YouTube users now watch 6 billion hours of videos a month
Boy, people really do like watching YouTube videos: The service now streams more than 6 billion hours of video every month. Read more »
Watch your data caps: Kaleidescape starts offering Blu-ray-quality movie downloads
Want to legally download Blu-ray quality copies of Harry Potter movies? Owners of Kaleidescape systems can do so today – but should watch their data caps. Read more »
With Dailymotion out of reach, what’s Yahoo’s next move in online video?
Yahoo is passing on the opportunity to buy a stake in the video site Dailymotion after regulators stepped in to alter the deal. So which company should the internet giant buy instead? Read more »
Thanks to Splitsider, Exquisite Corpse Project documents the making of a film, and the end of an era
What happens when friends and former collaborators get together for one last big hurrah? That’s the story documented by “The Exquisite Corpse Project,” which reunites one of web video’s early comedy troupes for a final film project. Read more at paidContent »
One designer’s quest to make a better Netflix iPad app
Joel Grenier didn’t like the look of the Netflix iPad app — so he mocked up a new one, complete with second-screen functionality and a bunch of neat animations. Read more »
Nielsen will roll out tool to track online TV viewing
photo: Shutterstock / Mehmet Dilsiz
Nielsen is rolling out a pilot product that lets TV networks track viewing of shows on their websites. The tool doesn’t yet account for viewing on mobile devices, and the pilot doesn’t include viewing on sites like Hulu and YouTube. Read more at paidContent »
Opera’s TV SDK starts powering Samsung Blu-ray players
Samsung has its own Smart TV platform. So why is the company starting to sell Blu-ray players powered by Opera’s TV SDK? Read more »
New episodes of All My Children and One Life to Live are airing online
Two years after ABC canceled them, soap operas One Life to Live and All My Children are coming back to life online, with four new 30-minute episodes per week available on Hulu and iTunes. But soap fans who are not used to online viewing may not tune in. Read more at paidContent »
Weather Company unveils three new web series, offers “four-screen” ad opportunity
The Weather Company continues to expand beyond its core programming with new web series devoted to adventure and human interest. The new content comes as the company deepens its content and advertising strategies. Read more at paidContent »
You gotta watch this House of Cards spoof for the White House Correspondents’ dinner
Have you been watching House of Cards? Then make sure to catch this spoof, created for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, and starring key D.C. insiders. Read more »
MLB starts to stream games live on YouTube… outside of the US and Canada
Watching MLB games live on YouTube is now possible… if you live in Europe: The league is starting to stream two games per day on the video site, but not in key markets. Read more »
Cord Cutters: Our review of Plair, which promises to be AirPlay for the rest of us
Can a $99 HDMI stick turn any TV into a smart device capable of AirPlay-like streaming of web content? Check out our Plair review to find out. Read more »
After a radical transformation, Blip gets ready to take on cable
Blip used to be just another video hosting site trying to compete with YouTube. These days, it’s looking very different – and it’s getting ready to take on cable TV. Read more at paidContent »
Deutsche Telekom’s ‘anti-net-neutrality’ plans alarm German government
The country’s economics and technology minister has reportedly urged Telekom to watch its step, after the telco announced caps for fixed-line users. Thing is, usage of Telekom’s own entertainment services won’t count towards those caps. Read more »
The future of TV, according to Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
TV is fundamentally changing from a linear delivery model to a world in which apps compete with each other, and Netflix is spending billions to be part of that future. Read more at paidContent »
Boxee launches its cloud DVR service in the San Francisco Bay Area
Boxee’s cloud DVR service is finally coming to the Bay Area: The company pushed out an update Wednesday that enables recording for its second-generation set-top boxes. Read more »
I want my Kindle TV: report confirms Amazon’s set-top box plans
Amazon’s secretive Lab126 unit is building a TV set-top box that will stream Amazon Instant videos straight to your living room, according to a Business Week report. Read more »
Aereo is coming to Boston in May
photo: Samuel Borges Photography
Aereo, a service that lets you watch live TV on your phone, is going live in Boston on May 15. Read more at paidContent »
New York Times lifts paywall for video, plans ‘franchises’
photo: New York Times
The New York Times is no longer restricting non-subscribers’ access to its video content. The move, which comes as the Times tightens other parts of its paywall, is part of the paper’s plans to expand its brand in the video space. Read more at paidContent »
Netflix CEO: password sharing is not a big deal
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings doesn’t really think that many people are sharing their accounts with extended family members. His remarks came in response to an estimate that 10 million people watch Netflix without paying for it. Read more »
The House of Cards effect: Netflix tops $1B in Q1 revenue, near 30M U.S. subscribers
photo: Netflix
Netflix made more than $1 billion in revenue for the first time in its corporate history last quarter. The company also used its Q1 results to announce a new $12 family plan. Read more at paidContent »
Vubooo’s take on the second screen: Less talk, more gooooooals
Forget badges, trivia and long-winded discussions: The soccer-centric second screen app Vubooo is all about a whole lot of virtual shouting. Read more »
Intel’s TV project loses key exec months before going to market
Intel Media is without a VP of Engineering after parting ways with a key executive that joined the company after playing a big role in Microsoft’s Mediaroom efforts. Read more »
Zombies vs. Lazarus: The digital resurrection of canceled television
It’s now common practice for canceled shows to find their way to fans via digital means, but there’s a big difference between uploading unaired episodes and truly coming back to life. Read more at paidContent »
Court sides with YouTube for second time in major Viacom copyright case
YouTube notched a major victory in its long-running copyright suit with Google. A New York judge emphatically rejected Viacom’s theory that YouTube had “red flag” knowledge that made it liable for content uploaded by its users. Read more at paidContent »
Next up for Google TV: An NBC app with full, free episodes?
NBC may be ready to rethink its stance towards Google TV, and make its content available for free on the platform through a native app. Read more »
Aereo CEO says free content might be on the way
photo: Albert Chau
Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia wants to disrupt TV pricing again, this time by rolling out movie and news packages at a fraction of the price of traditional ones. News, he said, might even be free. Read more at paidContent »
Broadcasters file Aereo appeal, warn of ‘havoc’ and ‘massive disruption’ to TV industry
Fox, PBS and other broadcasters filed for a New York appeals court to revisit a crucial ruling that permitted start-up Aereo to beam their signals. The appeal raises the stakes further in a battle for the future of TV. Read more at paidContent »
Like an MTV you’d actually enjoy: Shuffler.fm launches curated music video channels
ShufflerTV relies on some of the web’s leading voices in music to curate music video channels. The result looks as good as it sounds. Read more at paidContent »
Comcast confirms: Yes, we’re encrypting basic cable now
Comcast is getting ready to encrypt its basic cable channels. Consumers affected by the change need to get another box to keep watching. Read more »
How Syfy/Trion’s Defiance created a new Earth and a new approach to transmedia
“Watch the Show, Play the Game, Change the World” is how “Defiance” bills itself, but the combination of video game and television could be a game-changer in its own right. Read more at paidContent »
ReelSurfer targets media with newest take on video clipping
photo: transp
ReelSurfer set out to build a tool for people who don’t shoot their own videos. Then Reuters started using it. Read more at paidContent »
Netflix users watched more than four billion hours of video in Q1
photo: Netflix
Netflix streamed more than four billion hours of movies and TV shows to its members in the first quarter of this year. Read more at paidContent »
YouTube just got support for multiple admins per channel
Teamwork just got easier for YouTube creators: The site now allows up to 50 people to administer a YouTube channel together. Read more »
Really, Microsoft? Your vision for the future of TV is… an HDMI cable?
photo: digitpedia
Microsoft is reportedly looking to closely integrate its upcoming Xbox successor with live television – but it’s using a very cumbersome way to do so. Read more »
Verizon: Video accounts for 50% of mobile network traffic, and it’s only growing
photo: Verizon
Verizon is seeing video on its mobile network surge. Though it surely would like to encourage the trend, there’s only so much video Verizon’s customers can consume without going broke. Read more »
Google’s Wojcicki: Pepsi prank with Jeff Gordon is future of online ads
Google’s Susan Wojcicki says the viral success of a Pepsi prank video shows how online ad viewing is becoming a voluntary experience where marketers strive to produce content viewers want to watch. Read more at paidContent »
Roku sells five million players in the U.S.
Roku has sold five million players in the U.S. since unveiling the first Roku streaming player five years ago. A good chunk of its customers use their Roku more than traditional TV. Read more »
RemotePlay launches iOS app for cross-platform media sharing
photo: Tsahi Levent-Levi
Sharing documents, photos and videos between iOS and Android devices just got easier, thanks to the new iOS version of RemotePlay. Read more »
Drones on parade, and a few fun facts about 4K
I took a brief tour of the National Association of Broadcasters convention show floor today. Here’s what I saw and learned. Read more »
