This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on streaming platforms, FAST channels, and the future of entertainment, follow Charles Pulliam-Moore. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. Before Netflix fully committed to becoming a streaming
Cord-cutters escaped the cable bundle only to rebuild it, one streaming subscription at a time. Subscribing to eight major streaming services without ads or bundle discounts now costs $139.41 a month, or $1,672.92 a year, according to a calculation of the platforms’ published U.S. list prices as of Sept. 8, 2026. Choosing each service’s standard,
Sheri Herman, a cable and digital media pioneer who helped launch E! Entertainment TV, died of heart failure Aug. 6 in Florida. She was 71. Born in Philadelphia, Herman graduated Temple University and started out at the Madison Avenue ad agency AC&R. After working as a commercials producer, she joined The Entertainment Channel and then
Charter Communications, already the No. 1 cable operator in the U.S., closed its acquisition of Cox Communications, creating a cable giant with operations in 45 states serving roughly 37 million customers. The closing of the deal, valued at $34.5 billion, comes after the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) last week voted to approve the transaction,
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Shark Week is officially back, bringing another frenzy of great whites, makos and other underwater predators to the Discovery Channel. The network’s annual programming event kicked off on Sunday, July 26 and runs through