CBS’s new iOS app lets viewers stream episodes of some shows a week after they air. But full episodes from popular shows like “The Mentalist” and “The Big Bang Theory” are missing. Read more »
A new streaming video service called HitBliss lets users earn virtual cash by watching targeted ads. They can then redeem their earnings for new movies and TV episodes. Read more »
Netflix is partnering with DreamWorks to release its first original children’s show this December. Netflix will also add new DreamWorks films to its streaming lineup. Read more »
Amazon announced Friday that by the end of 2013, Prime Instant Video will be the only paid streaming service to offer episodes of Downton Abbey. Hulu Plus and Netflix will lose access. Read more »
Amazon Studios has chosen its first five pilots for children’s shows, including offerings from the creators of Blue’s Clues and Rugrats. User feedback will help determine whether the shows go into production. Read more »
FORA.tv’s new paid membership model, Front Row, gives subscribers streaming access to conference and event videos from companies like The New Yorker and The Economist for a flat fee of $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Read more »
Book publisher Simon & Schuster is ramping up video distribution, creating content channels and signing with partners like Roku, Blinkx and Taboola. For now, the videos are intended to promote books and authors, not to drive advertising revenue. Read more »
Amazon and EPIX have signed a deal to make streaming movies like The Hunger Games, Iron Man 2 and The Avengers free to Amazon Prime members. Previously, Netflix had exclusive rights to EPIX recent releases. Read more at GigaOM »
Amazon Prime Instant Video and NBCUniversal expanded their content licensing agreement to include new shows like “Friday Night Lights,” “Parenthood” and “Battlestar Galactica.” Read more »
Whether you spell it “theatre” or “theater,” any fan of classic or contemporary theatrical works ought to check out the full-length productions available through VOD site Digital Theatre. Though, while the pricing is equivalent to iTunes, the user experience is not. Read more »
AOL is hoping that the Huffington Posts’s new streaming video network, HuffPost Live, will set itself apart from competitors because of its focus on user participation, twelve hours of live programming daily from New York and LA, and a varied group of hosts. Read more »
News Corp.’s Jon Miller explained to our Staci D. Kramer in a Q&A at paidContent 2012 that broadcasters actually need business-to-consumer outlets like Hulu in order to survive. That plus News Corp. in China, The Daily and more. Read more »
Hulu should require viewers to have a cable subscription, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes suggested in an investor call following the company’s Q1 2012 earnings report this morning. “We think Hulu authenticating makes sense,” Bewkes said. “We think Hulu is heading in the right direction now.” Read more »
Brightcove used to have significant staff in China, and was looking to expand in the country as late as March 2010 – but left China head over heels later that year. What’s left is Brightcove’s staff, now working for a local competitor, and the question: What happened? Read more »
Google announced Monday that it has reached a deal to bring about 600 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film titles, including such classics as Rocky, The Terminator, Hoosiers, Robocop and Rain Man, to the film-rental catalogs of YouTube and Google Play. Read more »
