Items tagged with Content
If you're a content creator tied to YouTube and are itchin' for a change, Amazon's brand-new 'Video Direct' service is probably worth checking out. Amazon Video Direct is going to be a viable competitor to YouTube, but offers a little more flexibility with how you manage your content. And, because Amazon is behind all of this, you can expect excellent integration with the company's affiliate service. When content creators want to release their video on this service, they'll have four ways to do it. If everyone on planet Earth is welcome to watch, then the video will be ad-supported. Otherwise, it could be rented, offered as an add-on subscription, or be exclusive to Amazon Prime Video, where...
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We won't soon look back and remember this week as the brightest in Microsoft's history. With a newly-minted CEO moving forward with around 18,000 job cuts by the end of 2014, it's clear that this is a pivotal point in Microsoft's history. What will become of Windows, Nokia, its cloud services, and its engagement with enterprise will all be shaped in the months ahead. Even the Xbox division, which is viewed by many as a glimmer of positivity within the company, isn't leaving the war unscathed. With firms such as Netflix and Yahoo diving into original content production, Microsoft had bold plans to do similar. With its vast Xbox audience, it stood to reason that it could develop exclusive content...
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Ahem, not so fast. While the Internet was abuzz yesterday regarding what appeared to be a sudden loosening of restrictions surrounding the highly-coveted NFL Sunday Ticket program, DirecTV has swooped in today to quell some of that excitement. Essentially, the satellite TV company threw up a new splash page on its website that seemed to suggest that folks without DirecTV would be allowed to pony up a yearly fee in order to stream the content on a variety of devices. For cord-cutting NFL fans, it felt like a dream come true. Naturally, nothing that good could ever be. DirecTV has clarified that the streaming-only option applies specifically to those who aren't able to have a satellite dish installed....
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The world of content is a complicated one, and it isn't getting any easier for those trying to cut through the noise. Netflix realized a few years ago that streaming content owned by others probably wasn't a hugely sustainable solution, so it invested in creating its own exclusive content that would coerce folks to stay with Netflix even if a rival came along and undercut it elsewhere. YouTube has been doing something similar for a while now, but without the same amount of luck. Going forward, it's reported that YouTube has started a new round of discussions with "Hollywood and independent producers to fund premium content," which would further its existing efforts and help to position YouTube...
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As it turns out, disrupting the television market is pretty difficult. Apple, despite admitting that the TV business is one of intense interest, hasn't been able to crack the nut that would meld online and pay-TV content in a way that's dramatically different and better than the mishmash we have today. Earlier this year, Intel seemed to believe that it was on the way to accomplishing that goal, but now, things aren't looking so rosy. The service was to be called OnCue, and it was supposedly going to revamp the television experience by using an IPTV approach that brought pay-TV channels to the small screen via an Internet connection. Ambitions were real, but so were the hurdles. Content companies...
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If you're looking to cut the cord, and you value older television shows over new release movies, Netflix is looking like an ever more excellent bet. CBS and Netflix nailed down an extension of its multiyear licensing agreement for select CBS library content streamed instantly to Netflix customers. Under the revised deal, new titles such as "L.A. Complex," "4400," and "CSI: NY" will be available to Netflix subscribers. "We are delighted to be bringing these much-loved series to our members in the U.S.," said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. "Our goal is to give Netflix members a broad mix of engaging shows to watch, and we look forward to adding even more high-profile titles from...
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Southwest is already one of America's most beloved airlines due to its bags-fly-free policy, and now, technology lovers are about to have one more reason to chose this airline over the others. Dish and Southwest have joined hands in order to deliver a new TV Flies Free program. This will bring free live and on-demand TV to certain personal devices onboard all Southwest planes with Wi-Fi. iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch and "most other Internet-ready personal devices" will have access starting today, with live TV as well as up to 75 on-demand shows being on tap. For the first time, Customers flying on Southwest Airlines can stream directly to their personal devices live TV and up to 75 on demand titles...
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If YouTube is inching towards becoming a TV channel, this has to be worth at least a few inches. One of the world's most famed tennis tournaments will be broadcast live on YouTube starting Monday, giving people across the world the ability to witness one of sporting's most hallowed spectacles. Roger Federer, Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic, David Ferrer and Rafael Nadal are already in London getting ready for Wimbledon, and this year, Wimbledon’s YouTube channel will have exclusive access throughout The Championships on Live @ Wimbledon. One has to wonder how long it'll be before even more events find their way to YouTube in live fashion, and given that tons of televisions can access YouTube...
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TV is about to get a lot more social. Twitter has made no bones about its ambitions to become the go-to source when it comes to mapping out popularity of television programming, and now, Viacom + Twitter have announced a partnership to deliver social video advertising campaigns around the most popular shows and biggest events throughout Viacom's network portfolio. That portfolio is mighty robust, including MTV, VH1, CMT, Nickelodeon, COMEDY CENTRAL, TV Land, Spike and more. Viacom is the latest media company to join the Twitter Amplify program. The partnership will launch with the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, during which MTV will deliver real-time, sponsor-supported highlights of the show's...
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And just like that, the final nail in the coffin is hammered down. While sales of 3D HDTVs weren't ever remarkable, there was still a slim chance that the technology would garner enough traction to be profitable. But no more. The one and only at-home content hope for 3D was sports. Movies, sure, but mostly the technology would live or die based on the success of sporting events. ESPN 3D was one of the first major 3D channels, and ESPN was one of the first networks to invest heavily in 3D even before it was a proven medium. Sadly, it appears that the bet won't pay off. ESPN has announced, amidst cost-cutting efforts that have impacted jobs across the company, that ESPN 3D will cease by the year's...
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As we've talked about before, the cloud is a great innovation...so long as you have access to a solid and quick Internet connection. But for much of the world, offline needs are still very real, and when you're talking about hour-long programming in high-definition, one has to wonder if we're really and truly ready to migrate those recordings from a local HDD into the cloud. Nevertheless, Comcast has announced a next-gen DVR platform that would indeed store your recorded shows off in the cloud instead of on your local DVR. This new platform release, known as X2, will be available to customers later this year. According to Comcast, "the next generation of the X1 Platform will be even smarter and...
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Is the age of the next wave of television upon us? It's a question that's fairly tough to answer at this stage, but there's no doubt that it's on the minds of many. Time Warner Cable and Samsung are clearly on that list, as the two have teamed up in order to bring content directly to Samsung's Smart TV range without a set-top box. The TWC TV application, which is already available on a variety of phones and tablets, will hit compatible Smart TVs this summer. Time Warner Cable video subscribers will have instant access to 5,000 Video On Demand titles from nearly 100 networks. Customers can easily download the TWC TV application at no additional cost on their compatible Samsung Smart TV without...
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The television industry could use a swift kick in the rear, or at least a revolution in terms of the UI used to access pay-TV content. But until then, it looks as if the second screen is the only place where innovation is ongoing. TiVo's latest efforts on this front is in the app world, where its mobile companion software is being used to power cable operators' second screen experiences. Thomas Elam, Vice President and General Manager Service Provider Business, TiVo, said, "TiVo's operator solutions help the provider's subscribers realize the full value of their subscription and enhance content related transactions. We are excited to provide the full power of our mobile applications 'powered...
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As the modern era of technology and mobility forges on, one thing is becoming ever clearer: it's not a war over hardware, nor over software. It's an ecosystem war. Apple is leading the charge in many ways when it comes to an interconnected, well-supported ecosystem, but Google, Microsoft and even Amazon are holding their own. While Amazon began as an online e-tailer, the company has pivoted part of its business in recent years in order to produce e-readers, tablets, and the Amazon ecosystem -- which technically resides in the Android universe. Now, Amazon is tapping into both segments with the introduction of Storyteller. It's a new tool designed to assist writers and filmmakers bring their stories...
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