A study looking at the implementation of the European Commission’s Audiovisual Media Services directive has revealed that VoD revenues in the European Union are growing, but currently account for less than 1 per cent of total TV revenues. The report, which covers the period to end-2011, also reveals that overall TV sector revenues of aroun […]
Italian commercial broadcaster Mediaset has extended its on demand subscription TV service, Premium Play, on the iPad, initially available on Wi-Fi and later also for 3G. The application can be downloaded for free from the App Store and will permit access to live TV content, as well as to library and on demand material. Premium […]
Hulu should require viewers to have a cable subscription, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes suggested at the company’s Q1 2012 earnings report. “We think Hulu authenticating makes sense,” he added. “We think Hulu is heading in the right direction now and it might continue to be viable.” HBO Go is having “a significant positive impact” […]
Digital content ownership ecosystem UltraViolet has been boosted by the ‘disc-to-digital initiative’ launched mid-April by US retail giant Walmart, according to senior industry executives and Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes. Speaking at Digital Hollywood in Marina Del Rey, California, NBC Universal digital distribution VP Michael Aaronson admitted to having made his first Electronic Sell Through […]
Alongside its quarter results, BSkyB has announced the acquisition of Acetrax – a service that offers on-demand movie rental and purchase for connected devices. The purchase of Swiss company Acetrax will further boost Sky’s OTT activities and further strengthen relationships with connected device manufacturers and content providers, says BSkyB. Acetrax already has apps on Samsung, […]
With Hulu reportedly planning to move toward requiring users to prove that they have a pay TV subscription, CBS says it will take another look at potential content deals with Hulu. “We will take a look at it under the authentication model,” said CBS president and CEO Leslie Moonves, who has in the past questioned […]
The conflicted loyalties of Hulu shareholders – they are all major content players reliant on pay-TV distributors – may result in it becoming a ‘TV Everywhere’ service only available to those with an existing pay-TV account. The New York Post reports that the plan lays behind Providence Equity’s decision to sell up its 10 per […]
Findings from the US’s Digital Entertainment Group’s First Quarter 2012 Home Entertainment Report indicate a continued stabilisation of the industry, underscored by promising gains in Blu-ray Disc, with steady increases in electronic sell-through (EST) and VoD spending, and modest growth in sell-through. Overall consumer spending was up 2.5 per cent compared to the first quarter […]
French public broadcaster France Televisions has launched a VoD service branded Pluzz VaD, and kicking off with a choice of 3,000 titles. Pluzz VaD will first be distributed by the ISP Free, and will be extended to other service providers by the end of the year. It will eventually be part of the connected TV […]
YouView, the set-top box business headed by Alan Sugar, will not be up and running until the end of 2012. The joint venture between BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, TalkTalk, BT and Arqiva had been due to launch, following a series of delays, this spring. They insisted the important thing was hitting the high […]