Little-known Viewster scores big with free movies and TV shows
Watch out, Crackle: Zurich-based VOD startup Viewster is starting to rack up more views than some of its established U.S. competitors. Read more »
New numbers show: Microsoft moves more media than you might think
photo: Corbis
Sure, consumers still buy a whole lot of DVDs – but they’re also starting to spend money on movie rentals on their Xboxes and Windows 8 devices. Read more »
paidContent turns 10: A brief history of digital media
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 »
“Piranha” sequel is first 3D film to get early VOD release
The Weinstein Company’s tongue-in-cheek 3D horror sequel will debut simultaneously on pay TV VOD through Starz, and on internet-based platforms including Amazon and Facebook. Such “day and date” releases are still rare for such semi-high-profile films, and it’s never been done with a 3D movie. Read more »
Is Cablevision about to launch a Netflix competitor, too?
With chief James Dolan mentioning unspecified software investments during Cablevision’s first-quarter earnings report Thursday morning, BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield believes the company is on the cusp of announcing a subscription video-on-demand service similar to Comcast’s Streampix. Read more »
Time Warner CEO thinks Hulu users should pay for cable
photo: Getty Images / Mario Tama
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 »
DVD not so DOA after all? Redbox Q1 revenue up 39%
While its longtime DVD-rental rival, Netflix has signaled its eventual retreat from the disc business, kiosk operator Redbox seems more than happy to take on any physical-media customers Netflix wants to cut loose. Read more »
Can delayed sport boost BBC’s premium VOD ambitions?
photo: Dan Taylor
BBC Worldwide hopes people outside the UK will pay to subscribe to content including non-live sports. Read more »
SnagFilms Extends Distribution With Multichannel VOD And Streaming Deals
SnagFilms has already proven it can be profitable. But now, with several fresh rounds of funding, the indie video on demand service is tryin… Read more »
UK VOD Regulator's Competency To Be Reviewed
photo: Corbis / Blend Images / LWA / Dann Tardif
The UK’s controversial video-on-demand regulator, which has angered some web publishers by charging them to be regulated against their wishe… Read more »
Chinese Theatrical Market Booms, But Real Action May Be In Video On Demand
photo: Shutterstock / Chiyacat
The Motion Picture Association of America released statistics today saying that Chinese theatrical revenue grew 35 percent to nearly $2 bill… Read more »
Video: Vevo To Launch In Six More Countries, CEO Caraeff Says
The music distributor and service Vevo plans to triple its global footprint in 2012, CEO Rio Caraeff tells paidContent while answering quest… Read more »
BSkyB's Internet TV Service Will Have A New Brand – 'Now TV'
UK pay TV platform leader BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) will take a bold step for its upcoming satellite-less, over-the-internet TV packages by launchin… Read more »
Video: The Future Of The Remote Control In The Age Of Internet TV
photo: Flickr / Robert S. Donovan
Wand, joypad, keyboard, trackpad, voice, mobile, wave, tablet or just plain ‘ol candybar? Which of these is the best way to navigate televis… Read more »
BBC Overcomes Xbox Hurdles To Launch iPlayer With Kinect Control
photo: Dan Taylor
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 »
All3Media Bypassing Broadcasters, Aggregators On Connected TV Screens
photo: Shutterstock / Oleksiy Mark
The connected TV revolution promises new distribution opportunities to content owners.
One, super-indie TV producer All3Media, is taking th… Read more »
Mike Lang Leaving As Miramax CEO
photo: Mipcom
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 »
Live From New York, It's Aereo TV (For Now…)
photo: Aereo
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 »
How Netflix's Hastings Could Get BSkyB Off An Anti-Trust Charge
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 »
Youku And Tudou Merge To Create Chinese Online Video Powerhouse
photo: Youku
After threatening to sue each other for copyright infringement in December, the largest players in China’s fast-growing online video market… Read more »
How Hulu Is Becoming A Testbed For New TV Shows
Shows produced by Hulu will soon find their way onto traditional TV networks in the U.K. and elsewhere, thanks to a distribution deal betwee… Read more »
BBC Plans iTunes Competitor With Download Fees For New And Old Shows
photo: zawtowers
The BBC is developing a radical scheme under which UK viewers would pay to download new and old BBC TV shows from a service it hopes will co… Read more »
Roku Needs To Raise $50 Million To Go Global
Internet TV box service Roku is prepared to take on a big and high-risk new investment to support its international ambitions. Read more »
Videoplaza Plots 'Device-Agnostic' Future For Ads
Ad delivery firm Videoplaza is taking the wraps off a new system that it says will help advertisers and media companies make money from thei… Read more »
Chinese VOD Rush Continues – Lionsgate Signs Latest Deal
photo: Shutterstock / Chiyacat
Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) became the latest Hollywood studio to make an online movie distribution deal in China, announcing Monday that it has r… Read more »
ITV Has Turned Around Online Fortunes With VOD, Next Comes New News Site
photo: ITV
UK commercial TV leader ITV (LSE: ITV) will launch a bold new news website this spring, will start trialling its delayed “Pay Player” this M… Read more »
Say Goodbye To Blockbuster Stores
photo: Shutterstock / Chris Green
The Blockbuster brand emerged from the ashes of bankruptcy to have an impact on the bottom line of its new owner, Dish Network (NSDQ: DISH).… Read more »
Comcast Gives Subscribers One More Reason To Quit Netflix
photo: Comcast
Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) is rolling out a new streaming on-demand offering called Xfinity Streampix, which will bring more library content to s… Read more »
YouTube’s Missing Monetization Makes Its Internet TV Prospects Patchy
YouTube’s fortunes in the emerging internet TV space may be hampered because it cannot yet help partners monetize their content on the new p… Read more »
The Most Important Thing About Bridesmaids’ $40 Million In VOD Revenues
Universal Pictures put a lot of palms on foreheads this week when it announced that its summer comedy hit Bridesmaids has taken in $40 milli… Read more »
Virgin Media Slow To Build A Revolution On TiVo
Virgin Media thinks its new-ish TiVo (NSDQ: TIVO) set top box is a game changer. But, whilst the new box – with a big PVR drive, capability… Read more »
Jersey Shore, Dora, iCarly To Amazon Prime Instant In Viacom Deal
photo: MTV
Amazon (NSDQ: AMZN) is expanding its Prime Instant Video library in a deal with Viacom (NYSE: VIA), bringing the total number of streaming v… Read more »
Virgin Media Profits As On-Demand Viewing Grows
UK pay-TV and broadband telco Virgin Media clocked its first annual profit in 2011, as its TV set top boxes continued to be an engine of vid… Read more »
BT Overhauling Vision As It Maintains Summer YouView Launch Forecast
BT (NYSE: BT) signed up 39,000 customers to its Vision hybrid Freeview/IPTV service between September and December, taking it to 679,000.
N… Read more »
What Broadcast And Cable Executives Still Don’t Understand About YouTube
photo: Flickr / ario_
There are many exciting things happening in the online video industry, but to my mind, none is more noteworthy than the radical transformati… Read more »
As Sky Growth Slows, Can Internet Defend It From Downturn And New Rivals?
BSkyB’s financials are still improving, but the company is now flaunting a range of new internet upgrades to try containing subscriber growt… Read more »
Sky Will De-Couple Pay-TV Content From Satellite For IPTV Era
photo: AP Images
BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) is acting to head off rising City concerns about the threat from over-the-top connected TV services, by announcing it will… Read more »
SnagFilms Adds $7 Million; Looks To Be Netflix Of Indie Film
Can SnagFilms become the Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) of the independent film sector?
Washington, DC-based SnagFilms, which offers access to a libr… Read more »
Sky Adding Broadcaster-Branded VOD Services From BBC And ITV
photo: AP Images
The UK’s leading pay-TV provider BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) is taking a significant step to improve its PVR box’s new IP on-demand TV service by addi… Read more »
Netflix Sees Overseas Losses Doubling To $118 Million This Quarter
photo: Robert Andrews
Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) expects overseas losses to double in just three months, as it spends more and more on vital local video content and mar… Read more »
