‘Bridgerton’ S4 gets a date, other stories you missed this week
‘Bridgerton’ S4 gets a date, other stories you missed this week
Apple TV’s subscriber estimates could be very low, DAZN makes a new deal with a top American sports league, and other stories from the week’s news.
Comparatively speaking, it felt like a light week for streaming news headlines, didn’t it? Other than the rejection of Paramount's first offer for Warner Bros. Discovery, the headlines were far more manageable this week; no channel blackouts or hurried shareholder votes of any kind to keep track of.
There are, however, still plenty of streaming stories left over from the week that you may have missed. We’ve been tracking them as the days have gone by, and we’ve picked a few that should pique the interest of even the most casual observer of the streaming world. See which stories you may have missed below!
Which streaming stories did you miss this week?
Apple executive says Apple TV sub estimates are low
Apple’s senior vice president of Services, Eddy Cue, has been doing something of a media barnstorm over the past week, speaking with media journalism luminaries like Matt Belloni and Alex Sherman. His company’s streaming service has been in the news plenty of late, from its name change to a bundle with Peacock to its new deal with Formula 1.
During an interview on Belloni’s podcast “The Town,” the host brought up the rumored ~45 million subscriber total that is cited frequently when discussing Apple TV’s numbers with Cue. The streamer has never confirmed those numbers publicly, and while Cue declined to give a specific number, he confirmed that Apple TV has “significantly more” customers than that. What that means is up to every listener’s interpretation, but perhaps Apple TV isn’t one of the smaller streamers on the market after all.
Apple TV
Apple TV (formerly known as Apple TV+) is a subscription video streaming service for $14.99 per month, offering a growing slate of original series, films, documentaries, and specials. Unlike other platforms that combine licensed titles with originals, Apple TV is built entirely around exclusive programming, making it the home of critically acclaimed hits such as “Ted Lasso,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” and “Silo.” Its lineup continues to expand with award-winning dramas, comedies, family-friendly shows, and blockbuster original films like “CODA,” which won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Netflix announces premiere date for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4
The beloved historical romance series “Bridgerton” is returning with its fourth season before winter is over — just in time to warm up fans of the series. Part 1 of Season 4 will be released on Jan. 29. 2026, with Part 2 following on Feb. 26. In total, Season 4 will have eight episodes.
Season 4 of the series will see the artistic second son of the Bridgerton clan take center stage. Like his siblings, Anthony, Colin, Daphne, and Francesca, Benedict deserves his own chance for romance! Season 4 will be based on the novel “An Offer from a Gentleman.”
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”
DAZN grabs rights to Big Ten football and basketball outside US
DAZN is building a reputation as the place to watch live sports internationally. The service has recently acquired the rights to stream NHL.TV in more than 200 countries, and earlier this year, it made a major distribution deal with Fubo in Canada.
Add another major American sports property to the list. DAZN announced last Friday that it had acquired the rights to the Big Ten conference’s football and basketball games outside the United States. Fox Sports presentations of Big 12, BIG EAST, and Mountain West football and basketball games will also stream on DAZN around the globe outside of the U.S. as part of the agreement.
DAZN
DAZN is an international sports streaming service dedicated to live and on-demand sports programming. Since its launch in 2016, the platform has expanded to become one of the world’s leading sports streaming destinations, offering coverage that varies by region and includes boxing, soccer, MMA, women’s sports, motorsports, and other major competitions.
HBO Max hits 100 global markets
Warner Bros. Discovery has been making steady efforts to expand the availability of the HBO Max streaming service, a goal that executives touted the importance of earlier this year. The streamer continued to build itself out globally this week, announcing on Wednesday that it had expanded to 15 new markets in the Asia Pacific region.
That brings the total number of countries HBO Max is found in to over 100 overall. That kind of global reach will help it in its quest to continue building scale and creating a more reliably profitable streaming operation to either continue with on its own or to attract potential buyers with.
HBO Max
HBO Max is a subscription video streaming service that gives access to the full HBO library and exclusive Max Originals. There are hubs for content from TLC, HGTV, Food Network, Discovery, TCM, Cartoon Network, Travel Channel, ID, and more. Watch hit series like “The Last of Us,” “House of the Dragon,” “Succession,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and more. Within HBO Max, B/R Sports allows users to watch live NBA, MLB, NHL, March Madness, and NASCAR events.
Netflix still has eyes on USC vs. Notre Dame game
In late September, reports emerged that Netflix had made a controversial play to steal the rights for the broadcast of the traditional college football rivalry game between the USC Trojans and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, despite those rights already being owned.
On Monday, however, The LA Times reported that Netflix is still in contact with USC about finding a way around existing rights agreements, perhaps by trying to schedule games at neutral sites. It’s not clear, however, if media partners of Big 10 schools like NBC and Fox would consent to any games being played on Netflix in any capacity.
Netflix
Netflix is a leading subscription-based video streaming service that offers on-demand access to an extensive library of over 3,000 movies, 2,000+ TV shows, and a growing collection of acclaimed Netflix originals. Renowned for producing groundbreaking content, Netflix has become a cultural powerhouse with hit originals like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” “Squid Game,” “The Crown,” “Tiger King,” “Bridgerton,” “The Witcher,” and “Black Mirror.”
New Apple TV 4K launching soon?
It’s been a few years since Apple last released a new model of the [Apple TV 4K] streaming device. Many analysts believed that the next model of Apple TV would be revealed at an Apple event in September, but that day’s spotlight was reserved for the new iPhone 17.
On Tuesday, 9to5 Mac cited reporting from Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reported that a new Apple TV 4K could be on the way to customers soon. Gurman cites the low inventory of Apple TV devices around the country as a sign that a new model of the player could be announced imminently.