Just a day after removing 11 cable channels from its live streaming iPad app yesterday, Time Warner Cable has restocked the app’s programming lineup, adding 17 national networks and three local channels. Bonus: the app now has sports and news channels! Read more »
Discovery, Fox and Viacom might have won their battle against Time Warner Cable, forcing the pay TV provider to pull their channels from its live iPad app. But in doing so, they’re losing viewers that might have actually used the app to watch their shows. Read more »
News Corp COO Chase Carey and Disney CEO Bob Iger might leave Hulu’s board of directors soon, according to a Wall Street Journal report. But more independence might not be a good thing as it seeks to renegotiate deals with its media partners and stakeholders. Read more »
The TV series Firefly has already been brought back from the dead once — could it happen again? A new round of speculation kicked off by an offhand comment by Firefly star Nathan Fillion has fans buzzing — but what everyone’s forgetting is who owns the rights. Read more »
Today on the Net: Porn consumers get to enjoy a cloud-based experience that mainstream VOD is still missing, Bones fans can use an new iPad app to get context-relevant content and people send a whole lot of tweets during the Super Bowl. Read more »
Hulu viewers watch twice as much online TV on its site as on the next five network sites combined. But with content partners threatening to pull content or add windows online, Hulu could see its audience go elsewhere to get their online TV fix. Read more »
Mobile video accounts for a very small fraction of the overall U.S. mobile data market, despite on-the-go video and mobile TV receiving as much hype as any other area in the space. This report — the first in a two-part series on mobile video — examines what we can learn from the failures of mobile video to find a sizable audience so far, which challenges will continue to hinder the market in the coming years and the opportunities that will increasingly exist. The iPhone, Android devices and other multimedia-friendly handsets offer more screen real estate and higher resolution than previously possible, while the move toward 4G will help carriers deliver higher quality video more consistently. Even so, the challenges in this market are many, and mobile devices will likely always be inferior to set-top boxes, desktop computers and laptops when it comes to delivering a quality viewing experience. And because video consumes so much bandwidth on mobile networks, uptake will surely be impacted as carriers move away from all-you-can-eat data plans. The industry must, then, find other ways to monetize video in mobile, and without clogging already taxed cellular networks. Most importantly, it must develop viable business models for implementing video in ways that make sense for the consumer, the content owner and the network operator. Companies mentioned in this report include AT&T, Sprint, Apple, Google, Research in Motion, Qualcomm and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
There’s talk of the future of media in the air. So let’s examine how NewNet technologies like social media and real-time feeds are helping to re-invent the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Today on the Net: Comcast and NBCU are appealing to the FCC not to require them to provide their content to online sources, Sony’s Qriocity movie service has been switched on in Europe and Fox is using Hulu ad inventory to make good on ratings shortfalls. Read more »
Want to keep local news and major league sports on broadcast channels like ABC, CBS and Fox? Then stay out of our business, and let us make money through higher retransmission fees: That’s the message News Corp. President Chase Carey has for politicians in Washington. Read more »
The live-stream video market is entering an upturn in the typical hockey stick growth chart. Tens of millions of desktop viewers use browser-based players to find live-streaming content on an ever-increasing number of web sites and mobile devices. Raw viewership will grow fastest in the consumer segment, where sites like Justin.tv and Qik are focused. Those like Kyte, Livestream, Ustream and BitGravity, meanwhile, primarily offer platforms to commercial content providers seeking a mass audience. And as the market grows, both in terms of viewers and of the number and type of content providers, it will support both those with a diverse, one-stop-shop approach and those who specialize in particular content and audiences. Additional companies mentioned in this report include YouTube/Google, Sony, HTC, Vivu, Facebook and Apple. To see a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Want to watch Glee, Bones or House on your Google TV device? Then better hurry up, because Fox.com is trying to block access to its content. There’s currently a loophole available, but that might change soon. Of couse, the cat and mouse game continues nonetheless. Read more »
The celebrity tweet: good or bad? For the wildly popular television show Glee! it’s been a great success, though Fox VP of Innovation Hardie Tankersley admits that companies need to tread carefully in the Twitterverse. Read more »
Fox.com became the latest and final broadcast network to block its online video streams from appearing on Google TV-powered devices. The news comes after ABC, CBS and NBC had all previously blocked their shows on devices from TVs and Blu-ray players from Sony and Logitech set-top boxes. Read more »
The television business is on the cusp of the biggest technological upheaval since the introduction of cable TV. The addition of Internet connectivity to living room devices will enable new functionality around programming services, program discovery, social networking, ad targeting and measurement — aspects of the TV viewing experience that have remained largely unchanged for decades. These trends have the potential to become the foundation for new economic models around how viewers pay for video service and how program creation is financed. In this report, we examine the leading contenders’ strategic positioning, relative strengths and weaknesses, and provide the early line on their odds of success. Companies mentioned include Google, Apple, Boxee, Roku, Vudu, Samsung, Microsoft and Sony. To see a full list of companies and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Cablevision didn’t settle its retransmission dispute with Fox amicably, saying it would be paying an unfair price for stations its subscribers aren’t interested in. But in the wake of the two-week blackout, it might have gotten a small consolation prize: government intervention in retrans fights. Read more »
The pressure of its subscribers missing out on the World Series may have finally gotten to Cablevision. The cable provider this afternoon announced the return of Fox TV programming to its customers, right before the first pitch of Giants vs. Rangers Game 3 was thrown. Read more »
Today on the Net: The FCC could have made a difference in the Fox-Cablevision spat but decided it didn’t want the authority, Netflix could be racking up a $2 billion tab for streaming content and Ustream cut 4.5 percent of its staff today. Read more »
Hey Cablevision subscribers! Don’t want to miss the World Series while your cable provider battles it out with Fox over retransmission fees? Have no fear, because you can catch the games online, and — if you have an iPhone or iPad — on your mobile device as well. Read more »
The ongoing dispute between Fox and Cablevision is becoming the fall’s best drama, full of exciting twists and turns and exciting guest stars — in this case, the FCC, which hopes to end this conflict by getting both sides to submit information on their negotiations. Read more »
Google TV devices are blocked by ABC, CBS and NBC, making it impossible to watch the latest CSI or Grey’s Anatomy episodes online. However, basic cable doesn’t seem to care about conflicts like these. Most shows popular on cable networks are available to Google TV owners. Read more »
The FCC is stepping in on the retransmission dispute between Fox and Cablevision that has left 3 million pay TV subscribers without access to Fox broadcasts in Cablevision households, with a letter from Media Bureau Chief William Lake reminding them to negotiate in good faith. Read more »
It was no big surprise that broadcasters would block Google TV devices from accessing their content online. What’s at stake, of course, is the $80 billion TV advertising business fueling primetime TV. But broadcasters need a strategy that includes Google TV, not blocks it. Read more »
Today, when the Giants faced off against the Phillies in Game 3 of the NLCS, the official Twitter account for the Federal Communciations Commission provided several updates on the game for Cablevision subscribers unable to watch the game because of an ongoing dispute with Fox. SERIOUSLY. Read more »
Today on the Net: FCC chairman Genachowski calls out Fox and Cablevision for spending more time attacking each other than negotiating, Time Warner Cable is building a CDN for distribution of VOD content and TiVo has extended its $20 a month, no upfront cost pricing plan. Read more »
Fox took its conflict with Cablevision over retrans fees to the next level today by briefly blocking Cablevision customers from accessing Fox content on Hulu and Fox.com. The move led to an outcry from consumer rights advocates – but that may have been exactly what Fox wanted. Read more »
The fight over how much Cablevision will pay Fox in retransmission fees escalated to a new level this morning as Fox had denied Cablevision’s broadband customers access to Hulu and other Fox-affiliated online content. The move shows how online video has grown in importance. Read more »
Today on the Net: the FCC proposed arbitration in the Fox-Cablevision retrans dispute, but Fox has declined, Justin.tv continues to grow UGC traffic despite the loss of business development execs and the FCC ordered some CableCARD reform that comes up short. Read more »
Today on the Net: Cablevision’s 3 million subscribers in New York could lose access to Fox programming if the companies can’t reach a deal Friday, BestTV will resell Brightcove services in Israel and TBS has ordered a pilot episode of Funny or Die’s Undercover Karaoke. Read more »
We first reported that Apple was in discussions with TV networks to make episodes available for rental at a new 99-cent price point six weeks ago, but a new report provides more detail on how those discussions are going and when the service will launch. Read more »
Fox has teamed up with Appnation to crowdsource its next mobile application for Fringe, allowing anyone to submit an app and compete for a $10,000 prize. The winning developer will also get a chance to meet with Fox to work on putting the app into production. Read more »
Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance has finally come online, with a new, interactive player that adds social and interactive features to the online viewing experience. The dance show will benefit from Fox’s investment in rolling out “Superfan” video players for its more popular shows. Read more »
The new Glee Superfan player incorporates a number of social features that aren’t included in the normal Fox video player, including the ability to check out character bio pages, connect to your Facebook and Twitter profiles and view a stream of Twitter chat about the show. Read more »
While we’ve written extensively over the last year about Glee, several recent episodes demonstrate that the show’s writers have an innate awareness of how web video affects pop culture. Unfortunately, though, the same can’t be said about its marketing and online distribution. Read more »
Motor sport fans can soon watch races live from the Nürburgring on their computer, thanks to a new broadband network dubbed Speed2 that is going to be launched by Fox this June. Speed2 is tied to Fox’s Speed cable channel and will initially only be available […] Read more »
Broadcast Networks Set for 20% Gain in Upfront Market; ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox should net approximately $8.26 billion in prime-time advertising commitments, up 20% from the $6.88 billion in 2009, according to research from Barclays. (AdAge) Howcast Is Now Available on BlackBerry; the DIY video […] Read more »
Roger Ebert might not think they’re art, but the value of video games as a storytelling medium is growing indisputable, especially since the rise of the machinima process — which Fox Broadcasting is now taking a swing at. Fox has ordered a pilot presentation of the […] Read more »
A dozen broadcast TV firms, including Fox, NBC and others, have announced a joint venture to introduce mobile digital TV services in the US. The initiative, which is a continuation of work done by an industry group called the Open Mobile Video Coalition, aims to re-use […] Read more »
UPDATED: The Producer’s Guild of America announced last night the creation of a new title for producers who work in the increasingly high-profile world of “transmedia,” which in this context specifically refers to those who produce content that expands the world of a narrative beyond one […] Read more »
Are you a musical theater nerd who watched the Fox series Glee this fall and thought to himself in a very Chorus Line-ish way, “I can do that?” Well, MySpace says put your money where your mouth is. Glee Open Casting Call Video with Matthew MorrisonGlee […] Read more »
