Bob Costas or Joe Buck? Notre Dame or Michigan? Khrushchev or Putin?

Yeah ... tough choices here. Which is kind of how Next TV feels about the reanimation of the technology cold war between Google and Amazon.

As detailed in a 293-page filing with the Competition Commission of India (hat tip to TechCrunch here), Amazon has accused Google of intimidating the smart TV OEM market.

Also read: Google and Amazon Officially End OTT Cold War By Launching Apps on Each Other's Platforms

Specifically, Amazon says it's having a hard time getting smart TV makers to adopt its Fire TV OS because these manufacturers fear reprisal from Google.

"At least seven OEMs have indicated that their ability to enter into a manufacturing relationship of this kind with Amazon is either blocked entirely or significantly limited (e.g., in terms of geographic scope) by their contractual commitments to Google and the concern that Google would retaliate against another of the OEM's businesses that produce Android devices," Amazon told the Competition Commission.

Also in the document, Amazon mentioned specific vendors: In some cases, Amazon noted, "the OEM has tried and failed to obtain 'permission' from Google. For example, such discussions occurred with Skyworth, TPV (with respect to the Philips brand), UMC (with respect to the Sharp brand), Foxconn (with respect to the Sharp brand), and Panasonic. Panasonic also shared concerns about possible retaliation by Google against its automotive and aviation businesses if it proceeded with FTVE installation on smart TVs."

The relationship between Google and Amazon Fire TV is tricky, as the TVOS is a "forked" version of Google's Android software. Google's guidelines for working with hardware vendors specify how -- and how not -- Android can be modified.

The two tech giants ended an even more bitter dissonance in 2019, when Google started supporting Amazon Prime Video on its OTT devices, and Amazon started selling Google gadgets in its store. ■

Are you "experienced"?

If not, it could take a while to get that way.

Amazon said Thursday that its new (well, sorta new) Fire TV "Experience" upgrade is "rolling out" to second-generation Fire TV Sticks with Alexa-enabled voice remotes. This announcement comes one day after Amazon said that the OS upgrade is also being deployed to Fire TV-powered smart TVs and soundbars. 

It was all the way back in September when Amazon announced big upcoming changes to Fire TV, with the "latest Fire TV experience" being the operating system's biggest update yet. User profiles were added, as was a simplified main menu bar. Users now have the ability to "pin" their favorite apps for quicker access to them. 

Other new features include app peeks, which let users explore content within the UI without actually launching the app; and "Find," which allows users to discover content by categories like "free," "TV shows" and "movies."

In March, Amazon announced that the upgrade was "now available" on "Fire TV Stick (2nd and 3rd Gen), Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Stick 4K, Fire TV Cube (1st and 2nd Gen), Fire TV (3rd Gen, Pendant Design), and Fire TVs."

"To clarify, the blog was just updated to include the new devices and the list of devices on the blog is reflective of what’s been announced, sorry for the confusion!," an Amazon rep told us. 

Amazon said it is adding on-demand local news in 88 more cities to the news app on Fire TV.

The stories come from stations owned by The Walt Disney Co.’s ABC Television Stations, CBSN, Tegna, Cox, The E.W. Scripps Co. and Altice USA.

Amazon introduced local news last year in 12 cities, including New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Also Read: Comcast’s Vudu to Launch on Amazon Fire TV

“Local news helps our customers stay connected to important issues and updates within their communities,” said Charlotte Maines, director of Amazon Fire TV. “In the last year especially, local news has been incredibly helpful in an uncertain environment and our viewers continue to ask for more news options. This expansion will bring a truly local experience to both Fire TV and the streaming industry.”

Newly added markets include Detroit, Phoenix, New Orleans, Salt Lake City and Orlando.

“Our distribution with Amazon provides viewers access to 49 local Tegna station brands they know and trust most for the highest quality local news,” said Adam Ostrow, chief digital officer, Tegna. “Local news is more important than ever to the communities we serve, and Fire TV and the Amazon news app help us deliver the stories and information that matter most to our audience regardless of which platform they use to consume news content.”

The service would compete with Sinclair Broadcast Group’s Stirr and VuIT, launched last year by Syncbak with an investment by Gray Television.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

“Scripps is committed to serving local viewers on every platform with accurate, reliable news and information that helps them live better lives,” said Brian Lawlor, Scripps’ president of local media. “Amazon’s thoughtful expansion of local news content on its Fire TV devices is a strong testament to the power of local news to keep communities safe and informed through everything 2020 has brought us, and everything ahead in 2021.”

Amazon’s news app is free and supported with advertising. 

In addition to local news providers, it includes content from ABC News Live, CBS News, Reuters, Cheddar, Entertainment Weekly and Black News Channel.

Now exactly two months into its launch, HBO Max has been stunted by a lack of app support on the two biggest connected TV platforms, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.

But while every day that the HBO Max app remains shut out of these two platforms hurts the proliferation of the new streaming service, another timeline quietly ticks away—support for the legacy HBO Now app on Amazon Fire TV.

As reported by Variety earlier this month, AT&T and its WarnerMedia division don’t have a deal in place to maintain support for even the legacy HBO Now app on Fire TV devices after July 31.

Next TV sent emails requesting status updates to any negotiations to both Amazon and WarnerMedia July 27. We haven’t heard anything back yet.

The legacy HBO Now app is set to be rebranded by WarnerMedia as simply the “HBO” app after July 31. Roku users will still be able to access that legacy app.

As part of the rebranding, the legacy HBO Go app is being terminated after July 31.

Unless WarnerMedia and Amazon can come to an agreement, HBO subscribers will not be able to access a standalone HBO app on Fire TV of any kind, effective August 1. However, HBO subscribers will have access to HBO content through the Amazon Prime Video app.

OK, why does this matter? Well, lots of people are still using HBO Now.

According to an analysis of HBO app users conducted by Reelgood in the 14 days after HBO Max’s May 27 launch, 29% were still using the HBO Now app to access HBO content.

Last week, during AT&T’s second quarter earnings call, AT&T CEO John Stankey addressed the Amazon impasse: “We tried repeatedly to make HBO Max available to all customers using Amazon Fire devices including those customers that have purchased HBO via Amazon,” Stankey said. “Unfortunately Amazon has taken an approach of treating HBO Max and its customers differently than how they've chosen to treat other services and their customers.”

For more stories like this, go to nexttv.com.

Amazon has introduced a new infrared device, designed to extend Alexa voice control to TVs, sound bars, cable boxes and A/V receivers.

Retailing for $34.99 when it ships Dec. 11, the Fire TV Blaster is designed to work with an Amazon Echo smart speaker and a compatible Fire TV streaming device, such as a Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Control, Fire TV Stick 4K or third-generation Fire TV.

Using the Fire TV Blaster, users can use Alexa voice to, among other things, turn on their TV, adjust volume and switch inputs. They can also select what channel they want to tune into.

As Amazon explained it, a user with the right three-Amazon-device configuration can tell their Echo, “Amazon, play Jack Ryan on Fire TV,” and the system will turn on the TV and fire up the Amazon Prime original show.

“The complexity of television right now is hard for people to manage. The best way to get at that is with voice,” said Sandeep Gupta, vice president of Fire TV devices experiences, speaking Tuesday at the Streaming Media West Conference in Downtown Los Angeles. “Just being able to say the title of a show is much easier way to do that. Voice just kind of resonates with customers.” 

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.”

Amazon said it has no plans to launch an ad-supported video on demand platform for its Fire TV streaming ecosystem.

“We have no plans to build an ad-supported Prime Video offering for free at this time,” Amazon investor relations director Dave Fildes said during the online retail giant’s third-quarter earnings call Thursday. 

During the call, Amazon executives were asked about an Aug. 28 report in The Information, suggesting Amazon was about to launch, through its IMDB unit, a free-to-consumer, ad-supported streaming service, similar to the Roku Channel, for Fire TV devices.

Later, CNBC picked up the story, suggesting Amazon was going to announce the new app at the Advertising Week event in New York during the first week of October. (MCN aggregated both reports.)

Silicon Valley start-up Caavo has entered the ring in the battle to control HDMI 1, introducing a new retail set-top designed to unify all TV devices into a single input.

The Caavo Control Center, which retails at Best Buy for $100, plugs into the TV’s primary input, and connects up to four devices—pay TV set-tops and streaming boxes like Roku and Apple TV—along with a sound bar or AV receiver.

It can be voice controlled using Google Voice or Amazon Alexa.

Caavo bills the system as an entertainment hub, automatically switching from live linear TV, streaming content, DVR programming, and gaming devices. Compatible devices include streaming media players such as Roku, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV; gaming consoles including Nintendo, Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox One; and pay TV set tops from Comcast, Charter, Dish Network and DirecTV.

Related: Caavo’s Universal TV Device Controller Goes on Sale for $399

The 4K-enabled Control Center uses a combination of infrared (IR), Bluetooth, IP and HDMI CEC, and auto detects what devices are connected to the TV during set-top.

Once activated, users can simply say, “Watch The Big Lebowski,” and iterations of the 1998 Jeff Bridges comedy classic from across platforms surface on one unified UX.

In addition to the $100 price of the device, users will need to pay a monthly subscription price of $1.99.

“When Caavo introduced our first entertainment hub in February of this year, we solved unified search and control across multiple platforms, which is great if you know what you want to watch,” said Andrew Einaudi, a former Microsoft engineer who is the CEO and co-founder of Caavo Inc, in a statement. “Today, there is so much great content available, we made our unified search even stronger and introduced hand-picked guides, editorial recommendations and community features to promote sharing and discovery of great entertainment with Control Center.”

Founded in 2015, San Francisco-based Caavo has been privately funded with $32.5 million, according to its Crunchbase profile.

The start-up is attempting to solve a problem the pay TV industry is well aware of—that is, the need for operators and device makers to make their set-top the device connect to the TV’s primary input, HDMI 1, and have all platforms unified under their UX. 

After teasing the world a month ago with a product development leak, Amazon has officially rolled out its network DVR, the Fire TV Recast.

Retailing for $230, the device connects to an HD antenna and a power source, but can live in any optimal area of the home. It has no video inputs or outputs—users tap into its streams via Wi-Fi using Amazon Fire TV streaming media players, Fire TV Edition TVs, or Echo Show devices. They can also use the all-new Fire TV app to stream on compatible Fire tablet, iOS and Android devices

Related; Amazon Developing Networked DVR for Fire TV: Report

It’s similar to Dish Network’s AirTV device, but the Fire TV Recast has its own storage. The base model includes a 500 GB hard drive, capable of storing 75 hours of HD programming, and two tuners. A primo $280 model bumps up the horsepower to 1 TB of storage (150 hours) and four tuners.

“We are focused on making Fire TV an easy way to watch all the entertainment you love, whether it’s through streaming video services, cable and satellite providers, or even local broadcast stations,” said Marc Whitten, VP of Amazon Fire TV, in a statement. “Now with Fire TV Recast, we’ve made it simpler to find, watch, and record live over-the-air TV at home and on your mobile devices.”

Roku kept its lead in the streaming media player market in Q1 2018 even as Amazon’s Fire TV gained a bit of ground, according to new data from Parks Associates.

Roku’s share held steady, at 37%, in Q1, while Amazon’s share of the sector increased 4% from last year, stealing some share from Google, the firm said.

RELATED: Roku’s Platform Revenues Exceed Player Revenues in Q1

Consumers give Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV high marks in the usability category. Broken down further, Roku lead in multiple usability categories, while Apple TV did well in the gaming and content purchasing area. Parks Associates attributed some of Amazon Fire TV's market growth to improvements in the ease-of-setup category, which is still led by Apple TV.

Parks Associates said adoption of streaming media players is nearing 40%, with more than half of U.S. broadband homes owning a smart TV. About 50% of smart TV owners also own a separate streaming media player.

Among other stats, Parks Associates found that more than 70% of streaming media player owners use their devices at least once per week, versus 59% among smart TV owners.

“Smart TVs earned the highest Net Promoter Score (NPS) among consumers out of all the CE products Parks Associates tested, but streaming media players still have higher usage rates, indicating these devices have firmly established their role in their ability to connect users with content quickly and easily,” Kristen Hanich, research analyst at Parks, said in a statement.

Starz said it has introduced its streaming app with voice control on Amazon’s Fire TV. 

The integration with Amazon’s Alexa system enables Starz app users to control playback of movies and series, including originals such as Power and Outlander, using their voice.

In addition to being integrated with the Alexa Voice Remote, Starz app users can also pair Fire TV devices with Amazon Echo products and navigate content using far-field voice recognition.

In May, Starz completed a similar integration with Google Home.

Introduced in April 2016, the Starz app supports the premium programmer’s standalone OTT subscription service (for $8.99 per month), as well as its authenticated TV Everywhere offering.

RELATED: Starz Launches OTT Subscription App

In addition to Amazon’s Fire TV, the Starz app is also compatible with Android and iOS mobile devices, Sony Android TV products, Apple TV boxes, Roku players and Roku TVs, Xbox One consoles, and LG and Samsung smart TVs. 

In a move that aims to simplify and streamline the TV Everywhere authentication process, Amazon has begun to roll out a single-sign-on (SSO) feature for Fire TV devices.

RELATED: WatchTVEverywhere Extends Support for Apple’s Single Sign-On Platform

Amazon, which hinted at the SSO feature last fall with the intro of a new Fire TV model, is supporting SSO on a select number of TVE apps from programmers for consumers who get pay TV service from certain MVPDs. The feature lets viewers use all of those supported apps after inputting their TVE credentials once.

RELATED: Amazon Sparks Fire TV with 4K and HDR

Out of the chute, SSO on Fire TV will be supported by TV Everywhere apps from Freeform, Syfy, USA, Bravo, E!, Telemundo, CNN (CNNgo), A&E, History, Lifetime, TCM, HDTV, Food Network DIY, Travel Channel, Cooking Channel,  AMC, BBC, and Hallmark. Support for apps from TBS and TNT is coming soon. Amazon said SSO is being rolled out to individual apps “over the next several hours.”

RELATED: Single Sign-On Giving TV Everywhere Numbers a Boost: Adobe

Amazon noted that SSO on Fire TV works with most pay TV providers that support the feature via Adobe Experience Cloud, including Dish Network, DirecTV/AT&T, Verizon Fios, Cox, Optimum (Altice USA) and others. 

RELATED: CTAM Teams With Adobe on ‘Universal’ TV Everywhere Sign-In Platform

Comcast currently does not support SSO on Fire TV, though Comcast video subs can apply their credentials to use the individual network apps on Fire TV.  

Amazon said it’s working on adding more partners for SSO on Fire TV. Apple has also been working to broaden adoption of its SSO capability for iOS and Apple TV devices. 

Adding a new focus on linear TV feeds from its content partners, Amazon has released an update for Fire TV devices that features a new “On Now” row and an integrated live channel guide.

The update, offered to subscribers to Amazon Channels (Amazon’s aggregated collection of subscription OTT video offerings), provides quick access to live TV streams to programmers such as HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. 

The update also supports Amazon Alexa, enabling users to navigate and tune into those live feeds with their voice by uttering, “Alexa, tune to HBO Family,” or “Alexa, go to Showtime,” for example.

The On Now row offers a glance at what is currently on and allows users to watch a preview of the live channel. Selecting a channel instantly launches the live player on the Fire TV device.

Among other additions, a new “Recent” row now captures the last live channel and VOD titles that the user viewed. The integrated channel guide lets viewers browse what shows are live and what will be coming to those channels in the next 14 days.

CenturyLink has extended support of its relatively new, nationally-available OTT TV service to Amazon Fire TV devices.

The telco, which introduced CenturyLink Stream in June, launched an app for Fire TV last week, according to Cord Cutters News.

RELATED: CenturyLink Bows Beta of OTT TV Service

Fire TV expands the list of devices/platforms supported by CenturyLink Streams. Others include iOS and Android mobile devices, web browsers, Roku players and Roku TVs, and the CenturyLink Player, an Android TV-powered distributed by the telco that’s made by LG Electronics. The CenturyLink Player, sold by the telco for $89.99, supports HD and 4K video formats, integrates 802.11ac, 8GB of storage, and features voice-activated search.

RELATED: Amazon Sparks Fire TV with 4K and HDR 

CenturyLink Stream is also selling Showtime for an additional $9 per month, and is offering several add-on packages:

The nationally-available CenturyLink Stream includes a baseline package that starts at $45 per month, includes a cloud DVR, and allows subs to tack-on several other programming packages and a few la carte options.

CenturyLink Stream lets subs stream live TV and VOD on up to three devices at the same time, and install the service on as many as 20 devices. 

CenturyLink stream complements an in-market, managed IPTV offering from CenturyLink called Prism TV that is powered by Ericsson’s Mediaroom platform.

RELATED: CenturyLink CFO: OTT-TV Offering Might Replace Prism TV Product

CenturyLink's OTT TV service competes with virtual MVPD services that include Philo, YouTube TV, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, fuboTV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Now. 

Amazon is broadening its Fire TV lineup with a new model that bakes in support for 4K, High Dynamic Range, 60 frames-per-second video and Dolby Atmos audio, plus an Alexa-powered voice remote, for $69.99.

The addition, which is also equipped with Alexa “skills,” is also 40% more powerful than the Fire TV stick, and follows a 4K-capable Fire TV device, which has more processing power than the product announced today, that Amazon introduced in the fall of 2015.

The new Amazon Fire TV is now available for pre-orders and will start to ship to U.S. customers on Oct. 25.

The new device, which uses a dongle-style form-factor, comes equipped with a 1.5 Ghz quad-core processor, dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, 2GB of memory, and 8 GB of storage. Amazon noted that the Alexa component of the device will also bring voice control and navigation to apps and services that include Hulu, Showtime, PlayStation Vue, CBS All Access, NBC, Bravo, CNBC and NBC News.

RELATED: Hulu Slates Fall Support for Amazon’s Alexa

Amazon said Fire TV is also working with partners to bring single sign-on capabilities to TV Everywhere apps from programmers such as ESPN, NBC, ABC, Disney Channel, AMC, CNN, Food Network, E!, Freeform and USA, among others.

For a limited time, Amazon is also bundling the new Fire TV and Echo Dot for $79.99 or the Fire TV Stick and Echo Dot for $59.99. Eligible customers who buy and activate the new Fire TV by Nov. 15 will also get two free months of Hulu (the SVOD service with limited commercials or no commercials), one month of Showtime’s OTT direct-to-consumer service, and a $10 credit to rent or buy content from Amazon Video.

Amazon’s new streamer will go toe-to-toe with other streaming players and platforms from Apple, Roku and Google (Android TV and Chromecast) that support new video and audio formats.

Of that group, Apple recently launched a version of the Apple TV that embraces 4K video, HDR 10 and Dolby Vision, but starts at a loftier price of $179. Amazon’s new device uses HDR 10, but not Dolby Vision.

RELATED: Apple Intros Apple TV 4K

“In terms of performance, the new Fire TV device is notably slower in graphics/gaming performance than the PowerVR GPU-equipped 2nd-gen Fire TV that it replaces, falling in between the aforementioned and the current Fire TV Stick in GPU capabilities,” Paul Erickson, senior research analyst for service provider technology at IHS Markit, said in a statement.

He said Amazon went in that direction so that it could deliver core capabilities while reducing cost substantially at the expense of gaming performance.

Amazon also introduced a new version of the Echo smart home hub for $99.99; a new Echo Plus for $149.99; and the Echo Spot, a compact version with a screen, for $129.99.

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.

Amazon is cooking up two new products that will help to broaden its Fire TV lineup, according to AFTVnews.

Among them, a new HDMI-connected dongle will become the Fire TV’s “mid-tier” product, as it will support 4K and HDR, putting it in better position to compete with Google’s 4K-capable Chromecast streaming adapter, AFTVnews said. Amazon’s current-gen Fire TV Stick doesn’t do 4K, but the Fire TV box Amazon sells now does support the emerging video format.

The report said a new cube-shaped box will also support 4K and represent Amazon’s new flagship model for the Fire TV lineup, and will feature far-field microphones, a built-in speaker and an LED light bar that enables it to support and integrate functions found in the Alexa-powered Amazon Echo Dot. An IR emitter will let users control the TV and other A/V equipment, AFTVnews said.

Last month, Amazon added far-field control to its Fire TV platform, enabling those streaming devices to pair up with a separate Alexa-powered Echo devices for hands-free navigation. This new cube-based product would effectively take that integration up a notch.

RELATED: Fire TV Lights Up Far-Field Control

AFTVnews said it expects the new Fire TV dongle to be announced later this month, with the new top-end model to be announced at a later date, possibly later this year

Amazon has been asked for comment, but has yet to announce when it intends to unveil any new Fire TV products.

But it would make sense for Amazon to place new products into the market prior to the holiday buying season.

It would also be updating its wares to keep pace in a competitive streaming player market that continues to be led by Roku, which is now in pursuit of an IPO. Apple is expected to introduce a next-gen, 4K-capable Apple TV box on Tuesday (Sept. 12).

RELATED: Roku’s Share of Streaming Market Rising

--Image source: AFTVnews 

Hulu said its new live TV service will be available on the Amazon Fire TV box and Amazon Fire TV Stick.

RELATED: Hulu Launches Live TV Beta 

Hulu viewers who use those devices will be upgraded to Hulu’s new user interface and will have the option to also subscribe to the new Hulu virtual MVPD service, which offers more than 40 channels of live TV.

RELATED: Hulu's Aim: Modernizing the TV Experience (subscription required) 

Hulu’s live service was originally launched on five platforms: Apple TV, Xbox One, iOS and Android mobile devices.

“Focusing on a handful of devices allowed us to learn a lot from our viewers on those devices and make many improvements over the past few weeks. Now, we’re excited to bring the brand-new Hulu to even more TV fans,” said Richard Irving, Hulu’s head of product, in a blog post.

Read more at B&C.

Adding another key streaming platform to the mix, Epix said it has launched an app for the Amazon Fire TV to all authenticated subscribers to the premium service.

The app, which includes access to originals such as Berlin Station and Graves, supports features that allow users to browse picks curated by Epix’s staff, a way to search by title, actors, crew members, genre, and key words, the option to watch four Epix live linear channels, as well as a library of original theatrical trailers.

Subs new to Epix will also be able to trial the service for free via the Fire TV platform starting next week.

Amazon currently offers Fire TV boxes and Fire TV Sticks, but will soon expand its platform to connected TVs from Element Electronics and TVs offered under the Westinghouse brand.

RELATED: Element Electronics Lights Preorders for Fire TV-Powered 4K TVs

Epix noted that it will soon let authenticated subs cast Epix content to Fire TV devices via a recently introduced mobile app feature called Epix Cast.

RELATED: Epix Cast Enables One-Touch Streaming on Connected TVs

Epix supports several other platforms, including web browsers, Apple TV boxes, iOS and Android mobile devices, TiVo boxes, Chromecast streaming adapters and Android TV-based devices.

According to Epix,  the programmer has seen a steady rise in engagement across its digital platforms, including a 150% increase in viewing time.

Starz has added another platform to its streaming mix with the launch of an app for the Amazon Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick.

The debut follows last April’s launch of a new Starz app that supports its standalone OTT service, which sells for $8.99 per month, as well as its TV Everywhere offer for MVPD partners. Comcast has yet to allow its subs to authenticate to the app, but does offer Starz content via the MSO's own apps. 

RELATED: Starz Launches OTT Subscription App

The Starz app, which offers licensed movies as well as original series such as Black Sails, Outlander and Power, is also supported by several other platforms, including Web browsers, Xbox One consoles, Apple TV (fourth-gen and newer), Android and iOS mobile devices, Roku players, and Android TVs from Sony.

Get complete coverage of CES 2017

Presenting some fresh competition to Google’s Android TV and Roku in the smart TV sector, Seiki, Westinghouse Electronics and Element Electronics – TV brands from China’s Tongfang Global -- will use CES 2017 to unveil the first 4K Ultra ... have announced a line of 4K TVs that will bake in Amazon’s Fire TV platform.

Those new Amazon Fire TV edition models will also support an integrated guide, voice remotes powered by Amazon Alexa and present a platform that, they said, will offer access to more than 7,000 channels, apps and Alexa “skills.”

RELATED: Roku Adds Another TV Parnter 

Seiki, Westinghouse and Element are rolling out Fire TV-based 4K TVs with screen sizes of 43 inches, 50 inches, 55 inches and 65 inches, 3 gigabytes of memory and 16 GB of internal storage, and integrated Bluetooth, WiFi and Ethernet connectivity.

Pricing on those models haven’t been announced yet, but the trio expects to start selling Fire TV Edition models later this year at Amazon.com and at select national retailers later this year.

Seiki and Westinghouse will demo new models at tonight’s CES 2017 Unveiled event.

Roku’s integrated TV partners include Element Electronics, TCL, Hitachi America, Haier America, Sharp, Insignia (Best Buy’s in-house brand), and Hisense. Sharp and Sony make TVs that utilize Google’s Android TV OS.

"Teaming up with brands including Seiki, Westinghouse and Element on a new range of smart TVs allows Amazon to deliver an experience that's familiar and easy to use," Marc Whitten, vice president, Amazon Fire TV, said in a statement. "Fire TV Edition offers access to a great selection of streaming and over-the-air TV and movies, Alexa for easy voice search and content control, and the many other features and experiences customers have come to expect from the best-selling line of Amazon Fire TV products."

BET said it has launched its TV Everywhere app for the Amazon Fire TV platform.

RELATED: BET App Joins Roku Lineup

The network has also developed versions of that app, called BET Now, for the Chromecast, Roku players and Roku TVs, and Apple TV devices. 

Amazon has introduced a new, more powerful version of the Fire TV Stick that’s integrated with a voice remote powered by its Alexa platform that, the company said, can search across more than 90 apps and channels.

Amazon’s new stick, which complements its 4K-capable Fire TV box and sells for $39.99, bakes in a quad-core processor that’s about 30% faster than its predecessor. It’s also outfitted with 802.11ac MIMI WiFi, the ability to stream video at up to 1080p, and the bandwidth-saving HEVC codec.

For consumers who buy and active the new Fire TV Streaming Stick by October 31, Amazon is also throwing in $65 in free content – a month of Sling TV (Dish’s OTT-TV service), two months of Hulu (its hybrid subscription/ad offering), and a $10 credit for rentals from the company’s own Amazon Video service.

Amazon has also teed up a free software update coming later this year that will feature a new on-screen “cinematic” experience that will feature video trailers and screenshots that, it said, will help users navigate and find content. The revised UI will also let users customize which apps show up on the home screen.

Amazon’s new arrival comes ahead of the all-important holiday buying seasons. It also comes on the heel of a revamped device lineup from Roku that includes the $29.99 Roku Express, which supports 1080p video, 802.11 b/g/n WiFi, and a remote with a private listening feature. Roku’s Streaming Stick sells for $49.99.

According to a recent comScore study, Roku topped the OTT streaming device market, with a 49% share, followed by Google’s Chromecast adapter (22%), Amazon Fire TV devices (16%), and Apple TV (12%). 

Roku remained the top-selling streaming media player in 2015, accounting for 30% of the units purchased, according to new data from Parks Associates released in tandem with this week’s INTX confab in Boston.

Amazon, maker of the Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick, represented 22% of sales in 2015 (up from 16% in the prior year) as it rose to the number two slot, putting it in a virtual tie with Google, which makes the popular $35 Chromecast streaming adapter.  

Parks said the Apple TV trailed them with 20% of sales in 2015, but had the largest increase in unit sales on a year-over-year basis thanks to the Q4 2015 launch of its new apps-friendly platform. Apple’s share last year was 50% higher than its 2014 results, the research firm said.

Those four players – Roku, Amazon, Google and Apple – accounted for 94% of the streaming media players purchased last year, up from 86% in 2014.

“Thirty-six percent of U.S. broadband households have at least one streaming media player, up from 27% last year,” Barbara Kraus, director of research at Parks Associates, said in a statement. “Device makers have successfully sold streaming media players to consumers by offering easy access to a variety of content streams, as well as frequent updates that add the latest innovation. Amazon in particular has benefited by promoting its Fire TV devices in conjunction with the company’s Prime Video service as well as streams from HBO, Showtime, and other premium offerings.”

She noted that Roku and Amazon are benefiting from a strategy that centers on multiple form factors – boxes and streaming sticks – adding that streaming sticks accounted for 50% of all unit sales in 2015.

Kraus also estimated that about one-third of Roku sales were streaming sticks, and roughly 75% of Amazon sales were sticks.

“Apple and Roku were essentially tied for selling the most boxes, but Roku is expanding its base with the additional form factor,” Kraus said.

Parks estimates that 36% of U.S. broadband households have at least one streaming media player.

Looking ahead, Parks predicts that 86 million streaming media players will be sold globally in 2019. 

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."

HSN’s Shop By Remote app will become the first interactive shopping network app to appear on Amazon Fire TV devices in the U.S.

The app allows users to buy more than 50,000 products and watch live HSN programming and on-demand product demonstrations.

“We are pleased to add Amazon Fire TV to the roster of partners offering HSN’s Shop By Remote app,” said Peter Ruben, executive VP, affiliate relations for HSN. “This is an important step in our effort to advance the practice of ‘boundary-less retail’ whereby consumers can watch HSN programming and shop.”

The HSN app is also available on Apple TV, Roku, TiVo, Google Play, Comcast Optimum, FiOS, Verizon and other platforms.

Read more at B&C. 

Fusion has extended its streaming reach with the launch of its Watch Fusion app for the Amazon Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick.

In addition to a mix of long- and short-form fare, including highlights from programs such as AMERICA with Jorge Ramos and Real Future, the app also provides an authenticated live stream of the millennials-focused network and on-demand access to digital series including This Shouldn’t Be News, The Curls Room and Sex+Life.  

"Our aim is to deliver a FUSION-branded experience everywhere our young, connected audience is consuming content,” Fusion CEO Isaac Lee said, in a statement. “We’re thrilled that with the launch of WATCH FUSION on Amazon Fire TV and Fire Stick, millions of multicultural millennials will have a new way to access our content.

Other OTT platforms supported by Fusion include the Apple TV, Roku players and Roku TVs, PlayStation consoles, and Android TV-powered devices, among others.

Fusion, a joint venture of Univision Communications and Disney/ABC Television Network, launched in October 2013. MVPD partners include DirecTV/AT&T U-verse, Dish Network, Cablevision Systems, Charter Communications, Cox Communications, Verizon FiOS and Google Fiber. 

Amazon said its Fire TV platform now offers more than 4,000 channels, apps and games after adding more than 1,000 new offerings to the mix since September.

Among the recent additions are apps from broadcast and cable networks, including NBC, NBC Sports Live Extra, Watch HGTV, Watch Food Network, Watch Travel Channel, and Fox Now. Those complement existing apps for the platform such as HBO Now, Showtime Anytime, Starz Play, Hulu, and WatchESPN.

Amid the holiday buying frenzy, Amazon has also cut the price on the Fire TV Gaming edition – from $139.99 to $114.99. The Gaming Edition bundles in the Fire TV box, a game controller, two games (Shovel Knight and Disney DuckTales: Remastered) and a 32 gigabyte microSD card for expanded storage.  The new 4K-capable Fire TV currently sells for $99, while the Fire TV Stick goes for $39.99.

Amazon hasn’t released Fire TV sales figures, but noted that Black Friday sales for the platform is up 6x year-over-year.

Amazon is expanding its app lineup for the Fire TV as competition in the OTT streaming sector stays hot. Of recent note, appFigures said more 2,624 apps are currently available for download for the new Apple TV. 

About 14% of U.S. broadband homes plan to buy a streaming media player by mid-2016, according to a new forecast from Parks Associates, which also found that 31% of those homes owned one as of Q3 2015, up from 27% at the start of 2015.

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”.

CuriosityStream, the over-the-top subscription VOD service from Discovery Communications founder John Hendricks, has launched a channel on the Amazon Fire TV platform. 

CuriosityStream launched in the U.S. in March 2015 with a “Basic” standard-definition tier for $2.99 per month, and a “Standard” offering in HD that runs $5.99 per month.  CuriosityStream recently introduced an international offering at $3.99 for SD and for $6.99/month for HD.

Update: CuriosityStream tells us that its pricing is now uniform on a global basis: $2.99/month for SD and $5.99/month for HD.

CuriosityStream plans to launch a 4K offering in 2016.

“Having CuriosityStream available on Amazon Fire TV is a significant milestone for the service, which has not even been in market for a full year,” said CuriosityStream president Elizabeth Hendricks North, in a statement. “Consumers can now access the service in their living rooms, along with Netflix and Hulu, to watch and share with their family and friends.”

Following a recent launch on the Roku platform, the service also supports Web browsers, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets,  the Google Chromecast adapter (for its Android apps), and the Apple TV (via AirPlay).  CuriosityStream also plans to bring its service to smart TVs platforms as well as Xbox and PlayStation consoles.

CuriosityStream hasn’t released subscriber figures, but the service currently offers a library of more than 1,000 originals and first-run documentaries on topics ranging from science and nature to history and the arts.

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.

Sling TV,  Dish Network’s OTT-TV service tailored for cord-cutters, said it is again offering $50 off Amazon’s new Fire TV to subscribers who prepay for three months of service.

The new Sling TV device bundle comes almost two months after Amazon introduced a new Fire TV model that supports 4K video and sells for $99.99.

“Back by popular demand, Sling is now offering the Amazon Fire TV Bundle for a limited time only,” Sling TV announced on its blog, noting that customers must redeem the offer before the end of 2015.

Back in February, Sling TV was offering a similar bundle that offered a $50 discount on the previous-generation Fire TV box or a free Fire TV stick.

Sling TV still offers a variety of service-OTT device bundles to customers who agree to prepay three months of service. Earlier this week, Sling TV began to offer a free Google Chromecast to prepaid customers,  as well as a free two-month trial of its core video package to existing Chromecast owners.

Sling TV continues to offer free or discounted device bundles  of the Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 3 or Android TV-powered Nexus Player.

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.

TiVo, as it promised, has introduced an app for the Fire TV that lets its users watch shows and movies recorded to the DVR on the Amazon-made OTT device.  

Ira Bahr, TiVo’s chief marketing officer, told the TiVo Community Forum last week that the app, currently carrying the beta label, would arrive sometime this week.

Dave Zatz of the ZatzNotFunny blog has already fired it up (the image above is courtesy of Zatz) and has shared his initial observations in this post, and discovered some issues with it.

“Having only played with it about five minutes, my initial observation is that this was clearly designed for or tested against something other than a television given little thought to overscan,” he wrote. “Without adjusting my Fire TV’s settings, elements in the lower left, upper left, and upper right were clipped on my television.”

But he still called the effort a “good start in simplifying interaction for a lean back experience… as the bulk of the app is simply an easily navigated listing of recordings from your linked DVR.”

TiVo has not announced when its app for the Fire TV will support live TV, a  capability that is currently  supported in the TiVo Mini client.

And time will tell if TiVo decides to push harder on a “TiVo Anywhere “ strategy that could help the company brings its platform to more retail platforms, including gaming consoles and smart TVs, following its decision to convert to the open-source Haxe multiplatform programming language.

Zatz also notes that the new function will require that the primary TiVo device is outfitted with video transcoding – either on board the DVR or via the  TiVo Stream sidecar.

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.

Ira Bahr, TiVo’s chief marketing officer, jumped into the TiVo Community Forum (which isn’t part of TiVo) this week to take a bunch of questions about the company’s direction following the introduction of the TiVo Bolt.

You can read the whole thing here, but here are a few takeaways: 

- TiVo’s app for the Fire TV is expected to launch next week.

“At this time we are supporting recorded content,” Bahr wrote, noting that any live shows recorded to the DVR are accessible via the user’s MyShows Folder.

His answer came in response to a question from tech blogger Dave Zatz, who has more detail on what TiVo has in mind for the Amazon platform here, but essentially the app would turn a Fire TV into a client that would run off the main TiVo box. In July, TiVo introduced an update that lets its customers stream recorded shows to Apple TV (via AirPlay).

This is also coming about after TiVo’s moved away from Adobe Flash for its user interface and applications and converted to the open-source Haxe multiplatform programming language, a move that gives TiVo a path to have its experience run on non-TiVo retail CE devices such as smart TVs, Xbox consoles and the aforementioned Fire TV.

-And what about the Bolt’s funky design?

“If TiVo wants to be noticed (and we do) my view is that we have to look different,” Bahr explained. “Fact is if you were to stack all 10 or so TiVo models and stand back a bit you would have a hard time seeing any difference. We thought it was about time to begin exploring more than just a front bezel treatment on a square metal chassis…”

-And how does SkipMode compare to Dish’s AutoHop?

“TiVo is WAY better,” said Bahr, a former Dish exec who oversaw the product planning and marketing the Hopper platform.

But why does he think it’s better?

“DISH only does four nets; DISH only does PrimeTime," Bahr explained. DISH's feature is not [available] until 24 hours after a show airs, and in some cases as long as a week after. SkipMode covers almost all of the most watched shows in America, and gives you the feature within minutes of the show's conclusion."

-And those non-CableCARD approaches that TiVo’s working on?

Bahr declined to announce any specific timelines, but said TiVo continues to work with its partners. Comcast’s one of them, and TiVo’s also in discussions with Charter about supporting that MSO’s downloadable security platform on its retail platform. 

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.

Add some additional visual evidence to the pile that Roku is nearing the debut of a new model that’s expected to support 4K streaming.

AFTVnews found an image purportedly of the Roku 4 using a script that was successful in finding a next-gen Fire TV box that we later learned would support 4K. The image shows a redesigned device alongside a remote that includes some new dedicated buttons for OTT streaming services.  

This follows some FCC documentation uncovered by ZatzNotFunny, a CinemaNow promo that touted four free HD rentals with any purchase of a “Roku 4,” and evidence of a Roku “4K Showcase.”

Roku hasn’t announced any new models, but if the Roku 4 does end up supporting UHD streaming, it will contend with the $99.99 4K-capable Amazon Fire TV and the new Apple TV, which does not support 4K. 

Evidence continues to point to a 4K/UHD upgrade for the Roku platform, but it’s still not clear if there’s a new Roku 4 model in the making or if the video streamer will be adding that capability to the existing product lineup.

Dave Zatz speculated in this recent post on his ZatzNotFunny blog that a 4K-capable Roku appears to be just days away, pointing to a CinemaNow online promo touting four free HD rentals with any purchase of a “Roku 4” device (the cited offer is good from Oct. 1, 2015 through April 30, 2016, an indication that a new product launch is imminent).

UKRokuChannels, meanwhile, located evidence of a Roku “4K Showcase.”  Roku has announced a reference design for integrated Roku TVs that it will license to OEMs, but has not announced a streaming player that can deliver 4K video. 

Additionally, a batch of new documentation for a handful of new Rokus, Zatz points out, has made its way through the FCC. But instead of a new Roku 4 model, it shows pics and data on models such as the Roku 3.

That's led to a different idea of what’s cooking: “I have a NEW theory... there is no Roku 4. But new variants of the 2015 Roku 2 and Roku 3 are going 4k,” Zatz tweeted.

As for Roku, they are not commenting on the FCC filings or their product roadmap in general.

But the timing of a 4K-capable Roku platform would be right, as it would come ahead of the holiday buying season and on the heels of Amazon's debut last week of a 4K-capable Fire TV that fetches $99.99, even as Apple opted not to bring 4K to the new Apple TV.

And if Roku does follow through with a 4K variant of some of its existing models, it will be interesting to see how they are priced. The current Roku 3 sells for $99.99 (the same as the 4K Fire TV), while the Roku 2 goes for $69.99. 

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.

Timed with the start of the US Open, Tennis Channel said its TV Everywhere app and standalone, digital offering, Tennis Channel Plus, are now available on the Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick and Fire tablets.

That expands on Tennis Channel’s streaming reach on Web browsers, iOS and Android tablets and smartphones, Roku players and Roku TVs, and the Apple TV.

Tennis Channel Plus runs $79.99 per year, or $11.99 per month, and delivers OTT access to more than 650 live events. MVPDs with rights for Tennis Channel’s TVE app include AT&T U-verse/DirecTV, Cox Communications, Dish Network, Verizon FiOS, Armstrong, Frontier Communications, RCN, and Vyve Broadband, among others.

Among its offerings during the US Open tourney, Tennis Channel is producing a three-hour morning show, Tennis Channel Live, and an eight-hour evening encore program called US Open Tonight. Tennis Channel said it will provide more than 250 hours of coverage during the event. Tennis Channel Plus is also providing several archived matches from the tournament. For Serena Williams, who is poised to achieve a "Calendar Slam,” Tennis Channel Plus is giving viewers on-demand access to semifinal and championship wins at this year's Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon competitions.

“Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets is helping us bring Tennis Channel's unsurpassed tennis programming to customers through a variety of platforms, and continues our mission to give as much tennis to people as possible, on as many devices as possible," Patrick Wilson, senior vice president of distribution, Tennis Channel, said in a statement. “When you combine Tennis Channel's linear feed with the live coverage and archived matches carried on Tennis Channel Plus, Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablet users have the ultimate tennis viewing experience, whether at home or on the go."

"We're thrilled to offer Tennis Channel and Tennis Channel Plus to Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick and Fire tablet customers," added Steve Rabuchin, vice president, Amazon Appstore. "Now our customers can have a front row seat for all the action at many of the biggest tournaments of the year - even those without a cable subscription."

Amazon wasted little time pitching HBO Now to customers after extending support for the standalone OTT offering to Fire TV boxes and the Fire TV Stick.

Amazon, which also supports HBO Now on its Fire tablets, emailed a promo on Sunday to customers with the subject line: “Get HBO Without a Cable Subscription” –  a message that is obviously targeted to cord-cutters and consumers who have never taken a pay TV subscription, but might be inclined to tap into the OTT offering to gain access to Game of Thrones, True Detective, Ballers and other HBO originals.

“Big premieres are available at the same time they air on TV,” Amazon’s promo notes, adding that new customers can jump on a 30-day free trial of HBO Now.

HBO Now, which runs $14.99 per month, is also supported on the Google Chromecast, the Apple TV, Android and iOS mobile devices, and Web browsers, and will be coming to Android TV-powered devices.  HBO Now distribution partners include Apple, Cablevision Systems and Verizon Communications.

The latest Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick integration will give HBO Now the ability to ride the promotional power of Amazon.  HBO hasn’t announced sub figures for HBO Now, though one analyst puts it at as high as 1.9 million.

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.

Sling TV, Dish Network’s OTT service for cord-cutters, said it has extended support to the Google Nexus Player (pictured) and other devices powered by the Android TV platform.

On the programming front, Sling TV has also added ESPN Deportes to its “Deportes Extra” $5 per month add-on pack, which can be purchased on top of Sling TV’s core $20 per month service. Launched earlier this month, Deportes Extra, a tier for soccer fans, also features Azteca, beIN Español, beIN HD (English), Univison, Univision Deportes and UniMás.

Sling TV said its app for Android TV is now available via the Google Play store.

Similar to device bundle deals with Roku (for the Roku 3 player and the Roku Streaming Stick) and with Amazon (for the Fire TV box and Fire TV stick), Sling TV is offering the Nexus Player, the first device to run Android TV, at a 50% discount when new customers pre-pay for three months of Sling TV. Nexus Player users can also sample Sling TV for seven days for free.

Launched last fall, the Asus-made Nexus Player regular sells for $99.95, though outlets such as Walmart are offering it for less. The puck-shaped player features a remote with voice-based search, and is outfitted 1.8GHz Quad Core Intel Atom processor, 802.11ac, and an HDMI output. Other CE companies that have launched or are developing Android TV-powered products include Sharp, Philips, Razer, Nvidea, and Sony.

Sling TV also supports Android and iOS mobile devices, Web browsers, and the Xbox One.

“We’re committed to making Sling TV available on the most popular devices consumers use to stream live and on-demand entertainment,” Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV, said in a statement. “Today, we again bolstered our device footprint by expanding to Nexus Player’s Android TV platform, and we expect this partnership to deliver additional convenience for both new and existing Sling TV customers.”

Amazon said it has extended support for its X-Ray for Movies and TV Shows to the Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick, building on the feature’s earlier debut on Fire tablets.

Powered by IMDb and currently exclusive to the Amazon Instant Video library, the X-Ray feature help viewers quickly call up information that’s pertinent to the TV show or movie they’re watching, including other titles that feature a particular actor, additional backstory details, as well as trivia and other “fun facts.”

X-Ray, a data reference element that’s also baked into Amazon’s Kindle devices and apps for electronic books, presently supports “tens of thousands of titles” in the Amazon Instant Video library, including originals such as Transparent, Bosch and Alpha House, and shows offered via the subscription-based Amazon Prime service, including Orphan Black, The Americans, and Vikings.

In addition to providing more raw data, Amazon clearly views this feature as a discovery tool. By way of example, a viewer bingeing out on Bosch could learn that the actor in the lead role, Titus Welliver, has also appeared in shows such as Lost, White Collar, The Good Wife and Sons of Anarchy.

Amazon said the video-focused X-Ray feature, being delivered to Fire TV box and Fire TV Stick devices through a free over-the-air upgrade starting today, draws from more than 180 million data items from IMDb. To activate the feature, users must press the Fire TV’s remote’s “Up” button while they are watching a TV show or movie that supports X-Ray

 “We’ve all been there: you’re sitting on the couch, watching a favorite movie or TV show, and a familiar face enters the scene—but you can’t for the life of you remember who he is, or what other movies he’s been in,” said Peter Larsen, vice president Amazon Devices, in a statement. “X-Ray solves this—it integrates the vast database of IMDb right into the viewing experience, so you can easily see trivia, actor information and soundtrack music behind TV shows and movies. We think Amazon Fire TV customers are going to love this elegant experience on the big screen at home, and it’s just one simple click of the remote away.”

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.

Based on the early reviews, the Nexus Player, the first device to be powered by the new Android TV platform, has some promising capabilities along with some rough edges and shortcomings, making it a product that will likely have a hard time gaining much ground on the Apple TV and Roku.

Here’s a rundown of some the early takes on the Nexus Player:

-CNET gave the device’s voice search capabilities some high marks, but found the native app section “abysmal compared with that of Roku, Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV,” a new box that used a “forked” version of Android. Until the Nexus Player gets a “major infusion” of native apps and more developer support and the integration of more non-Google services, the Nexus Player “offers no compelling upgrade over other streaming devices.”

-Engadget called the Nexus Player a “great, if imperfect, introductory showcase for Android TV.” The reviewer liked the device’s simple UI, Google Cast abilities, and voice search functions, but also found it to have some bugs and an app library that doesn’t live up to the competition. “While I hesitate to recommend the Nexus Player due to some chintzy hardware and the lack of Ethernet, Android TV is a platform worth keeping an eye on,” the reviewer added.

-Giving it a score of six out of ten, Wired’s lukewarm review called it an “okay player,” again giving the nod at this stage to the Roku and Amazon Fire TV due to the Nexus Player’s dearth of native apps, something that Google will obviously look to improve upon as more Android TV-powered devices start to hit the market. On the other hand, the Nexus Player’s voice search, YouTube integration (a “powerful, streamlined content engine for the entire system”), Google Cast capabilities and overall “web-savviness” does set it apart from other devices, the reviewer found.

-Gizmodo’s review was a bit harsher, noting that consumers “should probably steer clear till Google gets its [stuff] together. Until it does, the $100 Nexus Player just isn’t a good buy.” Gizmodo also panned the device’s curated version of the Google Play app store and had trouble connecting the device to WiFi and keeping the Bluetooth game controller paired to the Nexus Player, but still found some things to like. “Android TV looks brilliant. The layout is about as intuitive and powerful as could be.”

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.

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.