Why UltraViolet Produced More Questions Than Answers At CES
The UltraViolet initiative left the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last week with an important new retail channel in Amazon (NSDQ: A… Read more at paidContent »
Why you’ll buy a new TV in the next 5 years
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about how consumers will soon be buying more TVs, and upgrading them ever faster. After seeing the best that CE manufacturers had in store at CES, I’m even more convinced. But not for the reasons you might think. Read more »
Lovefilm Adding ABC TV Show Archive In UK Netflix Fight
In its war with Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), Amazon’s Lovefilm has licensed U.S. TV shows from ABC (NYSE: DIS) Studios through Disney UK under the… Read more at paidContent »
Netflix, Hulu and the golden age of content
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 in ’11: $420MM revenue, 1.5M paying subscribers
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 »
After Starting Streaming Race, Starz Now Lags Behind HBO And Showtime
The evolution of premium cable TV beyond the living room took another step this week, with Showtime introducing a streaming app to rival HBO… Read more at paidContent »
How P2P could save the set-top box by improving VOD
Netflix dominates the business of streaming movies and television into consumers’ homes, but a new business model developed by big data firm Opera Solutions could help give cable companies the inside track. The model is combination of peer-to-peer networking via set-top boxes and big data algortihms. Read more »
Ultraviolet Movement Picks Up New Backer: Samsung
Samsung has rolled out a new line of Blu-ray players that support Ultraviolet, thus joining the ranks of entertainment brands that support t… Read more at paidContent »
The Bleeding In The Home Entertainment Business Slowed In 2011
photo: AP Images
The home-entertainment business has been pummeled in recent years, with revenues falling for seven years in a row, in one year a full 8 perc… Read more at paidContent »
Amazon, Samsung throw UltraViolet a lifeline
Hollywood’s UltraViolet initiative might not have gotten off to a great start. But things are looking up, as it’s added Amazon as a partner, and Samsung Blu-ray players will now let consumers add DVDs they’ve already purchased to their UltraViolet digital rights lockers. Read more »
Cord Cutters: Netgear’s NeoTV reviewed
Netgear is trying to compete with Roku, Apple TV and Boxee with its own streaming media player. The NeoTV has a few hundred apps, including Vudu, Netflix and YouTube, but lacks local playback capability and Hulu Plus. Should you buy it? Check out our review. Read more »
Roku players go up for sale in U.K., Ireland
Roku is starting to sell its Roku LT and Roku 2 XS players in the U.K. and Ireland. The company is hoping to cash in on the launch of Netflix in both countries earlier this week, and possibly make up for weaker-than-expected sales last year. Read more »
Interview Part 2: Netflix's Hastings Hurt By Criticism But Over Transition
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings tells paidContent the company has emerged from the “pain” of a consumer and investor backlash, after… Read more at paidContent »
Interview Part 1: Netflix's Hastings Aims To Challenge BSkyB
photo: Robert Andrews
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) fancies bidding against News Corp-controlled BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) for Hollywood movies and TV shows, even though internati… Read more at paidContent »
Dish’s Blockbuster @Home now streams 25,000 titles
Dish first announced its Blockbuster subscription streaming service three months ago. In that time, it’s been quietly ramping up the amount of content its subscribers can access through the service, boosting the number of choices from just 4,000 streaming titles at launch to more than 25,000 now. Read more »
Netflix is about to discover that Britain bites back
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 makes it official, launches in U.K. and Ireland
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 »
Netflix Has Launched In UK, Price War With Amazon's Lovefilm
photo: AP Images
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) executives launched the service in the UK and Ireland on Monday morning with pricepoints of £5.99 ($7.79) and €6.99… Read more at paidContent »
What Warner Bros.’ 8-week DVD window really means
A lot has been made of Warner Bros. and its new eight-week window for DVD rental firms. But the new window is unlikely to change much for companies like Netflix, Redbox or Blockbuster. While Netflix users will wait longer, Blockbuster and Redbox users likely won’t. Read more »
Lovefilm Adding More ITV, BBC Worldwide Archive TV
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 »
Subscriber Content
Trouble in Tinseltown
Turnstiles have been slowing at domestic theaters for much of the past decade, with only a brief respite in 2006 and a short-lived spike in attendance in 2009 due to the release of Avatar, the highest-grossing film of all time. Ticket-price inflation and the introduction of ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Netflix Faces Higher Prices For HBO, Agrees To Doubled DVD Delays From WB
photo: Shutterstock / S.Dashkevych
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 »
Netflix's 2 Billion Streaming Hours In Q4 Blows Away Competitors
photo: Netflix
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 »
Subscribers watch about an hour of Netflix a day
Netflix announced that members watched more than 2 billion hours of video on its streaming video service in the fourth quarter. That comes out to about 83 hours of video per account during the quarter, or an average of 54 minutes of Netflix video each day. Read more »
Roku shrinks its box, puts it on an MHL thumb drive
Roku is expanding its lineup of devices with a new smart-TV stick that brings the entire functionality of its existing set-top boxes to TVs simply by being plugged into an MHL port. The stick can even be used with your regular TV remote. Read more »
What's Coming In 2012: The Age Of Ubiquity (For Some)
photo: Boston Globe
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 »
The 10 stories that defined tech in 2011
While 2011 was a busy year for the tech industry, don’t expect things to slow down in 2012. We’ve rounded up some of GigaOM’s biggest stories of the year with a bit of insight on what each will mean for 2012. Read more »
Subscriber Content
Connected Consumer 2012: A year of consolidation and integration
Call it the year of lessons learned, if not quite bubbles burst. In 2011, several trends in the connected consumer space that appeared inexorable at the start of the year seemed disorganized by the end. What does that mean for the next 12 months? From cloud-based media storage to daily deals to the fight for the digital living room, 2012 will be a year of consolidation and integration. Both entrepreneurs and investors will figure out that many once-promising standalone business models need to be grounded on more solid, integrated platforms to create real value. Companies mentioned in this report include Hulu, LivingSocial, Netflix and Zynga. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Linear TV Consumption Is Growing, But Is Ad Spend?
When you consider the internet, on-demand services, games consoles, mobiles, apps and [fill in your personal favorite here], we have more wa… Read more at paidContent »
NewTeeVee’s top 11 posts of 2011
Netflix, AT&T’s 250-GB bandwidth caps, the Royal Wedding, Roku, Google+ Hangouts and The Guild were only some of the subjects that proved to be really popular this year. Check out our list of the eleven most-read NewTeeVee posts of 2011. Read more »
Apple iTV: It’s about the experience, not content
Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu thinks Apple needs to get into the content game to make the iTV a winner when it launches. But the bigger opportunity might be where Apple plays best — in allowing content creators to develop their own apps on its iOS platform. Read more »
Netflix was 2011′s biggest loser in customer satisfaction
Netflix had a rough year ever since it announced a major price hike and an ill-advised plan to spin off its DVD-by-mail service. That’s led to a massive decline in customer satisfaction, as the once high-flying company saw its rating drop to its lowest ratings ever. Read more »
How Hulu’s ‘Steamboat’ ads recommend new shows to users
While Hulu has mostly built its audience by featuring popular new programming, it’s also building a recommendations system to introduce viewers to new content. It’s leveraging those recommendations with a new set of ads aimed at getting users hooked on shows they didn’t known about. Read more »
Getting the most out of your gift: Boxee Box edition
Got a Boxee Box as a gift this holiday season? Congratulations! The box is one of the most versatile Internet video devices out there, and our post-holiday tips and tricks take the pain out of setting it up, watching great content and finding additional accessories. Read more »
Boxee releases new PC version – as a farewell gift
PC, Mac and Linux users are finally able to upgrade Boxee to its most recent version – but they won’t be getting any future upgrades. The company announced today that it is officially abandoning the PC platform, completely concentrating on CE devices instead. Read more »
Getting the most out of your gift: Roku edition
Got a Roku media streamer as a gift this holiday season? Then check out this guide for some essential tips on how to set it up, what content to watch, how to get additional channels not listed in the Roku store, and what accessories to buy. Read more »
Report: In Europe, Not All Windows Open For Netflix
photo: Netflix
Some more detail appears to be emerging in the lead-up to Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) launching in the UK next year: in the midst of signing a seri… Read more at paidContent »
5 absolute last-minute gifts for Apple lovers on your list
The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of disappointment ran through your head because you waited until the very very last minute to buy gifts. Here are some options for gifts that while thoughtful, don’t require you to meet shipping deadlines. Read more »
Highlights Of 2011: The Year In Paid Content, By The Numbers
photo: Corbis / A.Chederros
This is the last in a series of posts over this week that looks at the most significant developments of this year in the sectors that we cov… Read more at paidContent »
Get Netflix HD on a Galaxy Nexus and enjoy 720p vids
One of the biggest draws of the Galaxy Nexus is the 4.65-inch high-definition screen; literally a pocketable 720p HDTV display. But some video services still stream standard definition video. Here’s how to get HD video from Netflix on the Nexus and what it looks like. Read more »
