Making use of its Watchup acquisition, Plex on Tuesday announced a new feature for its media streaming software, Plex News, which assembles a personalized video montage based on a range of global sources.
In setting up the option, people are prompted to choose topics of interest -- such as "Politics & Government" or "Science & Technology" -- as well as provide a location, including ZIP code in the U.S. The company has forged agreements with over 190 media companies worldwide, such as CNN, CBS, Sky News, Deutsche Welle, and Tribune Media. Local news is available in over 80 percent of U.S. markets.
Each montage, called a "Newscast," consists of several clips that are each a few minutes long. When watching people can choose to follow or mute sources and topics, which helps to customize future Newscasts, or search by channel, category, or topic.
The feature is free but ad-supported, with ad breaks coming every 7 to 10 minutes or 3 to 4 clips, depending on the duration of videos.
Plex's director of Product and Growth, Jason Williams, told TechCrunch that the company is interested in bringing in live news feeds. Plex already supports live TV, but only for people with digital antennas and tuners.
Plex News is available today to Plex Pass subscribers, and will reach the free versions of Plex over the course of the next two days. Apple device owners can watch via Apple TV, iPhone, and iPad -- other supported platforms include Roku and Android devices.