The Morning Lowdown 12.13.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» A group of some of the largest demand-side platforms — MediaMath, Turn and DataXu — have formed a joint effort called OpenRTB… Read more »
Warner Bros.’ Newest Consumer Segment: Pirates
photo: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.)
Prosecuting the criminals that steal content is one way of fighting piracy. Over at Warner Bros. (NYSE: TWX), they’re adopting a more opport… Read more »
Interview: New Miramax CEO Mike Lang: No Cannibalization Talk Here
photo: News Corp.
As expected, Mike Lang has landed as the CEO of Miramax, acquired by Filmyard Holdings from Disney (NYSE: DIS) last week for $660 million. L… Read more »
‘Hurt Locker’ Studio Copyright Czar Calls For End To Screeners
photo: Oscar.com
UPDATED: The top piracy watchdog at Summit Entertainment called on Hollywood to stop using screeners, the DVDs that are used in postproducti… Read more »
Reed Hastings: Netflix Doesn’t Need New Starz Deal
photo: AP Images
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) founder Reed Hastings told an investors conference Wednesday that he “can live without” renewing a deal for streaming r… Read more »
Cable Industry Grooms Its Netflix Killer: Vutopia
It’s trendy nowadays to challenge Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), whether you’re Amazon or OnLive. Little did anyone know that the nation’s cable oper… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 12.06.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» AOL (NYSE: AOL) is looking at a major restructuring that could include the jettisoning of its revenue-generating dial-up busine… Read more »
Why Netflix Won’t Get What It Wants Most For Christmas
photo: Corbis / Bryan Snyder
Blame it on the holiday season, when kids make overly ambitious lists of all the gifts they want for Christmas. But if it’s true that Netfli… Read more »
Can YouTube Yield Another Star In Ryan Higa?
That Ryan Higa has drawn over 3.6 million views to his latest YouTube (NSDQ: GOOG) creation isn’t surprising; his videos routinely amass cab… Read more »
‘Jackass 3.5′ Blazes Distinctive Path To Digital Platforms
When you’re a mega-successful film franchise, doing something unique in digital distribution is typically besides the point. But nobody told… Read more »
Sony Switches On Qriocity Movie Rentals In Europe, But Not On PS3
After earlier letting services like Lovefilm on to its connected devices, Sony (NYSE: SNE) has now brought its own Qriocity entertainment re… Read more »
Streaming-Only Netflix Debuts In The U.S.; Less Content But Cheaper, Faster
photo: Flickr / jeffgunn
Take that, Hulu. Less than a week after the video portal dropped its price for Hulu Plus to $7.99, a dollar below the basic Netflix (NSDQ: N… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 11.18.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» Twitter is testing an analytics tool that will let users know which tweets possibly brought in more followers and which ones le… Read more »
‘Harry Potter’ Leak Seems More Like Publicity Than Piracy
photo: Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1 (Warner Bros.)
The first 36 minutes of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I suddenly popped up on Bittorrent sites Tuesday, just a few days before… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 11.16.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» Tribune Company chairman Sam Zell doesn’t see an operating role for himself after the company emerges from bankruptcy. In recen… Read more »
Comcast Releases Xfinity iPad App; Other Devices Wait In Line
Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) has finally brought its TV Everywhere concept to the iPad with the release of the Xfinity app, which will allow its su… Read more »
C4 Could Struggle To Profit From Paid PC Movies
Earlier this month, Channel 4 debuted Film4oD, a movie-centric extension of its 4oD TV catch-up brand.
The model – 48-hour rentals from 50p… Read more »
Disney Rethinks Role Of Keychest In Film Distribution
photo: Disney
Disney (NYSE: DIS) has changed the locks on Keychest, the digital-rights-locker strategy that began drawing attention a year ago as a potent… Read more »
New Eye-Popping Netflix Growth Stats
If you aren’t impressed enough yet by Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX), the good folks at research firm Screen Digest shared some subscriber-only analyt… Read more »
Our Digital Entertainment Digest 11.10.10
Here’s our take on some of the latest news at the intersection of technology and entertainment:
» YouTube Topics: YouTube is about to… Read more »
DreamWorks’ Stacey Snider Feels The “Pressure” of Premium VOD
photo: DreamWorks Studios
First it was Time (NYSE: TWX) Warner’s Jeff Bewkes last week, then Fox Filmed Entertainment’s Peter Levinsohn yesterday. Today’s high-powere… Read more »
Guess What: Netflix Is Now Primarily A Digital Video Company
photo: AP Images
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) announced its Q3 2010 earnings a few weeks back and the numbers were every bit as positive as people have expected. The… Read more »
Digital Home: Netflix Balances The Benefits And Costs Of Broadband
It’s taken several more years for broadband penetration to get to the level Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) had expected, but now that it has, it’s bee… Read more »
Digital Home: Sony’s Wiesenthal: Consumers Suffer From Box Exhaustion
photo: Flickr / Frankie Roberto
For all the talk of the “wireless experience” and “cutting the cord” these days, it doesn’t feel like digital devices have really dispensed… Read more »
How Hollywood Will Squeeze Netflix
It seems the studios have figured out one way to ease the pain of declining DVD revenues: putting the screws to Netflix. Read more »
Time Warner’s Cable Nets Prop Up Revenues; Publishing, Films Remain Mixed
photo: Flickr / Michael McDonough
The revenue and profits for Time (NYSE: TWX) Warner’s cable networks HBO and Turner remained solid in Q3, as its magazines made gains in adv… Read more »
Vudu Flexes Its Wal-Mart Ties With ‘Toy Story 3′ Promotion
photo: Vudu
Ever since it purchased online streaming movie service Vudu earlier this year, Wal-Mart (NYSE: WMT) hasn’t done much to acknowledge its new… Read more »
Channel 4 Launches Film4oD Movie VOD With FilmFlex
Channel 4 has teamed up with FilmFlex to launch a video-on-demand digital film rental service for Film4 with more than 500 titles available… Read more »
Taking Lovefilm’s Pulse: Company Snapshot As DVDs Become Downloads
photo: hirotomo
With M&A murmurs still bubbling and the great IPTV opportunity beckoning, DVD and online movie service Lovefilm is one of the more interesti… Read more »
Apple ‘Clarifies’ Device-To-Device iTunes Rental Limits: Don’t Do It
photo: Apple iTunes
The newest version of the iTunes Store Terms and Conditions from Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) carries this warning: “We have clarified that content re… Read more »
Former News Corp. Dealmaker Lang To Miramax As CEO?
photo: Flickr/Rex Hammock
A big day for ex-*News Corp*. execs. First, Ross Levinsohn signs with Yahoo (NSDQ: YHOO) as EVP-Americas. Now Mike Lang, who played a key ro… Read more »
MySpace Second Act Recasts Entertainment In Starring Role
Forgive yourself if you forget about your friends on the new version of MySpace: entertainment is your new BFF on News Corp.’s update of the… Read more »
The Leash Is Off: Comcast Digital Subs Can Access Xfinity TV From Any ISP
photo: Xfinity
In a big step forward for the TV Everywhere concept, Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) is taking the beta tag off Xfinity TV and opening more than 150,0… Read more »
How Google TV Could Hand Netflix The Entire Streaming Universe
photo: Flickr / Staci D. Kramer
I personally can’t think of anything stupider for the big broadcast networks to do than give their shows to Google (NSDQ: GOOG) for free. Wh… Read more »
Netflix: Instant-Streaming Only Option May Debut In U.S. Later This Quarter
photo: Flickr / HackingNetflix
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) may begin to offer an instant-streaming only option in the U.S. as soon as later this quarter. The company debuted an i… Read more »
The 7-Inch Tablet Everyone Is Waiting For Costs $600 From Verizon Wireless
photo: Tricia Duryee
Now that Apple’s Steve Jobs has thoroughly poo-pooed the idea of a 7-inch tablet, Verizon Wireless was bold enough to be the first carrier t… Read more »
Meet Our New Entertainment Editor
I’m pleased to announce that Andrew Wallenstein will be joining us to write about the digital-entertainment business, based in Los Angeles.… Read more »
Netflix Agrees To Delay New Releases From Sony
photo: Flickr / HackingNetflix
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) will hold off on renting new Sony (NYSE: SNE) releases until 28 days after the DVDs are first available for purchase in… Read more »
RealNetworks Launches A New RealPlayer Focused On Mobile First
photo: RealNetworks
Today, RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK) has relaunched one of its oldies, but goodies: The RealPlayer.
The new media player is in line with the S… Read more »
Updated: Netflix And NBCU Strike Broader Streaming Deal
Starting next week, Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) users will have the choice to stream any episode from the past 35 years of Saturday Night Live as p… Read more »
