Streaming

In an effort to better compete against Apple Music and other music streaming services, Spotify may be considering purchasing SoundCloud. Apparently the two companies are in "advanced talks", that could result in Spotify acquiring its rival that has been valued at $700 million.

Recently, Spotify has faced a great deal of competition from other subscription-based music streaming services, including Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Prime and Deezer.

Streaming services proliferate the music market these days, making CDs seem very much a thing of the past. One of the more popular options available to customers is Spotify, which sometimes seems to have pretty much taken over. The company would like to keep expanding its global footprint and is taking another step towards that.

Now the company is launching its latest destination, Japan. Spotify announces that at the moment it is invitation-only however, it will be available across major platforms including mobile, tablet, desktop and PlayStation.

When you put together all of the shows one person watches, the list can cover a staggering amount of channels. It seems like we're always flipping from one to another when we have nothing particular on. That gave rise to today's channel packages, which can provide hundreds of networks to choose from.

One channel that does provide content viewed by a wide range of people is CW, and now it's coming to Roku. The tiny set-top box maker announces the network is available beginning right now and it's free -- no login or subscription needed.

Being able to collect music as you listen to the radio isn't entirely new. Different streaming apps provide various methods of accomplishing this.

Now one popular app that had not previously offered this option is getting in on the game. iHeartRadio is introducing its version, called All Access. The service claims it's the first to allow this option for listening to terrestrial radio.

If you're getting your TV service over the internet then Sling is likely on your radar as it offers live TV with a good choice of channels. Want CNN? You got it. Want sports? You have ESPN and ESPN 2 to choose from, and currently an SEC free trial.

But sports is more than just those big name channels. What about the lesser watched ones? Well, now Sling is bringing two more of those to its service.

When people think of Twitter, their minds might conjure images of short-form messages filled with emoji. While it is much more than that, it is how some people view the social network. Lately, however, the company is looking to expand into other markets, such as streaming media. As a publicly-traded company, Twitter could be looking to rejuvenate a relatively stagnant stock.

Today, Twitter announces that its streaming video is no longer limited to your phones and tablets. Yes, folks, it is finally time for Twitter's video in your living room, as the company releases a free app for three popular TV-connected media devices -- Microsoft Xbox One, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. While the experience on all three will be similar, it looks like Apple's device will be slightly better thanks to an exclusive side-by-side split-screen feature.

Streaming media is more than just TV, movies, and sports. If you are more interested in real events -- as opposed to just mindless fiction -- there are plenty of news, lifestyle, and public interest options too. Heck, even Hollywood gossip can be a nice escape from the stresses of daily life.

Today, Roku gains access to the PEN channel. Not familiar with it? Neither was I, but it is actually very cool. It is a joint partnership between two major media publications -- People and Entertainment Weekly. This looks to be a match made in heaven, as they both offer entertainment news and fairly light public interest stories. It should prove brilliant for relaxing and temporarily getting your mind off your daily responsibilities.

YouTube was criticized recently for preventing content-makers from monetizing videos that covered certain topics. But this is far from being the only complaint levelled at the video site. British music industry body UK Music says that artists are not receiving enough in the way of royalty payment from YouTube.

UK Music's 2016 report, Measuring Music shows that YouTube remains the most popular way for people to consume music in the UK. Despite this, the report says that the effective 'per-stream' payment rate fell from $0.0020 to $0.0010.

If you no longer subscribe to cable or satellite then Sling TV becomes a viable alternative. It operates in the same way, with live TV coverage on multiple channels, and we've recently seen Sling add several new ones, including BBC America. There's also occasional previews. Back in May we had DIY and currently there are college sports networks on the air.

Now NFL Network is on the list and it carries a number of games during the season, in addition to full-time news coverage.

While we anxiously await the start of the NFL season, we have college football getting underway. Games have begun and fans are hanging on every moment waiting to see who the next national champion will be. While there are the obvious favorites that we won't name because if you follow the sport then you know.

Now TuneIn, who last season brought us radio broadcasts of NFL games, is doing the same for the collegiate level of the game. The company has partnered with a number of media outlets to carry the play-by-play call.

It seems that serious data breaches are all but an everyday occurrence at the moment. At the same time, there have also been instances of historical hacks suddenly coming to light such as the 2012 breach of Dropbox.

But Dropbox was not the only company to suffer an attack in 2012 -- so did music site Last.fm. Now, four years after the hack, details of 43 million accounts have been leaked.

If you have never used Plex then you may be missing out on a great source of entertainment. The media server can be used on multiple devices. You'll need to install the server on a computer that's always on (and holds your media), but the required software is free. You can then access your content on a set-top box like Roku or Fire TV, or even an HTPC. You'll just need to install the relevant Plex app on your devices.

A new update is promising global DVR support worldwide and you'll be able to use it from mobile devices anywhere you have a connection.

As of today, Thursday 1 September, if you stream any content from BBC iPlayer without owning a TV licence, you are breaking the law. But as with licences for televisions, it's not clear how -- or, indeed, if -- the BBC will be checking to see whether watchers have paid up or not.

If you fire up BBC iPlayer now, you'll be greeted by a nag screen that asks: "Got a TV licence? You need one to watch any BBC programme on iPlayer -- live, catch-up or on-demand. It's the law". Viewers need to click to indicate whether or not they have a licence, and of course there is nothing to stop people from lying. What is not known, though, is whether privacy-invading snooping will be used to perform licence checks.

Kim Dotcom has never been a man to shy away from the public eye, and his upcoming trial is not going to see that change. Facing extradition to the US where he faces numerous charges, Dotcom has won the right to have the hearing live streamed on YouTube.

It's fair to say that there will be a good deal of interest in the content and outcome of the hearing, but the judge who agreed to the live streaming has insisted that a few restrictions be put in place. Firstly there will be a 20-minute delay (so not technically a 'live' stream), and comments will be disabled as well.

Sling TV has received a lot of publicity lately. Getting your television fix over the internet is no longer a new thing thanks to services like YouTube and Hulu, but Sling takes things to another level, delivering live TV that mimics cable and satellite and features channels like CNN and ESPN to name just two.

Now NBC is finally arriving, even though you could already get MSNBC and NBC Sports. However, there's a bit of catch with this addition.