US press reports say Disney is considering an equity stake in Hulu and distributing its content via the News Corp / NBC Universal service. It is thought Disney would want a 30% stake, reducing the existing network shareholders and maybe buying out Providence the private equity firm that has 10%. Such a deal would see […]

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 […]

According to Strategy Analytics Digital Media Strategies (DMS) research, the top 27 digital media companies in the world increased earnings by more than 20 per cent, to $74 billion in 2008 up from $61.5 billion in 2007. Among the top five digital media companies in the world, Apple's 'Other Music Related Products and Services' segment, […]

A Knowledge Networks study offers clear evidence that streamers and downloaders of TV network video have embraced – or at least accepted – advertising as an alternative to for-pay models. Eighty per cent of network video downloaders favour watching ads in exchange for free video, up from 67 per cent in 2006; and 69 per […]

Viacom is sympathetic to Time Warner’s “TV Everywhere” says CEO Philippe Dauman who said the company was “very open” to experimenting with models that would allow cable, satellite and telco TV subscribers to view cable content online. “We think it has to be seamless to the consumer, and we’re working [with the distributors] on the […]

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 […]

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 […]

The BBC's plans to create a "next-generation Freeview" – along with ITV and BT – the so-called Project Canvas – will face regulators' scrutiny as they will seek to establish it isn't the recently banned Project Kangaroo by another name. As well as high-definition Freeview broadcasts, Canvas will bring on-demand viewing to the television, via […]

Broadband has transformed video viewing habits in Western Europe, where over 20 per cent of broadband households have watched a film or TV programme online in the past six months, according to international research firm Parks Associates, whose The Impact of Online Video in Europe , addresses these changes in viewing habits. European consumers are […]

comScore has released data from its Video Metrix service showing that US Internet users viewed a record 14.3 billion online videos during December, representing an increase of 13 per cent versus the previous month. YouTube led the growth charge, accounting for 49 per cent of the incremental gain in videos viewed versus November. In December, […]