US cable communications giant Comcast is taking on online movie and TV service Netflix by launching Xfinity Streampix, a new subscription video service that enables the operator’s Xfinity video customers instantly to view favourite movies and TV shows in and out of the home, including numerous past seasons of current hit shows and full series, […]
Netflix customer satisfaction plunged in the fourth quarter, a reflection of consumer anger over rising prices and changes to its subscription plans, according to a survey. Satisfaction with Netflix slid 14 per cent to 74 from a year earlier on a scale of 0 to 100, according to the American Consumer Satisfaction Index. That was […]
BBC Worldwide has become the first British distributor to license content to Hulu in Japan. The multi- year agreement will initially see around 600 hours of BBC programming made available on the multi-device platform, effective immediately. The deal represents the largest volume of BBC Worldwide content on any platform in Japan, with titles licensed across […]
The window for pay-TV operators to control the video-on-demand movie rental market is still open, but may not stay so for much longer, suggests market research company The NPD Group. According to NPD, current video-on-demand (VOD) market for paid movie rentals is ruled by pay-TV services, with revenues that reached $1.3 billion in 2011. The […]
Netflix and Hulu are both contemplating a Russian launch and have been talking to local content owners according to reports. Russian newspaper reports say Hulu is assessing the demand for streaming services in the country. Hulu would seek out a local partner with a large content library if it does launch in the country, according […]
Strong performances from Walt Disney’s ESPN and the Disney Channel helped drive a 12 per cent increase in the company’s first-quarter net income compared with a year earlier. It reported that revenue for the quarter ended December 31st was essentially flat at $10.8 billion, up 1 per cent from a year earlier. Net income rose […]
Sky Go be available to download from Android Market across a selection of handsets by the end of February. Sky TV customers will be able to access all five Sky Sports channels, ESPN, Sky News and 11 Sky Movies channels via the Sky Go app in line with their subscription on a selection of Android […]
BT and Miramax have announced a licensing agreement that will bring films from the leading independent studio to BT Vision customers in the UK. The agreement gives BT Vision Unlimited subscribers instant access to a range of films from the Miramax collection, which has received 284 Academy Award nominations and won 68 Oscars. BT Vision […]
UK commercial broadcaster ITV is to delay the introduction of micropayments for its on-demand ITV Player catch-up service, which it intended to launch in January 2012, and carry out closed trials based on MGT’s PayWizard solution. The move had been anticipated following suggestions of such an initiative by CEO Adam Crozier in mid-2011, allowing the […]
Netflix’s recent launch in the UK “greatly exceeded expectations”, the group said as it reported fourth-quarter profits that beat analyst estimates and boosted its shares by almost 16 per cent. Reed Hastings, chief executive, said the company was back on track, with total Netflix subscribers to its streaming and DVD services rising to 24.4 million, […]