Facebook is bringing additional media services to its Portal TV device: Portal owners got access to subscription video content Amazon’s Prime Video service and Sling TV Tuesday. Portal now also offers access to FandangoNow‘s on-demand movies and TV shows, and Deezer‘s music subscription service.
Facebook launched Portal TV in September; the TV-attached streaming device with integrated camera and far-field mic is designed to bring some of the video calling features first introduced with the company’s Portal smart display to the TV screen, while also offering access to video content similar to a traditional streaming device.
However, when Facebook first launched the device, it had little to show in terms of media services. Netflix, YouTube, and HBO were all absent, with Facebook instead putting its own Watch service front and center. With Tuesday’s update, consumers will be able to watch a lot more content, including some 100,000 movies and TV show episodes from FandangoNow, the transactional digital-video service from NBCUniversal’s Fandango.
“We have a long history of working with Facebook to create innovative new experiences for entertainment fans to discover, enjoy and share their passion for movies and TV,” Fandango president Paul Yanover said in a statement.
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In addition to these services, Facebook also launched a number of new features for Portal TV and its Portal smart display devices Tuesday, including WhatsApp login, an AR karaoke feature called Mic Drop that can be used during video calls, support for Facebook’s Workplace productivity solution, and the ability to live-stream directly to Facebook. And finally, Portal smart displays will get a co-viewing feature previously only available on Portal TV.
