Disney is acquiring George Lucas’s Lucasfilm, including the “Star Wars” franchise and associated technology, for $4.05 billion. “Star Wars Episode 7″ is slated to be released in 2015, with more films to follow every two to three years afterwards. Read more »
As the market for music on discs shrinks, struggling retailer HMV will try blurring online and in-store to beef up plastic. But is the initiative just designed to defend a fast-diminishing old business? Read more »
Remember when Friendster was the hot social network, publishers doubted that ebooks would ever sell, and Netflix thought DVDs in red envelopes was the future? We do — that was that state of digital media when paidContent launched in 2002. Read more »
Unlimited-access digital music services are racing to beat iTunes – and each other – in new countries each week. Our map breaks down the world’s digital music market, country by country. Read more »
The latest hires in the tech and media industry… Read more »
DVD sales may not be what they were, but the road to Hollywood riches still goes through Walmart’s Bentonville, Ark. headquarters. Fortunately, to see a demo of the retailer’s new UltraViolet cloud service, we only had to drive to Rosemead, Calif. Read more »
UK songwriters, composers and music publishers received 3.2 percent higher royalty earnings in 2011, as new online music services boosted pa… Read more »
The video games industry has urged the new owner of Europe’s largest plastic-box video games retailer to develop a stronger digital distribu… Read more »
In the land of the freemium, how much free is enough to convince users to pay?
In the latest refinement to its market strategy, Spotify in… Read more »
Unlimited-music service Rdio concedes it will have to fight incumbents as it prepares to launch across the whole of Europe. Read more »
How does a faded Major League Baseball franchise– one that hasn’t won a championship in 24 years and has fallen into disrepair under consec… Read more »
UK advertising buyers now say Spotify is the outlet they enjoy the best experience with. Read more »
It’s doubtful that the U.S. Supreme Court will ever hear digital movie server maker Kaleidescape’s case against the studio backers of DVD’s… Read more »
Pandora (NYSE: P) quit the UK in 2008, citing excessive music streaming rates. A year later, PRS For Music, noting similar concern, slashed… Read more »
After suspending shares last week, Europe’s largest plastic-box video games retailer, Game Group, called in administrators to run the compan… Read more »
The music industry enjoyed its best sales performance for eight years in 2011, as CDs’ collapse decelerated, digital sales continued growing… Read more »
Ireland’s largest ISP, which once resisted calls to act against illegal downloaders, has told paidContent its competitors should now join it… Read more »
Two of the subscription-music space’s main players are set to launch in several new markets, as the segment’s many budding exponents race to… Read more »
The Motion Picture Association of America released statistics today saying that Chinese theatrical revenue grew 35 percent to nearly $2 bill… Read more »
Sub Pop, Ninja Tune, Matador: Record labels used to be known as curators of a certain sound, and collectors would sometimes buy every new re… Read more »
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) is eager to steer its core business away from mere movie rentals to an operation that resembles, to some degree, premiu… Read more »
The music distributor and service Vevo plans to triple its global footprint in 2012, CEO Rio Caraeff tells paidContent while answering quest… Read more »
Aereo, the controversial technology that turns iPhones and iPads into portable TV sets and DVRs, will not disappear anytime soon despite eff… Read more »
The BBC has overcome Microsoft’s wish for iPlayer to be bundled with its paid Xbox Live Gold subscriptions.
The catch-up TV service on Tues… Read more »
Fandango will be an online and mobile movie-ticket seller for Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) Movies, according to a new partnership between the two comp… Read more »
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 »
– CNBC: Kevin Krim is CNBC’s new digital general manager, reporting to Mark Hoffman, president of CNBC (NSDQ: CMCSA). Krim comes from Bloom… Read more »
Manchester United football club is demanding that Google (NSDQ: GOOG) bar all Android apps that contain its logo. Read more »
Aereo, a bold new service that brings broadcast TV and DVR to your iPad and iPhone, started its engines in New York City today — and the re… Read more »
“Our industries do something that no one else can do,” the Motion Picture Association of America’s Fritz Attaway said at the Association of… Read more »
What is the best way to quantify artists’ popularity, as more music consumption moves from downloads to streams? Read more »
The UK inquiry in to whether Sky Movies’ exclusive first-run subscription VOD deals with six major Hollywood major studios is anti-competiti… Read more »
Don’t worry, we’ll work this out in time for the big dance. That is the essential message from top home entertainment officials who are stil… Read more »
In 2010, people couldn’t say enough good things about Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) — it was the darling of the digital entertainment world. Then la… Read more »
We told you it was coming — and it did. Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) has formally announced its support for Hollywood’s struggling UltraViolet movi… Read more »
There are guide sites aplenty for college guys or for men in their 20′s. But what happens when one-time keg guzzlers and adrenaline junkies… Read more »
The new wave of global subscription music services going global has picked Germany, perhaps Europe’s most under-developed digital music mark… Read more »
Continuing its aggressive expansion into video content as it restructures its operations, Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) has signed a development deal w… Read more »
When former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling moved his video game company 38 Studios to Rhode Island in 2010, the decision was not just a snub… Read more »
Europe’s biggest plastic-box video game retailer Game Group has warned its shares may become worthless, as it struggles to avoid the same fa… Read more »
