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Streaming

Established streaming industry leaders like Netflix and Amazon are facing more competition than ever. Now legacy entertainment giants are in the game with their own subscription services, like Peacock, HBO Max, Paramount Plus, and the Disney Plus / Hulu / ESPN Plus bundle, while Apple TV Plus attacks around the edges. Meanwhile, the rise of ad-supported free platforms like Roku Channel and Pluto TV has attracted enough attention that Plex, YouTube, and Amazon’s Freevee are trying to get a chunk of the action too.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Travel YouTuber Drew Binsky is the latest creator to strike a deal with Netflix.

A selection of Binsky’s videos will appear on Netflix starting September 19th, similar to the streamer’s deals with Kevin Langue, Nick DiGiovanni, and Mythical Entertainment, as reported by Variety. YouTube has reportedly offered creators millions not to cross-post their videos to Netflix.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
ESPN Unlimited is now available in the YouTube TV app.

If you subscribe to YouTube TV’s main $82.99 / month plan or standalone Sports package, you can now access live sports and other content from ESPN Unlimited directly within the YouTube TV app.

YouTube TV started allowing users to connect ESPN Unlimited to their accounts in July, as part of a carriage agreement reached by Google and Disney last year.

Image: YouTube / ESPN
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Charles Pulliam-Moore
MrBeast’s fans aren’t too hot on reading, apparently.

HarperCollins probably dropped a pretty penny to get Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson and James Patterson to collaborate on their newly released novel, The Most Dangerous Games. But Semafor reports that the publisher might have a hard time making that money back due to the book’s very, very low pre-sales.

Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly highlighted the book’s pre-sale numbers rather than post-launch sales.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest film is a YouTube video.

He admitted to being “scared” but excited about his new YouTube channel in his first video, but said that after 30 years making movies, he wants to “undo whatever stigmas are in my head or in anybody’s head.” Shyamalan dives into his Signs filmmaking diary in his second video on the channel.

Thomas Ricker
Thomas Ricker
Google wants Disney, Universal, and other studios to license characters and films for its AI tools.

Google is pitching its AI tools as a way to streamline production and visual effects, but the effort faces pushback from union workers and creators concerned about copyright, job displacement, and artistic control.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Netflix’s GTA VI “extended look” is starting soon.

The preview is scheduled to debut on Netflix at 3PM ET, though creators can stream it as long as they talk over it. Starting at 9PM ET, you’ll be able to watch the preview on YouTube and the GTA VI website.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Are you ready for today’s GTA VI preview?

The “extended look” coming to Netflix and YouTube will be 26 minutes long and feature gameplay captured on the PlayStation 5, according to Netflix. The preview will first appear on Netflix at 3PM ET before arriving on YouTube at 9PM ET.

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Lauren Feiner
Lauren Feiner
Meta is planning an ad blitz urging TikTok and YouTube to follow its lead.

It’s planning to run full-page ads in The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times on Thursday, according to NYT reporter Mike Isaac, on the heels of Meta’s $17 billion settlement with state AGs. Meta is using the settlement to urge its top competitors to take on similar restrictions.

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Charles Pulliam-Moore
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Category is: Gene Wilder resurrected with AI.

The latest trailer for Netflix’s Willy Wonka-inspired reality competition show features a lot more voiceover from an AI-generated clone of Gene Wilder. The AI of it all was already ridiculous, but it’s even weirder to hear how much the AI voice sounds like Wilder doing an impression of RuPaul explaining Drag Race challenges.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
You can stream Backrooms on HBO Max starting next month.

A24’s hit horror film directed by Kane Parsons will be available on the streaming service in the US on September 25th, and debut on HBO linear the next day at 8PM ET.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Netflix will stream the Women’s World Cup draw live in December.

Ahead of streaming the full tournament, which starts in June 2027, Netflix will air the draw on December 11th, though a specific time hasn’t been announced yet.

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Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Black Mirror’s next season is in production.

Season 8 was confirmed earlier this year, and Variety reports that shooting began this summer. There’s still no release date.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
YouTube is going to let creators make 24/7 streaming stations.

The stations initially launched earlier this year for as a pilot for some music artists, but YouTube said Friday that the feature is expanding to formats including “creator content, media channels, podcasts, and select new music artists.” A “limited” number of creators will be able to try the “experiment” to start.

[August 21, 2026] Expanding Stations to new formats

[YouTube test features and experiments]

Charles Pulliam-Moore
Charles Pulliam-Moore
The DCU’s Jimmy Olsen spin-off show is a go at HBO Max.

After months of buzz about a potential Superman spin-off show starring the Man of Steel’s best friend, Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), HBO Max has confirmed that The People v. Gorilla Grodd — a half-hour comedy / “true” crime docudrama about a superintelligent ape (Jimmy Tatro) accused of murder — has been ordered to series.

Lauren Feiner
Lauren Feiner
A New Jersey teen is dropping the next social media addiction case against Meta, YouTube, and Snap.

It would have been the next bellwether in the group of cases tried in a Los Angeles state court. In the first, Meta and YouTube were ordered to pay $6 million total. After settling with TikTok, the teen’s lawyer told The New York Times, she wanted to “resume her life.”

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Return to Night City.

CD Projekt Red revealed a new trailer for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2, which will feature a new story and cast of characters set in the same futuristic metropolis of Night City. The 10-episode anime will premiere on Netflix on October 20th.

Janko Roettgers
Janko Roettgers
You may be able to buy new Amazon and Roku streamers soon.

Remote controls for the companies’ still-unannounced streaming devices already passed through the FCC, and offer a few clues about what’s to come.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
YouTube is reportedly offering channels “millions of dollars” not to cross-post videos on Netflix.

YouTube is “close an agreement with several partners” though hasn’t signed any deals yet, according to Bloomberg.

Netflix has been paying YouTube creators, including Alan Chikin Chow, Nick DiGiovanni, and Mythical Entertainment, to post their videos on Netflix the same time they hit YouTube, Bloomberg recently reported.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
MS Now is launching its own membership service.

MS Now — formerly MSNBC — is rolling out a $7.99 / month ($79.99 / year) subscription on September 9th, which will serve as an “additive experience” to the news network, according to an announcement. It will include access to livestreams and TV programming inside the MS Now app, along with the ability to interact with journalists, community features, and “new verticals that explore how news and politics impact everyday life.”

Oops! My cat is an iPad kid

He has his own games and favorite YouTube shows.

Jess Weatherbed
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Peacock is testing perks for long-term subscribers.

It’s rolling out a new membership program to a group of randomly selected members, who will gain access to rewards based on how many years they’ve been subscribed to the service. Some perks include a one-year Instacart Plus membership, free Pizza Hut pizza, and a 25 percent discount on the NBCU Shop.

Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Disney is giving Tomorrowland a long-overdue update.

Details are all but nonexistent as planning has only just begun. But the area of the park has fallen into disuse over the years, with several attractions closing down and others just seeming hopelessly outdated. Imagineer Emily O’Brien told the LA Times, “We were inspired by his [Walt Disney’s] vision of Tomorrowland being a vista into wondrous worlds, and we really garnered the sense of optimism that was at the core of everything he was thinking about.”