Cox Communications reach a deal to launch networks from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group on its Cox Contour digital TV service.

Allen’s Justice Central.TV and Recipe.TV are currently available to Contour subscribers. Comedy.TV is scheduled to join the lineup on August 1.

“Partnering with Cox Communications is another major step in the continued expansion of our Allen Media Group television networks Recipe.TV, JusticeCentral.TV, and Comedy.TV,” said Byron Allen, founder/chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. “We greatly appreciate the entire Cox Communications team for recognizing the value of these entertaining, informative, and engaging television networks, and we look forward to a long relationship with Cox Communications for years to come.” 

Also: Busy Byron Allen Wants To Be Big, but Doesn’t Want To Be a Unicorn

The three Allen networks are also carried by Comcast, YouTube TV, Verizon, AT&T Uverse, WOW and participating member of the NCTC.

Cox already carries The Weather Channel, which was acquired by Allen in 2018.

“We are delighted to add these AMG networks to our Contour TV lineup. Our priority is to add new, fresh content to keep our customers engaged and entertained,” said Suzanne Fenwick, senior VP, content acquisition for Cox Communications.

Contour TV is available in key markets including New Orleans, San Diego, Phoenix and Las Vegas.■

Music video service Vevo said it made a deal with Cox Cable, which will launch the Vevo app to millions of Cox Contour TV and Contour Stream Player customers.

The deal extends Vevo’s connected TV presence, providing advertisers with larger audiences and incremental reach for cross-platform campaigns.

Also: Vevo Campaign for Credit Karma Wins Advanced Advertising Innovation Award

“Vevo is excited to partner with one of the largest cable TV providers in the country, as we continue to deliver on our mission to maximize the commercial and promotional value of the music video," said Alexander Kisch, general counsel and executive VP, business development and affairs at Vevo. "Cox provides a top-tier viewing experience that allows consumers to watch their favorite content and the Vevo catalog will be a great addition to that environment.”  

Also: Vevo Streaming Music Channels Launch on The Roku Channel

“We’ve also recently optimized the Vevo app, so fans have the option to enjoy either live linear programming across multiple channels or utilize search and discover capabilities for a more personalized on-demand viewing experience,” Kisch said. 

Also Read: Vevo Taps iSpot For CTV Audience Measurement

Founded by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment in 2009, Vevo offers premium content for fans of all genres of music. Vevo has been expanding its distribution into the hot CTV space and is now available on numerous streaming platforms including YouTube, Samsung, Samsung TV Plus, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Echo Show, Pluto TV, Apple TV, Roku, Comcast Xfinity X1 and Flex, Vizio, Sky Xite, Redbox, T-Mobile Play, Virgin Media, Xumo, Testra, Rodgers, Show, Local now, Google TV, Android TV and Vewd. ■

Discovery said it reached a deal with Cox Communication that makes the streaming service Discovery Plus available for purchase via the Cox Contour 2 set top box and the Contour stream player.

“Our goal is to continuously improve our customers’ experience and give them greater access to the entertainment they are most excited about and the Discovery Plus partnership does just that.” said Mark Greatrex, incoming president at Cox Communications.

Discovery Plus costs $.99 a month with ads. There is also an ad-free version for $6.99 a month. Cox customers can get a 30-day trial of Discovery Plus if they sign up through Contour TV or the Contour Stream Player. 

“We are thrilled that Cox Contour customers will now have easy access to all that discovery+ has to offer,” said Gabriel Sauerhoff, senior VP, digital distribution and commercial partnerships at Discovery, Inc. “The launch of discovery+ on Contour reinforces our longstanding relationship with Cox and ensures that their customers will be able to access all of Discovery’s much-loved shows, brands and personalities.”

To promote the season premiere of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Nov. 11, NBCUniversal and Cox Communications have teamed up to offer Cox Contour subscribers an interactive gaming experience based on the show.

The Real Housewives Arcade trivia gaming app launches Monday. Each week through Dec. 7 the app will feature new trivia questions for fans to answer.

The game will direct Cox subscribers to tune into the premiere of The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City and point them to a library of VOD content on Cox Contour and Peacock TV.

Contour subscribers get Peacock Premium for free as part of a distribution deal between NBCU and Cox.

In a spot Cox is running to promote its voice-activated remote control, Real Housewife Heather Gay uses the device and explains to viewers how to open the trivia app just by saying “Real Housewives Arcade.”

“Interactivity is crucial to breaking through the clutter and enhancing our fan’s experience on partner platforms,” said Mac Budill, president, Content Distribution, NBCUniversal. “We’re grateful for Cox’s partnership in launching The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City to their customers and for highlighting our incredible library of The Real Housewives content.”

Cox is promoting the gaming app with full banner ads, a custom tile on its homepage and placing the game in the Featured Network, TV and App sections.

On Demand streaming service Fox Nation has launched on Cox Contour TV, the parties said Tuesday.

The service, designed to complement Fox News Channel, is now available to Cox Contour TV customers and to Internet-only customers with the Contour Stream Player, according to John Finley, Executive Vice President of Development for Fox Nation. The SVOD service can be found on Cox on Demand on Contour and across devices via the Contour app and portal -- as well as on the Contour Stream Player -- for $5.99 per month.

“Since first launching our platform in 2018, the demand for Fox Nation has only grown and we look forward to further expanding and introducing Cox’s customers to this service,” said Finley.

Subscription video on demand service True Royalty Tv has launched on Cox Contour TV, executives from both parties said Monday.

The $5.99 per month service, which features original and acquired content surrounding the British Royal Family, will be featured as part of the Cox Contour TV programming lineup. In addition to content about the British Royal Family, True Royalty TV features documentaries and docudramas about other Monarchies around the world, said the network.

“The launch on Cox is a tremendous step forward for True Royalty TV ... we have tapped into a specialized content sector that has a massive fan base – a fact that our platform partners have come to fully appreciate,” said Gregor Angus, True Royalty TV CEO and co-founder in a statement. “Our distribution on this platform will be vital in our continued growth in the US in the months and years to come.”

True Royalty TV is also available in the US on Xfinity’s X1 platform, Sling TV, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, via iOS and Android app stores and online at www.TrueRoyalty.tv.

RELATED: It's All About The Royals with True Royalty TV (video)

FX continues to build the lineup for its FX+ commercial free service by adding epiosdes from several series including Emmy-award winning series Atlanta, the network announced Monday.

FX+, which is currently available to Comcast Xfinity TV and Cox Contour subscribers for fee of $5.99 per month, will now include episodes from its freshman comedy series Atlanta -- which recently won two Emmy Awards – drama series The Americans, Legion and Taboo, and comedy series Better Things, according to network officials.

The shows will be rolled out over a period of time, with FX+ expected to complete its roster beginning in 2018, the company said. Overall, FX+ will feature more than 1,300 episodes of award-winning and acclaimed original programs spanning the past 15 years. Among the shows currently available on the service include American Horror Story, Baskets, Nip/Tuck,, The Shield, Wilfred, The League and Louie.

 AMC has also launched a commercial-free version of the network, AMC Premiere, which Comcast carries for $4.99 a month.

Comcast isn’t the only operator to reap the video-facing benefits of X1.

RELATED: Comcast Adds 161K Video Subs in 2016

Cox, which went wide with the launch of a new X1-powered version of its “Contour” branded video service last year, had a banner 2016, according to company spokesman Todd Smith, who tweeted this as Comcast reported its Q4 results:

Cox had best video year since 2008 https://t.co/gfImkBSDNJ

— Todd Smith (@toddpr) January 26, 2017

Privately held Cox doesn’t disclose sub numbers, but Smith confirmed via email that 2016 “was our best video year since 2008” and that the MSO is “seeing similar trends as others in the industry thanks largely to our new Contour product that expanded to all markets in 2016 (X1 based) and its new features including voice control and predictive search."

RELATED: Cox Inks National X1 Deal with Comcast 

Shaw Communications recently rolled out a new service, called BlueSky TV, that relies on an X1 syndication deal and will be used to shore up its video sub numbers.

Rogers Communications plans to launch its X1-based IPTV service in “early 2018.” It will also be looking to reverse its pay TV numbers --  Rogers lost 13,000 video subs in Q4 2016, and saw a 4% drop in TV revenues in the period, and lost 76,000 video subs for the full year.

RELATED: Rogers Taps Comcast’s X1 Platform for IPTV Shift

In addition to driving further penetration of X1, Comcast said today that another priority for 2017 will be to seek more X1 syndication deals.

RELATED: Comcast Backs Bet on X1

Small innovations drive our economy.  Large-scale inventions – consider the car, for instance – create periodic seismic economic shifts, but it’s the subsequent and persistent flywheel of innovation orbiting these inventions that really builds industries and propels meaningful growth. 

Let’s consider the emergence of the car: Henry Ford’s Model T revolutionized American life and helped enable the suburban life enjoyed by roughly 40% of our population. However, it is the more than 100 years of subsequent innovation that serves as the growth catalyst between Ford’s first Model T and the ~$9 trillion worldwide auto sales industry that we have today: innovations like the seat belt and the airbag, which combined reduced road fatalities by 70%; like power steering and brakes, which made cars easier and more fun to drive for the masses; like varied style and design, which propel dozens of luxury brands. 

Taken together, these smaller innovations on the basic automotive platform represent the building blocks of a micro-economy. And the innovations simply continue as the next-generation lithium-ion cell batteries, so artfully leveraged by Tesla, stimulate growth in the auto industry, boosting electric car sales 6X over the past five years.

Cable is no different: It all started with the introduction of the television. Ever since the sale of the first commercial TV set in 1928, constant innovation has fueled and shaped our industry. 

From the dizzying array of constantly improving features of the TV (like the ultra-thin, 4k-capable displays that drive more than $100 billion in annual worldwide TV sales) to the features that connect to the TV (like the DVR, which sparked the timeshifted viewing that now comprises 16 hours per month for the average U.S. adult), from the stunning, immersive UIs (like the one delivered by our Contour service, which provides millions of U.S. homes with intuitive and intelligent access to an ever growing pool of content and options) to the content ecosystem that flows through the TV and shapes our culture, innovation on the TV has driven nearly every facet of the ~$150 billion video distribution industry that we operate in today. 

The introduction of the television was a seismic invention, but the cumulative subsequent innovation flywheel has produced far more economic value for both new and old video ecosystem participants.

There is little doubt that this flywheel will continue to spin, and the annual INTX show is the venue where we all get to peek around the corner at the next innovation wave. This year’s INTX show will be flush with previews of next-generation innovations that introduce new and valuable functionality to our products. 

This is precisely why I’ll be there – to collaborate with TV and media innovators, and to experience first-hand the products and services that will shape our collective future and drive cable’s next wave of growth. The beauty of INTX is in its ability to unite the full spectrum of people, ideas, technologies and strategies from across the media and communications landscape to drive new and evolving conversations. It’s the best way to get a view into what’s driving that flywheel. I hope you will join me there. 

After all, small is the new big. 

Steve Necessary is executive VP of product development and management for Cox Communications.