SmartStream

The WarnerMedia and Discovery merger has been finalized. The new company, dubbed Warner Bros. Discovery, will bring significant changes to HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming and will likely affect the CNN+ streaming app. It’s expected that all the content will be aggregated into one streaming service, but it won’t happen immediately.

Fans of NBC’s TV shows may soon need to subscribe to Peacock to stream current episodes. In February, Comcast had a window to get out of a content licensing agreement with Hulu that would allow them to remove NBC shows from the service.

Over the last two years, social media has faced increased scrutiny for the information posted on its platforms. In response, Twitter and Facebook started either including links for more information on a subject or removing posts with false information. This past month, the same focus has turned to entertainment streaming platforms via Spotify.

A streaming service subscription makes a great last-minute gift or the perfect addition to go with the gift of a Roku or Amazon stick. Some services offer gift cards, others have restrictions. Find out how to gift popular streaming services.

Black Friday deals on streaming subscriptions may be the best way to try out new apps. Many channels and apps have dollar deals that give you enough time to watch those titles that you didn't want to spend full price to see. This is a push by the streaming services to get more subscribers (that equates to more advertising dollars for ad-supported services). And they are hoping that once you subscribe, you'll stay with the service. Between Thanksgiving day and midnight on Cyber Monday is the best time to sign up for deals on Hulu, AMC+, and many add-on channels, as well as streaming player/streaming software bundles.

In a special event this week, Apple announced a new generation of AirPods and HomePod mini options to go with the soon-to-be-released Apple Music Voice Plan. The reduced-price plan can only be accessed and controlled using Siri voice commands through the headphones, speaker, or other Apple devices.

DirecTV Stream launched recently as the newest DIRECTV incarnation. There are a few changes, but for those who subscribe to AT&T TV, the only difference will be the onscreen logo and mobile app name. There has been much confusion about DirecTV Stream, from the name change, to how to stream it and the differences between it and the DIRECTV satellite service.