Advanced Television

OTT

2m streams for The Interview

According to figures released by Sony Pictures, in its first four days of release, controversial comedy The Interview was “rented or purchased online more than 2 million times” between December 24th, when it was released, and December 27th. “Total consumer spending through Saturday for The Interview online is over $15 million,” Sony said in a […]

December 29, 2014By Colin Mann

Court allows Aereo asset auction

A ruling by a US bankruptcy court will allow Internet entertainment streaming service Aereo to auction its TV streaming technology assets. It had filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 reorganisation in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on November 21 following the suspension of its operations June 28th after […]

December 29, 2014By Colin Mann

The Interview hit by widespread piracy

Following its online release on December 24th and limited theatrical release on Christmas Day, controversial comedy film The Interview has become available on a number of piracy websites, with some 900,000 torrent users downloading the title in the following 24 hours. Sony Pictures made the movie available for rental and purchase online for US consumers […]

December 26, 2014

US online release for The Interview

In addition to a limited theatrical release on December 25th, Sony Pictures is now making controversial comedy movie The Interview available for rental and purchase online for US consumers on YouTube, Google Play, Microsoft Xbox Video and on its own dedicated website www.seetheinterview.com for $5.99. The film can also be purchased in HD for a […]

December 24, 2014

FilmOn: FCC’s MVPD resolution ‘win-win’

According to online entertainment streaming service FilmOn Networks, the Federal Communications Commission’s announcement of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would ‘modernise’ the definition of MVPDs marks the turning of the tide in the service’s battle against the major network television establishment. FilmOn has spent years and millions of dollars on technology and legal fees […]

December 24, 2014By Colin Mann

TDG: Online live sports to shake up TV industry

According to a new report from TDG, Game On! The Future of Sports Video Viewing, 2015-2025, live sports will play a defining role in determining the pace and extent of the ongoing shift from legacy to broadband TV. “Americans love sports and, most would agree, sports is the backbone

December 23, 2014

SeaChange boosts OTT social with Timeline deal

Multiscreen video software SeaChange International has increased its ability to extend social news to multiscreen television service providers by agreeing to acquire California-based SaaS company TLL, LLC which does business as Timeline Labs in a cash and stock deal rising to $24.5 million. Timeline Labs enables local broadcasters, local and national news organisations, cable news […]

December 23, 2014

BBC: “Netflix bidding blows us out the water”

Danny Cohen, the BBC’s director of TV, has admitted it faces growing competition from rival broadcasters both on screen and online, with the Netflix bidding for content ‘blowing deals out of the water’. Shows such as The Great British Bake Off and Strictly Come Dancing helped give the BBC some of the highest ratings on […]

December 22, 2014

Netflix denies 2015 Spain launch

Netflix will not arrive in Spain next year. The Communications Director of the company, Jonathan Friedland, has reportedly denied that the company is going to break into Spain as despite reports. In stories sourced to smart TV makers, Netflix had reportedly planned to enter Spain by the end of 2015, reversing its decision not to […]

December 22, 2014From David Del Valle in Madrid

Sony mulls ‘The Interview’ distribution options

An attorney for Sony Pictures has suggested that the studio is still considering options for distributing controversial comedy The Interview following the decision to pull its theatrical release in the wake of a rumoured North Korean hacking attack. David Boies, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, said that Sony had “only delayed” any release. “Sony […]

December 22, 2014By Colin Mann