NextGenTV updates, HBO Max price hike
This week on TechHive: NextGenTV needs another year
Fair warning: This update on the status of ATSC 3.0—also known as NextGen TV—will read a lot like the one from last year, and maybe even the year before.
That’s because the new over-the-air broadcast standard, which enables features like 4K HDR video and on-demand content, still needs more time to really get off the ground. Although NextGenTV broadcasts are now available in more than 60 U.S. markets, support remains missing from the majority of new TVs, and low-cost converter boxes for existing televisions haven’t yet materialized.
Those involved with ATSC 3.0 hope the standard will ramp up in 2024, when they expect a boom in cheap TVs and tuner boxes with NextGen TV certification. But even then, broadcasters will continue to simulcast in the current ATSC 1.0 standard for years to come, so there’s no need to throw out your current TV or over-the-air DVR just to keep watching free TV with an antenna.
Read the full column on TechHive →
Weekly rewind
HBO Max price hike: HBO Max’s ad-free plan will become $1 per month more expensive starting on February 11, bringing the price to $16 per month. The service’s ad-supported plan is unchanged at $10 per month or $100 per year, and the annual ad-free plan still costs $150 per year.
This is the first price increase for HBO in its eight-year streaming history, which began with the launch of HBO Now in 2015. The big question now is whether more hikes are to come after HBO Max and Discovery+ merge into one service in the spring.
FuboTV price hike: I hate to bear more bad news, but FuboTV is getting more expensive as well. The service is raising its base price to $75 per month in February—a $5 per month hike—and is also adding or raising its regional sports fees to as much as $14 per month. (The exact fee depends on how many regional sports networks Fubo carries in your area; you can look up the exact figure by zip code on Fubo’s support site.)
Fubo does have some justification here: The company will soon add Bally Sports channels back to its lineup and now offers more local sports than most other live streaming services. Even after the hikes, Fubo will undercut DirecTV Stream’s package with regional sports by $11 per month, and I think there’s room for a live streaming service that maxes out on expensive sports content no matter the cost. (A report this week claimed that Fubo will also soon restore TBS and other Turner channels to its lineup, though Fubo has outright denied this.)
Even so, Fubo’s use of sneaky fees is a deplorable cable-era tactic that ought to be jeered at every opportunity.
Apple TV annoyances: Apple has made a change to the TV app on Apple TV devices, and not for the better. Instead of leading with the “Up Next” row of shows you’ve been watching, the app now shows large-screen promos for other content with auto-playing trailers. The Up Next row is still available, but now you must scroll past the auto-play row to reach it.
It’s an obnoxious change that will likely boost Apple’s preferred engagement metrics at the expense of user convenience, and unfortunately it can’t be reversed. You can, however, disable the auto-play component under Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Auto-Play Video Previews.
More catch-up
- By me: You might actually want a TiVo TV someday.
- Sling TV says user profiles are coming soon.
- Apple TV gets a proper Windows app.
- Philo adds Smithsonian and POP at no extra charge.
- Rumor mill: Don’t expect new Apple TV hardware this year.
- Shocker: Amazon’s exclusive NFL games drove away older viewers.
- Some Comcast customers will pay more than $800 in fees this year. (By Luke Bouma, who I’m glad to see back at Cord Cutters News again.)
Save more money
After a brief hiatus, Sling TV is back to offering half off the first month, bringing the price to $20 for either Sling Orange or Sling Blue, or $27.50 for Sling Orange + Blue. The regular price kicks in automatically after the one-month promo period.
Also, if you missed it last week, the latest code for a free month of Paramount+ (and, optionally, Showtime) is SERIEA. See full instructions here.
I’ve got a longer list of up-to-date streaming deals over at the Cord Cutter Weekly website.
Thanks for reading!
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Until next week,
Jared