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Tag: Streaming Video Service

  • Popcorn Time Torrent Streaming Site is Dead, For Now

    It was bound to happen. Popcorn Time, the streaming video platform that allowed anyone to stream just about any TV or movie for free on a variety of devices is now gone. The creators of Popcorn Time have shut down the service despite their claims that the streaming was legal.

    Popcorn Time was released last month and slowly began to spread by word-of-mouth. The platform allowed users to search through a vast collection of movie and TV torrents and stream them instead of downloading. None of the torrents were hosted by Popcorn Time, a fact it’s creators cited when arguing for its legality. By early March the site had gained enough popularity for mainstream attention, almost certainly a factor in its shutdown.

    Popcorn Time’s creators had argued that movie and TV piracy are a service problem caused by antiquated methods of determining the value of content. They maintain that Popcorn Time was legal and insist that they checked up on whether this was true four different times.

    When visiting the Popcorn Time website visitors are now greeted with a message from the platform’s creators. The message states that they are “enormously proud” of the project, but that “standing against an old fashioned industry has its own associated costs. Costs that no one should have to pay in any way, shape, or form.”

    From the message:

    Popcorn Time is shutting down today. Not because we ran out of energy, commitment, focus or allies. But because we need to move on with our lives.

    Our experiment has put us at the doors of endless debates about piracy and copyright, legal threats and the shady machinery that makes us feel in danger for doing what we love. And that’s not a battle we want a place in.

    Of course, the open-source community will certainly not let such a popular project die. Already the developers behind the torrent site YTS have announced that they have forked the Popcorn Time software and will continue to develop it.

  • Streaming Video on the Rise as Premium Channels See Subscriptions Fall

    Streaming Video on the Rise as Premium Channels See Subscriptions Fall

    Though cable companies are still dragging their feet, it is now clear that streaming video is the future of television. Subscriptions for streaming video services such as Netflix and Hulu are rising fast and hardware manufacturers are preparing to flood consumer markets with internet-connected video devices in the coming years. The WWE, of all organizations, has just paved the way for sports organizations to take their programming directly to consumers through a streaming subscription service.

    Market research firm NPD Group today released a new report showing that the percentage of U.S. internet households subscribing to premium TV channels such as HBO and Showtime declined to 32% as of August 2013, down 6% from the 38% of households that subscribed back in March 2012. At the same time streaming video subscriptions (what NPD refers to as subscription video-on-demand services) for those same households rose 4% from March 2012 to hit 27% as of last August.

    According to the report, subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services made up a full 71% of all digital-video transactions during 2013. The segment is now the fastest-growing type of digital acquisition according to NPD’s numbers.

    “As SVOD services have gained momentum, it’s clear that some consumers are trimming their premium-TV subscriptions,” said Russ Crupnick, SVP of industry analysis at NPD. “As SVOD increasingly strives to become a channel itself, viewers might consider it to be an adequate substitution for other premium channels, or perhaps they are switching to economize on their time and money spent.”

  • WWE 24/7 Streaming Network Announced

    At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) this week WWE CEO Vince McMahon officially unveiled the WWE Network, a 24/7 streaming network for WWE wrestling fans.

    The WWE Network will stream WWE-related programming at all hours of the day, including classic WWE matches, documentaries, reality shows, and other original programming. The network will also stream all 12 of the WWE’s monthly pay-per-view events, including Wrestlemania. In addition, fans will have access to more than 1,500 hours of on-demand video content from the network when it launches.

    Access to the WWE Network will cost $9.99 per month, with a minimum commitment of six months. Fans can sign up for a subscription to the network starting at 9 am on February 24.

    The network will be available to stream via the WWE website, or through WWE apps on devices including Android mobile devices, iOS devices, Roku boxes, PlayStation (3 & 4) consoles, Xbox 360, and some smart TVs. The WWE has partnered with MLB Advanced Media (the company behind MLB.tv and the MLB At Bat app) to provide streaming solutions and app development for the new network.

    The network is scheduled to launch on February 24, the day after the WWE’s “Elimination Chamber” pay-per-view event. The WWE Network will go live just after Monday Night Raw, and the post-show for that event will be the first program streamed on the network.

    “Today is a historic day for WWE as we transform and reimagine how we deliver our premium live content and 24/7 programming directly to our fans around the world,” said McMahon. “WWE Network will provide transformative growth for our company and unprecedented value for our fans.”

  • Netflix Tests Lower-Priced, Standard-Def Subscription

    Netflix Tests Lower-Priced, Standard-Def Subscription

    Netflix is everywhere. The company’s streaming video app can be found on set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, video game consoles, smart TVs, and other devices. This ubiquity has allowed Netflix to grow beyond its DVD-by-mail roots and become the largest player in the quickly-growing video streaming market.

    Along with this popularity, though, comes a problem: how to prevent subscribers from sharing streaming accounts across with others. Netflix’s millions of subscribers are a great continuing source of revenue for the company, but grabbing those few potential subscribers who share an account with a friend or family member is quickly becoming one of the only ways Netflix can expand in near-saturated markets such as the U.S.

    Netflix’s solution to the problem so far has been to embrace subscriber habits to some extent, but limit the number of screens that subscribers can watch Netflix on simultaneously. The company’s basic streaming video package now allows subscribers to watch video through Netflix on two screens at once, while a higher-price family-style package allow up to four screens at once.

    This week Netflix has introduced a third tier intended for those who never share their streaming account with anyone. The new tier would allow new subscribers to watch Netflix on only one screen at a time. However, the new tier does not offer any Netflix video in high definition, making it suitable only for those who still do not own an HD TV or those who don’t mind the lower-quality video. The package is priced at $6.99 – one dollar less than the standard two-screen streaming package.

    According to an Adweek report, the new tier is, at this point, only a test. Netflix has stated that not every new subscriber will be offered the new package, though it could certainly roll out to more people in the future.

  • Walmart VUDU Spreads Internationally

    Walmart is planning to send their VUDU streaming video service international with Mexico being the first country outside the United States to receive the service. Mexico can look forward to the service as early as June with over 30 countries in Latin America to follow. Expansion into Europe and Asia is planned for the latter half of 2012.

    Edward Lichty, general manager of VUDU streaming video service comments on the platform:

    “At Walmart, one of our key priorities is to provide one continuous experience for our customers to interact with our brand — whether that is in stores, online or from their mobile devices,”

    The expansion will give current providers like Netflix a real run for their money, literally. Netflix expanded into Canada and Latin America several years ago and have been working on offering the service in select European markets since last year.

    According to Variety, VUDU will allow consumers to cover the costs of service via prepaid cards unlike Netflix who currently only works with credit cards. A Walmart representative made a statement to Variety regarding the expansion.

    The anonymous rep explained:

    “We’re always looking at ways to expand our offerings but we have nothing new to share at this time,”

    Walmart also offer a new service for customers who wish to upgrade their outdated DVD copies of films for rights to convenient online streaming versions. This may also factor into consumers decision to choose VUDU over Netflix since the service is tied to VUDU. The transaction costs as little as $2 for standard format films, but offers the ability to upgrade to high-def formats for $5.

    It sounds like Walmart is building a lot of value into their streaming service. I don’t know if there will be a viable international competitor left when they get through. We’ll keep you updated on the happenings at Walmart and VUDU.