Advanced Television

Premium

Dish ponders premium video

Dish Network, the second- largest US satellite-television provider, is considering a video-on-demand service to offer Hollywood movies about eight weeks after they’re released, said an executive. The service would likely have terms “similar” to those of DirecTV, including a price tag of about $30, according to Tom Cullen, a Dish executive vice president. DirecTV, the […]

May 13, 2011By Colin Mann

Shaw ‘Everywhere’ for Canada

Shaw Communications has launched the Shaw Gateway, ‘the new standard in connected entertainment’ that combines the delivery of shared PVR, more than 1,200 HD Video On Demand titles and home networking capability that will allow customers to share pictures and content from their computer onto their television. Shaw says ‘the Gateway brings together the power […]

May 12, 2011

YouTube ramps up movie rental service

YouTube is dramatically expanding its movie rental service with the addition of 3,000 titles from major Hollywood studios, positioning the online video service to capitalise on the growing number of Internet-connected televisions and portable devices. YouTube head Salar Kamangar revealed the initiative in a blog post, telling users that they would be able to watch […]

May 10, 2011By Colin Mann

VOD:TV set for SA launch

A video-on-demand service is set to make its debut in South Africa. VOD:TV, formed by the SouthTel Group, is promising to offer the latest movies and TV series before Multichoice-owned DStv, The service won’t offer live TV itself, but will allow subscribers to download and store content to the PVR for later viewing. Roughly half […]

May 9, 2011By Colin Mann

Viewster launch across Europe with Motorola

VoD movie service Viewster will launch its Android app across 30 European markets through a new partnership with Motorola.  Motorola will carry the Viewster app on the Motorola ATRIX smartphone as well as on the new Motorola XOOM tablet. The app will be localised for regional markets, with 5 language versions available at launch. The […]

May 3, 2011

Universal and Multimedia Polska launch PictureBox

Universal Pictures and Multimedia Polska have launched NBCUniversal’s movies-on-demand subscription service PictureBox in Poland.  The Multimedia Polska launch marks the second launch for the service in Poland.  PictureBox is also available on multiple platforms in the UK, as well as Ireland and Singapore, with further global expansion planned. Subscribers to the new PictureBox service on […]

April 27, 2011

Hollywood directors’ Home Premiere concerns

Following DirecTV’s announcement that it would be the first pay-TV platform to launch the Home Premiere premium video on demand service, a group of prominent movie directors, including James Cameron and Peter Jackson, have asked movie studios to reconsider their involvement in the initiative, DirecTV revealed April 19 that it would launch Home Premiere on […]

April 21, 2011

Tesco shops for blinkbox

In a move designed to position it for the next stage in the Internet-driven revolution in home entertainment, supermarket chain Tesco has acquired a majority stake in video-on-demand pioneer blinkbox. blinkbox is the UK’s leading movie streaming service, offering thousands of titles streamed on the internet to 2m users each month. Their catalogue of more […]

April 20, 2011By Colin Mann

DirecTV early VoD window confirmed

DirecTV has made its premium VoD plans official, becoming the first pay TV service in the US to offer early-release movies about 60 days after their theatrical debut. The company said it will launch its early release offering of films in partnership with four big studios with Sony’s Just Go With It this week. The […]

April 20, 2011

US cinemas threaten boycott for VOD studios

The main cinema chains in the US are threatening to not show films if the studios proceed with plans to show movies “on-demand” less than two months after release. Warner Brothers and 20th Century Fox are working on a new premium video-on-demand scheme with DirecTV which would see films available in the home between 30 […]

April 13, 2011