Netflix has won exclusive global rights to stream "Seinfeld" for five years starting in 2021, having paid an undisclosed amount to Sony Pictures Television. The streaming company will be able to replace two other sitcoms, "Friends" and "The Office," which are going to the streaming services of their original owners, NBCUniversal and WarnerMedia.

NBC Sports Network has picked up the US rights to the six-part "Story of Rugby" documentary series, which will air as the Rugby World Cup begins on September 20, in a deal that also gives Latin American rights to ESPN. The series profiles rugby's leading personalities while examining the widespread effect the sport has had on global societies.

Telemedicine can provide a number of benefits to cancer patients, especially those in remote and rural areas, medical professionals say. The American Telemedicine Association pointed to a recent study that found telehealth services can reduce hospital stays, improve patients' overall well-being and ease their burdens following release from hospital care.

Regional governments have begun calling on the internet of things and associated technologies as they look for less costly methods of improving road safety. Alaska, for example, turned to Microsoft's Azure IoT solution and installed sensors and telemetry stations to most efficiently reduce icy build-ups on its highways.

Nielsen statistics show that audiences consuming television content have increased slightly, despite ongoing warnings that television viewership is on the decline, writes television critic Hank Stuever. Pilots for the upcoming television season are "surprisingly strong and often topical" and "solid representatives of their respective brands," Stuever adds.

Members of the production and post-production teams on the award-winning Netflix show "Russian Doll" will examine the balance between art and technology at the National Association of Broadcasters show in New York next month. "This session will answer burning questions on how the advent of 6K cameras, HDR imagery, 4K delivery and other advanced tools have revolutionized post-production and led to incredibly sharp and vibrant visuals," says NAB executive Chris Brown.

Instagram TV is scaling up its viewership, and publishers such as Vice Media and ESPN are capitalizing on the opportunity to expand their audience reach with branded content, while Meredith and others are focusing on product placement and show sponsorships, writes Max Willens. CNN's Ashley Codianni says, "We already have an incredibly large and engaged audience on Instagram."

Amazon Prime Video will now be available to Suddenlink and Optimum customers who subscribe to parent corporation Altice USA's integrated Altice One service, the cable company said. Altice, which joins Cox Communications and Comcast in launching Prime Video, also earned a profile in Multichannel News for its ability to reduce churn and raise revenues.

HBO Max has finalized a deal thought to be worth billions with Warner Bros. Television that will give the streamer exclusive domestic rights to the sitcom smash hit "The Big Bang Theory" through 2028. A five-year agreement between Sony Pictures Television and Netflix gives the latter streaming rights across the world, starting in 2021, for "Seinfeld".

Around 50% of US homes will have all-fiber connections to the internet by 2025, the Fiber Broadband Association forecasts. That figure could rise to 90% by 2029, which would require expenditures of $70 billion, largely for rural fiber deployment.