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US TV writers strike over web revenue

Film and TV writers are to stage their first strike for two decades, after last-minute talks failed. The WGA wants writers to receive a slice of the additional advertising revenue that studios make when TV shows are streamed over the Internet. It also wants an additional reward for creating bespoke digital content for the Internet […]

November 6, 2007

AOL launches Truveo UK

Internet portal AOL has launched a video search engine in the UK, which allows users to search for videos from a number of media sources such as BBC and ITN. Truveo, the video search engine, allows users to search and browse through videos from media brands as well as user-generated content from video uploading sites […]

November 6, 2007

.2 Network set for launch

Guardian Enterprise Group is to launch its new, nationwide multicast digital broadcast network, .2 Network in February 2008. .2Network programming includes a licensing deal with Sony Pictures Television (SPT) for over 300 titles of blockbuster, award-winning films as well as four television series. Dubbed 'Network-in-a-Box' .2Network provides local station affiliates with a uniform, national network […]

November 6, 2007

Hulu experiments with ad lengths

Hulu, News Corp and NBC Universal's online video joint venture, said it will pair traditional 30-second ads with long-form video such as full-length sitcom episodes, and restrict ads on short-form content to 10-15 seconds. CEO Jason Kilar said the sector was “just getting started”, adding: “No one has figured out the optimal customer experience. No […]

November 2, 2007

PeerApp HTTP video streaming

PeerApp, player in peer-to-peer (P2P) acceleration and caching solutions for Internet Service Providers (ISPs), has launched new software that provides higher-quality subscriber experiences with HTTP video streaming traffic from YouTube, Google Video, MySpace and other video-sharing web sites. The software, a module for PeerApp´s carrier-grade UltraBand² solutions, supports the HTTP video streaming protocol and caches […]

November 2, 2007

BBC digital head defends iPlayer

Ashley Highfield, head of the BBC’s Future Media and Technology unit, defended the iPlayer in an interview with silicon.com. Asked: “Has criticism of the iPlayer, both around non-PC versions and DRM, been fair?” Highfield replied: “No. It’s understandable if we’d only ever intended to launch an XP-only iPlayer but that was never the plan. When […]

October 31, 2007

Babelgum streaming with CacheLogic

CacheLogic, provider of the Digital Asset Delivery Network, has confirmed that global Internet TV network Babelgum is using its Velocix network to deliver progressive video streaming of on-demand TV content. The Velocix Network is designed to enable content owners, movie studios, and broadcasters to deliver video and other large digital assets over the web.

October 31, 2007

Hulu man says TV will premiere globally

The head of Hulu, the new online video joint venture between NBC Universal and News Corp has predicted that television companies will follow the film industry's lead, by releasing programmes simultaneously around the world. Jason Kilar, chief executive of Hulu, which launches in a test phasethis week, said the explosion of online video made it […]

October 30, 2007

blinkx reports strong growth

Video search engine blinkx has reported positive financial results for the period ended 30 September 2007. Gross profit for the first half of 2008 was $2.2 million (E1.5m), with a gross margin of 74 per cent and daily searches have grown by 280 per cent. Suranga Chandratillake, founder and CEO of blinkx, said: “We are […]

October 30, 2007

Babel TV coming soon

UK ISP Pipex founder Peter Dawe has confirmed that Internet TV service Babel TV will launch on November 6th. The service, which works by plugging a Babel TV box into a digital terrestrial Freeview aerial and broadband connection, combines Freeview, personal video recorder technology and Internet access. Babel TV will enable users to record and […]

October 29, 2007