California-based TV maker Vizio announced today that WatchFree+, its free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service, is dialing things up in the wake of what it’s calling “record growth.” That means it’s adding new features and expanding its channel and title offerings by partnering with Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate, and more.
Since adding the “Plus” to its name in 2021, Vizio’s WatchFree+ streaming service, which is available on its SmartCast TVs, has seen steady growth — the service also recently added Philo to its smart TVs. In today’s announcement, Vizio says that viewing hours for the service have more than doubled in the past year, according to their own internal data.
Until today, the service boasted 260-plus free channels of live local TV, movies, shows, news, sports, kids programming, and more, with an additional library of more than 6,000 on-demand titles. With today’s announcement, WatchFree+ now boosts those numbers to 300 channels, 15,000 on-demand titles, and 10 Vizio-curated channels that are programmed in-house, it says.
Contributing to those new numbers is some “premium programming” that Vizio has added to WatchFree+, including channels, shows, and other on-demand content from its new expanded partnerships with Warner Bros. Discovery, Lionsgate, Sony, and Electric Entertainment.
Highlights of that programming includes 11 new channels from Warner Bros. Discovery, such as Bachelor Nation, and shows including reality series Say Yes to the Dress, and the Maggie Q drama Nikita. From Lionsgate, WatchFree+ gets six new Lionsgate-branded channels, including MovieSphere by Lionsgate that will show blockbuster films, Ebony TV by Lionsgate, which is tailored to Black audiences, and women’s channel HerSphere by Lionsgate. Lionsgate will also add the game show Celebrity Name Game and reality thriller show Ghost Hunters to the roster in the near future. On offer from independent movie and TV production house Electric Entertainment is a “24/7 channel of the cult-classic and drama series Leverage,” which is exclusive to WatchFree+, and a forthcoming ElectricNow FAST channel.
Vizio also announced the addition of new channels to its own curated special interest programming lineup that already includes its crime show channel Investigation and the food and travel channel Fork & Flight. Making it an even 10, Vizio adds Comedy Club that features stand-up specials and documentaries on comedians, and Valor, a channel dedicated to movies and series about the American military.
Lastly, Vizio’s announcement today included some menu and navigation updates to WatchFree+’s Electronic Program Guide, including new categories such as History, Documentaries, Nature + Science, and Mood + Ambiance.
“WatchFree+ has solidified its position as the premium, free streaming destination for Vizio households, thanks to our ever-expanding content offering, major studio and network partnerships, and enhanced user experience,” said Katherine Pond, group vice president of Platform Content & Partnerships. “With these latest programming additions and product updates, WatchFree+ continues to deliver an entertainment experience that consumers love.”
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.
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