Rumors that Google may acquire Next New Networks heated up today, but if the deal goes through, the company won’t be getting the rights to many of Next New’s most popular shows, which belong to their creators. So what does it get instead? Read more »
MLB.tv, Major League Baseball’s official digital offering, is now available for purchase for the 2011 season. While the MLB has been offering live streams of games since August 2002, this year for the first time Android devices will have access to live video. Read more »
Netflix is currently looking at redesigning its API to improve performance for the hundreds of streaming devices now using the service — thanks to a sharp uptick in requests and inefficient software interactions. What this means for users? A potentially speedier and smoother streaming experience. Read more »
Do you have the Bieber-mania? It’s not surprising, thanks to Justin Bieber’s recent media blitz to promote the release of his very own concert film/biopic. And if you simply cannot wait until Never Say Never comes out this Friday, tonight’s live-streamed premiere might help. Read more »
Keith Olbermann is back thanks to Current TV, granting him more independence but less access to viewers, with 25 million fewer households than MSNBC. But Conan O’Brien’s journey from broadcast TV to cable might show how Olbermann can keep his brand vital on a smaller platform. Read more »
Super Bowl Sunday is here, and even if you don’t care about the game, you’re probably interested in the ads — and you don’t even need to watch the game in order to watch the most popular ads of the day, thanks to both YouTube and Hulu. Read more »
Today on the Net: NBC explains why it fired the leaker of an old Today Show clip, TiVo wants to help brands measure the effectiveness of their ads for free, and execs are all huffy over Viacom’s deal this week with Hulu. Read more »
The social media surrounding this year’s Grammy Awards includes a three-day live stream of behind-the-scenes action, red carpet coverage and classic Grammy moments, which this year is hosted by YouTube. Don’t expect much in the way of live performance, though, thanks to approval issues. Read more »
Today on the Internet: Carriage fights cost News Corp $47 million last year, MTV is offering a paid subscription service for original programming in the UK and the Comcast-Time Warner deal could be a great example of how companies can work together in the Netflix age. Read more »
Two years after creating her own web series to continue a storyline from a canceled soap opera, actor Crystal Chappell is one of the rarest sort of web producers — one whose show is completely self-sustained. The secret? A subscription model, and a loyal fanbase. Read more »
The power struggle between Netflix and content providers became more pronounced in earnings calls for Time Warner and News Corp. Execs from both companies made it clear that they want more money for their content — because Netflix is seen as a rival to other distribution platforms. Read more »
Want to catch up on Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show? It’ll now cost you. The comedian is turning to a micropayment system to support the weekly series, using both iTunes and the beta Dynamo player. Is the podcast world ready for this move? Because iTunes isn’t. Read more »
Today on the Internet: Amazon is preparing to launch a service that directly competes with Netflix, it turns out that YouTube’s recommendation algorithm is based on Amazon’s, and federal, state and local government agencies will soon be marketed the Brightcove platform. Read more »
Social media can be the secret to reviving a once-dead property or boosting the ratings of a fan favorite — but what’s the key? Looking at recent campaigns built around The Game and Psych, the answer comes down to engaging with the fans. Read more »
Today independent web video producer Revision3 is claiming the position of the number one over the top network, with viewership increasing 165 percent and, as of Q4 2010, achieving “sustained profitability.” How’d they do it? A wide variety of content, diversified distribution, and maybe Mark Cuban. Read more »
As co-founder of Hoodlum, Tracey Robertson has helped drive many award-winning transmedia campaigns, including universe-expanding content for Lost and Salt. Below, find out which social media kingpin she thinks is a game-changer, and why she’s probably mad at me for using the word transmedia. Read more »
Tonight Life in a Day, the crowd-sourced documentary culled from over 80,000 submissions, premieres at the Sundance Film Festival — and simultaneously on YouTube. The live stream begins at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT, and will be rebroadcast on Jan. 28. Read more »
This year’s broadcast of President Obama’s third State of the Union kicks off officially tonight at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT, and online plans for it have evolved dramatically from last year’s coverage, with enhanced viewing options offering heightened insight into the action on screen. Read more »
YouTuber Josh Sundquist was named today as YouTube’s On the Rise star for January, getting a featured spot on the front page. Looking at his videos, it’s not hard to see why — the author, Paralympian and motivational speaker’s work isn’t just fun, but truly inspirational. Read more »
Tuesday morning at 8:30 AM ET/5:30 AM PT, the Academy Awards will be announcing its nominees for the 83rd annual round of Oscars. But if you can’t use your TV to watch the names get read, don’t worry — there are a number of online options. Read more »
Kevin Smith thumbed his nose (that’s the polite version) at film distributors last night when he pledged to self-distribute his new film, Red State, directly to his fans. Is it a risk? Not when you consider how the director has become his own brand. Read more »
Today, Google Director of Product Development Hunter Walk answers our five questions! And on his mind are the tools that help creators connect directly with audiences, as well as YouTube’s strategy for dealing with the content world in light of those Next New Networks rumors. Read more »
Last night, CollegeHumor President of Original Content Sam Reich spent his flight from NY to LA taking questions from Reddit, along the way revealing the site’s writing process, plans for follow-up videos, which traffic day is the worst, and what happened to the CollegeHumor grunt. Read more »
YouTube’s made its home page a lot more customizable, thanks to a new design. The new home page still contains a column of promoted and featured videos, but approximately 75 percent of the screen is now devoted to content drawn from the user’s social interactions. Read more »
The NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation premieres its third season tonight, and a series of viral videos highlighting the show’s return have been released this week, showcasing the talents of cast members such as Rob Lowe and Aziz Anzari, as well as some skillful web strategy. Read more »
Justine Ezarik is joining the cast of Spike TV’s rebranded Game Trailers TV on Jan. 27, but don’t worry, iJustine fans — the YouTube star will still be keeping up with her independent video work, even while covering tablets and TVs for the show’s fourth season. Read more »
Allie Brosh’s Hyperbole and a Half is one of the funniest and strangest web comics online. But beyond her trademark crude artwork, she’s also got a YouTube presence which not only brings her drawings to life, but also includes some delightfully random live action experiments. Read more »
Today on the Internet: MTV discusses its social media strategy for the show Skins; Boxee considers subsidized deals to compete with Apple; and a new upgrade of RealPlayer for Android comes out, based on user feedback. Read more »
Hulu has become a major destination site for television fans since its launch, serving up both primetime and original content. But this week, it gets the closest it’s ever gotten to crossing the line between content production and content distribution with a new web original series. Read more »
How can bookmarklets and Delicious upgrade the way you use your Boxee Box? And what’s the word on the first-ever meet-up for those enjoying the cable-free life in San Francisco? We’ve got all the details in this week’s Cord Cutters update! Read more »
The entertainment world just got a little bit more conglomerated: The FCC has settled on the conditions needed for it to approve the long-debated joint venture between NBC Universal and Comcast today. Those conditions signal that the FCC fully recognizes the importance of online video. Read more »
During Bobby Miller’s tenure at Next New Networks, he won two Webbys for The Reel Good Show and The Best Short Films In the World. Today, he talks about his new show, his departure from NNN and what he loves about creating weekly web content. Read more »
This week, Dynamo Player creators Will Coghlin and Rob Millis, who quit the series Political Lunch to develop the micropayment player, discuss the problems with “free,” tell a funny joke about MySpace and discuss how they’re planning to take the Dynamo Player forward. Read more »
The Fox International web series Single Dads is going for an “all at once” distribution strategy, launching its first season on Hulu in December and prepping a second season for Feb. 1. But are the diaper jokes good enough to help the show get on TV? Read more »
24‘s Jack Bauer will next be seen on Hulu, not the big screen — Kiefer Sutherland will be starring with John Hurt in web series The Confession. The project comes from DBG, a digital network taking its first steps into the world of deficit financing. Read more »
The series Squatters was the first original comedy to run exclusively on Dailymotion, but after eight episodes, creator Brandon Bradley decided to distribute the show across other sites. Why did he do so, and what are the advantages and disadvantages to an exclusive deal? Read more »
Rooster Teeth Studios already has one of the most successful shows on Blip.tv with the machinima series Red vs. Blue. But while they’re not afraid of the live-action world, they’ll still find a way to make their newest original series about video games. Read more »
Today on the Internet: Ad Age says the technology behind Time Warner’s TV Everywhere still doesn’t exist yet; Boxee’s CPO is leaving to found another start-up; and Verizon’s not just getting into the iPhone business — it’s also planning to offer an iPad. Read more »
South Korean director Park Chan-wook screened his latest film Paranmanjang, a 30 minute short film shot entirely on the iPhone 4 yesterday for critics. But just because it’s proven that anyone can use the iPhone 4 to make a movie doesn’t mean they should. Read more »
Thanks to availability on a wide range of devices and an ever-growing catalog of content, Netflix has become one of the go-to entertainment solutions for those without cable. But is your Netflix viewing the best it can be? That’s the focus of today’s Cord Cutters. Read more »
