This Week in TV News: a Hostless Oscars and Fyre Fever

We’re watching Oscars news to see if the big show will have a host, and we’re talking about yet another streaming service.

Oscars goes host-less. The surest way to avoid controversy with the Academy Awards host pick, it seems, is to go with no host at all. After Kevin Hart was supposed to host the show, then dropped out after old controversial tweets resurfaced, the Oscars appears to be foregoing an MC. Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross will present nominations on Jan. 22. (NYT)

The newest streamer in the game. NBCUniversal plans to launch a streaming service next year. According to Variety, NBCU will be an ad-supported, free service to U.S. NBCU pay-cable subscribers. Rumor has it that NBCUniversal, which owns “The Office,” may pull the popular program from Netflix. (Variety)

Fyre fever hits the streaming services. Famously, the Fyre Festival – marketed as a lux “Coachella in the Bahamas” – was a giant disaster that stranded attendees without much in the way of food or lodging. (You’re probably familiar with the viral photo of a Fyre sandwich, two sad slices of wheat bread, a tomato slice, cheese and past-due greens.) Now, Netflix and Hulu both are releasing documentaries about the failed festival. Check out Vulture’s guide to which doc is right for you.

Netflix hikes subscription price 18%. The streaming service’s most popular plan, one that offers high-def streaming on up to two different internet-connected devices at the same time, will go from from $11 to $13 per month. As of last September, Netflix reported $8B in long-term debt, up 71% from about $5B the year before. The company proposed another $2B in debt last October to fund more original content. (Chicago Tribune)

See last week’s TV news blog on “Bird Box” and the Golden Globes.