This week on TechHive: Good and bad in the Discovery-Scripps Deal
An intriguing rumor emerged last week just before Discovery Communications announced plans to acquire Scripps Networks for $14.6 billion. Citing unnamed sources, AdAge reported that Discovery wants to launch a new streaming TV bundle with channels from both networks, priced between $3 and $4 per month.

That would be a big win for cord cutters. Beyond its own eponymous channel, Discovery’s roster includes TLC, Animal Planet, and Investigation Discovery. Scripps channels include HGTV, Food Network, Travel Channel, and DIY Network. Combined, the two networks operate five of the top 20 cable networks in the U.S., and they make up nearly 20 percent of ad-supported pay TV viewership.

But the creation of another mega network could also cause more consumer headaches. With a bigger pool of must-have channels, Discovery would gain more bargaining power with TV providers, including streaming bundles like Sling TV and PlayStation Vue. If regulators approve the acquisition, the result could be bigger bundles at higher prices, or ones with fewer of the channels people want. Read the full column on TechHive.

Weekly Rewind

Plex drops the Live TV beta tag: Plex has addressed one of the biggest issues with its over-the-air DVR service. Now, you can pause live TV and rewind through any live broadcast you’ve been watching. Plex has also extended live TV support to Apple TV and Android mobile devices, joining Android TV and iOS. Support for Roku, Fire TV, smart TVs, and desktop web browsers is up next.

To use Plex’s  DVR service, you need a Plex Pass ($5 per month, $40 per year, or $120 for life), an HDHomeRun or supported USB tuner, an over-the-air antenna, and a server device such as a PC or Nvidia Shield TV box. Plex then streams the video from the server to its client apps. It’s a powerful solution for recording free broadcast channels if you’re tech savvy enough to put the pieces together.

FuboTV review: Over at TechHive, I reviewed FuboTV, a $35-per-month streaming bundle with an emphasis on live sports. Fubo has an interesting lineup, with channels like Fox Soccer Plus and Eleven Sports that tend to cost a lot more through other streaming services. It also has a unique way of bringing live sports to the surface, using a “Matches” menu that lets you browse by sport.

But Fubo’s connected TV apps are currently in beta, and it shows. The Apple TV and Roku versions don’t have the aforementioned Matches menu or DVR support, and watching on-demand shows requires iOS, Android, or the web. As an all-purpose streaming bundle, Fubo is a tough sell for now.

More Catch-Up

Save More Money
Through Saturday, August 5, Best Buy is selling the Tablo Dual over-the-air DVR for $200. That’s $50 off the regular price, and it includes six months of free DVR service (normally another $50) if you sign up by August 19.

Unlike the original Tablo two-tuner DVR, which requires a separate hard drive, the recently-launched Dual comes with 64 GB of built-in storage. But its $250 asking price was tough to justify with the old model regularly selling for $200 or less, given that you’ll probably want to hook up an external drive anyway. At $200, the Dual becomes the better buy, especially if you’re not sure how much storage you’ll ultimately need.

Thanks for reading!

If you’ve read this far into the newsletter in recent months, you’ve likely noticed some modest attempts to earn a little income through it. So far, those have included a Patreon page (for recurring donations) and a Ko-Fi page (for one-time donations). Now, I’m experimenting with another method in the form of affiliate links in the newsletter’s “Save More Money” section. Nothing’s changing about the deals themselves–my primary goal is still to surface discounts on products I genuinely like, regardless of whether it brings in a tiny commission–but I may use affiliate links if the retailer allows it.

I continue to value feedback above all else, as it often turns into story ideas I can use in my regular gig over at TechHive. As always, you can respond to this email or find me on Twitter with your questions and comments.

Until next week,
Jared