Opera Software has joined the cross-industry consortium that is leading the Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) initiative. The purpose of HbbTV is to harmonise the broadcast and broadband delivery of news, information and entertainment to the end consumer through set-top boxes and connected TVs. Opera's active support of this initiative will ensure the creation of […]
Samsung Electronics America has confirmed the immediate availability of Blockbuster’s library of digital entertainment for rent or purchase on select 2009 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray Players and Blu-ray integrated Home Theatre Systems. The VOD movie rentals range from $2.99 to $3.99, while purchases will typically range from $7.99 to $19.99. Amazon Video On Demand will also […]
The UK arm of online video company Joost has gone into liquidation. Joost UK, owned by Netherlands-based Joost Technologies, has appointed liquidators David Rubin & Partners LLP. In July Joost CEO Mike Volpi quit the company and it announced it would focus on business-to-business white-labelling. At the time he blamed the self-publishing model taken by […]
According to French press Canal+, TF1 and M6 are developing a common catch-up platform similar to the proposed Canvas platform. The three have been said to have been planning a JV since March. The platform is intended to be open to other providers. Each of the broadcasters have their own online catch up services available […]
According to reports in the US internal YouTube e-mails, handed over in the preliminary discovery phase of the pending court action brought by Viacom, indicate that YouTube managers were aware of unauthorized content on the site and chose not to remove it. If true this would harm You Tube's defence that it cannot be responsible […]
From Colin Mann in Cannes Project Canvas, the IPTV joint venture between the BBC, ITV, Channel 5 and BT, is co-operating with HbbTV, the new pan-European initiative aimed at harmonising the broadcast and broadband delivery of entertainment to the end consumer through connected TVs and set-top boxes. The Hybrid Broadcast Broadband TV (HbbTV) cross industry […]
According to the The Diffusion Group, revenue from the on-demand delivery of Internet video to the TV will grow from $621 million in 2009 to $2.1 billion by 2014, accounting for more than 25 per cent of total annual video-on-demand revenue. Fuelling this trend is the rapid diffusion of ancillary web-enabled platforms such as game […]
comScore has released August 2009 data from the comScore Video Metrix service, showing that 161 million US Internet users watched online video during the month, the largest audience ever recorded. Online video reached another all-time high in August with more than 25 billion videos viewed during the month, with Google Sites accounting for more than […]
Set top boxes for Project Canvas, the IP catch-up TV initiative from the BBC, ITV, Five and BT, are scheduled to be available in shops by December of next year. Richard Halton, IPTV programme director at the BBC, confirmed that, barring regulatory problems, the first Project Canvas set-top products “will be on sale by Christmas […]
Two of the partners in Hulu — News Corp. and NBC Universal hinted at an investor conference that they are investigating the possibility of further monetizing the online video venture, including charging a subscription for the service. “Are we looking at it with a view toward adding subscription services and pay per view? Yes we […]