Amazon struck a deal with PBS to bring over 150 PBS local station channels, including the PBS KIDS Channel, to Prime Video for free.
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Meta could cut down its ad-free subscription fee in the EU by 40%. The social media giant has offered to reduce its subscription price amid rising criticism from consumer groups and regulators.
Meta has a fee for consumers to reject sharing their data with advertising companies in Europe. However, today 28 EU privacy watchdogs have spoken against this ad-free subscription model.
Europe's consumer organization, the BEUC, has filed a complaint against Meta for breaching EU consumer laws claiming that Meta is forcing users to pay a fee to ensure privacy.
Meta reportedly considers an ad-free subscription for Facebook and Instagram in the EU. It could help the company address regulatory concerns about its reliance on analyzing user data to target ads.
YouTube is offering a way to offer videos that do not have ads, recommendations, and external links. Content without distractions can help viewers focus, but only select creators will qualify.
Netflix seems to be fine-tuning its upcoming ad-supported subscription tier. The new plan could cost half of the Standard tier which offers ad-free 1080p streaming, and have small commercial breaks.
Netflix might restrict offline viewing of content for subscribers who opt for the ad-supported subscription. The company has already indicated it will impose restrictions on content.
HBO Max and Discovery+ streaming services are merging. A unified service offering content from both platforms should arrive next year. The new service will have ad-free and ad-lite subscriptions.
YouTube Vanced, a modified app that stripped ads and sponsored content from videos, is shutting down due to legal reasons. The development team is on the Discord server, Telegram chat, and SubReddit.
Netflix has confirmed that it will not insert ads to lower the entry price of subscriptions on its streaming service. The company could, however, explore an ad-subsidized model owing to competition.
YouTube is currently experimenting with a new subscription model in some European countries which allows users to block ads for the price of €6.99 per month. It is dubbed "YouTube Premium Lite".
Today, a new subscription service called Scroll has launched to the general public, giving users the ability to browse a wide range of online publications without ads while still supporting them.
Google has announced that customers in the United States will be able to begin subscribing to Google Play Pass this week. The service gives users full access to apps without ads or in-app purchases.
Apple has finally announced the acquisition of the music detecting service, Shazam. The finalisation of the acquisition comes just weeks after the European Union said the deal could go ahead.