Forssell on Roku Deal: ‘We’ll Get It Done’

Beyond being able to surface and recommend content from Google-owned apps such as YouTube, YouTube TV and Google Play Movies, Google TV now has native integration with more than 25 third-party apps, including Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Peacock and Pluto TV. (Notably, that list does not include Netflix.)

Like a number of other large video technology companies, Google is seeking to create a one-stop app that searches for and surfaces content based on user profile data. And the more apps that it can reach into, the more intuitive Google TV can be.

Google confirmed months of rapt speculation Wednesday, when it formally introduced the rebrand of its Android TV video operating system, which it now calls Google TV, and officially unveiled the first device to run the reiterated OS, the latest upgrade of its Chromecast HDMI dongle 

Retailing for $49.99, the new Chromecast with Google TV has been breathless reported on by tech enthusiast blogs—and this publication—for months, as the device (codenamed “Sabrina”) wound its way through the development process.

But the bigger disclosure Wednesday was the transition to Google TV, which will eventually replace Android TV among Google’s roster of third-party device partners. 

Also read: Google to Brand New Android TV Device ‘Chromecast with Google TV’ (Report)

Currently, Roku and Amazon control around 70% of the U.S. connected TV device market. Android TV has a small niche, deployed in OTT devices including Nvidia Shield, Dish Network’s AirTV and the recently introduced TiVo Stream 4K. Smart TVs made by TCL, Sony and several other brands also are powered by Android TV. And as of last announcement months ago, more than 140 pay TV operators around the globe power their thin-client set-tops with the OS. 

"Google TV is going to be on third-party devices that have been working on Android TV OS over the years," John Gildred, Google's director of product development for Android TV, told CNET. "We are now working with them for 2021 products to include the Google TV experience on their next-generation televisions and OTT devices.”

Gildred said he doesn’t expect Google TV to completely displace Android TV among third-party vendors until 2022. 

So what’s new about Google TV relative to Android TV? 

For starters, a new “For You” tab in the main menu features curated algorithmic selections of programs you probably—might?—like, culled from the apps you use. 

A “Live” tab takes the user to live-linear content—at launch, this starts with Google’s virtual pay TV service, Google TV, but the company plans to expand the selection as time goes on. 

Meanwhile, a “Watchlist” has been added that lets bookmark titles in their mobile and desktop apps, and have them surface in their Google TV device. 

Shalini Govilpai, senior director of Google TV, outlines all the changes in detail in this Wednesday blog post introducing the new OS. 

“To build this, we studied the different ways people discover media—from searching for a specific title to browsing by genre—and created an experience that helps you find what to watch. We also made improvements to Google’s Knowledge Graph, which is part of how we better understand and organize your media into topics and genres, from movies about space travel to reality shows about cooking,” Govipai wrote. 

Just like Android TV, Google TV will include onscreen access to Google Assistant, enabling voice control of the OS, as well as control access to smart home devices and feeds from Nest cameras. 

Google is also displacing the Google Play Movies & TV app on Android mobile devices with the new Google TV app.

This isn’t the first time at the rodeo for the Google TV brand name. As CNET noted, the original Google TV debuted a decade ago in products including Sony’s NSX-GT1 TV and the Logitcech Revue set-top box. The tech included a QWERTY remote control and a Google Chrome aesthetic. But it never took off the pre-streaming era and was replaced in 2014 … by Android TV. 

Yet more details have leaked for Google’s highly anticipated new connected TV device, which has has been shrouded under the project name “Sabrina.”

Over the weekend, Android Police writer Artem Russakovskii spotted and tweeted out a Target internal retail systems listing for the device, indicating that it will sell for $49.99 and hit store shelves on Sept. 30.

Notably, the device will not carry the Android TV brand name. It will be called “Chromecast with Google TV.” This would confirm a report back in May by 9to5 Google, which indicated that Google might rebrand its Android TV OS. 

Also read: Google Android TV Dongle Sabrina Hits Virtual Store Shelves

Google’s new dongle reportedly has the body of Google's legacy Chromecast HDMI dongle, but it will run on Android TV.  The device has been observed with breathless anticipation by some members of the media-tech press (Next TV certainly included). Chromecast, which relies on the users mobile device as a remote control, never achieved critical mass as a connected TV device ecosystem. 

But across channels ranging from pay TV set tops to smart TVs to third-party dongles and players, Android TV has achieved a bit of a global beachhead. To date, Google hasn’t back the platform with hardware of its own. 

But the introduction fo a low-cost HDMI dongle, which supports all major streaming apps—HBO Max and Peacock included—has the potential to disrupt the market. 

Low-cost, sports-free streaming television service Philo said it has reached a deal with Google and is now available via Chromecast.

Philo also said it rolled out Philo Connect, which will help Philo users connect and watch programming all of their devices. The Chromecast functionality on Android devices is the first part of Philo Connect, which in the future will help Philo users connect all of the devices they use to watch TV, the company said.

“Chromecast support has been one of our most requested features, allowing subscribers to play Philo content on television screens. We wanted to go beyond just Chromecast support to create a better way to seamlessly watch content on all of your devices, a feature we are calling Philo Connect” said Andrew McCollum, CEO of Philo.

Users will be able to watch Philo’s 61 channels on their TVs by casting from the Philo app to a Chromecast.

Chromecst Connect aims to make it easier for people who have cut the cord to watch what they want, when they want on the device of their choice.

“At Philo, every addition to our product is scrutinized and tested to bring true value to our subscribers,” said Philo head of product, Devon Ray Williams. “We took the time to build Philo Connect to expand our experience to support synchronized viewing on all your devices, not just Chromecast. Today’s launch has laid the groundwork for us to support social viewing and watch parties between multiple users, no matter where they are.”

Philo costs $20 a month and offers unlimited DVR and on demand content. It has programming agreements with A+E Networks, ViacomCBS and Discovery and recently added TV One, INSP and get TV.Subscribers can add on Epix and Starz at an additional cost.

NBCUniversal has announced a deal with Google which will enable app support for its new streaming service, Peacock, on Android mobile devices, as well as Android TV and Chromecast OTT dongles, boxes and smart TVs.

The deal will also make Peacock playable on Chromebook computers when it launches nationally July 15. Notably, Android mobile and Android TV users will have free access to the Peacock Premium subscription iteration of the service through October 15. 

“Given Google’s extensive customer reach, millions of people will be able to start streaming Peacock on their preferred platform or device this July,” said Maggie McLean Suniewick, president of business development and partnerships for Peacock, in a statement. “We’ve made Peacock free to our distribution partners, including Google, because we want people everywhere to stream Peacock, and the Peacock Premium promotion demonstrates our commitment to providing incredible value for our mutual customers.”

Also read: Peacock on the Deal Clock

Comcast’s NBCU division launched Peacock Premium free to Comcast pay TV subscribers in April, embedding the app natively into Xfinity X1 and Flex video systems. 

On July 15, Peacock will expand beyond the Comcast cable ecosystem as a nationally available OTT service, available as an expanded $4.99-a-month premium iteration, or as a free ad-supported product with more limited scope (basically, 7,500 movies and shows vs. 15,000 for the premium version).

Also read: Comcast’s Peacock Streaming Service Created From Traditional TV’s Winning Recipe

Peacock had previously announced a deal with Apple that will deliver app support on launch day for iOS mobile devices, as well as Apple TV. 

Peacock has also locked in agreement with Microsoft for support on Xbox One gaming consoles

Sticking out like a sore thumb with the national launch just over three weeks away: Deals with Roku and Amazon to support the Peacock app on the Nos. 1 and 2 OTT device ecosystems in the U.S. Notably, the May 27 launch of rival OTT service HBO Max has been marred by AT&T’s ability to lock in app support for Roku and Amazon Fire TV. 

“As millions of our viewers have already seen the massive benefit of having Peacock available to them these past few months, we look forward to leveraging the unprecedented reach of Google’s platforms and devices, to provide Peacock to even more fans on July 15,” said Matt Bond, chairman of content distribution for NBCUniversal, also in a statement. “Google continues to be a terrific partner as we aim to deliver NBCUniversal’s world class content across all of their platforms and devices.” 

Android TV users are now able to stream CBS All Access video in the HDR format. 

The ViacomCBS-owned SVOD service doesn’t offer 4K streaming support yet. But it does stream shows like Star Trek: Picard in Dolby Vision HDR. This feature, as 9to5 Google noted, was previously confined to other OTT device platforms, including Apple TV.

Also read: Android TV: Everything You Need to Know About the World’s Fastest Growing Video Operating System

As 9to5 Google also reported, Google has also added a feature to to the Chromecast audio streaming component of Android TV. The OTT platform has built-in support for Chromecast, allowing users to “cast” apps on mobile devices to the big screen.

The new support allows Android TV users to listen to apps like Spotify on their TVs and home theater set-ups in the background as they hunt for a show. 

Google is moving forward with development of a new Android TV-powered OTT device that will compete head on with Roku and Amazon’s Fire TV ecosystems, tech news site Protocol reports.

This latest news corroborates and (slightly) expands on another anonymously sourced article from 9to5 Google in March, outlining a device that would supersede Google’s Chromecast dongle, but would feature the same hardware configuration. 

Also read: Google Developing Android TV-based Chromecast with Its Own Remote: Report

The new device will likely carry branding from Google’s Nest home automation product line. Through Android TV, it will provide access to Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu and most other OTT apps, as well as Google Assistant voice support. Protocol said the new device will enable content casting from mobile devices. And it will support Google’s Stadia cloud-based gaming service.

Notably, the new device would include drilled down search and discovery surfacing features that would emphasize individual programs instead of the apps that include these programs. 

Google is said to be anxious to compete with Roku and Amazon in a more direct way than can be achieved with its limited Chromecast, which is a device only for casting OTT apps on smart phones to the living room television.

But as Protocol points out, Google has a “strained” relationship with the third-party electronics makers who license Android TV for products like smart TVs. And building its own Android TV product line won’t sooth any of that irritation. With this in mind, Google will take pains to market its device “under a distinct brand, separating it from third-party streaming devices based on Android TV,” Protocol said. 

The device could reportedly be available as soon as this summer. 

Google has yet of officially comment or confirm any of this. 

WarnerMedia said it made a deal with Google to make HBO Max available on Google and Android devices when the new streaming service launches on May 27.

HBO Max made a similar deal with Apple earlier this week.

The Google deal covers Android phones and tablets, Android TV devices and Chromebooks. HBO Max subscribers will also be able to stream via Chromecast devices.

Current HBO Now subscribers on Google Play will be able to access the HBO Max app at no additional charge. New HBO Max customers will be able to subscribe directly in the app.

“The availability of HBO Max across Android, Android TV, Chromebook and Google Chromecast devices and on Google Play adds to our growing list of distribution options that will be offered to customers at launch,” said Rich Warren, president of WarnerMedia Distribution. “We’re pleased to make HBO Max available to the significant base of customers who access content across Google’s platforms and devices.”

Google is reportedly in development on a new version of its Chromecast streaming dongle that runs on Android TV and features a dedicated remote.

This is according to website 9to5 Google, which said it heard the news from a “source” familiar with Google’s plans. Also notable: Protocol reporter Janko Roettgers tweeted Wednesday an FCC filing for a remote control for an “unknown device.”

Visit Next TV to read more stories like this one. 

The site said the device will have a form factor similar to the current Chromecast Ultra, which retails for $70. It will support 4K and HDR resolution standards, as well as Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The device reportedly in development has a code name: “Sabrina.” That’s nice.

Chromecast was first introduced in 2013 as a simplified OTT solution—a small dongle that connects to the HDMI port of a display device. Users stream video from any source they are able to on their iOS or Android mobile device and “cast” the video to the Chromecast. The smart phone is the remote.

According to Parks Associates, Chromecast currently controls about 11% of the U.S. OTT device market, lagging far behind Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Current Chromecast iterations don’t run Android TV, Google’s software interface that provides users access to the Google Play store, and its vast selection of OTT apps, as well as Google Assistant voice support.

Android TV has become a popular solution for telecoms and other pay TV operators, which are looking to provide their subscribers with video services that cost-efficiently provide integrated access to popular OTT apps such as Netflix and YouTube, as well as nifty features like voice control.

Android TV, however, only has a small niche in the direct-to-consumer OTT device world. Android TV does power numerous smart TV models and OTT devices like Dish Network’s AirTV, but collectively, these devices occupy only a sliver of market share. 

Google is reportedly in development on a new version of its Chromecast streaming dongle that runs on Android TV and features a dedicated remote.

This is according to website 9to5 Google, which said it heard the news from a “source” familiar with Google’s plans. Also notable: Protocol reporter Janko Roettgers tweeted Wednesday an FCC filing for a remote control for an “unknown device.”

The site said the device will have a form factor similar to the current Chromecast Ultra, which retails for $70. It will support 4K and HDR resolution standards, as well as Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. The device reportedly in development has a code name: “Sabrina.” That’s nice. 

Chromecast was first introduced in 2013 as a simplified OTT solution—a small dongle that connects to the HDMI port of a display device. Users stream video from any source they are able to on their iOS or Android mobile device and “cast” the video to the Chromecast. The smart phone is the remote. 

According to Parks Associates, Chromecast currently controls about 11% of the U.S. OTT device market, lagging far behind Roku and Amazon Fire TV. Current Chromecast iterations don’t run Android TV, Google’s software interface that provides users access to the Google Play store, and its vast selection of OTT apps, as well as Google Assistant voice support. 

Android TV has become a popular solution for telecoms and other pay TV operators, which are looking to provide their subscribers with video services that cost-efficiently provide integrated access to popular OTT apps such as Netflix and YouTube, as well as nifty features like voice control. 

Android TV, however, only has a small niche in the direct-to-consumer OTT device world. Android TV does power numerous smart TV models and OTT devices like Dish Network’s AirTV, but collectively, these devices occupy only a sliver of market share. 

After announcing an end to their OTT cold war in April, Amazon and Google have debuted streaming apps for each other’s streaming respective ecosystems.

Related: Google and Amazon End Streaming Cold War

Amazon Prime Video is now available on both Chromecast and Android TV-powered devices.

Meanwhile, the YouTube app is available on the second-generation Fire TV Stick, the Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube and Fire TV Stick Basic Edition, as well as Toshiba and Insignia smart TVs powered by the Fire TV platform. Apps for YouTube Kids and the YouTube TV vMVPD service will debut for Fire TV later this year.

The two companies unceremoniously pulled their OTT apps off each other’s platforms back in 2017. 

Google and Amazon have ended what was essentially a Silicon Valley cold war in regard to video streaming, agreeing to integrate each other’s apps into their respective video ecosystems.

Under the agreement, the flagship YouTube app—which was pulled from Amazon’s devices in 2017—will be re-integrated into Amazon Fire TV OTT devices, as well as smart TVs powered by Fire TV. YouTube Kids and the YouTube TV vMVPD app will also be integrated into the Fire TV ecosystem later this year, the announcement said.

Conversely, users of Chromecast OTT dongles, devices with Chromecast built in, and Android TV-based devices, will have access to Amazon Prime Video.

It’s not included in the press release the two companies put out this morning, but Amazon is also once again selling Chromecast—the product had previously been unavailable in the world’s biggest online store.

“Bringing our flagship YouTube experience to Amazon Fire TV gives our users even more ways to watch the videos and creators they love,” said Heather Rivera, global head of product partnerships at YouTube, in a statement.

Added Andrew Bennett, head of worldwide business development for Prime Video. “Whether watching the latest season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, catching teams go head-to-head on Thursday Night Football or renting a new-release movie, customers will have even more ways to stream what they want, whenever they want, no matter where they are.”

With its Chromecast losing market share in the OTT device market, Google has announced its first major product update since 2015.

The third-generation Chromecast iteration isn’t radically different from Gen 2. 

The new hockey-puck-style Chromecast will be available in matte white and black—as opposed to glossy white and black.

Related: Android TV Dongle for Developers Does 4K, HDR

The processing speed, meanwhile, is said to be 15% faster, enabling the device to handle 1080p resolution at 60 frames per second. The predecessor could only do 720p at 60fps.

And later this year, the new $35 third-generation Chromecast will get a firmware upgrade that will let it perform like Chromecast Audio and let you play music in sync with other speakers connected to Google’s smart devices.

Chromecast connects directly to a monitor’s HDMI port and has no remote control—users port over video from a wide assortment of compatible OTT apps from their smart phone.

It’s perhaps the most affordable living room OTT solution on the market. But as the Parks Associates graphic released in late May shows, Chromecast has been steadily losing market share to Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV. 

Starz, the Lionsgate-owned premium programmer, said it has integrated its app with Google Home, enabling consumers to use their voice to find and control the playback of Stars programming, including original series such as Counterpart,Power and Outlander.

The technical tie-in enables that when Google Home smart hubs are linked to Chromecast-connected devices.

The Starz app supports the programmer’s authenticated TV Everywhere offering as well as Starz’s direct-to-consumer OTT service, which sells for $8.99 per month following a free trial for new subs.

RELATED: Starz Launches OTT Subscription App

The Starz app is supported on iOS and Android mobile devices, Sony Android TV, Apple TV, Roku players and Roku TVs, Amazon Fire TV devices, Xbox One consoles, web browsers, and LG and Samsung smart TVs. 

Apple TV may be struggling to gain ground in the consumer market against its TV-connected platform rivals, but it’s a big hit with developers in North America, according to a new study from video streaming architecture company Bitmovin.

RELATED: Apple Intros Apple TV 4K

In that region, Apple TV is tops with developer in the category, with 38% adoption, followed by Roku (35%), Chromecast (31%), and Amazon Fire TV (24%).

The breakdown differs by region, as Chromecast has the catbird’s seat in the Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Latin America and Asia Pacific regions, Bitmovin found in a survey of 380 video developers in more than 50 countries.

RELATED: Red Bull Media House Taps Bitmovin for VOD, Live Streaming

Bitmovin also found that Apple HLS is the dominant video streaming format, though developers are also eyeing a move to MPEG-DASH in the next 12 months.

H.264/AVC is still the dominant video codec among those surveyed, with 95% adoption as of Q2 2017, followed by H.265/HEVC (28%), VP9 (10%), and AV1 (6%).

However, H.265/HEVC fits most prominently into future codec plans (40% of developers plan to use HEVC in the next six months), ahead of planned adoption of VP9 and AV1.

“Whatever the use case, these organizations are definitely ready for the upcoming HEVC support on iOS and Mac,” Bitmovin noted in the study. “Android has had support for HEVC playback in native apps for some time, as well as with set-top boxes in closed loop systems where people control the encoder and the playback device, and Android TVs.”

VP9, the Google-developed royalty-free format, is gaining via its reach on browsers like Chrome (Google), Firefox and Microsoft Edge as well as Android devices. Netflix, Bitmovin pointed out, is also using VP9 for downloadable content.

VRV, a new SVOD aggregation/bundling service, and Brown Sugar, a recently launched SVOD focused on popular African-American-themed movies from the 1970s and 1980s, both extended support this week to Google’s Chromecast streaming adapter.

RELATED: Bounce TV to Launch ‘Brown Sugar’ SVOD Service

Brown Sugar, which sells for $3.99 per month and features titles such as The Mack, Foxy Brown, Shaft and Super Fly, is also supported on Web browsers and iOS and Android mobile devices.

RELATED: SVOD Surge (subscription required)

VRV, from Ellation, offers a mix of individual SVOD services focused on fans of anime, animation, gaming, comedy, fantasy and technology, as well as a combo package that runs $9.99 per month. VRV also supports Android and iOS mobile devices and Xbox One and PS4 consoles.

RELATED: VRV’s ‘Combo Pack’ Offers 8 SVOD Channels for $9.99/Month

Roku said that it will continue to support and provide software updates to Haier connected TVs that integrate its streaming platform amid a report that Haier is moving in another direction, with Google.  

Twice reported that Haier is dropping Roku’s platform to instead move forward with one that builds in Google’s Google Cast technology (recently rebranded as “Chromecast built-in”), which is used in the Chromecast streaming adapter, in boxes for Google Fiber’s TV service, as well as from other TV makers, including Vizio, Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, and Philips.

RELATED: Vizio’s 4K-Capable ‘P-Series’ TVs Add Google Cast

According to Twice, Haier plans to launch a line of Chromecast-based (with screen sizes ranging from 43 inches to 75 inches) in Q2.  “With Google, we can better leverage Haier’s global footprint and develop platforms which we can use in different countries,” James Liess, Haier America’s director of marketing and communications, said, according to Twice.

Roku issued this statement regarding Haier’s decision:

“The market continues to evolve and so do company’s priorities. Haier is focused on its international footprint whereas we are focused on North America right now so they chose to use another solution. Haier Roku TVs will continue to be available in the near-term. We will continue to support Haier Roku TVs and they will continue to get SW updates for the foreseeable future.”

Haier started to sell Roku-powered TVs in 2015.

Despite the loss of Haier, Roku said its TV integration business remains strong. Last week, it announced Element Electronics as a Roku TV partner, and said Roku TVs now account for 13% of all U.S. smart TV sales.

Roku’s other TV partners include Hitachi America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense. 

Turner’s first-ever digital streaming service, FilmStruck, will debut Oct. 19, offering more than 900 classic, independent and foreign films to consumers on a subscription video-on-demand basis. A major component of the service will be exclusive access to the Criterion Collection studio library, which will launch on the service sometime in November.

UPDATE, 10-18-2016:Turner Delays Launch of FilmStruck

FilmStruck and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) general manager Jennifer Dorian recently spoke with Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead about the appeal of the service as well as FilmStruck’s potential subscriber base. Here’s an edited excerpt of their conversation.

NTV:What was the thinking behind creating the FilmStruck brand?

Jennifer Dorian: We have researched that a lot of fans are having a hard time with critically acclaimed, hard-to-find films and they are looking for them in multiple places, whether its streaming, on cable or on DVD and Blu-ray collections. We felt like this was the promise of the Internet: to put everything together in one place and really curate to a niche audience.

The economics work for streaming to niche audiences, so we were thinking that art house, independent cinema is a niche that’s underserved and we could be the home for it.

NTV:Why not launch the service in the linear cable space, similar to TCM?

JD: TCM is doing well and thriving in its environment on linear cable and with its TV everywhere authenticated app, so let that service do its thing. This is a new way for us to experiment and maybe take some risks that I wouldn’t want to take with a gem of a treasured brand such as TCM.

NTV:Will most of the content for FilmStruck come from the TCM library?

JD: We’ve worked with 30 distributors — mostly independent distributors and some major studios, like Miramax and Sony Pictures Classics — and we’ve cultivated a new library that is different than TCM. This is a departure from classic Hollywood. There are major film industries in Japan, Sweden, France, Italy, Mexico and Bollywood, so we’re going to have some fun with different storytellers from around the world. The first release of the service [includes] 23 movies from 23 countries and 15 languages. It’s a very different library than TCM.

NTV:How important is the Criterion Collection library acquisition for the service?

JD: It’s really huge that we are the exclusive streaming home for the Criterion library because they are a very respected and acclaimed name, they are a great brand and they have supplemental materials that are incredible for over 1,200 titles.

NTV:What specific audience demo do you expect to sign up for FilmStruck?

JD: Our research and our gut are both matching — we think it’s younger, 25-to-44-year-olds who are already streaming on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon. They also all have pay TV cable as well; it’s not about cord-cutting, but rather loving entertainment so much that that’s where you spend a lot of your money. We’re also going after art-house film lovers who are streamers, and presumably they are easy to target and find through digital advertising as well as through community events and gatherings.

NTV:What platforms will FilmStruck be available on?

JD: We will initially launch on the Web via desktop, iOS and mobile devices and Android mobile devices. We’ll be exclusive on Amazon Fire TV for 30 days and then in late November we’ll be added to Apple TV OS fourth-generation generation [player]. December through March [2017] we’ll be adding Chromecast, Roku and PlayStation 4.

NTV:What makes you so confident that people will want to purchase a subscription to watch classic and art-house films in an ultra-crowded digital content environment?

JD: I think that the big players in the U.S. have already taken over the role of being all things to everybody, which leaves room for the independent niche services that appeal to fandoms and hobbyists, and I think the film community and film culture is a great community that needs to be served.

It’s less about streaming movies and more about celebrating film culture and film as art. Yes, we’re streaming movies, but we’re also streaming thematic curation and supplements that make you have a deeper, more immersive experience.

The National Hockey League will skate into the 2016-17 regular season with an enhanced live game digital streaming offering powered through its partnership with BAMTech, the league said Wednesday.

Leading its digital charge is the league’s NHL.TV service, offering every out-of-market game to hockey fans on various streaming platforms. The $139.96 package will be available for the first time on new generation Apple Tv’s  as well as Xbox One, complimenting the package’s availability on Android and iOS devices, Chromecast, Roku and SonyPlaystation devices, said the league.

NHL.TV, which is also offering a single team package for $24.99, will also feature the opportunity for fans to view either the home or away play-by-play broadcast of most games, DVR controls to rewind an pause live action, and a mosaic feature allowing subscribers to access up to four live games at one time, said the league.

In addition, subscribers paying a yearly fee of $19.99 for the NHL App can watch two minutes of action in every regulation period live with no blackout restrictions as well as the final minutes of any out-of-market game including overtime and shootouts, said league officials.

The league also plans to stream via Twitter a live game weekly as part of a deal with with the social media company announced this past summer. 

In addition to a new smartphone and VR headset, a fresh batch of smart home products and a next-gen Chromecast streaming adapter were also included in the parade of products that Google unveiled  on Tuesday.

RELATED: Google Unveils Daydream View VR Headset, Controller

On the OTT end, Google bowed the latest addition to its Chromecast streaming adapter family with a device that can support 4K/Ultra HD resolution, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and Dolby Vision.

Mario Queiroz, VP of product management at Google, said the new product, called Chromecast Ultra, will cost $69 and become available in November. The new device can load content 1.8 times faster than its predecessor, and features an Ethernet port (via the power connector).

Google, Queiroz said, has sold 30 million Chromecast devices so far. Google introduced its second-gen Chromecast lineup last year, and launched the original Chromecast in July 2013.

Google is also taking aim at whole-home wireless connectivity with Google WiFi, a mesh-based platform that integrates a network assistant/companion app that’s designed to optimize the home network behind the scenes by avoiding congestion by placing users on the “right” WiFi channel.

RELATED: WiFi ‘Volcanos’ No Longer Cut It

Google will sell an individual Google WiFi for $129 or a pack of three for $299. Preorders start in November, followed by shipments in December.  

While retail is the initial focus for Google WiFi, Google is also expected to pursue deals with cable operators and other broadband service providers.

Putting pressure on Echo and other products that rely on Amazon’s Alexa platform, Google also introduced a smart home hub called Google Home that is integrated with Google Assistant. Examples of partners that are integrating products with Google Home include Google-owned Nest, Samsung’s SmartThings, Philips Hue, and IFTTT, which lets users connect the apps with “if this, then that” statements.  Google Home will also work with Chromecasts and support voice-casting for Netflix.

Google Home will sell for $129 each, and reach retail stores by November 4.

Google’s set to launch a bunch of new products and reveal more details on other products that have already been announced at the company’s big to-do on Tuesday (Oct. 4).

According to multiple reports, many of the details have already leaked.

In addition to a new line of Pixel-branded smartphones that will replace its current Nexus lineup, Google’s expected to announce more info about Google Home, its voice-powered answer to Amazon’s Alexa smart home platform. Per TechCrunch, Google will put a $129 price tag on Google Home.

Also expected is a 4K upgrade to the Chromecast streaming adapter with a reported price of $69, about double the cost of the current-gen Chromecast introduced about a year ago. The image above is  purported to be the new Chromecast. 

Google announced Daydream VR, its Android-based mobile virtual reality platform, in May, and is reportedly set to announce shed light on more detail, including the first Daydream headset and controller. Bloomberg said earlier that Google’s been lining up talent and apps partners in preparation for the debut.

Google’s also said to be teeing up a new whole-home WiFi platform that relies on multiple access points and a mesh-based system. 

RELATED: Frontier, AirTies Make Home WiFi Connection

While these products/systems have been making inroads at retail, they are also becoming an increasingly important product for cable operators and other broadband service providers. 

UPDATE: The leaks were very accurate. See our coverage of the event here and here. 

go90, Verizon’s curated, ad-supported OTT service for millennials, started off as a mobile app when it launched last fall, but has begun to extend a bridge to the TV.

Verizon confirmed that the latest version of go90, version 2.0,  for iOS and Android mobile devices supports video casting to Apple TV boxes as well as the Google Chromecast streaming adapters.

It marks the first time go90 content has been optimized for the big screen. Watchable, Comcast’s similar, ad-supported OTT service, is offered on mobile apps to all-comers and on X1 boxes for its pay TV subscribers.

go90 is also removing some friction with version 2.0, as the app no longer requires users to register in order to watch videos, which can now be viewed via curated “networks” such as Action, Comedy, Drama, and Reality. However, registration is required to use other features such as commenting on content or setting favorites. Additionally, go90 now lets registered users comment on videos while viewing, and has added a simplified way for users to share clips or full episodes from shows and live events via email, text, Facebook or Twitter.

The new app, launched on June 20, introduces “a few new design and navigation enhancements… to help users discover, watch and share content even easier,” the company said, noting that the updates will begin to roll out widely on the platform over the next few days.

The new app could help to drive more usage of go90. Verizon has not announced usage figures for it, but CEO Lowell McAdam acknowledged in May that go90 “did get a little over-hyped,” but added that the company remains bullish about go90’s longer-term prospects.

 “[It’s] one of those things you have to work into, and we’re on pace,” he said at the time. “So, bottom line is Go90 is in a good spot from our perspective we’re going to continue to pursue it, but our expectations are realistic.”

Washington — Federal Communications Commission chairman Tom Wheeler stopped short of saying he would press the pause button on his proposal to “unlock” cable set-top boxes, but he has signaled he would work with members of the committee on their issues with the proposal.

And they did have issues.

The key to that exchange — which took place at an FCC oversight hearing on Capitol Hill — was that it was with a Democratic legislator who was asking for the delay, and that lawmaker wasn’t alone.

Last week, the National Urban League joined the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, the Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Rainbow PUSH Coalition and others in calling on the FCC to delay any action on the set-top proposal until it had studied the impact of the proposal on diverse programmers.

Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) said at the hearing that she has asked the Congressional Research Service to conduct such a study, and asked Wheeler if he would be willing to hold off until the study was completed.

Wheeler did not commit to a delay, saying only that he would “look forward to working with [Clarke] and the committee” on any issues raised. He did not say he would delay the proceeding, and he said he did not know how long a delay was contemplated.

As expected, committee Republicans hammered Wheeler over the proposal, saying it threatened copyright protections and privacy and was unnecessary and rooted in old technology and thinking. That pushback has now become bipartisan.

Also at the hearing, Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) went so far as to suggest that he joined some stakeholders in concerns that the proposal could mean a new form of digital redlining.

Butterfield said he was concerned about the potential for the “myriad unintended consequences” of the proposal, including the ability to enforce copyright protections for content creators and distributors.

Wheeler continued to assert last week that the proposal doesn’t threaten copyright holders. In providing an example, though, he also provided fodder for cable ISPs and other opponents.

In talking about his proposal and how it would not allow those third parties to ride roughshod over copyright protections, Wheeler said there are “today the equivalent of competitive set-top boxes available in the market,” citing Google’s Chromecast device. Wheeler said that Chromecast does not violate copyright, does not “overlay commercials” and is not out to take over cable TV, calling that notion “malarkey.”

The Future of TV Coalition, which includes cable ISPs and others opposing the set-top proposal, was quick to pick up that comment and run with it, saying it showed there are already alternatives in the market and that makes the set-top proposal unnecessary.

“If the classic Washington definition of a ‘gaffe’ is to accidentally tell the truth, Chairman Wheeler’s comments at today’s hearing are a whopper,” the coalition said in a statement. “He admitted, plainly and clearly, that apppowered devices like Chromecast and Roku offer consumers an alternative to traditional set-top boxes and are readily available in the marketplace. Which begs the question — why is the chairman so desperate to solve a problem that he admits does not exist?

“Chairman Wheeler correctly points out that apps-driven innovation is already allowing consumers to watch video on a wide range of devices — without hurting small and independent programmers, invading privacy, or undermining copyright protections. Why, then, is he proposing a sweeping mandate that explicitly rejects this apps approach and strips TV providers of the technical and contractual tools they currently use to ensure these protections remain in place?”

In response, FCC press secretary Kim Hart told Multichannel News: “What the coalition fails to acknowledge is that 99% of pay TV consumers rent a box from their pay TV provider, paying $231 a year on average. The marketplace is not providing consumers with choice.

“While Roku and Chromecast may provide ‘equivalent’ functions to a set-top box, today these devices and consumers that use them remain bound by the whims of the pay TV industry,” Hart added. “Pay TV providers choose which device to make an app for and independent app providers cannot develop an app to display this video programming. For instance, no MVPD provides an app to Chromecast.”

Support for Google Cast, the technology that powers the Chromecast streaming adapter, has been added to Vizio’s SmartCast P-Series TVs as well as the CE giant’s soundbars and speakers.

The integration means that consumers can use their smartphones and tablets to fling streaming video and other apps and content to the big screen. They can also mirror any website displayed on a Chrome browser on a laptop.

Every P-series comes with a Vizio’s 6-inch Android tablet remote, Adam Champy, product manager and Daily Daily Show Caster, announced in this blog post, confirming details that first emerged in a report last month.

In addition to the Chromecast, Google Cast technology is also present in Android TVs from several suppliers, including Sony, Sharp, TP Vision, as well as Android TV-powered consoles and other connected devices. Google, which introduced new Chromecast models last fall, has sold more than 20 million of the adapters  worldwide.

Champy also announced that Google is changing the name of the Chromecast app to the Google Cast app “to better reflect that Google Cast technology is now supported across a wide range of devices such as Chromecast, TVs, displays and speakers.”  The updated Google Cast app is rollout this week on Android and iOS, he said. 

Led by the Chromecast, products from Google, Amazon, Apple and Roku accounted for more than 8 of every 10 digital media streamer shipped globally last year, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics.

Per the study – Global Connected TV Device Vendor Market Share: Q4 2015 -- the $35 Google Chromecast took down 35% of the 42 million digital media streamers shipped last year, followed by Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV products.

The Chromecast’s $35 price and portability has made it an impulse purchase for many and household ownership of multiple Chromecasts is not uncommon,” the firm said. “However, the mobile device is not necessarily the center of the universe for everyone and devices such as Apple TV, Roku and the Amazon Fire TV continue to prove popular with those looking for a more traditional remote-based and UI driven TV experience." 

Based on cumulative shipments, the Apple TV, with 37 million units shipped since 2007, still leads the pack, though the Chromecast, at 27 million units shipped and coming off the introduction of a new model, is making up ground, followed by Roku players and the Roku Streaming Stick (20 million), and the Amazon Fire TV (less than 10 million).

When factoring in other types of connected TV devices, such as smart TVs, Blu-ray players and gaming consoles, global shipments in the category totaled 220  million units in 2015, thanks to record shipments of 84 million in Q4, Strategy Analytics said.

Smart TVs accounted for 54% of all connected TV devices shipped in 2015, hitting 120 million units. Samsung, LG and Sony enjoyed a combined 50% share in that segment, despite strength from TCL and Hisense, makers of a new line of  integrated Roku TV products.

"Ownership of connected TV devices is not restricted to one device over another,”  Chirag Upadhyay, senior research analyst, Connected Home Devices service, at Strategy  Analytics, said in a statement.  “Our research shows that US broadband homes own an average of 2.3 such devices giving them multiple means by which to stream video and audio content to the TV. While some consumers will have a favoured method, we find that most households are switching between different devices depending on the user and type of content being consumed."

Signaling a possible next step in Google’s video- and app-casting strategy, Vizio is gearing up to integrate Chromecast-like capability in some new TV models “as early as this spring,” Variety reported Wednesday, citing multiple people familiar with the arrangement.

According to the report, Vizio will back up that plan by teaming those TVs with Android-powered tablets that would as a fancy, dedicated.

Google said it does not comment on rumor and speculation, but if the purported collaboration moves ahead, it will help to extend Google’s casting ability well beyond the Chromecast, the company’s $35 streaming adapter.  Google, which launched a new version of the Chromecast (pictured) last fall, has sold more than 20 million of the devices worldwide.

As Variety points out, making a casting connection with Vizio (and perhaps with more TV makers down the road) raises questions about Google’s longer-term plans for Android TV, its new operating system for set-tops, smart TVs, gaming consoles and other types of connected TV platforms. Will this casting strategy, which would let users stream and control video and other types of apps from mobile device to the TV, complement or possibly replace what Google’s doing with Android TV?

At this point, I’d lean more toward the commentary side, as a casting-integration play could give Google an additional (and perhaps smoother) path to the television as Android TV struggles to gain much ground on rival platforms from Roku, Apple and Amazon. Plus, Google touted the progress of Android TV at CES, announcing that several additional suppliers, including two Roku TV partners (TCL and Hisense), were jumping on board, so that seems to suggest that they're not giving up on Android TV.

Google execs have also been mentioning both approaches in the same breath. “Dozens of partners are integrating Android TV and Google Cast technology into living room products launching this year,” Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, said on the company’s recent Q4 earnings call.

But Google might still be cementing its longer-term play and could end up leaning harder on Google Cast, as Variety also said it heard that Google has been talking to at least on more TV maker about adding Google Cast “without any on-screen apps to its TV sets.” 

Sony PlayStation Vue has added another streaming platform to its lineup as it followed through with anticipated support for Google’s Chromecast streaming adapter.

Sony said PlayStation Vue, its over-the-top multichannel pay TV service, is initially offering support for Chromecast via compatible iOS devices.

Sony announced planned support for the Chromecast in November as it extended support for PS Vue on the Amazon Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick. PS Vue is also offered on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles and via an app for iPads and iPhones.

Sony, which recently struck an important carriage deal with Disney-ESPN, has not released subscriber figures, but said that PS Vue’s daily average viewership currently exceeds five hours.

A Sony official also noted that 75% of PS Vue subs are 18-34 years old, and that the average time spent “per play” (selection of content) on PS Vue is now 45 minutes, a figure that plays on the platform’s personalization and discovery features.

Sony PS Vue currently offers multichannel pay TV packages (with a cloud DVR)  in Dallas-Fort Worth; Miami-Fort Lauderdale; Chicago; Philadelphia; Los Angeles;  New York City; and San Francisco.

PS Vue’s three multichannel packages are: Access ($49.99 per month); Core ($54.99 per month), and Elite ($64.99). Sony has recently reduced the price on its Core and Elite packages by $5 per month, according to the service’s Web site.

PS Vue also offers select a la carte programming on a national basis, including Showtime’s OTT service, Fox Soccer Plus, and a new premium TV channel from Machinima. Epix Hits, a new channel that is paired with a VOD library, is also available on PS Vue as a premium pack with Showtime for $13.99 per month (or $11.49 for PlayStation Plus members), and in the PS Vue Elite tier, or as an add-on to the service's Access and Core packages.

Sales of streaming media players will continue to hop next year, as 14% of U.S. broadband homes plan to buy one by mid-2016, according to a new forecast from Parks Associates.

About 31% of those homes owned one as of Q3 2015, up from 27% at the start of the year, the research firm said.

Parks Associates’ latest findings emerge as several suppliers, including Apple, Roku, Amazon and Google, have introduced new models.

“Streaming media players will be a popular gift this holiday season, especially with more competitive pricing in the market and the expansion of new OTT services” Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates, said in a statement. “With the popularity of the category, it has now divided into two tiers – basic and premium models.”

While those seeking “basic content streaming” will eye products such as the Google Chromecast and Fire TV Stick, players such as the Roku 4, Nvidia Shield and new Apple TV will represent the premium market without the higher costs of smart TVs and connected game consoles, she added.

“In 2016, streaming media players will differentiate their models and brands through additional features, such as content options or new technologies like 4K,” Kraus said. “Ultimately consumers want a simple, uninterrupted experience in accessing OTT content, so that will be the minimum expectation for any device, regardless of the cost.”

According to Parks Research, two-thirds of U.S. broadband households connect at least one streaming device to the Internet. A Microsoft Xbox is the most commonly used CE  device for streaming, at more than 14%, followed Sony PlayStation (just less than 14%), and Roku (10%). 

Google’s Chromecast streaming adapter topped the media streamer market in the third quarter of 2015 on a global basis, Strategy Analytics found in a new study.

About 9.2 million devices were shipped in Q3 in the category. As the chart shows, Google Chromecast  was tops, with a 35% share of the market, followed by the Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Roku.

The latest numbers come in amid the launch of new products from each compan heading into the holiday buying season. 

Strategy Analytics noted that global shipments of all connected TV devices, including smart TV, Blu-ray players, game consoles and streaming players, reached 53 million units in Q3, and are on target to reach 221 million units for all of 2015. That’s a growth rate of 17%, the firm said.

On the smart TV front, Samsung is outpacing LG and Sony, and now accounts for about 25% of all smart TVs in use worldwide.  However, Philips, Sony and Sharp have recently jumped in with TVs powered by the new Android TV platform, which captured between 8% to 10% of the market in Q3 2015, Strategy Analytics found.

Sony, meanwhile, shipped more than double the number of gaming consoles as Microsoft in the period, though the Xbox One “is expected to close the gap on the PS4 during the final quarter thanks to its appealing 1st and 3rd party bundles.”

“Despite the growing penetration of integrated Smart TVs, Digital Media Streamers such as Chromecast and Fire TV continue to prove popular with consumers thanks to their low cost and effectiveness at bridging the gap between the Internet and the TV screen,” David Watkins, services director at Strategy Analytics’s Connected Home Devices service unit said, in a statement. “While the long term viability of such devices will be threatened by advancements in Smart TV technology, they are currently acting as significant components in Apple, Google and Amazon’s fast evolving TV and video ecosystems.”

“The growing adoption of Connected TV Devices in the home proves that the living room TV screen is still the dominant medium for consuming TV and video content,” added Chirag Upadhyay, the division’s senior research analyst. “The collective viewing experience cannot be replicated on a smartphone or tablet and so we expect the ‘connected TV screen’ to remain a focal point of homes in the future”.

Consumers looking to snap up new Roku on Black Friday will have to shell out a little less green to get one.

Roku offered a sneak peek at its Black Friday specials, led by an “SE” (for special edition) model that will be available in limited supply and go for $25, a deep discount from a suggested retail price of $49.99.

Per tech blogger Dave Zatz, the SE is based on the hardware ID (2710SE), so “we can assume this is a rebadged Roku 1 (2710R). So it will feature significantly lesser processing power than the 2015 Roku 2 and Roku 3… but supports RCA connections for older, lower def televisions.”

Bottom line: “At $25, it’s not a bad deal at all,” he wrote.

The Roku SE model runs the new OS 7, supports 1080p streaming, access to nearly 3,000 channels/apps, and is compatible with HDMI and analog TVs. It also delivers some of the company’s new features, including optimizations for connectivity in hotel and dorm WiFi networks, Roku said. 

Roku’s other models – the Roku 4 ($129.99), Roku 3 ($99.99), Roku 2 ($69.99),  Roku 1 ($49.99) and Streaming Stick($49.99) – will apprently fetch their normal price on Black Friday.

Roku prepared the SE deal as TV-connected OTT devices are expected to be a big hit this holiday. Roku will be contending with new product entries such as Amazon’s 4K-enabled Fire TV, Google’s new Chromecast adapter, the new Apple TV and a growing group of products that run Android TV.

Apple has opened pre-orders for the new Apple TV, a more apps-friendly version of the over-the-top video and gaming platform.

Introduced last month, the new Apple TV will come in two models – a 32 GB version for $149 and a 64 GB edition that fetches $199. The fourth-gen device will join the most recent version of the Apple TV, which currently sells for $69. The new Apple TV runs a fresh user interface, a new operating system (tvOS), and comes with a remote with a glass-based touch interface, Siri integration, is capable of streaming in 1080p at 60 frames per second, plus the ability to search across the libraries of iTunes, Netflix, Showtime, HBO and Hulu.

The new entry will be dueling in the market with new streaming products that include new 4K-capable entries from Roku and Amazon, a refreshed Google Chromecast adapter, and a lineup of Android TV-powered devices that have been tacking on content partners in recent weeks.

One place consumers won’t be able to buy the new Apple TV is at Amazon, which said it will stop selling the Apple TV and the Google Chromecast adapter on October 29, opting instead to focus on platforms that “interact well” with Amazon’s won streaming service, such as its own Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick and Roku players.

Looking to keep the edge on its rivals in the heated OTT video market, Roku, as anticipated, has introduced a 4K-capable model as well as new OS, an expanded Roku Feed and a refreshed mobile app.

Roku’s new entry will start shipping this month and sell for $129.99, about $30 more than the recently introduced 4K-capable Fire TV box from Amazon that started to ship Monday (October 5). Roku, which topped the OTT streaming market in 2014, is also introducing the Roku 4 as the company faces off with the new Apple TV device and a next-gen version of the Google Chromecast streaming adapter.

The new quad-core device will also offer an upgraded UI (in 1080p), video frame rates of up to 60 frames per second, a USB connection for local playback, 802.11ac MIMO WiFi, HDCP 2.2, optical audio, as well as a remote control finder – activated via a button on top of the Roku 4 that will cause the remote to emit a sound to help the user track it down. 

4K Fare, New OS

Roku has also developed a curated 4K Spotlight channel that will serve as a home for movies, TV shows and other content that’s available in Ultra HD resolution. The new device will also provide a channel/shortcut that shows 4K fare from sources ranging from Netflix, M-Go, Amazon Instant  Video, ToonGoggles, Vudu and YouTube.

Roku is introducing a new operating system, OS 7, and says its overall platform now offers access to nearly 3,000 channels, and its search platform now spans 20 sources.

Roku, said company director of product management Lloyd Klarke, has added more than 1,000 channels in the past  year.

But the OTT environment is becoming “less about apps” and more about a providing a smart way for users to find what they want to watch, Klarke said.

Roku hopes to address that with an updated Roku Feed with the new OS that expands on the “Movies Coming Soon” feature that Roku bowed in April.  With the new version, Roku users will be able to follow specific actors, directors and TV series. Those are now grouped together and updated in the user’s individual feed.

“It’s like a search that keeps on searching,” he said.

In addition to the Roku 4, all “current generation” Roku devices (basically those made after May 2011) will be getting the new OS. It’ll initially be made available in mid-October and then expand to all eligible devices over the course of the following weeks.

Mobile App Does More

Roku is also booting up a new mobile app (starting with iOS and Android, with plans for a Windows Phone version) that will continue to complement the on-screen experience, but also provide features, such as search, that users can access when it’s not tethered to the Roku device. Any searches performed on the go will be added to the device, said Sharad Sundaresan, Roku’s senior vice president of product management.

Among other updates, Roku is also introducing a feature that lets users more easily connect their devices to hotel and college dorm WiFi networks that typically require an extra layer of authentication. That element, offered via a laptop or mobile browser, essentially served as a bridge/passthrough to connect the Roku to those networks, and the user will typically only have to go through this process once.

The Roku 4 will be a new member of the company’s streaming device family and continue to complement its integrated TV strategy, which now spans five brands (Haier America, Sharp, TCL, Hisense and Insignia, which is Best Buy’s in-house brand), and more than 25 models. Of that group, TCL expects to ship its 1 millionth Roku TV set by the end of 2015.

As a stats update, Roku said it has 7.5 million active Roku user accounts worldwide, and that its platform streamed 3 billion hours in 2014. It has already streamed 2.5 billion hours during the first half of 2015. Those revised numbers come about a year after Roku said it had shipped more than  10 million devices in the U.S.

Marvell is helping to power the tech engine that's running under the hood of Google’s new Chromecast devices, including a next-gen TV-connected adapter as well as the Chromecast Audio (pictured).

Marvell said its Armada 1500 Mini Plus (88DE3006) processor (a dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 multiscreen system)  and Avastar 88W8887 (which integrates 802.11ac and Bluetooth) solutions are on board, which are also used in a variety of smart TVs and other OTT platforms.  The Mini Plus is optimized for 1080p and supports multiple DRMs such as Verimatrix, Google’s Widevine and Microsoft’s PlayReady, the company said. 

Google announced both new models last week, which both sell for $35. The new TV-connected model features improved WiFi connectivity and faster video streaming playback, while Chromecast Audio brings Internet connectivity to home speakers.

As an indicator of how competitive the market for OTT video services and devices is becoming, Amazon will stop selling the Apple TV and Google Chromecast adapter on October 29 to instead focus on platforms that “interact well” with Amazon’s own streaming service, Bloomberg first reported.

"Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime," Amazon said told marketplace sellers in an email, per the report. "It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion."

While Amazon gives Apple TV and Chromecast the heave-ho, it will continue to sell streaming players from Roku, Xbox consoles, and PlayStation consoles, Bloomberg said. Amazon’s own Fire TV box and Fire TV stick, of course, are optimized for Amazon Instant Video and Amazon Prime Instant Video.

Google didn’t comment on the Amazon decision. Amazon and Apple have been asked for comment.

Update: An Amazon spokesperson issued this statement: "Over the last three years, Prime Video has become an important part of Prime. It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion. Roku, XBOX, PlayStation and Fire TV are excellent choices."

Still, Amazon’s decision comes at a curious time as it arrives amid the introduction of a new Apple TV device that, Apple claims, will provide a more open application ecosystem than its current product does. It also comes on the heels of the debut of a new, redesigned Chromecast that features improved WiFi connectivity and faster video streaming playback. 

The loss of Amazon could hamper sales of both products.

When Google launched the original Chromecast in July 2013, Amazon quickly ran out of stock, and demand for the product was so high that Google had to nix a promotion that offered three months of Netflix with each Chromecast purchase. Google has sold more than 20 million Chromecast devices worldwide.

Google launched the Google Cast SDK in February 2014 that enables developers, a group that would presumably include Amazon, to optimize their apps for Chromecast, which now supports “thousands” of apps, including Netflix, Hulu, HBO Go, HBO Now, Watch ABC, Starz Play, Fox Now, Epix, and Showtime.  

Not on that list is Amazon Prime Instant Video. Per Chromecast Help, a troubleshooting site that's not directly affiliated with Google, consumers have to jump through a few hoops to get Amazon’s service to run on the Chromecast – they must use a Google Chrome web browser outfitted with the Google Cast extension. And to get a smooth as possible experience, Chromecast Help suggests that users through Amazon Prime using Adobe Flash rather than the default Microsoft Silverlight setting. 

Here’s a video of the walk-through:

One analyst isn’t buying Amazon’s excuse.

“I think that the excuse of avoiding customer confusion is a not-so-veiled attempt to favor Amazon first-party products over third-party products, and think it was a bad move,” Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, told Bloomberg, noting that fewer than 20% of Amazon customers are Prime members.

According to Parks Associates, Roku led the way with 34% of OTT streaming units sold in 2014, followed by the Google Chromecast (23%), Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV.

Android TV, the new Google OS for smart TVs and streaming players, has forged a slew of new partnerships with programmers, set-top and TV makers and even a couple of MVPDs.

Following recent launches on Android mobile devices, HBO Now, the network’s standalone OTT service, is now supported on select Android TV devices, including Sony and Sharp connected TVs that use the new Google OS. That follows Android TV's recently added support for Showtime’s OTT direct-to-consumer service, CBS All Access, and apps from WWE and UFC.

Other streaming apps on Android TV include Fox News, The Weather Network, FXNOW, Fox Sports Go, Epix, Sling TV, Crackle, and apps from HGTV, Travel Channel, Food Network, Hulu, Netflix, AOL On, MLB.tv, PBS Kids, and Pluto TV, among others. 

The Nvidia Shield, Nexus Player, Philips TVs and the Razer  Forge TV are among others in the early batch of Android TV-powered devices.

As noted in this blog post by George Audi, business development manager, Google Play, Google also has also signed on Hisense and TCL to make integrated Android TV-powered sets. Notably, Hisense and TCL are also Roku TV partners.

On the pay TV front, Audi also noted that set-top makers Pace (which is in the process of being acquired by Arris), Sagemcom and Technicolor will be working to bring Android TV-based boxes to pay TV operator partners, adding that KDDI and Telecom Italia among the early takers from the MVPD sector. 

The expanded Android TV partnerships comes on the heels of Google's introduction of a second-gen TV-connected Chromecast streaming adapter and the Chromecast Audio dongle. 

Showtime said its stand-alone streaming service is now available via Amazon Fire TV box, Fire TV stick, Android smartphones and tablets, the Chromecast adapter (and other Cast-enabled devices), and Android TV, Google’s new OS for connected TVs and streaming players.

Showtime launched its standalone $10.99 per month standalone service  in July on iOS devices, the Apple TV, Roku (streaming player and integrated Roku TVs), and via Sony PlayStation Vue. Hulu, meanwhile, is selling Showtime in a bundle.

Showtime continues to offer a 30-day free trial to its new OTT offering, which includes the network’s east and west coast live feeds as well as on-demand access to movies and originals.

Google is nearing the launch of a second-generation of its  Chromecast streaming adapter, and the company is expected to introduce the new product device at Google's September 29 event in San Francisco, 9to5Google reported while offering some blurry screenshots that show product packaging and a new, apparently larger form-factor.

Per the report, the device, which apparently will come in a range of colors, will support improved WiFi support (possibly 802.11ac) via a feature called “Fast Play.” The original $35 Chromecast (pictured) supports 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi (802.11n at 2.4GHz only). 

Google’s been asked for comment.

Update: Google isn't commenting on the report. 

The Chromecast was an immediate hit when it was launched in July 2013. In May, Google announced that more than 17 million Chromecast devices had been sold.

A new version would enter the scene as the OTT device market remains hot, following the recent debut of a 4K-capable Fire TV box from Amazon and the new app-friendly Apple TV. Google, meanwhile, has also been pushing Android TV, its platform for streaming players and connected TVs. 

For 2014, Roku led the market with 34% of units sold, followed the Google Chromecast (23%), Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV, according to Parks Associates.

Roku streaming devices are the hottest seller and the most used OTT video product in U.S. broadband homes, Parks Associates found in a new report that examines the adoption and purchase trends for CE OTT devices.

Roku led with 34% of units sold in 2014, followed by the Google Chromecast (23%), Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. Together those companies/products dominate the streaming media device market, accounting for 86% of sales, the research firm said.

Roku devices are also the most used among U.S. broadband homes that own at least one such product, at 37%, followed by the Chromecast adapter (19%), Apple TV (17%), and Amazon Fire TV (14%), Parks Associates found in the study, titled The Streaming Media Device Landscape.

“Device shipments and sales receipts are important performance measures, but an equally critical metric for device makers is ongoing usage,” Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates, said in a statement. “Usage will drive alternate revenue streams such as content sales and advertising.”

Parks Associates, which expects global sales of streaming media devices to reach 86 million in 2019.

Walmart is nearing the launch ofhas launched the Spark, an HDMI-connected TV streaming stick that shares some of the basic functionalities found in other devices in the category such as the Google Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick and Amazon Fire TV Stick. 

As first spotted by GigaOm, Walmart has recently launched a Web site for the new product, though there’s still no info posted there about how Spark will be priced. But to prime the pump, consumers who do snap up the Spark when it does go on sale will be in line for a $5 VUDU credit code each month for five months (for a total of $25)...at least until that promo expires on Sept. 1, 2015.

The site does offer some other details, noting that the product will be offered only at Walmart.com and “select” Walmart stores, that it will support up to 1080p resolution, require a minimum broadband connection of 1 Mbps, and come equipped with integrated 802.11n WiFi. The Spark package also includes and a remote control and a USB-based power cord.

It also appears, at least in the early going, that the Spark will limit access to the VUDU service, which lets customers rent and buy from a library of more than 100,000 movies and TV shows.

We’ve asked VUDU for more detail on what other content sources and apps might be offered down the line, but the user manual only features the VUDU service and walks through how consumer can link the Spark to link their existing VUDU accounts or create new ones. In fact, the VUDU app will automatically launch once it's connected to WiFi, according to the document, which makes no mention of any app or OTT service outside the VUDU universe. 

If that’s the way things stay, then consider the Spark merely a vessel for VUDU and not much of a direct threat to any of the far more capable streaming sticks already on the market. But the $25-worth of VUDU credits is a nice perk that might entice some to jump on board, especially if Walmart decides to practically give the device away. 

Update:  A Walmart official confirmed that the retailer started to sell the VUDU Spark in about 2,400 Walmart stores last month. "It’s priced at $24.95 with $25 worth of VUDU credit, so it’s a low-cost way for our customers to access the latest HD movies and TV on VUDU in their living room," the official added in an emailed statement. 

So, there you go. The five months in VUDU credits offered via the promo cover the bulk of the price of the device. And the base price of the Spark, which does include the remote, undercuts the typical sales price of the Chromecast ($35), Amazon Fire TV Streaming Stick ($39, with remote), and the Roku Streaming Stick ($49.99, also with a remote). Time will tell if Walmart makes the Spark a bit more attractive and less limited by expanding the amount of content and apps it can support. 

Update 2: Blogger Dave Zatz visited Walmart  over the weekend to buy a Spark and found that the in-store promo is a tad different than what the retailer is pitching online...$20 in VUDU credits in four monthly installments of $5. So, not quite as sweet, but the promo still covers the bulk of the hardware costs. And Zatz, who found the Spark with the DVDs and Blu-ray discs rather than next to other streaming players, offers a good history lesson on VUDU...I forgot they got off the ground in 2006 (pre-Walmart) with a dedicated device that sold for a lofty $400.

With HDMI streaming sticks from Google, Roku and Amazon still all the rage, it follows that the cable operators will eventually offer set-tops box in this popular form-factor.

While we’ve already seen Alticast trot out demos of an  RDK-based set-top-on-a-stick, Broadcom used this week’s International CES to show a new design, the BCM72502, that will serve as the innards of HDMI sticks capable of providing “operator-level functionality and security.”

As for what’s going inside Broadcom’s design, it will pack an HEVC decoder and HDMI 2.0 (elements that will be key as operators expand into 4K video), 802.11ac WiFi for in-home wireless distribution, and an option for Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL) 2.0.

Boiled down, the platform, which is currently sampling, will give MSOs the ability to tap into designs that so far have been relegated to the OTT world, but pack enough punch to deliver “full-featured set-top box functionality.”

According to Broadcom, MSOs will have the option to use the same platform to provide full-service IPTV using a multi-room gateway/client architecture, to a standalone dongle for “entry level” OTT offerings.

Tuesday was Parks Associates’ turn to size up the streaming media device market, revealing a study showing that 10% of U.S. broadband homes bought such a product – either in player or stick form – during the first three quarters of 2014.

Parks Associates said Roku remained the sector’s lead brand, with 29% of sales, followed by the Google Chromecast (20%), which supplanted the spot last held by the Apple TV (17%).

The Amazon Fire TV box, launched in April, held the fourth spot, with a 10% share, according to Parks Associates. Amazon started to ship its newer (and cheaper) Fire TV Stick last month, and has since labeled it as the fastest-selling Amazon device ever, though the company has yet to release any specific sales figures on it.    

The Chromecast and Amazon’s new entries have successfully siphoned share away from the market leaders. According to Parks Associates, Roku accounted for about 46% of streaming media players purchased in the U.S. in 2013, followed by Apple (26%).

On a broader basis, demand for these devices continues to shift TV viewing behavior.

"Nearly 50% of video content that U.S. consumers watch on a TV set is non-linear, up from 38% in 2010, and it is already the majority for people 18-44," said Barbara Kraus, director, research at Parks Associates, in a statement. "The market is changing rapidly to account for these new digital media habits. Roku now offers a streaming stick, and Amazon’s Fire TV streaming stick leaves Apple as the only top player without a stick product in the streaming media device category."

Parks Associates predicts that more than 25% of U.S. broadband homes will have a streaming media player by 2015, and by 2017, global sales of streaming media players will reach nearly 50 million.

The study from Parks Associates follows one from GfK, which found that 19% of TV viewers now own at least one digital media player from the trio of Roku, Apple and Google.

Nearly one-fifth (19%) of TV viewers now own at least one digital media players from three major suppliers – Roku, Google (the Chromecast adapter) and Apple (the Apple TV), filling a market need for TV-connected streaming devices that are less bulky than gaming consoles or Blu-ray players, GfK found in a new study.

According to an executive summary of the report, Digital Media Players 2014, Roku had a 6% share of the market, versus 5% for the Chromecast, and 4% for the Apple TV. The survey, conducted from late September to early October 2014, also factored in lesser-known -brands as well as recently launched products such as the Amazon Fire TV. Amazon began to ship its new Fire TV Stick last month, calling it the fastest-selling Amazon device ever.

On a broader level, the number of homes streaming content to their TV sets has jumped from 8% in 2010, to 37% in 2014, GfK said.

While the Chromecast was able to increase its share to 5% in less than a year, it also has more inactive users (16%), versus 10% of Roku homes and just 6% of Apple TV homes, according to the study. “Most inactive devices were substituted with another means of streaming,” said GfK.

The diversity of apps and content is one way competitors are trying to differentiate themselves in a crowded market, David Tice, senior vice president at GfK, said. “Price isn’t a huge issue,” he added. “Consumers are figuring out what content is available and what isn’t."

Google has been trying to close that content gap for the Chromecast. Last week, for example, Chromecast extended support for a batch of apps, including EPIX, Encore Play, Comedy Central, Sesame Street Go, Nickelodeon, TuneIn and YuppTV.

The report also found that 43% to 50% (the percentage varies by device brand) of digital media player owners said that they use the devices in addition to their regular TV viewing. That’s larger than the proportions (31% to 42%) that use the devices to substitute for traditional TV.

GfK’s survey also found that Chromecast owners are most likely to report that their digital player supplements, rather than replaces, broadcast TV. However, roughly one third (38% to 29%) of digital media player users said they have reduced or eliminated their pay-TV service due to their usage of the devices, with Roku owners as the most likely to report “cord slicing” or “cord cutting.”

GfK based its findings on interviews of 532 people who reported owning a Roku (265), an Apple TV (215) and a Chromecast (143), from the firm’s KnowledgePanel, which, it said, is representative of about 97% of U.S. households. 

So, Amazon has already declared the Fire TV Stick as the company’s “fastest-selling” device ever, but how it performs will determine whether Amazon can keep the sales momentum going.

Now that Amazon has started to ship the $39 device (I got in on the action early enough that mine should arrive by December 4 ; if you’re ordering it now, you won’t get yours until mid-January), some reviewers have already had a look and posted some of their initial findings on a product that will go toe-to-toe with the Google Chromecast and the Roku Streaming Stick.

Here’s a quick look at the early takes:

-Dave Zatz, the namesake of the ZatzNotFunny blog, offered some mixed reviews following his first 12 hours with Amazon's new gizmo. He sprung for the Fire TV Stick’s remote and found it feel “exceedingly cheap compared to the premium clicker” that come with the Fire TV box. “Having said that, a flimsy remote is infinitely more valuable than no remote… as compared to Google Chromecast, which requires a smartphone for interaction.”  He also found the Fire TV Stick’s app support to be a bit lacking early on, but said Netflix and WatchESPN “both looked great.”

-PC Mag’s Will Greenwald gave Amazon’s new entry a rating of “Excellent” and a designation as an Editor’s Choice, despite lacking the horsepower and speed of the Amazon Fire TV box, which he also likes bunches. He, like some other reviewers, notes that users will likely need to use the Fire TV Stick’s power brick – rather than powering it via its micro USB port, to ensure the device is getting enough juice to work consistently. “The Amazon Fire TV Stick takes most of what made the Fire TV compelling and cuts both its price and size by more than half,” he writes.

-Digital Trends said the new device delivers plenty of pop for the price. “At just $40, the Fire TV Stick undercuts the Roku Streaming Stick in price, but puts it to shame when it comes to hardware specs. Frankly, when the Fire TV Stick was first announced, we thought it sounded a little too good to be true, but we’re happy to report now that we were wrong about that,” the reviewer said.

So, make room for yet another HDMI-connected, WiFi-fueled video streaming stick – the VUDU Spark.

Though it’s not clear yet if this will be a direct competitor to streaming sticks from Google, Amazon and Roku by supporting a full apps ecosystem, the new device from the Walmart-owned VUDU was spotted by GigaOm in the FCC database, showing several images of the product as well as a user manual. 

We’ve asked VUDU for details, such as pricing, expected availability and if it will support apps other than VUDU’s, but the FCC materials show it working only with the VUDU electronic sell-through platform, which lets users rent and buy movies and TV shows and stream them to an array of connected devices, including the PlayStation 3/4, the Channel Master DVR+, Xbox 360 and Xbox One, Roku, Chromecast, select Blu-ray players and connected TVs, Web browsers and iOS and Android-based devices, among others. 

GigaOm notes that the device is paired with a remote control powered by Zigbee RF, versus WiFi Direct, meaning “you shouldn’t expect Miracast or any similar type of mirroring functionality either.”

If it’s indeed a device solely tethered to VUDU, at least early on, it makes me wonder if VUDU will simply just give this gadget away along with perks like a free movie to entice more people to jump on board as VUDU continues to face off against a competitive EST market that includes iTunes, Amazon, Google, Sony, Target Ticket, Comcast and Verizon Communications, to name just a few.

Update: VUDU confirmed that work is underway on Spark, but that's about all they're willing to share at this time: "We’re always looking at new ways for our customers to experience the  movies and TV shows in their VUDU library. We’re developing a streaming stick and will share more information in the coming months. Stay tuned," a spokesperson said, in a statement. 

I already have more TV streaming devices than televisions in my household, but I couldn’t resist taking the bait just hours after Amazon presented its two-day special offer on the new Fire TV Stick – just $19 for Prime members. 

Google turned the Chromecast into an impulse buy using a $35 price tag when it launched its adapter last July, and Amazon is doing much of the same here with its new HDMI-connected device, but it’s also offering a sizable discount to its loyal base of Prime subs (the regular price on the Fire TV Stick is $39).  

Amazon hasn’t released any sales figures for the original Fire TV box (other than to say it’s “very happy with the success of Fire TV”), and it likely won’t be offering any on the new Fire TV Stick (but I went ahead and at least asked).

Still, it appears that sales of the Fire TV Stick are off to a good start. When I placed my order this morning (at about 1:20 p.m. ET today), Amazon noted that “orders placed today are expected to ship after the release date” of November 19, citing “popular demand.” As a side note, Amazon is limiting those orders to two per customer.

For me, that means the delivery date for my order is expected to be Dec. 4, 2014, so it'll be a little while before I get to see how well this new product performs. In the meantime, our household has been pretty happy with our little batch of speciality streaming gizmos, which includes the Chromecast, the Fire TV box, and the Roku Streaming Stick.

While it’s still too early to call the Amazon Fire TV Stick a hit, the new product appears to be off to a blazing start.

Update: As the deadline approached for Prime members to get in on the $19 deal on Tuesday (October 28), Amazon was telling site visitors that pre-orders placed today won't show up until sometime after Christmas. It has also placed an even stricter limit on the number of Fire TV Sticks that customers can put on order. "Due to popular demand, orders placed today are expected to arrive after January 1, 2015. See delivery date at checkout. Limit one per customer," Amazon notes.

Small, inexpensive streaming devices apparently carry big demand. As a reminder, Google underestimated the initial demand for the Chromecast, which caused retailers such as Amazon to quickly run out of stock and for Google to nix a promotion that offered three free months of Netflix with each Chromecast purchase.

Roku is preparing to file a confidential initial public offering that could raise as much as $150 million,The Wall Street Journal reported Friday (October 24), citing sources familiar with the plan.

According to the paper, the maker of streaming media players and a software platform that now supports more than 1,800 “channels” has been working with a number of investment banks, including  Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, on the offering, but warned that the timing of an IPO isn’t yet set. Roku has been asked to comment on the report (Update: Roku declined to comment).

The New York Timesnoted that Roku could try to keep its business details secret via the Jumpstart our Business Start Up Act, which was enacted on April 5, 2012, and covers “emerging growth” companies with less than $1 billion in total annual gross revenues.

Roku, which is battling in the market with the Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, the Google Chromecast and an expected batch of products based on the Android TV platform, has been rumored to be seeking an IPO in recent years. Of recent note, Bloomberg reported in February that Roku could pull the trigger on an IPO later in the year, noting at the time that the company was merely weighing the idea and had not yet selected a lead banker.

In the meantime, Roku has been raising money in other ways. Last week, an SEC filing showed that Roku scored an additional $25 million, extending its total past the $150 million mark. A spokesperson confirmed that the latest batch of funds was for “additional growth capital,” but didn’t elaborate.

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Roku hasn’t posted its financials, but told The Information (subscription required) that it pulled in $190 million in revenues in 2013, that it was nearing profitability, and that the company expected services, rather than hardware sales, to drive the business within the next year to 18 months.

Roku has sold more than 10 million of its players in the U.S., but has not disclosed international sales figures.

On the product front, Roku launched a $49.99  HDMI-connected Streaming Stick in March, and simplified its box lineup last fall. Last month, the company announced the Roku Powered program, an initiative aimed at helping Roku strike up direct partnerships with pay-TV providers. Roku is also trying to expand the reach of its platform through TV integration deals.

Google still hasn’t revealed sales or shipment figures for Chromecast since the streaming adapter took the market by storm about 15 months ago, but it’s clear that usage of the platform is still on the rise.

Speaking at the GigaOm Structure Connect event on Tuesday, Google VP of product management Mario Queiroz said Chromecast users have tapped the cast button 650 million times, up from 400 million cast milestone reached in July, roughly a year after the product hit the market.

As for those other Chromecast numbers, Google’s still keeping those numbers close, but has sold “millions of devices…and that number keeps growing fast,” Queiroz said, noting that more than 6,000 developers are building north of 10,000 apps for the Google Cast ecosystem.

Queiroz was also asked to explain how Google is approaching the TV-connected market with essentially two types of products – the Chromecast and an expected flurry of devices that will run the new Android TV platform (while also supporting Google Cast).  

“Every TV in the home with broadband is an opportunity for us to connect to that TV,” he said.  But while the Chromecast is really an extension of the mobile experience, “Android TV is a platform,”  he added, noting that the new Nexus Player is a showcase of how that platform can be used.

Google’s also working with Philips, Sony and others to build Android TV directly into the TV set, but Queiroz also acknowledged that Google has work underway to embed the Chromecast’s functionality into devices as well.

“We’re building an ecosystem of  different end points and applications which can send content to those endpoints, so Chromecast is an end-point,” he explained. “Android TV devices will be another end point.”

So the point is that Google’s going to be supporting a lot of end points that connect to the TV.

Queiroz also confirmed that Google’s working on a second version of the  Chromecast, but declined to reveal anything about its feature set. “We want to bring the richness of this first screen/second screen experience to life,” he said.

The ZatzNotFunny blog has come across some new FCC filings that confirm that a new Chromecast is coming, but speculates that it could merely represent a minor revision to the device’s hardware.

Roku continues to keep its international sales numbers under wraps, but the OTT video specialist announced Tuesday that it has surpassed sales of 10 million players in the U.S.

That’s 2 million more than the U.S. shipment figures it cited in January, and roughly double the number of domestic shipments since last April. Roku, which unveiled its first device in May 2008, surpassed the 2.5 million mark in January 2012.

Roku was the best-selling streaming media player in 2013, accounting for 46% of purchases in the category, according to a Parks Associates survey. According to Roku, its top sales market, in order, are: the Bay Area; Washington, D.C.; Seattle/Tacoma, Wash.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Phoenix, Ariz.

But Roku is still behind the Apple TV in cumulative global shipments.  Earlier this year, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple TV sales had exceeded 20 million units worldwide. Google has not revealed precise sales figures for the Chromecast streaming adapter, but acknowledged in May that it is in the millions. 

Amazon also has not announced how many Fire TV devices it has sold since the device went on sale in the U.S. in April, but the company has been trying to juice shipments using a try-it-before-you-buy-it campaign  targeted at Amazon Prime members.

Roku also announced that its players now account for 37 million hours of video streamed per week, claiming that outpaces the Apple TV (15 million hours), Chromecast (12 million hours) and Amazon Fire TV (6 million hours) per week.

Roku said its customers have streamed five billion hours since 2008, and forecasts that its platform will stream out 3 billion hours in 2014. The top 10 Roku search terms so far for 2014 are: Robin Williams, Game of Thrones, Orange Is The New Black, Frozen, The Lego Movie, Downton Abbey, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Walking Dead, Under The Dome, and The Big Bang Theory.

Roku also sells devices Canada, the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, but has yet to disclose international sales figures numbers.

Of recent note, Roku launched a $49.99  HDMI-connected Streaming Stick in March, and simplified its box lineup about a year ago.

Roku is also trying to expand its reach with TV integration deals. China-based TV makers TCL and Hisense have built the Roku software and apps platform directly into a handful of models. Several other TV makers, including Curtis, Element Haier, Insignia (Best Buy’s CE brand), Oppo, Apex, and Polaroid, have developed or are developing TV models that are compatible with the MHL-powered version of the Roku Streaming Stick.

Amazon, looking to juice shipments of its new Fire TV box, has launched a try-it-before-you-buy it campaign that gives Prime members the chance to play with the media streaming/gaming machine for 30 days before having it hit their credit cards.

According to the emailed-delivered promo distributed to eligible subscribers to Prime, Amazon’s $99 per year service that includes free two-day shipping and access to a large streaming video library, is by-invitation only, and available while supplies last. The promo is scheduled to end September 21 at 11:59 p.m. PT

Consumers who partake will get the Fire TV for 30 days and will only have to pay for it if they keep it longer than that. Amazon will cover return shipping.

Amazon launched the $99 Fire TV in April, taking on the Apple TV, Roku, the coming Android TV platform, and, to a degree, the Google Chromecast. In addition to OTT mainstays such as Netflix, Crackle and Hulu Plus, the Fire TV has also been extending support to authenticated TV Everywhere services such as Showtime Anytime and WatchESPN.

While the promotion suggests that Amazon wants to ratchet up shipments of the device, the company hasn’t disclosed sales figures for the Fire TV or the size of its Prime membership base.

Bernstein Research analyst Carlos Kirjner estimated in February that there were 20 million to 25 million U.S. homes with at least one Amazon Prime account, and 70 million U.S. homes with an active Amazon.com account.

Amazon has begun to distribute Fire TV outside the U.S. It started shipping the Fire TV to customers in  Germany on September 5, and will start to ship it in the U.K. on October 23.

Since the launch of the Chromecast a year ago, users of the popular streaming adapter have hit the cast button more than 400 million times, Mario Queiroz, the “proud papa” of Chromecast, announced Thursday in this blog post.

Google hasn’t announced how many Chromecasts it has shipped so far, but acknowledged in March that it has sold “millions” of the $35 units, which are now offered in more than 30,000 stores in almost two dozen countries.

The device, which has been competing in the streaming market with companies such Roku, Apple and Amazon, has also been growing in other ways. After starting with a relatively small selection of apps optimized for the Chromecast, there are now more than 400 apps that are Google Cast-ready, and recently added a feature that allows users to mirror their Android device to the TV.

To celebrate the Chromecast’s first year on the market, Google Play Music is offering 90 days of free access to All Access, a service that normally sells for $9.99 per month. The offer, good through September 30, is initially available to Chromecast users in the U.S.

Here’s a look back some highlights from the Chromecast’s first year on the market:

-July 24, 2013: Google launches the Chromecast.

-July 25, 2013: Citing overwhelming demand, Google temporarily scuttles a promotion that offered three months of Netflix with the purchase of a Chromecast. Amazon.com and BestBuy.com burn through their stock. 

-February 3, 2014: Google releases the Google Cast Software Development Kit, hoping it will open up the content and apps pipeline for the device.

-March 9, 2014:  Speaking at the SXSW conference, Google SVP of Android and Chrome Sundar Pichai says sales of the  Chromecast has reached the “millions.”

-April 17, 2014: Nikesh Arora, still Google’s SVP and chief business officer at the time, declares that the Chromecast “is a real hit.”

-June 3, 2014: WatchESPN extends support to the Chromecast in time for ESPN’s coverage of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

-June 5, 2014: Following a brief delay, Aereo launches an extension for Google Chromecast. Twenty days later, the U.S. Supreme Court reverses a lower court ruling denying broadcasters' injunction against Aereo, which later shuts down service as it weighs its options.