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The Week in OTT: Apple TV+ cancels major series; ESPN+ unveils September lineup

The week in over-the-top provides a recap of recent news related to streaming initiatives in the U.S. from various networks and platforms.

Top News

* Apple Inc.'s upcoming streaming service Apple TV+ canceled plans to stream "Bastards," an eight-episode series based on a dark Israeli drama starring Richard Gere, according to a Sept. 3 report by The Hollywood Reporter. The iPhone-maker had placed a straight-to-series order for "Bastards" last year but reportedly canceled the series due to differences between Apple executives and "Bastards" showrunners Howard Gordon and Warren Leight.

* ESPN Inc.'s streaming service ESPN+ will stream nearly 1,300 live events and 90 exclusive, original programs in September. The lineup includes daily coverage of U.S. Open Tennis, lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury vs. Otto Wallin on Sept. 14, UFC 242 on Sept. 7, more than 100 college football games and more than 755 other college sports games. It will also offer exclusive soccer from Serie A, Major League Soccer, the English Football League and other international leagues, according to an official news release.

In other platform news

* Netflix Inc. renewed comedy series "Grace and Frankie" for its seventh and final season, the company said in a Sept. 4 tweet.

* In more Netflix news, the streaming giant picked up animated series "Centaurworld" from first-time showrunner Megan Nicole Dong. The 20-episode musical comedy, which comes from the company's in-house Netflix Animation, will be executive produced by Dong alongside Dominic Bisignano, the company said Sept. 3.

* Netflix ordered "Into the Night," its first Belgian original series, which will be directed by Belgian pair Inti Calfat and Dirk Verheye, with Entre Chien et Loup producing the series. The series, which will launch globally on Netflix in 2020, is about preserving humanity in the wake of a cosmic disaster when the sun inexplicably starts killing everything in its path, the company said Sept. 3.

* Plex, an advertisement-based video-on-demand service, inked a licensing deal to add AT&T Inc. unit Warner Bros.' movies to its content lineup, Rapid TV News reported Aug. 30, citing an official statement. Supported Plex platforms include Macs, PCs, smartphones, tablets, Smart TVs and Roku Inc. devices.

* Viacom Inc.'s ad-supported video-on-demand platform Pluto TV added Pluto TV 007 — its 24/7 James Bond-dedicated streaming network — to its content lineup, Deadline.com reported Aug. 30. The channel will offer 18 Bond films on a rotational basis.

* Netflix greenlighted a series called "The Girls on the Bus." The series, which is inspired by a chapter of Amy Chozick's book "Chasing Hillary," chronicles four female journalists who follow every move of a group of flawed presidential candidates, the company said Aug. 28.

* Hulu LLC introduced revamped apps for iOS and Android devices, according to an Aug. 27 report by TechCrunch.com. The redesigned iOS app replaced "Lineup" with "Hulu Picks."

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