Roku makes it easy to launch a streaming TV channel

Roku just showed off its latest players upgraded with features like 4K and HDR, and now it’s working on getting more stuff for owners to watch. That will come via its new Roku Direct Publisher tool , which lets the people who have videos make a channel for the box, without having to do any coding. Of course, you will need somewhere to host the content for your streaming channel, but if you already have that then getting content in front of Roku’s 10 million or so active accounts (those that have actively streamed in the last 30 days) is as easy as writing this blog post. To show off what it’s capable of, a number of new partners are delivering channels built with the tool, including names like Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Cracked. Also, using the Direct Publisher setup also means content is included in Roku’s universal search , which it recently announced covers over 100 channels. While other set-top box entries like the Apple TV, Fire TV, Chromecast and Android TV get a lot of attention, the company points out survey results earlier this year from Comscore showing it has a 49 percent share of the market. All of that means being in front of more eyeballs, which can mean more money, especially with access to Roku’s ad sales platform. Channels built this way don’t support subscription or video on-demand fees (yet), so if you’re looking to profit immediately that’s the option available. Of course, as a viewer, this just means that the next time you turn on your (relatively modern) Roku box / TV / stick you can expect to see even more options. If the channels are easy to make, update and discover, then there are even more reasons to push content on the platform (if you ever choose to watch something other than just Netflix).

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Roku makes it easy to launch a streaming TV channel

Spotify’s Daily Mixes use your listening habits to make playlists

Spotify has been keen on adding new discovery features to its service for a while now . Today, the streaming option announced yet another tool that keeps your playlists fresh. The new feature is called Daily Mixes and it compiles six different playlists that are constantly updated based on your listening habits. Each mix contains over a dozen songs and more tracks load as you listen so you don’t have to worry about running out of material. Sitting atop the “Your Library” section of the Spotify app, Daily Mixes are a combination of tunes by the artists you listen to on the regular and other material you might not be as familiar with. As you might expect, there’s the option to “heart” a song to add it to your collection or “ban” a track to keep it from popping up in future playlists. Unlike the name suggests, the Mixes aren’t updated daily per se. Spotify says the name implies that you can enjoy them daily and while the track order may shuffle every day, the data that selects the songs will be updated on a weekly basis. Daily Mixes are divided by genre. For example, I have playlists for hardcore, hip hop, indie rock, electronic, metal and hard rock. Most of those are an equal mix of artists that I listen to often (or at least from time to time) and new songs that I hadn’t heard of yet. Not all the songs are new releases, so there’s a blend of old and new in each list as well. These new playlists work a lot like Pandora stations or Spotify’s own radio feature, only now the queue is automatically compiled for you and you can start wherever you want. You don’t even have to pick an a specific artist to get started. Spotify says the new playlists will be “consistently refreshed” and feature “near endless playback” to make listening to music on a daily basis a bit easier. Just like those aforementioned stations, Daily Mixes are based entirely on what you’re listening to and get better the more music you play. After a few days with Daily Mixes, the playlists seem useful at times when I have trouble deciding exactly what to play. I’m a big fan of both Discover Weekly and Release Radar for learning about new artists and keeping up new material from all of the acts I listen to often, but I don’t think I’ll use Daily Mixes quite as often. It’s still early though, so that may change. Spotify’s focus on discovery continues to provide its users with ways to keep their listening habit fresh. Multiple options mean you can find the one that you like best. If you want to give the new feature a shot, it’s available now on Spotify’s Android and iOS apps for both paid and free users. New to Spotify? You’ll need to use the service for about two weeks before Daily Mixes will show up for you. For faithful desktop users, the tool will be rolling out to other platforms “soon, ” so hopefully you won’t have to wait too long to employ the new goods there.

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Spotify’s Daily Mixes use your listening habits to make playlists