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At CES, the multimedia software manufacturer Plex said that this year it will add support for podcasts, web series and other digital media to its platform. He then launched podcasts in May and now presents his own collection of web series. The company today launches Plex Web Shows in Beta, which will offer unlimited streaming of online shows from brands such as GQ, Flavor, Epicurious, Pitchfork, Conde Nast, The New Yorker, Fandor, Vanity Fair, etc.
The shows will cover a range of interests including food, home and garden, science, technology, entertainment and pop culture, says Plex. In addition to the shows of major brand partners, which also include Bonnier, TWiT, Ovation and more, there will also be a handful of independent designer shows, such as Epic Meal Time, ASAPscience, Hacker Household, Great people, and The animal collective.
Plex tells us that there will be more than 19,000 episodes out of 67 issues at launch, and that others are about to arrive.
Some partners and Plex have revenue-sharing agreements, the company says, based on Plex-managed ad sales. Details are not disclosed.
Plex started as a software for organizing video, music and personal media photos collections, but in recent months, its goal has been to meet the needs of cable cutters. He launched tools to watch live television via an antenna and to record shows and movies on a digital recorder.
We also recently announced the closure of other features, such as support for Plex Cloud streaming content, as well as the Plex plugins directory, to better focus on its new ambitions.
At the same time, Plex has also deployed other features designed for media consumption, including the podcast, but also the addition of a news hub within its application, through the acquisition of the company's start-up. streaming, Watchup.
With the launch of Web Shows, Plex is once again finding ways to give users something to watch without having to go through the tough content-based type of content that other live streaming services such as Sling TV are currently doing. PlayStation View or YouTube TV. for example.
"We value each user's personal media experience and want to be the most important media platform," said Keith Valory, CEO of Plex, TechCrunch. "It started by helping people with their own media libraries, and then we added live TV, news, podcasts and now webcasts. The sources of quality digital content continue to explode, but the user experience to discover everything and access it has never been so bad. It's chaos, "he continues.
"This is the problem we are solving. We work hard to create tons of quality content in one single application and to give our users the tools they need to customize their own experience by including only the content that matters to them, "adds Valory.
Access to web broadcasts is available on all devices via the Plex app, which now features a new icon for "web broadcasts". From there, you'll see the "On the platform" section – the one you're following – as well as recommendations, trending episodes and links to view all available webcasts and a list of people you're on subscriber.
You can also browse programs categorized as "Arts & Entertainment," "Computers & Electronics," "Science," etc. Or find those that have been "recently played" or are "new" from Plex.
Each episode will display information such as show duration, synopsis, date of publication and title, and will allow you to play, pause, mark as watched / not tracked and add to your queue. wait.
The launch of Web Shows is a new step in achieving its goal: to become a platform for all your media – not just your personal collection, but everything that is streamed – like podcasts, web series and television. (Now you only need a Roku-like interface to access your favorite on-demand streaming applications, but it's on its long-term roadmap.)
Online broadcasts will be free for all 19 million Plex registered users, not just for Plex Pass subscribers. The feature is live on iOS, Android, Android TV and Apple TV.
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