HBO is bringing its HBO Go service to more screens by adding AirPlay support – but it’s not ready to offer an online-only subscription any time soon. Read more »
A new deal means Netflix will be able to replenish its content library with past seasons from eight shows, including the West Wing. Meanwhile, many other content goodies will stay out of its reach. Read more »
The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The third quarter saw many parts of the traditional media business in flux. Other developments included the rollout of new device-based content ecosystems, red flags and red ink for traditional consumer electronics makers, and a resurgence of consumer purchases of movies. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With the launch of Nook Video, Barnes & Noble will begin selling digital movies and TV episodes across devices. The company plans to release Nook Video apps, and the service will be available in the US and UK. Pricing and other details are unclear. Read more at paidContent »
A recent wave of lawsuits show that Time Warner is getting more aggressive in targeting DVD rings that use Amazon to sell unauthorized copies of HBO shows like True Blood. Read more »
An upstart car service is offering Manhattan residents free rides in gangster-era automobiles in a novel promotional gambit for the TV show Boardwalk Empire. Read more »
What should we expect from next week’s Amazon press conference in Los Angeles? The rumor mill suggest a front-lit Kindle e-reader, a new Kindle Fire with a camera and location technology, and more streaming movie offerings for Prime members. Read more »
The gloves are off between Netflix and HBO – in Northern Europe, anyway: HBO revealed plans for an HBO Nordic offering that can be accessed on the Internet without a TV subscription two weeks after Netflix announced its expansion to Northern Europe. Read more »
Those who purchase Fox movies like Prometheus on iTunes can now re-download their films on iCloud, thanks to a deal the studio carved with its pay TV partner, HBO, that relaxes digital restrictions of movies while they’re in the pay TV window. Read more at paidContent »
Social TV is any application, website or software that allows viewers to interact with television programming and share that interaction with others. Startups in this space hope to combine ubiquitous second-screen technology with well-established audience behavior to drive new value around shows. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Research firm Parks Associates finds that nearly one-fifth of premium cable subscribers would consider switching their entertainment dollars to Netflix. And 16 percent of cable/satellite subscribers would consider subscription video-on-demand over their pay TV provider’s VOD service. 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 »
Critics say that in the post-Sopranos era, HBO is no longer “zeitgeisty.” But what’s not relevant about a network carrying the entire TV Everywhere initiative on its back? We examine why HBO remains vital, just in a different way. Read more at paidContent »
Season 2 of HBO’s Game of Thrones series may have ended last week, but HBO GO is just getting started: Amazon’s Kindle Fire is now supported. Although Amazon has its own content ecosystem, adding media from others could actually add more revenue to Amazon’s coffers. Read more »
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 »
Hulu should require viewers to have a cable subscription, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes suggested in an investor call following the company’s Q1 2012 earnings report this morning. “We think Hulu authenticating makes sense,” Bewkes said. “We think Hulu is heading in the right direction now.” Read more at paidContent »
On HBO Go, about 75 percent of all viewership is focused on the premium cable network’s original series, as users catch up on current series like Boardwalk Empire or watch older shows like The Sopranos, according to HBO Co-President Eric Kessler. Read more »
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said this week that he thinks Netflix could have up to three times as many U.S. customers as the premium cable network HBO. The remarks were made in a presentation about the company’s business opportunity, which interestingly doesn’t mention DVDs at all. Read more »
Netflix may have Lilyhammer, but Hulu has Battleground: The TV catch-up service debuted its first original scripted series late Monday night, and will release additional episodes of the series every Tuesday. That’s very different from how Netflix presents its original content. Read more »
TV Everywhere is giving people access to content they are not actually paying for. I know, because I’m one of them. The question is whether that is stealing — and if it is, is there anything that cable companies can actually do about it? Read more »
Netflix just released its first original TV show, the crime comedy Lilyhammer. And in typical Netflix fashion, it simply dumped all episodes of the entire first season on its subscribers. The logic behind this move? Netfix subscribers are binge viewers, says CEO Reed Hastings. Read more »
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) is facing changes to its DVD business with two Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) programmers after months of CEO back-and-forth a… Read more at paidContent »
TV viewership is still on the rise, with the typical American watching five hours a day now, according to research by Nielsen. That hasn’t slowed the growth of online video: In fact, the amount of content streamed is accelerating, too. While it hasn’t yet made a ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Almost two years after HBO launched its on-demand streaming service HBO Go, the premium cable network has finally gotten the last two major holdouts to agree to offer it to their subscribers. The service will soon be available to 98 percent of all HBO subscribers. Read more »
Netflix may have had some troubles keeping its customers on board, but streaming usage has nonetheless been growing: The company’s CEO Reed Hastings revealed during an investors conference Tuesday that Netflix is now streaming “well over a billion hours” to its subscribers per quarter. Read more »
HBO is cementing its reputation as a trail-blazer with a new batch of hit shows and, more recently, a hugely popular mobile offering. But th… Read more at paidContent »
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 »
After a few months in private beta, social video recommendations site Matcha.tv has publicly launched with new features, including the ability to help users organize and keep track of the TV shows and movies they love. It’s also added Comcast’s XfinityTV.com as a content partner. Read more »
Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) siblings HBO and Sports Illustrated magazine are collaborating a on a multi-part documentary series entitled Sport i… Read more at paidContent »
Roku scored a huge coup with its release of the HBO Go app. But not everyone who subscribes to the network will have access to it. In fact, the two biggest pay TV operators in the U.S., Comcast and DirecTV, have decided not to support it. Read more »
All the reports about YouTube heavily investing into original content are true: The site will be launching a number of curated and scheduled channels with contributions from stars like Madonna, Rainn Wilson, Shaq, Tony Hawk and others. Some shows will be long-form, and some even live. Read more »
Not scared enough by Netflix’s stock tanking 34 percent this morning? Then how about watching an episode of Spooky Stories featuring Shrek and his donkey sidekick? The show is part of some DreamWorks titles that have made their way to Netlix long before many expected. Read more »
Warner Bros. has confirmed its movies won’t disappear from streaming sites when they hit HBO’s pay TV service. The closing of this so-called “HBO window” could go a long way toward making digital ownership of UltraViolet titles more appealing to consumers. Read more »
Microsoft is targeting a Black Friday release of its Xbox Live update, which will add apps from the likes of Comcast, Verizon and HBO. But the code that those apps will run on, which is a modified version of Silverlight, is still being finalized. Read more »
Microsoft unveiled partners that will be part of a major expansion of content available through the next update of its Xbox Live service, and it’s a pretty impressive list. In addition to Comcast and Verizon, Xbox will also add content from networks like HBO and Epix. Read more »
Dreamworks is parting with HBO snd giving its movies to Netflix instead: Starting in 2013, Netflix customers will be able to stream both new and catalog titles of the animation studio. Netflix was apparently willing to pay significantly more than HBO currently does. Read more »
Anyone can make a movie, but not everyone will receive distribution. Advances in technology enable individual content creators to make high-quality films at an extremely low cost, but who will watch the content if it is not siphoned through the right distribution channels? Read more »
For all the head-scratching and chin-pulling over Netflix’s decision to separate its DVD and streaming businesses, one important aspect of the move has gone largely overlooked: the effective separation of its movie and TV content businesses, which splits the company along content lines. While that may ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
A recent survey by HBO seeks to find out how likely Netflix users are to cancel after its recent price hike. HBO also wants to know if cable subscribers will stick around thanks to HBO Go, and which devices they want to access the service on. Read more »
