Amazon and EPIX have signed a deal to make streaming movies like The Hunger Games, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers free to Amazon Prime members. Previously, Netflix had exclusive rights to EPIX recent releases. Read more »
Company CEO Reed Hastings tells investors that an exclusive licensing deal with premium cable channel Epix is about to run out … but not to worry, since Netflix doesn’t get that much viewing from the pact, anyway. Read more at paidContent »
They’ve been negotiating over some of the biggest cable networks on TV, but DirecTV says a near deal to end its weeklong impasse with Viacom has been undone by a lightly watched premium channel. The programmer calls that a fabrication, saying the two remain far apart. Read more at paidContent »
Anecdotal evidence suggests over-the-top video is a booming trend. But it takes technical skill, state-of-the-art broadband connections and the willingness to shell out money for both bandwidth and content subscriptions to fully integrate OTT into a household, much less consider trying to use it to cord cut. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The new Xbox Live update launching tomorrow is the start of a rollout of lots of new content partners on the platform. But the big innovation will be allowing them to be navigated from a unified search mechanism powered by Microsoft’s Bing. Read more »
Microsoft has acquired video search specialist VideoSurf, reportedly paying upwards of $70 million for the Silicon Valley startup. The software giant plans to integrate the VideoSurf technology into its Xbox Live platform, providing more granular data about what’s happening on-screen. Read more »
ClipSync Moments gives viewers the ability to share videos with friends on social networks. But instead of sharing a link to the entire video and having their friends search for the part it refers to, ClipSync attaches comments to a specific moment in time. Read more »
How’s that for a deal: Roku’s new entry-level set-top box is selling for just $49. That’s half the price of an Apple TV – but the company insists it’s still making money on every unit sold. Roku also announced the launch of an HBO Go app. Read more »
Epix once had an edge over other cable networks, with a streaming offering to go along with its linear cable feed. But now that everyone’s on the TV Everywhere bandwagon, Epix continues to innovate, adding original programming and making videos available on a number of devices. Read more »
The next generation of Roku media streaming boxes will roll out soon, with a new, smaller form factor and more powerful graphics. With the release, the company is betting big on casual games becoming available on new Roku 2 devices, including Rovio’s Angry Birds. Read more »
Epix, the premium cable network that launched with an online, on-demand video component, is making that service available through a number of new mobile and otherwise connected devices, including Android tablets, Samsung connected TVs and Blu-ray players, the Blackberry PlayBook and Roku broadband set-top boxes. Read more »
Netflix is adding more content to its streaming library in Canada, striking a deal with Paramount Pictures for first-run access to movies in the pay TV window. So movies like Iron Man 2 won’t show up on Canadian cable channels, but will appear on Netflix instead. Read more »
Today on the Net: More evidence that 3-D films are bad for us, Netflix’s Ted Sarandos claims that Time Warner hates it because it’s going to try to steal Warner Bros. movies away from HBO and Epix is building an app for connected TVs. Read more »
Starz has been a key component in the growth of Netflix’s streaming service over the past two years, but it has been woefully underpaid in that time. A new deal could bring Starz more than $250 million a year, according to BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield. Read more »
When Microsoft announced that ESPN would make live and on-demand video available through its Xbox Live service, the news had strong implications for mass adoption of cable services being delivered ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Today on the Net: ABC has doubled the number of ads it shows in its iPad app, Demand Media chooses Joost for its video ad sales and technology, and Epix is adding authentication with a new HD site aimed at Cox and Mediacom customers. Read more »
FiOS TV users won’t get their Epix and HBO Go content from a third-party CDN, but from Verizon’s own servers. This could save cable networks money, and help Verizon to manage its network. Read more »
Hulu Goes to the Movies (That You’ve Never Heard Of); Yesterday marked the first time a “feature film” appeared on Hulu before running anywhere else, but only because In The Darkness is hardly a feature film. (MediaMemo) Isohunt Ordered to Remove Infringing Content; a U.S. judge […] Read more »
The growing ubiquity of the Internet is having a major influence on the video and software industries, which are using it to enable delivery of their products online.
Advanced infrastructures are required to deliver those contents efficiently. The Internet has been built on a best-effort model, but ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
