MobiTV Files For $75 Million IPO To Fund Its Growth [Video]
Big news for mobile TV pioneer MobiTV: the company has filed for an IPO worth up to $75 million, as it looks for funds to expand internation… Read more at paidContent »
If Netflix is right, Amazon already a cloud champ
OpenStack has attracted tremendous developer and partner support since launching a year ago. But according to Netflix’s chief cloud architect, Adrian Cockcroft, the open-source cloud project has its work cut out for it if it hopes to attract major clients like Netflix. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Building a better paywall: strategies for monetizing news content
The impact of digital technology has shattered long-established monopolies and ways of making money in the newspaper publishing industry. Today, publishers must find ways to subsidize content-creation costs directly, and this report examines a few different approaches, from more flexible paywalls to charging users directly for access and mimicking the business models of other industries, such as online gaming. Companies mentioned in this report include Ford, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
How Google plans to change the way you watch TV
Google chairman Eric Schmidt was on a diplomacy mission to UK broadcasters late last week. His pitch? The Internet will make TV more personal, more social and enable better monetization and measurement opportunities. And Google wants to help them take advantage of those changes. Read more »
Forget TV — broadband is the future of cable
Video services still make up the bulk of cable operator revenues, and pushing broadband has been shunned by many who are afraid that such a move would relegate the cable to being a dumb pipe. But the future of cable might actually be selling Internet access. Read more »
Subscriber Content
What’s so bad about being a dumb pipe?
There’s nothing flashy about broadband services, but that won’t stop many operators from making those services a core focus as time goes on. Due to growing consumer adoption and better profit margins than traditional video services’, high-speed Internet is likely to be the future of the ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Brightcove’s IPO and the perils of online video
But those who have been waiting for the first big online video IPO might have to wait a little longer: That’s because Brightcove’s IPO will be modest in comparison to expectations many of us had for the company — and for the online video industry in general. Read more »
Netflix to add family accounts and VOD rentals?
Netflix has taken a lot of heat since announcing a new pricing structure. But more price changes could be on the way as Netflix seeks to diversify its revenue stream with individual accounts and video-on-demand sales, if you believe Forrester analyst James McQuivey. Read more »
Netflix has nothing to fear from Amazon’s big VOD library
Amazon announced today that it has more than 100,000 titles available for rent in its online video-on-demand library. That’s a big number, but it’s not really a threat to Netflix’s subscription streaming service. After all, bigger isn’t always better, and people love all-you-can-eat services. Read more »
HBO shows now in HD on iTunes
Discerning TV viewers take note: Apple just turned on HD availability for many HBO television shows in the iTunes Store. Customers in the U.S. and Canada can now purchase HD episodes and seasons of many HBO series, including Eastbound & Down, Rome, Entourage and Big Love. Read more »
Netflix ‘Just for Kids’ UI goes live for all
Netflix knows the children are our future, and has worked hard to court the demographic of kid viewers. The latest move on that front is the introduction of a new user interface — labeled “Just for Kids” — that is designed to be easier for children to navigate. Read more »
Roku raises another $8 million
Roku has raised another $8 million, according to an SEC filing. The round comes just a few weeks after Roku launched the latest version of its broadband set-top boxes, which in addition to streaming video, also features casual games. Read more »
Netflix tests new web UI for kids. First look
Kids don’t need to be able to read to navigate Netflix’s website, thanks to a new and much simplified section with children’s content. The new UI isn’t available to everyone yet, but Netfix has looked into making its site more appealing to kids for some time. Read more »
Sorry, Hollywood: Piracy may make a comeback
A stumbling economy with the threat of another recession, a price hike for Netflix customers, people canceling cable and a pay TV wall for fans of popular TV shows like Glee and Top Chef: Sounds like a perfect storm for piracy, doesn’t it? Read more »
Hulu to launch subscription service in Japan
Hulu is turning Japanese with the launch of a subscription service in the country. The company today announced that it will launch the service before the end of the year, but declined to provide further details. Hulu actively looked for partners in Japan earlier this year. Read more »
Disney to put its shows behind a pay wall online, too
Fox won’t be the only broadcaster to restrict access to its shows online and require next-day viewers to be pay TV subscribers. Disney is also working out deals with distributors that would allow viewers to watch shows sooner if they log on with a cable ID. Read more »
Infographic: Netflix by the numbers
Netflix has a catalog of 51,000 movies and TV show episodes, which can be watched on more than 450 devices. Those numbers have helped Netflix to become the biggest video subscription service in the U.S. Check out our infographic for a success story in numbers. Read more »
Why 193,000 people stopped paying for TV last quarter
The pay TV industry shed at least 193,000 subscribers last quarter, based on public earnings results. While most were low-end subscribers that didn’t pay for HD, DVR or other value-added services, the industry faces a tipping point if it keeps focusing on ARPU above all else. Read more »
Boxee’s new iPad app packed with social discovery
Boxee is releasing an iPad app to entice new users to check out its media center software and maybe buy its broadband set-top boxes. But while the Boxee Box has been focused on adding premium content, the app is all about social sharing and video bookmarking. Read more »
How green are the devices that stream Netflix & Hulu?
Canceling cable won’t just save you money, it could also help to save the planet: Apple TV, Roku & Co. use significantly less electricity than your cable box. However, not all Netflix boxes are created equal. We tested five popular brands to find the greenest device. Read more »
Netflix, Redbox are bright spots for Hollywood
Now there’s even more evidence that movie viewers are turning to a rental, rather than a purchase, model for their home entertainment needs. Subscription services like Netflix and kiosk rentals from Redbox were bright spots in an otherwise dismal second quarter for the big Hollywood studios. Read more »
The BBC’s iPlayer for TVs goes HTML5
Users of Sony’s PS3 can now access a special TV version of the BBC’s iPlayer, complete with a navigation optimized for remote controls, personalization and video overlays. The new iPlayer is based on HTML5, showing how important the emerging standard is to the connected-TV world. Read more »
Would you pay to stream local TV to a Roku?
Would consumers pay to stream live, local TV channels to a Roku or other connected set-top box? And if so, how much? That’s a question that’s on the mind of Sonic.net CEO Dane Jasper, who’s doing a little bit of informal market research on the topic. Read more »
Digital dollars are finally starting to matter to Viacom
Viacom reported that affiliate revenues grew 20 percent domestically and 16 percent worldwide. That was due in part to digital deals that the company has struck recently, including new deals with Netflix and Hulu that make its shows available for streaming. Read more »
Comcast CEO: No business model for over-the-top video
More than most cable providers, Comcast could offer a streaming offering with its XfinityTV.com website and iPad app. But it has no plans to extend its products to customers outside its cable footprint, in part because there’s no money in it, according to CEO Brian Roberts. Read more »
Cord Cutters: A first look at the Roku 2
Roku just came out with a new generation of streaming media players, complete with support for Angry Birds and other casual games as well as advanced Netflix streaming. Want to see it in action? Then check out this week’s episode of Cord Cutters. Read more »
Best Buy tests the connected TV market
Best Buy is treading carefully into the connected TV space, introducing two new models of TVs that rely on a TiVo-powered user interface and Chumby apps for additional content. But savvy buyers might be disappointed by the lack of streaming services available on the new TVs. Read more »
Big Bytes: Retail vs. the Web [Infographic]
Nicolas Rapp, who just started as the director of infographics for Fortune magazine has put together this awesome chart that highlights the efficiency of the online distribution model. Amazon and Netflix are two of the most visible examples of companies that are ascendant. Read more »
Netflix looks to kids to make its UI more fun
Netlix recently posted a job opening for a UI designer specialized on kids websites and online games. Does the video giant plan to launch a separate website dedicated to its large library of kids content, or will the entire Netflix UI become a bit more kid-friendly? Read more »
Amazon getting serious about competing with Netflix
With an expanded content library and a new key asset acquired to play in the consumer electronics market, Amazon is becoming more aggressive in its pursuit of Netflix. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time, with Netflix approval at all-time lows. Read more »
Can news publishers learn anything from Netflix?
photo: Flickr user Shironeko Euro
Netflix is using price hikes to manage the transition of users away from the physical product and towards digital streaming. While there are some similarities between that and the newspaper business, publishers shouldn’t get their hopes up too much about copying the Netflix model. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Who will become the Pandora of online video?
When it comes to offering recommendations and personalized services to users sifting through mountains of digital content, online video could learn a few lessons from the music world. We’ve yet to see an offering for online movies and TV that mimics, say, Pandora’s highly personalized service. ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
BBC’s iPlayer goes Global, embraces the iPad
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 »
Sorry Hulu, Netflix still rules the living room
Close to 60 percent of all Netflix subscribers access the video service through a game console or another connected or mobile device, according to new data from Nielsen. Hulu, on the other hand, has a far smaller footprint in the living rooms of its users. Read more »
Dexter returns to Netflix streaming, but not in the US
Back episodes of Showtime series Dexter and Californication will be returning to Netflix’s streaming library, thanks to a new deal with CBS. But U.S. fans won’t be able to view them, as the rights are for Canada and Netflix’s new Latin America markets. Read more »
What Wall Street is saying about Netflix
Netflix faced Wall Street analysts Monday to explain why its new subscription plans were a good idea. While many on Wall Street were surprised by the effect it will have on customer additions in the short-term, most agreed that the change won’t affect the long-term story. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
The second quarter of 2011 was a fast-paced one for the connected consumer segment, with every sector of the digital media landscape — music, e-books, online video and gaming — experiencing significant events and changes. Media consumption, purchase and management continued its shift towards the cloud, ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
As DVD sales decline, Walmart.com adds Vudu streaming
Vudu’s streaming-video-on-demand service is about to get a big boost, as it’s being integrated with the website of parent company Walmart. That will introduce millions of new “every day low price” shoppers to the joy of online video through the Vudu service. Read more »
Netflix: Price change not about killing DVDs
There’s been a lot of speculation that Netflix was seeking to kill the DVD-by-mail offering with its recent price hike. But to the contrary, Reed Hastings says that the decision was made in an effort to prolong the DVD business, which wasn’t getting enough attention. Read more »
Netflix price hike to slow subscriber growth in third quarter
Netflix expects growth in international markets to ramp up in the second half. But growth in the U.S. will largely be flat in the third quarter as it works through the impact of its pricing change. The company expects just 3 million consumers to go DVD-only. Read more »
