Xbox Game Streaming Will Land on iOS in 2021 Using Web Workaround

Project xCloud, the Microsoft game-streaming service that comes packed as a bonus in certain Xbox Game Pass subscription plans, may finally have a path to working on Apple’s range of iOS devices — well after a public row between the tech giants that put the possibility into question. From a report: The news comes from a report by Business Insider, which…

‘Revolutionary’ Video-Streaming Service Quibi is Up For Sale Six Months After Launch; Apple, WarnerMedia, and Facebook Have Turned Down the Offer

The Information: Six months after launching his revolutionary video-streaming service, Quibi, Hollywood mogul Jeffrey Katzenberg is looking for a buyer. So far, he is coming up short [paywalled; alternative source]. Over the past few weeks, Katzenberg has pitched several tech and entertainment executives about buying Quibi, only to be turned down. Among those he approached was Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice…

Apple Extends Free Apple TV+ Trials For Three Months

Apple told CNBC that it will extend some Apple TV+ subscriptions on a free one-year trial for three additional months. From the report: When Apple TV+ launched last fall, Apple bundled a free one-year subscription with the purchase of an Apple product, immediately boosting the number of people who could watch the streaming service. The first of those trial subscriptions were…

Is Streaming Music Worse For the Environment?

“The environmental cost of music is now greater than at any time during recorded music’s previous eras,” argues Kyle Devine, in his recent book, “Decomposed: The Political Ecology of Music.” The New Yorker’s music critic writes: He supports that claim with a chart of his own devising, using data culled from various sources, which suggests that, in 2016, streaming and downloading…

After ‘No Time To Die’ Postponement, Hundreds of US and UK Movie Theatres Postpone Reopening

An anonymous reader quotes the Hollywood Reporter: Following the delay of more Hollywood tentpoles — including James Bond film No Time to Die — mega-movie theater chain Cineworld is planning to keep all of its locations in the U.K. and the U.S. closed for the time being, The Sunday Times reported on Saturday. The British-based company is the largest circuit in…

Amazon Remasters Streaming Tracks in Effort To Woo Subscribers

Amazon has teamed up with Universal Music and Warner Music to remaster thousands of popular streaming tracks to better-than-CD audio quality [Editor’s note: the link may be paywalleddd; alternative source], as the music industry tries to lure listeners to pricier subscriptions. From a report: In addition to a standard $10 a month streaming service comparable to Spotify, Amazon offers a high-definition…

Quibi Reportedly Weighs Selling Itself Less Than 6 Months After Launching

According to The Wall Street Journal, the mobile streaming service Quibi is exploring strategic options including a possible sale. “It is also considering raising more money or going public through a merger with a specially formed company that could help it fund deals,” adds CNET. From the report: It declined to comment directly on the report, but Quibi said in a…

DC Universe Streaming Service Will Become Universe Infinite Comics Platform

DC Universe, which started out as a streaming service for original DC superhero content, will in January become DC Universe Infinite, a supersized subscription service for DC Comics. CNET reports: The service launches on Jan. 21 for $7.99 per month, or $74.99 for a year-long subscription. DC says that subscribers will be able to read 24,000 comic book titles at launch,…

Google Faces $3 Billion UK Suit Over Use of Children’s Data

Alphabet’s Google faces a multibillion-dollar lawsuit in the U.K. over claims that YouTube routinely breaks privacy laws by tracking children online. Bloomberg reports: The suit, filed on behalf of more than 5 million British children under 13 and their parents, is being brought by privacy campaigner Duncan McCann and being supported by Foxglove, a tech justice group. The claimants estimate that…

Why HBO Max and Peacock Aren’t On Roku

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: It’s been months since HBO Max and Peacock officially launched, and still, neither streaming service currently appears on the Roku platform (or Amazon, for that matter). The companies have said discussions about support were ongoing, but now we know why they’re still absent: Roku’s support fees are expensive as hell. In a deep-dive…