Few key things that happened around the Ad Tech & Media Tech world this week.
Microsoft to launch xCloud streaming free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in September
Microsoft is planning to launch its game streaming service, currently known as Project xCloud, free to its paying Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in September. The xCloud service will allow Xbox players to play games on mobile devices or even start a game on their consoles and resume it on their phone or tablet. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate combines Xbox Live access, an Xbox Game Pass subscription, and, starting in September, xCloud game streaming into a single $14.99 monthly subscription. Microsoft is promising that more than 100 Xbox Game Pass titles will be playable on a phone or tablet when the streaming service launches. Microsoft isn’t detailing which countries will be supported at launch just yet, though. The company has been building out its Azure data centers across the US and in parts of Europe with Xbox One S blades to stream Xbox games through xCloud. Microsoft will upgrade these servers to Xbox Series X hardware in 2021. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will be the only way to access xCloud streaming at launch, but it won’t always be limited to Microsoft’s top subscription tier…More
NBC’s Peacock streaming service has launched
NBCUniversal‘s Peacock, one of the final entrants in the streaming wars, is finally here after months of waiting. It comes with a large library of film and TV classics, so I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to start watching as soon as possible. Here’s what you need to know. The company officially announced Peacock earlier this year. The library of shows and movies includes the likes of 30 Rock, The Office, Law & Order, Downton Abbey, the Fast & Furious series, the Matrix films, and the works of Alfred Hitchcock.What sets Peacock apart from its compatriots is it offers a free plan — ad-supported, yes, but still free. Every account starts as a free one, and you can upgrade to one of the Premium plans at any time. For the record there’s Premium and Premium Plus, and only the latter is ad-free. That said, not all of its content is available on the free plan. For example, you can only access the original Law & Order with a Premium plan. To start, visit the Peacock site and click “Get Started.” Here you’ll have to do the usual schtick of entering your email and creating a password. You know the drill by now…More
Amazon will let businesses use its Twitch streaming tech for livestreams
Amazon Web Services has announced a new product that will give businesses an easy way to integrate video livestreams into their websites and apps. It’s called the Amazon Interactive Video Service (IVS), and it will allow brands and corporations to provide a more personalized experience for their audiences compared to YouTube or Twitch livestreams. Speaking of Twitch, IVS uses the same technology that powers the Amazon-owned video platform’s livestreams. Martin Beeby, Amazon Principal Developer Advocate, wrote in a blog post that he was “blown away by how simple the team have made it to integrate interactive, low latency, live video into an application.” AWS customers can start the process by creating a channel and then using any standard streaming software to stream videos to it. They can personalize their streams to, say, show additional information or a buy button when specific products appear on screen. But IVS does the heavy lifting to make sure the video will be viewable to anybody in the world. Even better, the service includes access to a player SDK that makes integrating videos into websites and apps straightforward…More
Huawei launches its streaming service in Latin America
Huawei brought to Latin America its video-on-demand content service, Huawei Video, which has with subscription videos, 48-hour movie rentals, and even free trial periods, for all users of the brand. They also offer streaming to Huawei and Honor users with EMUI 5.x or higher. The company’s new teams already have the service pre-installed, but the rest can access it through the AppGallery. Once installed, and if it is the first time you have access to the service, you will be able to enjoy free content without ads for a trial period. The service can be used simultaneously on up to 2 computers at the same time. “Users who already have a Huawei smart device can enjoy this renewed alternative to consume video content starting today. With the launch of the platform for Latin America, Huawei Video launches free content channels such as DailyMotion, Toon Goggles and BBC News. By introduction, Huawei offers 1 free month of content such as Filmbox, 7 free days of concerts in Qello and 14 free days for The Explorers, “the company said in a statement.In its launch phase, Huawei Video will be available in Mexico, Colombia and Chile. To enjoy these contents from today, it is essential to have a HUAWEI ID registered in one of these countries…More
Google invests US$4.5bn in India’s Jio Platforms
US technology giant Google has become the latest major investor in the Reliance Industries-owned digital technology firm Jio Platforms, acquiring a 7.73 per cent stake worth US$4.5 billion. The purchase takes investments in the Indian company past US$20.2 billion since Facebook, which also holds rights in India to Spanish soccer’s La Liga top flight, became Jio Platform’s largest minority shareholder in April. Though less than the US$5.7 billion Facebook paid for its ten per cent stake, Google’s acquisition makes it the second largest investor in Mukesh Ambani’s digital enterprise. Google’s new investment gives Jio Platforms an equity valuation of US$58 billion — the same valuation implied by Facebook. Google and Reliance Jio Platforms will work on a customised version of the Android operating system to develop low-cost, entry-level smartphones, confirmed Ambani. The Indian billionaire is targeting sales in the hundreds of millions for the new devices, which will be 5G-enabled and support Google Play. The Alphabet-owned technology giant, which like Facebook reaches nearly every online user in India, also announced a new Google For India Digitisation Fund to invest US$10 billion in Asia’s third largest economy over the next five to seven years…More
