MEDIA
Buy video at YouTube
YouTube unveiled its subscription service Thursday with such recognizable entertainment brands as Sesame Street, Jim Henson Family TV and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
The Internet’s dominant online video site, whose content has been free since its inception, added monthly fees to generate a second source of revenue to support its content creators.
The pilot subscription program launched with 30 paid channels spanning the programming gamut, from familiar children’s fare to British TV and documentary films to entertainment offerings targeting specific audiences.
Monthly fees start at 99 cents, with each channel offering a 14-day initial trial.
Some YouTube channels, such as Sesame Street, will offer its subscribers full episodes. The UFC will provide access to classic fights. As with cable TV, the channels may or may not feature ads — at the discretion of the channel creator.
Subscribers can access channels on computers, smartphones, tablets and Internet-connected televisions. Over time, other YouTube content creators will be able to opt into the subscription program, the company said.
RETAIL
Shopping up in April
Revenue at stores open at least a year rose 4.7 percent in April compared with the same month a year ago, according to a preliminary tally of 12 retailers by the International Council of Shopping Centers trade group.
That continues a trend that Americans started in early spring. In March, revenue rose 2.2 percent. And for the combined months of March and April, the figure rose 3.5 percent.
FOOD
Angus burger is out
McDonald’s is cutting the Angus burger from its menu.
The Oak Brook, Ill.-based chain had said earlier this year that it was evaluating whether to continue selling the Angus Third Pounders, which were introduced in 2009. The company also said at the time that it was it was cutting Chicken Selects and Fruit & Walnut Salad.
The changes come as McDonald’s looks to keep up with shifting tastes. In a bid to attract more customers in their 20s and 30s who are looking for fresher options, McDonald’s recently added chicken McWraps to its core menu. According to an internal company memo obtained by the trade publication Ad Age, the chain referred to the wraps as a “Subway buster” that would keep customers from heading to the sandwich chain.
AUTO INDUSTRY
Tesla gets rating
The Tesla Motors Inc. Model S electric car has tied an older Lexus for the highest score ever recorded in Consumer Reports magazine’s automotive testing.
The Model S, which starts at $62,400 after a federal tax credit, scored 99 points on a scale of 100 in the magazine’s battery of tests.
“It accelerates, handles and brakes like a sports car. It has the ride and quietness of a luxury car and is far more energy-efficient than the best hybrid cars,” said Jake Fisher, director of automotive testing.
The magazine tested a Model S that cost $89,650 and was equipped with an 85 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery that’s larger than the standard battery. The car went from zero to 60 mph in only 5.6 seconds. The magazine said it handled like a Porsche, yet it was the quietest car it had tested since the Lexus LS. The interior, the magazine said, was beautifully crafted and reminded testers of an Audi.
Consumer Reports found that the Model S had a range of about 180 miles on cold winter days and 225 miles in moderate temperatures. Tesla says the 85 kwh battery-car can go 300 miles at 55 mph.
Compiled from staff and wire reports