Advanced Television

OTT

VUDU on Walmart.com

Capitalising on Netflix’s recent price rise, the world’s largest retailer Walmart has confirmed the integration of its popular movie streaming service, VUDU, on Walmart.com. Customers can now shop for thousands of digital VUDU titles and purchase and/or rent them directly on Walmart.com at www.walmart.com/vudu. As US customers shop for movies at Walmart.com, they now have […]

July 28, 2011

OTT more likely to appeal as complementary, not primary

Research firm Analysys Mason has completed its pay-TV forecasts for Europe, in which it predicts that the number of pay-TV households will increase by 12 per cent to 185.2 million between 2011 and 2016. Since 2009, connected TVs have become increasingly available and affordable as all the major consumer electronics manufacturers move to capitalise on […]

July 25, 2011

MobiTV: Europe can take the lead on TV Everywhere

A truly converged multi-screen TV service is within Europe’s grasp says MobiTV, the company that powers the branded TV services of all the major wireless operators in the US market. Operators in Europe are well placed to capitalise on the demand for connected TV, following last week’s report from Parks Associates, which revealed that 30 […]

July 22, 2011

OTT video substitution for 4.5m US households in 2011

An estimated 4 per cent of occupied US households – 4.5 million homes –will have substituted Internet video options for cable, satellite or telco TV service by the end of 2011, according to research firm SNL Kagan. “Though the thin slice of households relying [on OTT] substitution could be dismissed as evidence of a lack […]

July 21, 2011

Euro judges to rule on TVCatchup.com

The UK High Court is to ask the European Court of Justice (ECJ) if streaming live TV programmes over the Internet is an act subject to copyright laws after provisionally ruling that it is. Mr Justice Floyd said that TVCatchup did communicate to the public when it streamed programmes broadcast by ITV, Channel 4 and […]

July 21, 2011

CBS, Amazon ink digital video licensing agreement

US media group CBS Corporation and Amazon.com have revealed a non-exclusive licensing agreement that will enable Amazon customers to stream television shows from CBS’s vast library. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Amazon Prime customers will be able to instantly watch thousands of episodes from the CBS library at no additional cost to their […]

July 21, 2011

CNN app streams 24 hours news

CNN and HLN’s complete 24-hour television networks will be streamed live on CNN.com, the CNN App for iPad and the CNN App for iPhone and iPod touch, effective immediately. CNN Worldwide is the first news organisation to stream its linear television channels online and on mobile devices to consumers who subscribe to a multi-channel video […]

July 19, 2011

OTT means telcos need bandwidth solutions

IMS Research’s Global Bandwidth Utilisation Model reveal that the telcos who are IPTV providers face substantial challenges adapting their networks to accommodate the onslaught of over-the-top (OTT) video. IMS Research estimates that in 2010 peak bandwidth utilisation was 44 per cent of capacity, and that the bandwidth usage per household is forecast to increase by […]

July 18, 2011

France’s FNAC attacks Brazilian OTT market

French multimedia retailer FNAC is formally launching its FnacBox in Brazil, following a soft-launch some months ago and sales of about 1,000 units locally. To date the FnacBox is supplying OTT material without advertising, and depends on the user owning a ’connected’ TV with broadband HDMI access. According to Pierre Paparemborde, project director, Fnac’s strategy […]

July 18, 2011By Chris Forrester

Criterion buys SeeSaw

An investor consortium led by Criterion Capital Partners, together with financial funds and Hollywood investors, has bought SeeSaw.com, the UK on-demand TV service. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but former owner Arqiva is retaining a 25 per cent stake in the video platform. SeeSaw’s new chairman will be Michael Jackson, who previously served […]

July 14, 2011By Colin Mann