Bernstein Research wonders if the decision by Providence Equity Partners to pull its minority stake out of Hulu is a signal that the entertainment conglomerates who own most of the streaming service — and who wish to uphold TV’s multichannel model — don’t want it to grow. Read more »
While serving as News Corp. chairman and CEO five years ago, Peter Chernin helped secure a $100 million investment into Hulu by Providence Equity Partners. Now, Providence is walking away from Hulu with around $200 million and putting it into Chernin’s production company. Read more at paidContent »
For developers, consumers and even carriers, Android seems irreparably broken. But Google’s not likely to “fix” Android anytime soon, because despite the fragmentation problem, the company is getting what it wants: massive amounts of user data. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As government strives to keep up with the broadband age, the Senate held a hearing covering the future of television, but midway through I realized that the Senate has it all wrong. The future of TV isn’t found in deregulation, it’s found on the Internet. Read more »
Germany’s broadcasters ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL won’t be able to launch their own Hulu-like service for catch-up TV, if today’s day in court is any indication. A judge agreed with regulators that the platform would establish a duopoly. That’s good news for Hulu. Read more »
In the first quarter of 2012 all eyes were on the screen, both big and small. Apple’s new Retina display pushed video streaming, and broadcast-TV streaming service Aereo’s launch was quickly followed with litigation. These events and more are discussed in a new quarterly report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Hulu Plus, Hulu’s paid subscription service, has hit 2 million users and is helping put the company’s revenue on a faster pace than last year, said Hulu’s CEO Jason Kilar, speaking at the Ad Age Digital conference in New York. Read more »
Hulu just cut the subscription price of its Japanese video service by a third. The company is now charging the equivalent of $12 per month in Japan, as opposed to more than $18 before the price change. The move mimics a similar step in the U.S.. Read more »
When it comes to broadband we spend a lot of time talking about how much data we can transfer quickly but applications from video chat to gaming require a different type of network speed. If latency doesn’t matter to you yet, it soon will. Read more »
Next Issue Media’s newly launched digital news-stand has been called a “Netflix for magazines.” But while it may be an improvement over the current Balkanized state of the digital magazine market, does it really fit the way that people want to consume digital content now? Read more »
A business that pays people to expose bogus patents announced it will offer a cash reward to the person who can show that putting an adverti… Read more at paidContent »
This year is only the beginning. That was the essential message Tuesday from Yahoo’s head of video and original programming, Erin McPherson,… Read more at paidContent »
Mike Lang has resigned as CEO of Miramax effective immediately, according to the film company. Lang, a former News Corp. (NSDQ: NWS) exec i… Read more at paidContent »
While its relevance in the realm of traditional linear television is more questionable than ever, the CW’s youthful, digitally literate core… Read more at paidContent »
Say this about TV Everywhere — it’s not making the complicated world of TV video streaming any easier to figure out. On Tuesday, cable netw… Read more at paidContent »
Madison Avenue’s upfront ad markets are the place where TV broadcasters and cable companies sell the bulk of their billions of dollars in co… Read more at paidContent »
Comcast is rolling out a new streaming on-demand offering called Xfinity Streampix, which will bring more library content to subscribers that pay for its high-end double- and triple-play packages. That could give subscribers less of a reason to also pay for Netflix or Hulu Plus. 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 »
Blip.tv has raised another $12 million in funding and debt and changed its name to Blip, dropping the .tv top level domain from the company logo. Why the change? So viewers won’t confuse the content with things that are made for TV. Read more »
Thought online video was just about short clips? Think again: Netflix and Hulu are both premiering online-exclusive TV shows this month, and Sony is airing the third episode of its reality TV show on the PlayStation Network. We are taking a first look at these shows. 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 »
Want to watch the XLVI Super Bowl online or on your iPhone or Android handset? Or maybe you want to just check out the ads without watching the entire game? Either way, our list of 2012 Super Bowl links and resources has you covered. Read more »
The rising popularity of streaming video services is causing a knock-on effect for companies serving ads around that content. And here’s ano… Read more at paidContent »
While Hulu was formed primarily as a way for content owners to distribute and monetize content online that would otherwise be pirated, CEO Jason Kilar said Tuesday that there’s more reason for the company to exist now than there was four-and-a-half years ago. Read more »
It looks like the death spiral that was the Bitbop mobile video service is finally no longer. PaidContent understands that the service — on… Read more at paidContent »
The struggling independent film sector believes it has stumbled onto an effective release strategy, combining various forms of online and ca… Read more at paidContent »
From SOPA to Microsoft’s expanded Xbox live platform to cloud-based content storage from Apple and Google, the fourth quarter in consumer electronics and media was all about the continued battle for digital living room dominance. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
The legislative battle over SOPA highlights the cultural rift between Hollywood and Silicon Valley but one place where the two tribes seem t… Read more at paidContent »
Big media companies are pushing SOPA and PIPA to limit piracy. But it’s not Google’s fault people are seeking out films and watching pirated streams or downloads — it’s the studios’ fault for not making it easier for consumers to find and pay for that content instead. Read more »
As it seeks to launch nearly 100 new channels featuring professionally produced video, YouTube (NSDQ: GOOG) has a key advantage over origina… Read more at paidContent »
YouTube’s ambitious — and expensive — original programming push got a little more steam this week with the Monday launch of new Hollywood-… Read more at paidContent »
Hulu is launching its first original scripted show just days before Netflix will unveil its first stab at an original TV show. Both companies are part of a bigger movement toward original online programming that includes new ways of funding as well as distribution. Read more »
Hulu Plus has “materially exceeded” expectations, passing 1.5 million paying subscribers and heading closer to the point where the premium v… Read more at paidContent »
Hulu made $420 million in 2011, and is expected to pay $500 million to rights holders this year alone. The service now has 1.5 million paying subscribers, and Hulu CEO Jason Kilar projects that Plus will account for more than half of Hulu’s revenue this year. Read more »
Netflix wants to recover from a disastrous few months by launching in the U.K. and Ireland — but the company will have to overcome many obstacles to achieve success, not least competition from broadcasters who have very different priorities from their American counterparts. Read more »
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) subscribers appear to be spending far more time viewing the service’s streaming content than do users of any other onli… Read more at paidContent »
This is the last in a series of posts that highlighted key people, companies and trends to watch in 2012 in the sectors we cover most, from… Read more at paidContent »
Facebook has super-charged a handful of lucky media companies selected to test-drive the social network’s frictionless sharing platform. But… Read more at paidContent »
