Amazon’s European subsidiary now has exclusive second pay-TV window rights locked up for three of Hollywood’s six major studios, leaving precious little premium content left over for rival Netflix to acquire when it expands into Western Europe later this year. Read more at paidContent »
Roku has filled a vital gap in its lineup by announcing the addition of a channel for the BBC’s popular iPlayer service, just as it starts shipping its media streaming boxes to Britain for the first time. Read more »
U.K. Netflix clone Lovefilm just announced an app for LG’s smart TV’s, and the company is also getting ready to launch on Roku’s media streamer once the device becomes available to Britons. Details on the Roku app are scarce, but it could launch in early February. 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 »
Now it’s official: Netflix launched in the U.K. and Ireland Monday morning, promising to bring unlimited streaming of popular movies and TV shows through PCs as well as connected and mobile devices to both countries. But for Brits, Netflix isn’t the only choice. Read more »
Amazon’s Lovefilm is extending existing deals with ITV (LSE: ITV) and BBC Worldwide to gain a larger catalogue of their shows for online str… Read more at paidContent »
Amazon’s LoveFilm is continuing its film and TV content rights war with U.S. rival Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), signing a deal with Sony (NYSE: SNE… Read more at paidContent »
It already has a reputation as Europe’s top investor in startups, but now Index Ventures is adding more firepower with the announcement of a €500m new growth fund aimed at making big bets on rapidly-expanding companies on both sides of the Atlantic. Read more »
Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) definitely didn’t break out Kindle Fire pre-order numbers in the investor call following today’s earnings report, but CF… Read more at paidContent »
After enduring a torrid few months, Netflix is hoping to get that it can generate some positive momentum by announcing plans to launch in the U.K. and Ireland early next year — its first product launch outside the Americas. But it will face stiff competition. Read more »
After endless development and lobbying from fans around the world, the BBC has finally opened up an international version of the iPlayer — its smash hit video-on-demand service — for European subscribers. But will it make the grade as other video subscription services expand? Read more »
European startups have a long history of trying to break the American market — a move that works for some but not all. Now the CEO of print-on-demand website Photobox says that Europe’s entrepreneurs should learn from history if they want to build strong companies. Read more »
Netflix has no plans to slow down its international expansion. In addition to its expansion to 43 countries in Latin America later this year, Variety reports the company could also launch services in Spain and the U.K. in early 2012. Read more »
Amazon had long been rumored to want to buy Netflix. Instead, it bought the next best thing: Lovefilm. Regarded as the European version of Netflix, Lovefilm operates a DVD-by-mail and subscription streaming business. But will Amazon go head-to-head with Netflix in the U.S.? Read more »
Today on the Net: Lovefilm has extended its video streaming service into Germany, MTV introduces its social media Music Meter offering to track social influence of stars and their music videos and Sling released a new version of its iPhone app with improved video quality. Read more »
U.K.-based PS3 owners will soon be able to access some 4000 movies through LoveFilm. The DVD subscription service is taking a cue from its U.S. counterpart Netflix by extending its online video offering to the game console after forging an alliance with Sony earlier this year. Read more »
Amazon is looking to buy out U.K.-based video rental firm Lovefilm in a deal that would value it at £200 million. Buying Lovefilm could give Amazon a stronger position in the U.K. and also give it some expertise to compete with Netflix’s DVD-by-mail and streaming businesses. Read more »
Today on the Net: Lionsgate releases a slew of DVDs exclusively at Best Buy weeks before they’re available for sale anywhere else, Disney launches ABC On Demand services in Europe and LoveFilm has added hundreds of classic movies from the MGM library to its service. Read more »
Today on the Net: Disney and Warner Bros. sue ad provider Triton Media for its alleged ties to pirate movie websites, Hulu Plus expands to the desktop, YouTube learns Tagalog, and more. Read more »
Today on the Net: Akamai has a new president, Swisscom uses your Facebook friends in a personalized movie trailer, local libraries loan more DVDs each day than Netflix, YouTube is playing with a new playlist bar, and more. Read more »
