How do you market a hot new TV show without the benefit of commercial space that you can fill with network promos? Just ask Netflix. The company has come up with a number of clever marketing stunts to get the word out about the upcoming premiere of Arrested Development ranging from Easter eggs on Netflix.com to this month’s live frozen banana stand in New York, which was visited by hundreds. It… → Read More
According to a report from Bloomberg Businessweek, e-commerce behemoth Amazon is preparing to launch a set-top box this fall, in hopes that you’ll consume all of your content through its spin on the now-common device. The company is already working hard to push its Kindle line to consumers, and this box would be for people who don’t want to deal with the fanciness of Apple products… → Read More
Amazon is pulling a Netflix today, in the sense that it’s now touting the release of its original programming as the “most watched” TV shows on the Amazon Video service since launch on Friday. Netflix previously issued the same statement about its original show, “House of Cards.” But it’s not exactly an apples-to-apples comparison, here. When Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said that… → Read More
PlaySquare, a startup founded by a team of Emmy-winning children’s television producers interested in bringing “touchable TV” to the iPad, has found a new home and partner in their efforts thanks to an investment from Curious Pictures. The NYC-based production company, known for popular children’s programming like Disney’s “Little Einsteins,” Nick Jr.’s “Team Umizoomi,” HBO’s “A Little Curious,”… → Read More
Hulu Plus, Netflix, Amazon Prime offer compelling alternatives to cable TV for those who don’t want to subscribe to regular cable. But what if you could subscribe to an Internet-based cable TV service that doesn’t need a set-top box, has a DVR-like catch-up TV feature and great search and still lets you watch live TV right on your regular smart TV at home (or stream shows from your iOS… → Read More
Social TV and the second screen experience is quickly catching on among viewers, but the space as a whole is still nascent. While many are eager for a better social TV experience, as there’s plenty of upside for fans, advertisers and broadcasters alike, collectively we’ve all been waiting for one of these players to hit critical mass.
When Viggle announced in November that it would be merging… → Read More
German luxury brand Loewe experienced a roller coaster day. A trader commented that “Apple supposedly wants to bid 4 euros a share for Loewe,” which sent Loewe shares up as much as 44.5 percent to 3.93 compared to yesterday’s closing price of 2.72. The German stock exchange closed today with Loewe shares trading at 3.35, representing a one-day increase of 23.16 percent. → Read More
On the heels of impressive engagement around around this past weekend’s Super Bowl football championship, Twitter today officially confirmed that it has purchased Bluefin Labs, a social TV analytics service. The deal had been reported first yesterday by Business Insider. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed but BI notes that it’s Twitter’s biggest acquisition to date. → Read More
4K TV, the 3840 x 2160 pixel technology that blew everyone away at CES this year, is still a glimmer in most of the world’s collective eye. Japan, however, could get 4K broadcasts via satellite as soon as 2014, thereby pushing the state-of-the-art forward at a speed nearly unprecedented in the TV industry. → Read More
It’s no “Arrested Development,” but Hulu is today announcing that it, too, is bringing TV programs back from the dead. (Coming back from the dead – hey, that sounds like a soap plot!). Hulu has now signed a deal with media production Prospect Park to air the previously canceled soap operas “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” on Hulu and Hulu Plus, where they’re air in addition to Apple’s… → Read More
Remember that FiOS home Media Server Verizon was talking about a year ago? Well, the company is finally starting to make things official, with an announcement and product details revealed today at CES. Launch date and pricing info still remain elusive, however. → Read More
It’s not too late for yet one more 2012 year-in-review report, and today’s latest addition comes from Nielsen, which examined how Americans have been consuming content over the course of the past year. The report found that of the 289 million U.S. TV owners, 119 million own four or more television sets, making TV still the device to beat when it comes to watching and recording programs, among… → Read More
Opera has long harbored ambitions to bring its technology beyond mobile and the desktop and into the living room. Just in time for the start of CES, the company today unveiled its new TV app store and framework, as well as its new Devices SDK. These, Opera says, will “make all the world’s living rooms more comfortable” and bring “solutions for improving TV surfing” to “millions of living rooms all… → Read More
Intel is preparing to launch its rumored virtual cable TV service and set top box, and has a plan to overcome licensing hurdles. Rather than roll out nationwide, the launch will happen on a city-by-city basis so Intel has more flexibility in negotiating licensing with reluctant content providers, according to a video industry source. The Intel box may also eliminate a core frustration with DVRs. → Read More
Research by Ofcom suggests the U.K. leads international markets for mobile device adoption and usage, driven by mobile social networking. Internet shopping on mobiles is also on the rise, while the U.K. leads for online shopping generally — with Brits spending £1,000+ per year buying stuff online. The rate of on-demand online TV viewing is also at world leading levels in the U.K. → Read More
The WSJ reports this morning that Apple is testing out Apple TV set (as opposed to set-top box) designs, though that testing remains “early stage.” Apple is specifically working on high-res TVs according to the reports, trialling a few different designs, working with a variety of suppliers including Hon Hai (Foxconn) and Sharp on the new TV designs. But a TV being tested by Apple shouldn’t shock… → Read More
Measurement firm Nielsen today released new figures on second screen adoption, expanding on its research from October which mainly focused on the differences between men and women’s TV viewing behaviors. The “second screen,” for those unfamiliar, is the term now being bandied about to explain the trend of using a smartphone or tablet while watching TV. → Read More
Verizon updated its FiOS Mobile application for iPad, which now streams 75 channels of live TV. Unlike some of the mobile experiences Verizon has released in the past, the new application doesn’t require you to install software on your Mac or PC to act as the intermediary – instead, everything streams directly from the Verizon router in your home. → Read More
As you might be aware, Google Fiber has set out to make all the world, or at least Kansas City, have fast and accessible Internet access. Today, the company announced that it is now wiring homes in the area with its high-speed internet.
As we noted previously, 180 out of 202 areas that were eligible for the service hit their pre-registration goals. Now the service is being put in, and I’m… → Read More
HBO GO’s Latin American expansion continues today, with the service’s launch in Columbia. The debut there follows the launch of HBO GO in Brazil earlier this year, where it saw 177,000 visits in its first week. In Columbia, the service is being made available to HBO/MAX subscribers on MiDIRECTV, but HBO says that it’s working with other pay TV operators in the region for future roll-outs.
The… → Read More
A new study from NPD DisplaySearch today shows that on average, the diagonal size of LCD and other displays on electronic devices and public signboards is on the rise, with the notable exception of mobile PCs. In some areas, NPD is showing huge growth, like the whopping 38 percent projected increase in mobile phone screen size between 2010 and 2013. → Read More
Editor’s note: Somrat Niyogi is the CEO of Miso.
Every time I turn on the TV, I see Twitter. Hashtags and Twitter handles are on TV shows. There are dedicated pages to world events like the Olympic Games. Even entertainment news reporting has been transformed because the general population can get in touch with what’s happening in the lives of celebrities instantaneously. → Read More
So Dish is the latest company interested in building an Internet TV service, as Bloomberg reported last week that it was in talks with various networks about licensing their content and delivering it over-the-top. But while an over-the-top live TV would certainly be a welcome choice among video options, it’s unlikely to be as cheap or as competitive as everyone would like it to be.
Dish isn’t… → Read More
Editor’s note: Matt Cohler is a General Partner at Benchmark Capital. He’s responsible for identifying investment opportunities in Internet-related companies in addition to working closely with companies across the firm’s portfolio. You can follow him on Twitter here.
The global advertising market is big. Half a trillion dollars big in 2012. In the tech world we tend to think of the… → Read More
New research out from Google, working with market analysts Ipsos and Sterling Brands, puts some hard numbers behind the often-noticed trend of how people in the U.S. are using a combination of phones, tablets, computer and TVs to consume digital content.
While each of these has a significant place in our consumption today, their real power lies in how they are used together — in combination… → Read More
Online video — helped along by the rise of tablets, better broadband and a flood of content from YouTube, Netflix, Amazon and many others — has seen a huge rise in usage in the last few years; and while PCs remain the most common way to consume it, thanks to consoles like the Xbox, even TV screens are becoming popular for online video consumption.
According to a new study out from NPD… → Read More
What do you get when a team of Emmy winning children’s TV producers are introduced to the iPad? You get a company that has a whole new vision for the future of television. That company, PlaySquare, is working on something they’re calling “touchable TV.” It’s the idea that the child shouldn’t just be watching television, they should be interacting with it. And it’s not a second screen experience… → Read More
One of the main surprises of Google’s Fiber announcement in Kansas City last week was that the company also plans to provide its own TV service to the residents of its ‘fiberhoods.’ There are some issues with Google’s Fiber TV service, including the fact that it seems to be missing quite a bit of content, but it’s definitely looking to be a very competitive offering. To make all of this work… → Read More
After a few delays and setbacks, Google today officially launched its 1 gigabit residential fiber network in Kansas City. The network will deliver symmetric 1 gigabit connections to households across the city. That’s about 100 times faster than most current residential broadband connections in the U.S. There will be no monthly caps or overage charges. Google Fiber will also come with 1 terabyte of… → Read More
Netflix has just released its second quarter 2012 earnings report, in which the video rental veteran outpaced estimates, improving on last quarter and meeting most expectations and even beating some. Revenue increased to $889 million compared to the same period for 2011. Earnings per share came in at $0.11 per share. In the weeks leading up to the release, analysts had been projected Netflix to… → Read More
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