YouTube offers thousands of free TV episodes with ads

YouTube on Wednesday began streaming some 4,000 television episodes from shows like "Hell's Kitchen" and "Heartland" to US viewers as the site tries to capture viewers in a fiercely competitive market.

The Google-owned video platform said that popular television shows along with films from major studios will be available, with ads, on YouTube using smart televisions, mobile devices or web browsers.

YouTube was a pioneer in the trend to accessing video on-demand using the internet, starting with clips uploaded and shared by users.

It faces an array of competitors, ranging from streaming television service Netflix based on subscriptions to ad-supported offerings from Peacock, Roku, Tubi and other rivals.

Films and shows will be added weekly, with the line-up of movies to include "Gone in Sixty Seconds" and "Runaway Bride," according to the YouTube team.

YouTube cited Nielsen findings that more than 135 million people in the United States watched YouTube videos using televisions connected to the internet in December of last year.

"YouTube is at the forefront of the consumer shift to (connected TV) viewership as the top ad-supported streaming platform," the video-sharing platform said in a post.

Agence France-Presse

Facebook pushes video onto TV screens with new apps

SAN FRANCISCO, United States — Facebook on Tuesday announced it was rolling out apps to allow people to view videos posted on the social network on connected televisions.

The new apps — for Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV and Samsung Smart TV — will provide a more convenient way for users of the social network to view videos on a large screen.

The move could be a small step toward what some reports say is a more ambitious video plan by Facebook to compete with Google-owned YouTube or even with streaming services such as Netflix.

For now, the apps will simply make it easier to view and share user-generated video.

“Last year we rolled out the ability for you to stream videos from Facebook to your TV, and today’s announcement expands this capability,” said a blog post from product manager Dana Sittler and engineering manager Alex Li.

“With the app, you can watch videos shared by friends or pages you follow, top live videos from around the world, and recommended videos based on your interests.”

Facebook said it expects the applications to roll our “soon” for users of Apple, Amazon and Samsung, with additional platforms likely to be added.

Facebook also said it was modifying video playback for users, with sound to play automatically unless users silence their devices. CBB

source: technology.inquirer.net