By Samantha Delouya | CNN Disney is banning password sharing on its streaming services, following in the footsteps of competitor Netflix. In an email to Hulu subscribers on Wednesday, the company said it would start “adding limitations on sharing your account outside of your household” beginning March 14. Hulu’s user agreement, along with the agreements for Disney+ and ESPN+, explicitly prevent users from impersonating someone else by using their username or password. “You agree not to impersonate or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, including using another person’s user ..read more

By Oliver Darcy | CNN The bundle is staging a comeback. After spending billions of dollars to launch their own direct-to-consumer streaming platforms, the world’s biggest entertainment companies are slowly getting back together, giving consumers a break on soaring prices by pushing them to their more lucrative ad-supported tiers with the hope that the more attractive offers will keep them from axing their services. Verizon this week launched a new streaming subscription for its wireless phone customers, pairing Netflix and Max’s ad-supported tiers together for $10 a month — a more th ..read more

Next spring – that’s how long fans will likely have to wait to see the estimable Kristen Kish take over hosting duty from Padma on the next season of “Top Chef.” (Filmed in… Wisconsin?) But in the meantime, the TV landscape is hardly a desert. There are new shows about Iron Chef-quality sushi, José Andrés and his family touring Spain, a five-star luxury hotel’s fancy kitchen and so much more. In no particular order, here are seven shows about food you might want to start watching tonight. Searching for Soul Food, Hulu There’s no tireder food trope than calling soul food simple. It’s a complica ..read more

By DAVID HAMILTON | AP Business Writer Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger vowed to make its streaming services profitable via a planned October price hike on its ad-free Disney+ and Hulu plans and a crackdown on password sharing expected to extend through next year. The increases will raise the monthly cost of ad-free Disney+ by $3, or roughly 27%, to almost $14. The cost of ad-free Hulu will likewise rise $3 to almost $18 — a 20% hike that will make it more expensive than the most popular ad-free tier at Netflix. Iger spoke following Disney’s release of mixed earnings for its fiscal third quarter e ..read more

The streaming TV wars are upon us. And even with a new entrant seeming to take the field every day, Netflix is still winning the battle. That’s according to a new study of American TV viewers from ratings-measurement company Nielsen, which on Tuesday said that when it comes to what are known as “over-the-top” video services, Netflix is responsible for 31% of all the streaming TV viewing taking place in the United States. Nielsen’s study, which occurred in November 2019 and involved an online survey of 1,000 U.S. adults aged 18 and higher, also found that streaming TV as whole is grabbing a lar ..read more

With the November launches of Apple TV+ and Disney+, the market for streaming TV services has gotten even more crowded. And more expensive for consumers. But, despite talk of “subscription fatigue”, or consumers’ unwillingness to spend more on new streaming services, a new study says that the average American is still willing to pay even more for streaming TV options. According to a survey by KPMG, consumers currently pay an average of $22 a month for their various streaming TV services. But, even paying that amount, KPMG found that consumers are willing to spend up to an average of $11 more e ..read more

With Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime at the head of the streaming TV pack, Apple TV+ launching on Friday, Disney+ going live on Nov. 12, and services such as HBO Max and NBC Universal’s Peacock offering set to debut in the spring of 2020, it seems like there is a streaming outlet for everything that has ever been on TV. But, believe it or not, not everything is streaming online. Whether it’s because of price demands from studios, rights to use music that was played in show episodes, or a possible lack of demand or interest, there remain dozens of well-known shows that are nowhere to be found on ..read more

If you are already paying for Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and other streaming TV services, get ready to dig into your wallet some more for HBO Max. WarnerMedia finally unveiled how much its new streaming TV service will cost, and at $14.99 a month, it is probably more than what the average person is paying already for their various other streaming services. But, for that price, WarnerMedia expects its premium offerings will prove attractive enough to lure in millions of TV-watching customers. HBO Max will launch in May 2020, and in addition to HBO blockbusters such as “Game of Thrones” and cla ..read more

Fans of such Hulu programs as “The Handmaid’s Tale” and its re-boot of “Veronica Mars” can now take those shows with then when they are away from their home networks or internet connections. Hulu has finally joined the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime Video in that the Disney-owned streaming TV service is now letting its subscribers download shows and movies to watch offline. Hulu said individuals will be able to download up to 25 shows, and have 30 days to watch those shows before having to download the programs again. Hulu has approximately 85,000 titles in its streaming video library. Vide ..read more

What is the deal with “Seinfeld”? The deal is that the landmark ’90s sitcom starring Jerry Seinfeld will be leaving its current streaming TV home, Hulu, for a new location, Netflix. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Netflix made the announcement public Monday on Twitter, saying that “Jerry & Elaine & George & Kramer” — the series’ four main characters — would be headed to Netflix in 2021. While that’s still at least 15 months away, it likely will help the streaming TV giant fill the gap created by the loss of two of its other big-name TV series, “Friends” and “The Office ..read more