Who will be the first to launch a serious competitor to Netflix’s Watch Instantly service? That question may be close to …
VoD
Goodnight, Television?
We’re still some distance from a world where online streaming of content can truly challenge the dominance of television, but recent figures suggest that the number of households in the U.S. with at least one television actually …
Report: Redbox + Verizon = Netflix Killer?
It’s the rumor to end all streaming service rumors, and the culmination of months of speculation: Not only is the identity of Verizon’s partner for its planned Netflix competitor revealed, but the partner turns out to be a …
HBO Boss to Netflix: You’ll Never Get Our Shows
Consider this a quiet declaration of war. Talking at the VideoSchmooze NYC event yesterday, HBO Co-President Eric Kessler said that there is “no chance” the company will make its original series like Boardwalk Empire, Game of …
Time to Cut the Cord? Sony Reported to Be Prepping Internet-Based Cable TV Replacement
Cable companies’ worst cord-cutting nightmares may be about to come true, with new rumors emerging that Sony is considering launching an online alternative to cable TV. It’d apparently offer a variety of live programming …
Blockbuster Movie Pass Test Drive: Some Flash, Little Substance
Back when Dish Network’s Blockbuster Movie Pass was first announced, there was one obvious problem with the idea that it was a true competitor to Netflix: It was only available to Dish Network customers.
Now that I’ve had a chance to test out the online streaming portion of the Movie Pass package for myself, another problem seems just …
Nextflix: Who Could Take the Streaming Video Crown?
If Netflix does, in fact, continue its slow implosion and disappear into the coldness of internet irrelevance, one question seems to be left unsaid: Who will take over where it left off? Who profits from Netflix’s demise the most?
According to Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne, cable and satellite companies should be …
Skype Founder Unveils Netflix Competitor
Watch out, Netflix: There’s a new player in the online video space, with the kind of past history that should probably make you a little nervous. Introducing VDIO, the new streaming video-on-demand service from the people who brought you Skype. And Napster. And Apache. You’ll find some Microsoft veterans in there, too.
Why Hulu’s Not for Sale Anymore
To everyone who entered a bid to try and buy Hulu: Apparently, you didn’t offer enough. According to a statement released yesterday by Hulu joint owners the Walt Disney Corporation, News Corporation and Providence Equity Partners (as well as senior Hulu management), the owners have “terminated the sale process” for the company, due to …
The Digital Media Revolution: Analog Strikes Back
If you consider the move towards predominantly digital media to be a slow but inevitable one, recent events in the worlds of movies and comic books might make you want to reconsider that last part.
In the past week, protests by movie theater owners have pushed Universal to scrap plans to test a premium video-on-demand release for the …
TechnologizerHome Entertainment
Roku Dips Below $50, Adds HBO GO
Roku, which pretty much invented the cheap, easy-to-use Internet TV streaming box, is the sort of scrappy startup which you might have assumed would get steamrolled by mammoth competitors early on.
Instead, it’s continued to do well even as Apple and Google have muscled in on its territory—in part because it’s a fine product, in …
Hulu vs. Netflix: Who Will Get ‘Arrested’?
The announcement of a new season of Arrested Development is good news for fans of the show—those who know that Jason Bateman deserves better than co-starring in an all-male version of Freaky Friday. It’s also potentially good news for Hulu and Netflix. Or, I should say, Hulu or Netflix, as the two companies may be about to find …