SmartStream

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.

The FAST (free ad-supported TV) trend in streaming shows no signs of letting up. On the heels of Google TV’s recent addition of 800 free channels, Amazon has announced plans to add 400 free Fire TV Channels.

If you've found yourself cranking up the volume while streaming movies and TV series or turning on the closed captions to understand everything that's being said, you're not alone. Amazon is addressing the issue by using artificial intelligence to boost the dialogue on some of its Amazon Originals.

Frndly TV has increasingly been appearing in search results over the past few months so I decided to check it out. The service offers live TV for as little as $7 per month.