| Today's Top 10 Stories | | #1 | | Disney to Acquire 33% Stake in MLB’s Streaming Video Unit for $3.5 Billion | | | | According to a report from Bloomberg, Disney has agreed to acquire a 33% stake in MLB Advanced Media’s streaming video unit, in a deal valued at about $3.5 billion. Disney will also retain a four-year option to buy an additional 33%.
Why This Matters: With ESPN slowly losing subscribers, the idea of selling standalone streaming packages will become increasingly appealing, and MLB Advanced Media is one of the most experienced streaming companies when it comes to that kind of scale.
5 Takes: Bloomberg | MCN | Re/code | L.A. Times | Variety |
| | #2 | | Amazon Acquires Exclusive Streaming Rights to PBS Kids Shows | | | | Amazon announced that it has acquired the exclusive streaming rights to 19 PBS Kids series as part of a multi-year deal, including Nature Cat and Ready Jet Go!
Why This Matters: The deal means that much of PBS Kids programming will be removed from rival streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu.Going forward, programs will premiere on PBS stations and then be made available on Amazon after a period of time. In addition to Prime, the PBS Kids titles will also be available via Amazon FreeTime Unlimited, a subscription service designed for kids and their parents.
5 Takes: THR | Variety | NYT | Deadline | B&C |
| | #3 | | Comcast Abandons Upgrade for Legacy Set-Top Guide | | | | According to a report from Multichannel News, Comcast recently posted on its customer forum that it has decided not to move ahead with the release of a planned upgrade for the “A31” guide on its legacy Motorola digital set-top box platform.
Why This Matters: The company, which is eager to migrate its entire base to its next-gen X1 platform, said that it wanted to focus on the future, adding that “We have almost 50% of our deployed set tops running on our X1 platform and we are adding about 40,000 more boxes every day on the X1 platform."
2 Takes: MCN | Fierce Cable |
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| | THE CHATTER |  |
| | Blog Post of The Day | Unbundling YouTube
By Jeff Baumgartner, MCN
Integrating YouTube on set-top boxes is not a new thing for cable operators and other multichannel video programming distributors. Though providing integrated access to that content at the set-top can help to keep viewers engaged on the MVPD’s platform, the operator isn’t getting much in the way of payback. More» |
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