Philo has officially joined forces with VIZIO: as of Jan. 31, the live TV streamer is now available on the VIZIO Smart TVs, joining a growing list of platform partners and devices where Philo can be accessed, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and more.

A new report from iSpot indicates that many streaming services which advertise their product during NFL games are closely involved in NFL streaming themselves. The report indicates that 9% of all streaming service ad impressions were delivered during NFL football games, while 3.2% of such impressions were served to viewers during college football games.

A survey recently released by Publisher's Clearing House, EShap and TVRev indicates that local news is still one of the most-watched programming segments on broadcast TV. Even Millennials and Gen Zers use broadcast TV to watch local news, despite the fact that they get most of their entertainment from other sources.

Have you heard the news? Chances are Millennials and Gen Zers have, according to a new survey by Publisher’s Clearing House, EShap and TVRev that was recently released. The survey deals with how people choose to interact with broadcast TV, and which groups are more likely to engage with the medium.

As of Sept. 19, the ESPN app, including ESPN+, is now available on VIZIO Smart TVs, offering customers the ability to stream live sports, originals, and on-demand programming from across ESPN platforms.

A return to the glory years is what cable executives are currently pining for, but in 10 years’ time there might not be any cable executives at all. That’s the conclusion pointed to by a new study from VIZIO and Inscape, a data insights measurement firm that captures automatic content recognition information for VIZIO smart TVs.

Smart TVs are more frequently coming loaded with their own programming, as well. Manufacturers like Samsung and VIZIO operate their own ad-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) and free ad-supported TV (FAST) services

One of the challenges that has been challenging consumers since the first days of cord-cutting has been how to keep abreast of local news. To make it easier for viewers to keep up with what’s happening in their necks of the woods, on Wednesday, VIZIO announced that it was making a slew of local channels available on its ad-supported streaming platform VIZIO WatchFree+.

iSpot’s data shows that ad impressions have grown 5% year-over-year in the first half of 2023. Ad impressions are the term used to measure the number of times an ad is seen. A 5% increase an impressive figure, but it has not translated into a growth in revenue for advertisers; ad spends are down 7.4% YoY across the TV landscape. The estimated national TV ad spend for the year now sits at $21.6 billion.

The Free This Week program is continuing to make new additions to its collection of diverse offerings. In May, Comcast offered free access to Apple TV+ content, and in June it gave users the opportunity to watch LGBTQ+-themed streamers like Revry at no cost to celebrate Pride month.

Diversity and inclusion will be one of the key goals of the ISA. CEO and co-founder of the LGBTQ+-centric streaming service Revry Damian Pellicone said that was one of the biggest draws for them in terms of joining the new group.

Frndly has not limited its expansion efforts to Samsung Smart TVs, either. In April, the service launched on VIZIO Smartcast TVs, which also widened its reach by millions of homes. There’s something for the whole family to enjoy on Frndly TV, and now users can find its app on Samsung Smart TVs manufactured in 2018 or later.

​​Starting this week, VIZIO WatchFree+ viewers will be able to stream the first two episodes of a number of AMC’s best series. Users can watch the first two episodes of “Lucky Hank” “Dark Winds,” “Mayfair Witches,” and “Interview of a Vampire” in the WatchFree+ app through the end of the month without having to signup for an AMC+ subscription.

Frndly has not limited its expansion efforts to Samsung Smart TVs, either. In April, the service launched on VIZIO Smartcast TVs, which also widened its reach by millions of homes. There’s something for the whole family to enjoy on Frndly TV, and now users can find its app on Samsung Smart TVs manufactured in 2018 or later.

It looks like VIZIO smart TV owners are getting an influx of premium content for a limited time. Over the next three weeks, VIZIO’s free streaming hub WatchFree+ will host a selection of free episodes from more than 16 fan-favorite movies and series from NBCUniversal’s Peacock streaming service.

Viewing time might increase even more for the service in the near future, thanks to its rollout on VIZIO smart TVs in late April. That expanded reach, plus the new features added in its most recent updates, could mean Frndly TV sees sustained growth in the months to come.

The biggest difference between Freevee and Fire TV Channels is that the latter service will only be available to Fire TV device users. That brings Amazon in line with companies like VIZIO and Samsung, who manufacture their own devices and use them as a platform for a free streaming service exclusive to that brand with VIZIO WatchFree+ and Samsung TV Plus, respectively.

It’s been a quarter of expansion for Frndly TV. Last week, the service became available on VIZIO SmartCast TVs for the first time, expanding its reach to millions more homes across the United States.

​​WatchFree+ has launched what it dubs its “Spring Showcase,” a curated collection of content that is sure to be a big hit with audiences. The collection includes a fantastic amount of exclusive content, so WatchFree+ users can feel like true VIPs as they enjoy the series and movies in the Spring Showcase.

Streaming is about to get much more friendly for [VIZIO Smart TV] owners. On Thursday, it was announced that the television manufacturer had added the live TV streaming service Frndly TV to its assortment of available apps. A skinny bundle, Frndly offers over 45 channels and aims to provide family-friendly content with a narrow mix of entertainment channels.