*By Christian Smith* The streaming service Philo is testing a suite of new features to make watching TV more interactive, said the company's chief executive, Andrew McCollum. "We do believe that we can make TV a much more social experience, and that's going to be a big innovation we can bring to the product," McCollum said Wednesday in an interview with Cheddar. "It's something that really no one is doing right now, and it has never really been done before, and we want to get it right." McCollum wouldn't give many details about the new features, or when they would be released publicly, but he said the company's employees were testing the new features on an employees-only version of the platform. "We're thinking about how exactly we want to roll it out. We generally prefer to do things in smaller pieces so that we can kind of see how people are using it," McCollum said. Philo already offers a "deep link" feature that allows its users to share links to specific parts of a video, and a simplified sign-in process that only requires your phone number. McCollum said it takes about 10 seconds. He was one of dozens of TV, cable, telecom, and tech executives participating at The Pay TV Show this week in Denver, where participants were discussing innovations and strategies in television. For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/philo-plans-new-tech-innovations-for-streaming-service).

Share:
More In Technology
Portion: The 21st Century Auction House for Digital Creators
Portion is the 21st-century auction house and collector’s community for rare high-end physical and digital art items. Whether you're a creator or a collector, Portion focuses on enabling users to flourish while offering a dependable marketplace to buy or sell NFTs. Jason Rosenstein, founder of Portion, joins Cheddar News to disucss.
Americans Disconnecting From Media, New Data Says
According to recent data, Americans are pulling away from their television screens in a big way. In the last few months, people have returned back to more normal activities, spending time with friends and less time doom scrolling on Instagram, it's a favorite pastime. Licensed Psychotherapist and Author of "Disconnected" Tom Kersting, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Running a Black-Owned Hemp Farm
Over the years, vertical farming has seen a growing trend. The use of this technique allows growers to combine environmental and financial sustainability. While vertical farming is still a relatively young concept, one industry has been utilizing the technique, the cannabis world. As states across the country continue to legalize medical and recreational cannabis, more and more cannabis distributors are pivoting to vertical farms like one local black-owned hemp farm in Wilmington, Delaware.CEO and Co-founder of EternelHemp Michael Brown, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Sony Playstation Sued Over Gender Discrimination Allegations
One former employee at Sony Playstation has just filed a lawsuit against the company on allegations of gender discrimination and wrongful termination. According to Emma Majo, the company says she was terminated as a result of the company's decision to phase out a team she was only temporarily working with. Executive Director at International Game Developer's Association Renee Gittins, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Bitcoin Sees Dip After Concerns of New COVID Variant
Bitcoin has officially entered bear market territory. The cryptocurrency is down 20% from an all-time high of nearly $69,000 dollars, which it hit earlier this month. Experts mark the new potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant as the reason for the dip. Patrick McConlogue, CEO of Overlin, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Load More