Your guide to what’s happened this week in the media, entertainment and technology industry.

Disney unveils plans to rival Netflix
Chief Executive Bob Iger has revealed Disney will launch a streaming service offering a suite of offerings under its own SVOD service towards the end of 2019, according to Broadband TV News. Iger said the new service is meant to coexist with Netflix and Amazon, albeit launching at a price well below that of Netflix. 

ITV backs Hollywood video streaming service 
DreamWorks Co-Founder Jeffrey Katzenberg has raised $1 billion for his NewTV venture with support from Disney, Fox and ITV. The video streaming service for mobile phones is targetted at younger viewers and digital natives with the ambition to transform viewing experiences, reported by The Guardian.  

21st Century Fox earnings surge 
21st Century Fox earnings saw shares valued at 57 cents each, an increase from 36 cents one year ago, reported the Finacial TImes. The revenue growth of 18% beat estimated topping $7.9 billion. In an announcement, Fox attributed the stock rises to the bidding war between Comcast and Disney that “unlocked enormous value for shareholders.”       

Discovery expands with global streaming service 
Former Amazon executive Peter Faricy has taken on the newly created role of Chief Executive of Global Direct-to-Consumer for Discovery. Faricy will oversee the digital products from Discovery Kids to Eurosport Player and Go TV Everywhere service. According to Rapid TV News, Faricy said in a statement: ”Our mission is to delight customers by leveraging technology to provide access to the content they love, anywhere and anytime.”

Lionsgate and Universal sign TV deal
Universal Music Group (UMG) and Lionsgate have signed a multiyear television deal where both companies develop original scripted and unscripted programmes based on UMG’s portfolio of artists, labels and music. The companies have previously collaborated on soundtracks for The Hunger Games and La La Land. However, under the new agreement premium content will be created within a new production and development division, reported Variety. 

Microsoft joins Disney’s ’Movies Anywhere’
The free app, launched by Disney in 2014, Movies Anywhere allows users to stream purchased films and TV shows from Amazon, Google or iTunes in one place. Microsoft’s movies and TV app for Windows 10 and Xbox now support the app. According to ARS Technica, a complimentary copy of X-Men: Days of Future Past will be available to all users who sign up. 

Samsung to rival Apple & Amazon home speaker
Samsung has revealed its new Galaxy Home smart speaker that is set to rival Amazon’s Echo and Apple’s HomePod. The new speaker powered by Bixby, Samsung’s solution to Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, can understand voice commands to play music, answer questions and can act as a multi-room audio system. According to the Telegraph, detailed specifications about the products are unknown with Samsung set to reveal further details at its developer conference in November. 

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