Philo vs Plex

Philo in the News - Philo Press

The page lists recent press mentions, including Page Six's Virtual Reali-Tea Awards streaming exclusively on Philo, and other coverage from The Hollywood Reporter, Parade, and more.

USPI Adds Popularity Score; Owning Content Wins

State of Streaming updated its Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) in August by adding a new Popularity Score vector, developed with Reelgood, that ranks streaming services by consumer interest across their full catalogs. The Popularity Score averages how often a service's titles appear in the national Top 100 each day over a month, creating a forward-looking index aimed at projecting where audience attention is headed. The USPI separates services into 'owners' (catalog-first platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max) and 'renters' (wrappers/resellers like Philo, Fubo, Roku Premium) to signal stability risks tied to content ownership. The August edition argues that services reselling third-party content can post strong short-term numbers but are vulnerable to carriage changes, while owners show more durable demand signals.

• The Unified Streaming Power Index (USPI) added a new Popularity Score metric for August.
• The Popularity Score was built in partnership with Reelgood and averages daily Top 100 presence per title over a month.
• Philo and Fubo scored highly in August despite not owning the content driving demand.

Philo vs Frndly TV: Best Budget Live TV 2026

This Cord Cutters News article (by Jess Barnes, published August 22, 2026) compares two budget live TV streaming services: Philo and Frndly TV. It summarizes available plans and pricing for each service (Philo: Free tier, Essential $25/month, Bundle+ $33/month with add-on services; Frndly: Basic $8.99, Classic $10.99, Premium $12.99), channel counts and examples, DVR and streaming quality differences, and device compatibility. The piece lists channel lineups side-by-side and notes both services support major devices including iOS, Android, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, and Chromecast. The article includes affiliate disclosures and links.

• Philo offers a Free streaming lineup, an Essential plan at $25/month, and a Bundle+ plan at $33/month.
• Philo’s Essential plan includes 70+ live TV channels, 150+ free streaming channels, 80,000+ movies and shows on demand, and unlimited DVR with one-year storage.
• Frndly TV offers three plans: Basic $8.99/month (40+ channels, SD, 1 screen), Classic $10.99/month (HD, 2 screens, 3-month DVR retention), and Premium $12.99/month (HD, 4 screens, 9-month DVR retention).

Hasbro Legends FAST Channel Expands to Plex Streaming Platform

Hasbro Legends, a free ad-supported streaming television channel featuring classic Hasbro programming, has expanded its distribution to the Plex platform. The channel, owned by Get After It Media and programmed with content from Hasbro Entertainment, launched over-the-air in July 2026 and is now available on multiple streaming platforms including Heartland+ and Amazon Prime Video's live TV guide. The Plex addition provides another nationwide, subscription-free entry point for viewers. The channel offers nostalgic animated series such as G.I. Joe, Transformers, Power Rangers, My Little Pony, and more, with a schedule evolving towards themed marathon blocks. The distribution strategy aims to reach audiences through multiple free pathways, leveraging both broadcast television and streaming services.

• Hasbro Legends launched over-the-air on July 13, 2026, covering 70 U.S. markets.
• The channel is available on Plex, Heartland+, and Amazon Prime Video's live TV guide.
• Initial coverage reached 70.8 million TV households (over 55% of U.S. TV households).

Plex Media Server Owners Urged to Patch Critical Zero-Day Chain

Plex Media Server owners running outdated versions face active exploitation of a vulnerability chain known as Plex2Shell, tracked as CVE-2026-96652, CVE-2026-96654, CVE-2026-96655, and CVE-2026-96656. The flaws allow unauthenticated remote code execution, enabling attackers to install cryptocurrency miners or proxy tools. A honeypot compromise was observed on October 17, 2026, shortly after public proof-of-concept code emerged. Plex has released patched version 1.43.3.10861 and urged users to update immediately. More than 36,000 internet-exposed servers were identified as vulnerable in September. The attacks can turn compromised computers into proxies for routing traffic, posing risks for botnet recruitment and network abuse.

• Plex2Shell vulnerability chain affects Plex Media Server versions prior to 1.43.3.10861.
• Active exploitation was observed on a honeypot on October 17, 2026.
• Attack delivered XMRig cryptocurrency miner and myawesomeproxy proxy application.

Plex and Fandango Partner on Movie Discovery and Ticketing

Plex and Fandango announced a partnership enabling U.S. Plex users to discover theatrical movies and purchase tickets directly through Fandango. When browsing title pages for movies currently in theaters, users can click through to Fandango for showtimes and ticket purchasing. The integration aims to create a measurable path from discovery to purchase, providing studios and advertisers with insights into campaign conversion. Plex reports over 100 million monthly streaming decisions and over 45 million users creating watchlists, highlighting its role in movie discovery. The partnership benefits both platforms by connecting Plex's discovery signals with Fandango's ticketing, making it easier for fans to act on interest and for marketers to optimize media spend.

• Plex and Fandango announced a partnership to integrate movie discovery and ticketing.
• U.S. Plex users can now buy Fandango tickets from movie title pages.
• Plex reports over 100 million monthly streaming decisions and 45 million users on watchlists.