As if we didn’t already have enough options for live-TV streaming services, Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed during a telecom conference that the cell carrier plans to launch its own over-the-top (OTT) TV streaming service in the near future.
Verizon is currently closing an acquisition deal with Yahoo, which is expected to be finalized in June. Once that deal is signed and Verizon takes over Yahoo and AOL, McAdam says the company plans to use the two platforms and their combined 1.3 billion users to test this future streaming service.
While this is a major move for the company, it won’t be Verizon’s first streaming service. Go90 is the company’s on-demand video service, functioning similarly to Netflix or Hulu. You would be forgiven for having never heard of it, though. The service has been unable over its nearly two years of life to attain a userbase to go toe-to-toe with the various other on-demand services out there. Despite this, Verizon has made numerous investments into original content for the service despite its smaller share of the market in hopes of drawing more users. It even carries content from high-profile internet content creators like Rooster Teeth, Vice, Funny Or Die, Elite Daily, and more. Further, thanks to an exclusivity deal, NFL games can be streamed on the service.
Sadly, these strategies haven’t worked, with Go90 facing recent layoffs and even going through major overhauls. Despite the previous rocky path of video streaming for Verizon, having 1.3 billion potential testers for a future service seems like a good place to start. Should original content and perks like NFL streaming show up on Verizon’s upcoming service, it could pose as competition to what os out there now, including YouTube TV, Hulu, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, SlingTV… did we miss any?
We do not know when the service will be officially launched but since it depends on the finalization of the Yahoo deal in June, we don’t expect Verizon to announce anything until after that time.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.