Paid movie downloads won’t be coming to RapidShare any time soon: The file host has abandoned its plans to launch a download store with Hollywood fare. But fear not: RapidShare competitor MegaUpload is apparently working on a commercial movie download venture of its own. Read More »
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Winnie the Pooh, Cars, Alice in Wonderland and other Disney and Pixar movies are coming to YouTube, thanks to a new partnership between the mouse-eared Hollywood heavyweight and Google’s video site. Movies will be available for rent through YouTube’s premium content section. Read More »
Comcast has been boosting the number of VOD titles it has available. But behind the scenes, the technology enabling the VOD service is a new, IP-based distribution and delivery network. That means not just more content, but the potential for new services as well. Read More »
A quarter of people in countries with access to high-speed broadband are streaming their television, although more than 80 percent are also still watching broadcast television as well. According to data from Ericsson, fewer people are watching broadcast TV while Internet-options are on the rise. Read More »
Video-on-demand startup ActiveVideo was awarded $115 million by a jury in a patent infringement against Verizon. The decision comes after three weeks of deliberations and little more than a year after ActiveVideo took the telco to court over patents related to interactive TV and VOD applications. Read More »
Microsoft could be rolling out a new subscription video service later this year, pitting it against services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, as Microsoft seeks to grab more revenues from Xbox subscribers. But it will need to be available on other devices, too. Read More »
An app that allows phones like the Nexus S to access the Google Videos movie store found its way to the Android Market a few days ago, only to be quickly taken down again. The leak could hint at movie rentals coming to more Android devices. Read More »
Netflix has revamped its home page to make finding and watching VOD titles easier. The new design includes bigger box art and less information clutter — but not everyone seems pleased. Most of the comments to the blog post announcing the changes were candidly negative. Read More »
The BBC announced a new feature called “Series Record” to its iPlayer today. With the new feature, iPlayer users will be able to sign up once to record their favorite shows and catch up on that programming for up to a month after episodes air. Read More »
The entertainment industry has its eyes set on Facebook, hoping that the site will help to sell VOD rentals for Hollywood blockbusters like The Dark Knight and indie flicks alike. However, history teaches us that social networks can’t help you sell stuff that no one wants. Read More »
YouTube is adding 3000 new movies to its library of VOD rentals. The site is also rolling out a new look for serialized and other forms of professionally produced content, a step that should help to bolster the audience of shows produced by YouTube’s partners. Read More »
Warner Bros. is buying Flixster, and it plans to turn the site into a VOD service tied to the UltraViolet cloud DRM scheme. Part of the deal is also the movie reviews site Rotten Tomatoes. The studio promises that Rotten Tomatoes will continue to be independent. Read More »
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