Plex has become much more than a simple media server and player, as it is slowly growing to provide more and more of your entertainment needs. Last month, it pruned features it said most users weren’t using, and the most controversial was the removal of plug-ins, which could be used to add various sources of streaming content. This was arguably not needed anymore, as many of those services added their own apps. To help make up for the missing feature, Plex is adding support for web series.
In a blog post announcing the new feature, Plex says that plug-ins never supported the platform’s library functionality. Plus, running a media server in order to watch media from the internet seemed like a strange way to go about it. That is why Plex is integrating web series directly into its client apps.
The new web series feature doesn’t just let you load up a website and press play. Instead, Plex is working with content providers like Condé Nast, Bonnier Corp., Fandor, Future, TWiT, Jukin, Studio 71, Saveur, GQ, and Field and Stream. Plex says it plans to only work with the highest quality content providers, so you don’t need to worry about your curated lineup being filled with the online equivalent of infomercials.
This follows the addition of Plex News last year, which was facilitated by Plex’s acquisition of WatchUp. Plex also recently added support for podcasts, making the service more of a one-stop shop for all of your entertainment needs. Plex says that the API used for this is very close to that of the Plex Media Server, which is useful, as it makes it easier for apps that are used to communicating with music servers to support Podcasts and more.
Unlike a lot of Plex’s recent feature addition, this doesn’t seem to be limited to Plex Pass subscribers. While the Web Shows feature is in beta, it appears to be open to all. We briefly checked and weren’t able to find the Web Shows feature available on any of the devices we checked, but it is likely a gradual rollout, so stay tuned if you’re waiting to check the feature out.
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