Advanced Television

OTT

Joost and Hulu boost international

Hulu has further signaled its international intent with the hiring of a dedicated international SVP to acquire TV rights. Johannes Larcher had previously been search firm overture's international GM, the international VP for Friendster and most recently co-founded now-defunct social betting site Pikum. There had been much speculation about a Hulu UK launch but the […]

March 27, 2009

Disney content for YouTube

Disney has struck a deal with Google’s online video network YouTube to distribute short-form content from ESPN and ABC. The agreement would extend the Internet reach for ESPN’s sports highlights and ABC News updates and provide another outlet for video snippets taken from the ABC broadcast network and ABC Family cable channel shows. Disney hopes […]

March 20, 2009

YouTube and Universal mull music channel

Google ‘s YouTube and Universal Music are in talks to create a premium online music video service. If they reach a deal, the service could mark a significant step forward in Google’s attempt to generate revenue from YouTube, which it acquired for $1.65 billion in 2006. They are in talks to create a stand-alone site […]

March 6, 2009

Disney looks at online subs

Walt Disney Co was considering moves like creating a subscription-based online video club to capture online consumers as well as revenue that is being lost to piracy, Chief Executive Robert Iger said. Iger told analysts at the Deutsche Bank conference “We’ve also seen a pretty dramatic shift in how people consume entertainment with computers and […]

March 5, 2009

ZillionTV, the hardware Hulu?

ZillionTV is hoping to do for the set-top box market what Hulu has done for the PC. The startup, backed with content and investments from ABC/Disney, Fox, NBC/Universal, Sony and Warner Bros., has announced plans to offer ISPs a set-top box that will stream content to subscriber’s TVs. Customers will have the option to rent […]

March 5, 2009

Time Warner TV Everywhere

Time Warner is developing an initiative dubbed TV Everywhere that will allow viewers to watch networks such as CNN, Cartoon Network and TNT online – as long as they can prove they subscribe to cable, satellite or a telecom TV service. “If you want to watch your favourite TV network or shows through broadband on […]

March 3, 2009

Hulu cuts content from TV.com

Online US TV platform Hulu, the NBC Universal and News Corp joint venture, has removed its content from CBS-owned rival TV.com. The move follows the relaunch of TV.com last month with increased partnership deals in a bid to take on the Hulu platform. A Hulu statement read, “Hulu has contractual rights with regards to our […]

February 19, 2009

RAI offers 22 live channels via the internet

From Branislav Pekic in Rome Italian public broadcaster RAI has become a multimedia operator by relaunching its website and offering users access to all content as well as personalized services. Two new web portals are now available which provide access to a total of 22 live channels. Seven of them are RAI's TV channels (Rai […]

February 13, 2009

Premier League targets pirates, wants 'IP Tsar'

The English Premier League is planning an aggressive campaign to protect its intellectual property rights in an attempt to clamp down on rogue websites that stream football matches for nothing and pub landlords who broadcast foreign feeds, amid fears that they could damage its income from broadcasting rights. Having recently recorded a surge in the […]

January 23, 2009

Tudou sued for copyright infringement

Over 80 copyright holders including video portal Joy.cn, film distributor PolyBona Film, and record label Orange Sky Entertainment have formed an anti-piracy alliance, and are suing China's largest video-sharing site Tudou. In May 2008, Joy.cn filed suit against Tudou for unauthorised use of its video content, which Tudou resolved in November with an out-of-court settlement […]

January 7, 2009