Quibi — a star-studded, mostly mobile streaming service that struggled to keep up with its own hype — will shut down, the company said Tuesday, a flameout coming less than seven months after the service launched.  Quibi said subscribers will receive separate notifications about the final date they can watch the service, without specifying any timeline. Wednesday, …

HBO Max has hit 8.6 million accounts, HBO parent company AT&T said Thursday in its latest quarterly report.  By comparison, Disney Plus reported more than 10 million signups in little more than 24 hours after it launched in November. Disney Plus, which at $7 a month is less than half the cost of $15-a-month HBO Max, grew to 60.5 million subscribers by about eight months after its …

Netflix added 2.2 million subscribers in the last quarter, a slowdown after starting the year with eye-popping growth during the coronavirus pandemic, a bump the company had predicted wouldn’t last.  Netflix, the world’s dominant streaming-video subscription service, said subscribers rose by 2.2 million, to 195.15 million, between July and September, according to its Tuesday report for third-quarter results.  That falls short …

Netflix will unlock its service free to nonmembers for two days starting Dec. 4, allowing anyone to stream its full catalog as part of a new StreamFest promotion, according to a Protocol report Tuesday. Hints about the promotion were uncovered in code for Netflix’s Android app, but it’s unclear where the promo would be available and whether it would have other limitations.  …

Netflix has ended free trials for new customers in the US, after years of giving away the first month of its service free. The streaming service’s US sign-up page said trials are no longer available, with Netflix instead touting how it lets you cancel anytime at no cost. Newer rivals tend to offer shorter free-trial periods, though some of Netflix’s biggest, longstanding …

Disney is shaking up how it makes shows and movies, with Disney Plus and the company’s streaming efforts taking center stage. Disney said Monday it’s restructuring its three groups that create programming for all the ways Disney releases original content: theatrical films; shows, movies and sports programming destined for TV networks; and originals for its streaming services. And it’s further divorcing the distribution …

Google on Wednesday unveiled a new $50 (£60, AU$99) Chromecast streaming device, dubbed Chromecast with Google TV, in a revamp of its bare-bones TV dongle to better suit the streaming world’s dramatic changes in the four years since the $70 Chromecast Ultra came out. And this time, the latest iteration of Chromecast adds both a remote control and a tailor-made interface called …

Disney’s Mulan will become more widely available Tuesday after it had been a Disney Plus exclusive since Sept. 4, with other online stores like Amazon Video, Vudu and Fandango Now already offering preorders Thursday for the $30 digital movie purchase. By going on sale outside Disney Plus and no longer requiring a $7-a-month membership for a purchase, the movie will essentially be …

YouTube will use machine learning to automatically apply age restrictions on videos, the Google-owned video site said Tuesday, widening its use of artificial intelligence to automate blocking some videos from viewers who either aren’t signed into a YouTube account or are signed in as a viewer under the age of 18.  Creators who believe their videos were blocked unfairly can …

Quibi, a star-studded mobile streaming service, is exploring strategic options including a possible sale less than six months after its launch in April, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. It is also considering raising more money or going public through a merger with a specially formed company that could help it fund deals, the report added, citing …