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  • Kickstarter Opens Up in Scandinavia, Ireland

    Kickstarter Opens Up in Scandinavia, Ireland

    Kickstarter has just opened up projects in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Ireland – so if you’re a creator in one of those countries you can launch your kickstarter right now.

    “People in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Ireland are some of the most creative in the world, and we can’t wait to see what projects they have in store for us. We expect to see great ideas in the categories of design, games, film, technology, and lots more!” says Kickstarter’s Julie Wood.

    As with most Kickstarter localities, projects from Scandinavia and Ireland will be mixed right in with all Kickstarter projects – in other words there won’t be a separate page for them. All projects will be listed in local currency.

    Apart from these four countries, people in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands can also launch projects. Kickstarter currently sits at just over 72,000 successfully funded projects.

    Image via Kickstarter, Facebook

  • Vikings Beheaded Their Slaves Before Burial

    In a study published last week in the Journal of Archaeological Science, a team of researchers from the University of Oslo in Norway have discovered that the Vikings distinguished among social classes, much like every other ancient society (Mayans, Aztecs, Egyptians, Mesopotamians) and that slaves who were buried with their masters were beheaded and offered as “grave gifts.”

    Discovered in the 1980s by a farmer who was plowing a field, at least three of seven skeletons recovered were missing their heads. Archaeologists are suggesting that the intact skeletons represent nobles, and that any accompanying headless bodies were their servants.

    While it is not uncommon to discover a tomb containing a master and the slaves they possessed while alive, Viking burials don’t always make it clear who the master is. To make those conclusions, researchers used stable isotope analyses to examine the diet and lifestyle led by the skeletons. 10 skeletons discovered in the Norwegian archaeological dig at Flakstad were analyzed, and after ruling out maternal relationships through mitochondrial DNA, they found that beheaded corpses ate like commoners while intact skeletons had an entirely different diet.

    In order to gauge the dietary differences, scientists examined the ratios of certain kinds of nitrogen and carbon atoms that would accompany certain diets. While it may not be able to say what foods were the skeletons’ favorites, it can indicate that a person ate lots of land-based protein; the servant bodies were discovered to have lived on a primarily seafood diet, as was a dog who was buried at the site.

    Elise Naumann, a Ph.D. student in archaeology with the University of Oslo and the leader of the research, said “These are people who had values very different from our own… There were probably a very few people who were the most privileged, and many people who suffered.”

    The current theory suggests that those who ate meat and dairy were rich and powerful, or at least a kind of religious elite. Although the study sheds some light on social structures of the region, Jette Arnebourg, an official with the National Museum of Denmark, has said that the diets of the skeletons are not conclusive evidence of social status distinctions. Naumann concedes on that point, but says that they’ve proven that the people who were buried together ate vastly different foods, which if nothing else indicates that they held different standing in the community from one another.

    [Image via an episode of History Channel’s Vikings on YouTube, specifically from a scene where a servant is buried at sea with her nobleman master]

  • Netflix Completes Nordic Launch with Finland

    Netflix Completes Nordic Launch with Finland

    Netflix has just made good on a promise they made back in August to move into Scandinavia by year’s end. The company said that they would open up their streaming service to Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland – and today they complete the final leg of their Nordic launch tour.

    On Monday, Netflix launched in Sweden. On Tuesday, Denmark. Wednesday, Norway. And today, content director Erik Barmack has announced that residents of Finland can now enjoy their services. He makes a point to talk about Iron Sky, a Finnish sci-fi movie that he says is exclusively on Netflix.

    Netflix Suomi3 hours ago

    Tässä näkyy Netflixin aloitusnäyttö – komentokeskus kaikelle, mitä Netflixissä tapahtuu! (Ja kyllä – nämäkin elokuvat ovat saatavilla Suomessa)

    Powered by socialditto  68 likes ·  41 comments

    Netflix is now available in over 50 countries and they recently said that their streaming service reaches almost 30 million people. The service runs Swedish customers 79kr (around $12) and Danish customers 79kr (just shy of $14). No word on the cost in Norway and Finland. I’ve reached out to Netflix and will update this article when I hear back.

    With this complete launch, Netflix beats HBO into Scandinavia. If you remember, just a couple of weeks after Netflix announced their Nordic expansion, HBO said that they would offer a standalone HBO GO-like streaming service in the region. It’s called HBO Nordic and will launch this month, according to the company.

  • Netflix Debuts in Denmark on “Day Two of Scandinavian Launch Tour”

    Netflix Debuts in Denmark on “Day Two of Scandinavian Launch Tour”

    Just a day after breaking into the Scandinavian market, Netflix has added another country to its growing list (it’s over 50 now). Starting today, residents of Denmark can sign up for Netflix Instant.

    Yesterday, Netflix launched in Sweden, making it the first Nordic country to get the popular streaming service. Netflix announced their Nordic expansion back in August, saying that they would enter Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland by year’s end. So, two down, two to go.

    Netflix said yesterday that the remaining Nordic countries could expect their launch “soon.” In a blog post today, Netflix content director Erik Barmack said that this Danish launch was “day two of our Scandinavian launch tour.” Whether or not day three and day four will come on Wednesday and Thursday is unknown. I’ve reached out to Netflix and update this article accordingly.

    In the post, Barmack equates Netflix’s user interface to beautiful Danish furniture:

    “I’ve also recently moved into a mid-century house in California, and, in trying to make my (now empty) home a homier home, I’ve become a huge fan of the Danish furniture designer, Hans Wegner. His style in L.A. is often described as Organic Functionality (Californians take terms like this seriously) – with every curved piece of wood serving a purpose while also looking beautiful. At Netflix, we strive for the same kind of design in our service, with easy personalization and interfaces intended to make your viewing experience more pleasurable and aesthetically pleasing. (I can’t afford a classic Wegner chair – but Netflix is only 79kr a month),” he says.

    Danish streamers can visit the new Netflix Denmark site today and can sign up for the service, which will run 79kr or just a little shy of $14.

  • Netflix Now Streaming in Sweden, More Scandinavian Support Coming

    Netflix Now Streaming in Sweden, More Scandinavian Support Coming

    Good news, residents of Sweden. As promised earlier this year, Netflix Instant is finally available in your country.

    Netflix announced their big expansion into Scandinavia back in August, saying that their streaming service would come to Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland by year’s end. Well, one down and three to go. Netflix says that they’ll be moving into the other countries “soon.”

    “Starting today, people throughout Sweden who love watching movies and TV shows can join almost 30 million of our members from over fifty countries around the world, who enjoy our service over the Internet streaming to Smart TVs, game consoles, computers, tablets, mobile devices and more.

    There’s a free trial for a month, after that Netflix only costs 79kr per month. From day one, you’ll able to get instant access to full seasons of TV shows such as The Walking Dead, 24, and Sherlock, and great films such as The Expendables, The Matrix, and Happy Feet Two, as well as tons of great Swedish shows and movies. We’ll be adding new content continuously,” says Netflix director of content Erik Barmack.

    The cost of the new service is 79kr per month, which is just a few cents shy of $12.

    Netflix just beats HBO in the race to stream in Scandinavia. Just a couple of weeks after Netflix announced their expansion, HBO unveiled their brand new HBO Nordic streaming service. HBO Nordic is HBO’s first real venture into standalone streaming, as Nordic users will not have to have a pay-TV subscription to access it.

    HBO Nordic is expected to launch this month.

    Netflix is now available in over 50 countries around the world and their streaming service reaches nearly 30 million people.

  • HBO Nordic to Come Pre-installed on Samsung Products

    HBO Nordic to Come Pre-installed on Samsung Products

    Yesterday, we told you that Scandinavia (Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark) was about to be the first major market to get a standalone HBO streaming service – which is pretty damn cool if you happen to live in one of those countries. Now, the news gets even better for Nordic residents who happen to enjoy Samsung products.

    Today, and IFA 2012, HBO and Samsung announced a partnership that will see HBO Nordic streaming service come pre-installed on a variety of Samsung devices. This includes, smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, and Blu-ray players. If Samsung makes it and it’s internet connected, it will come with an HBO Nordic application.

    The announcement has been confirmed by HBO Finland’s Twitter account:

    HBO Nordic marks the first time that HBO will offer their content without the requirement that the subscriber also have a pay-TV (cable) subscription as well. According to reports, it will cost Scandinavian subscribers less than 10 euros a month and will also include content from Starz and Showtime.

    Of course, cord cutters in the United States have to be less-than-thrilled to see this offered in Europe, as they’ve been clamoring for an HBO Go-like streaming service free of cable ties for awhile now.

    [TonisTechBlog via The Verge]

  • HBO to Launch Standalone Streaming Service…in Scandinavia

    HBO to Launch Standalone Streaming Service…in Scandinavia

    Hey everyone, listen up; it appears that HBO has finally caved and are going through with plans to launch a standalone, non-cable-subscription-requiring streaming service. Oh, in Europe, you say? Well son of a Dothraki whore….

    It’s true. According to Variety, HBO just revealed their plans at a press conference in Stockholm. HBO Nordic AB, which is set to launch this October, will offer all of that wonderful HBO original programming without the requirement that the viewer also has a pay-TV subscription. Obviously, this is a first (besides a very small Polish operation).

    HBO Nordic AB will tackle a market that includes Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark. Programming will be available online for less than 10 euros per month (around $12.50), and as an add-on package for those who do subscribe to cable. And it’s not just HBO content that subscribers will get – HBO Nordic AB is giving a piggyback ride to Starz and Showtime content as well.

    Of course, HBO has always been tied to the add-on to cable model – and it’s a fact that has pissed off more than a few cord cutters in the U.S. One of the latest outpourings of lament came in the form of a Twitter campaign called “Take My Money, HBO.” That campaign saw tens of thousands of people take to the social network to offer pleas for HBO to launch a standalone streaming service – basically HBO Go, but without the ties to cable providers. Many of those pleas included a number – a monetary amount that they would be willing to pay for such a service.

    It averaged out to around $12.

    HBO quickly responded with a thanks but no thanks reply. They tweeted that although they “love the love for HBO,” everyone who points out that it’s simply not practical for HBO’s business model is right. “What’s different this time around is that Scandinavia is a market where HBO doesn’t have to protect an entrenched business model as lucrative as the one in the U.S., where a standalone product would jeopardize its deals with distributors from Comcast to DirecTV,” says Variety’s Andrew Wallenstein.

    Damn right. Why jeopardize all of that to appease a small subset of ardent cord cutters?

    Well, they wouldn’t. For now. But the cord cutting army is growing. One recent survey put the number at as high as one-third of former cable subscribers. And out of that group, 33% said that they would never go back – even if they were offered a drastically lower price.

    But it’s a solid move for HBO to go after this market. There, they can compete with other streaming services like Netflix, who just announced their own expansion into the same four countries.

    Any chance that this is the beginning of a trend for HBO? Not really.

    “Each market is unique and HBO approaches each one with what we consider to believe the best business model specific to that territory,” they said.

    Well, I guess it’s back to the torrents.

  • Netflix Instant is Coming to Scandinavia by Year’s End

    Netflix Instant is Coming to Scandinavia by Year’s End

    California-based Netflix, after expanding their streaming service to Canada in 2010, Latin America in 2011, and the UK & Ireland in 2012, have now decided to tap into another big market: Scandinavia.

    Today, the company announced that they will soon offer their Instant video service in four new countries – Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland. And they say this will happen before the end of 2012.

    According to Netflix, the service will be business as usual –

    “Upon launch, broadband Internet users in the Nordic countries can subscribe to Netflix and instantly watch a wide array of Hollywood, local and global TV shows and movies; many with high definition video and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound,” they say.

    Netflix has yet to mention the pricing structure for the new region (they say they’ll do that closer to launch), but it will most likely not exceed the global standard for Netflix Instant pricing, somewhere around $9 (U.S).

    If you’re a part of this region and are excited about the upcoming launch, you can go to the Netflix site and sign-up to receive an email notification as soon as the service launches.

    Netflix is announcing this move as stock prices continue to suffer, as subscriber growth continues to be low. A couple of weeks ago, Netflix released a mixed Q2 earnings report, in terms of revenue and subscribers.