SmartStream

Well, okay…not everyone but as Netflix gets ready to exit the disc rental service it has run for 25 years, it is offering subscribers to its DVD/Blu-ray mail-order service a chance to get up to 10 more free titles.

A sea of pink worn by mothers, daughters, and grandmothers waiting for popcorn to eat while watching Barbie together. It's precisely what movie makers and theater owners hoped for—a sense of community watching a movie together pre-pandemic style. It's an experience that can't be duplicated streaming at home alone. Most studios have ended same-day streaming offerings, and theater-only windows are extending longer.

Last year, trendsetter HBO (now "Max") was the catalyst for a disturbing direction in streaming media services when it removed HBO originals from the platform. Disney+, Hulu, and now Paramount+ have followed suit by removing some of their original programming.

After grappling with what to do with CNN following the shutdown of the CNN+ streaming services, Warner Bros. Discovery plans to add live CNN to Max later this year. CNN fans will be free to cut the cord and stream directly from the app.

HBO Max is now just Max. Beyond the name change, Max combines Discovery Plus and HBO Max content. Not all content is available from the numerous Discovery-owned channels. Plus, you'll need the Max Ultimate plan to get more than a couple of dozen movie titles in 4K UHD. 

It's been a good run. We've been able to share our Netflix account with our kids as they go off to college, with our parents, and even share the cost with friends. With the premium 4K tier running $19.99 monthly for just Netflix, it's no wonder we want to share. But after a year of working out the kinks, the sharing crackdown has begun and most of us will have to make choices.

By the end of the year, Hulu will be rolled into the Disney+ app and viewers will be able to find and stream both services' content without switching between apps. The strategy was announced in a call with Disney investors last week.