*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).
Emma Searson, an author on the just-released Renewables on the Rise report and the director, 100% Renewable Campaign at Environment America, joined Cheddar to discuss the rapidly growing renewable energy sector. Between 2011 and 2020, the report shows that wind, solar, and geothermal energy production grew about 15 percent annually and that wind and solar alone account for 11 percent of electricity in the country. "There are a few really important drivers of the renewable energy progress that we're seeing all across the country," Searson said, highlighting falling prices, technology improvements, and supportive policies.
Wendy O, host of 'The O Show' joins Cheddar News to discuss the recent rally from cryptocurrency, Ether. She also discussed incoming New York City mayor Eric Adams wanting to teach kids crypto in schools.
Cryptocurrencies are getting off to a good week. Ethereum surged more than 4% in 24 hours on Monday, hitting a new all-time high above $4,700. Meanwhile, Bitcoin surged 7% to a price of $66,250. Haohan Xu, founder and CEO of Apifiny, joins Cheddar News with thoughts on the growing sector.
Payment processor Paypal will roll out a Venmo option for Amazon customers beginning in 2022 as the payment app continues to grow the number of merchants it works with.
Facebook officially announced that it is shutting down its facial recognition software which identifies users in photos and videos. The decision comes during growing societal concerns over the use of the technology. Cathy Hackl, Tech futurist and CEO of the Futures Intelligence Group joined Cheddar's Opening Bell.
Virgin Orbit is introducing air-launch services to the Eastern Hemisphere for the first time in history. Sir Richard Branson's space launch company has signed an agreement with ANA Holdings, the owners of Japan's largest airline, to procure 20 flights of its LauncherOne rocket from an airport in Japan, a big boost for the aerospace industry in Asia. Dan Hart, CEO of Virgin Orbit, joined Cheddar to discuss the new partnership, the future of air launch, and how small satellites can help monitor climate change impacts.
Virgin Galactic is reporting an increase in demand for commercial space flights after seeing a boost in ticket sales, raising the price for a seat on a shuttle to $450,000. The company said they now have 700 customers.