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Tag: streaming video

  • Netflix Responds, Will Bring Sortable Lists Back

    Some of your complaints about the new Netflix interface have been heard, apparently. Scrolling and sortable lists have been addressed, although, the overall redesign is still in place, much to the chagrin of those who wanted a complete rollback.

    When Netflix first launched their redesign, you might’ve thought someone set the Internet on fire, judging by all the responses. While the vitriol felt like it was coming from an outspoken minority, these reactions were not filled with impressed feelings concerning the new scroll-happy interface. In fact, they were downright ugly. In fact, some Netflix members were driven to bouts of sickness over the new UI, provided they weren’t embellishing the truth:

    Speaking as a person who suffers from motion sickness, the new design actually makes me quite nauseous, and sadly I have to turn away from my screen until the row stops to view the titles.

    And then there’s this exercise in hyperbole:

    Not cool Netflix!!! The redesign is terrible!!!! Please change it back!!! The service provided by Netflix has been a part of my home since 2007 and I have never had anything to complain about. However, this “redesign” or more aptly put “CATASTROPHE” is the worst thing to happen in functionality and asthetics [sic] the world over, in human history!!! Change it back, please!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The reaction at the Netflix blog was no better, and it should be noted there wasn’t very much in the way of a defense for the redesign, either. Granted, some of us at WebProNews didn’t share the apocalyptic outlook, but our voices were simply shouted down.

    Apparently, Netflix has listened to some of your more constructive criticisms and have tweaked the design a little bit. No, it’s not a return the old Netflix interface, but there have been some alterations. The Netflix blog details the tweaks:

  • The horizontal scrolling functionality that was jittery for some should be reduced now that we’ve disabled scrolling to the left until you’ve first scrolled to the right.
  • We’re bringing sortable lists back. You’ll see them return later this month.

    • As the post indicates, the major change — sortable lists — isn’t active yet, but the scrolling improvements are. Much like the blog entry says, users cannot scroll the movie lists to the left until scrolling to the right is activated. While such an alteration comes across as minor, will it be enough to quell the dissatisfaction the outspoken users felt? Will the promise of a return of sortable lists? Judging by the comments for the latest post, it doesn’t look that way:

    Timothy McNeil · Forest Park, Illinois
    Still unfriendly to the user. Please restore member names/avatars to reviews in addition to sortable feature. I will continue to keep my money until you do.

    And

    Sawyer Pangborn · Utah
    Horizontal scrolling is still stupid and un-intuitive, especially when there aren’t any visible scrollbars. Time to go back to the drawing board again, guys. Maybe hire a UX designer while you’re at it.

    It should be noted that the initial redesign post had 5000 comments, while the post referencing scrolling and sortable lists only has nine, and eight of them are from unhappy users who haven’t been able to get comfortable with the new user interface. Nine people out of the millions of Netflix members isn’t a great percentage, and if 5000 comments can’t initiate a site-wide rollback, it’s doubtful a handful of them will, either.

    As for the scrolling change — no left until you scroll right — seems unnecessary and cosmetic, but apparently, some users were really unhappy with the all the scrolling that’s present in the new Netflix interface. Is such an insignificant alteration merely an attempt at pacification, because it doesn’t do much to the overall user experience? Does the idea of sortable lists placate you, especially if you were one of the unsatisfied?

  • Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Red Carpet Live on YouTube

    I know, I know. This is the 4th of July, a celebration of our declaration of independence from the tyranny of Britain. And Harry Potter is decidedly quite British. But it’s been centuries – we can talk about this today, right? Besides, the event is only 3 days away.

    YouTube has announced via official blog that they will be ground zero for Harry Potter mania in the upcoming weeks. The final installment of the saga, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, won’t be released to the general public until July 15th – but its official premiere will happen a week earlier.

    And YouTube will be broadcasting the red carpet event live from Trafalgar Square in London on July 7th. The live stream will begin at 11 a.m. EDT. YouTube says that the red carpet will feature the entire cast, author J.K. Rowling and “surprise celebrity appearances.” YouTube will re-broadcast the entire event if you miss it live.

    The live stream will appear on YouTube’s Harry Potter channel. If you go there now, you can see a opening day countdown clock as well as photos, posters, and trailers for the upcoming film.

    There is also a sweepstakes link to Harry Potter: The Quest, a game that offers the chance to win a trip to the London premiere.

    J.K. Rowling recently made a splash with the unveiling of Pottermore, her new Harry Potter themed website. It mysteriously appeared a couple weeks ago through an online scavenger hunt. The site merely said “coming soon” and linked to a YouTube account with a announcement countdown.

    Flash forward a week and Rowling released a video detailing in brief what fans could expect from the new site. Pottermore will be the exclusive place for fans to purchase Harry Potter eBooks as well as a hub for new content written by Rowling. We shouldn’t expect new Harry Potter adventures, but most likely supplementary materials. In the video, Rowling hints at some sort of social network layer to the whole experience as well.

    Pottermore will open to the entire public in October, but a select few are being chosen to join early to give the site a test run. Rowling said that this is so fans could “help shape” the experience.

    The end is near, Potter fans. With Deathly Hallows Part 2 only 2 weeks away, are you ready to jump back in to Potter-mania?

  • It’s Official: Streaming Video Consumers Watching Less TV

    Until recently, Nielsen’s data suggested that the heaviest media consumers were the heaviest across every type of media – streaming, mobile, standard TV, etc. Basically, that meant that if you watched a lot of streaming content online, then you also watched a lot of television.

    In their latest Cross Platform Report, they found that simply isn’t the case anymore.

    A subset of consumers from television and Internet homes has now emerged that defies that notion, with the lightest traditional television users streaming significantly more Internet video, and the heaviest streamers under-indexing for traditional TV viewership.

    This behavior is led by those ages 18-34. The group of consumers exhibiting this behavior is significant but small. More than a third of the TV/Internet population is not streaming, whereas less than 1% are not watching TV.

    This means that nowadays, if you are heavy into streaming, you most likely aren’t turning on the cable. Here’s a visual demonstration of this:

    And the next graph shows that the tendency is more pronounced in people aged 18-34. Makes sense, since that is the generation that has grown up on Netflix and YouTube.

    This is interesting news, and unsettling news I’m sure for TV executives and cable providers. Among a set of people (the heavy online video connoisseurs), albeit a small set, they are satisfying themselves almost exclusively with streaming video. Is it only a matter of time until it is not just the heavy internet users who are watching traditional TV less and less?

    As of right now, however, it looks like Americans simply love any type of video you put in their faces. According to Nielsen, overall TV watching increased 22 minutes per person per month year-over-year. Nine out of ten households with TVs have cable service. DVR usage continues to grow and even mobile video has increased 41% year-over-year.

    Will internet video ever completely knock the crown off Television? Let us know what you think.

  • Bonnaroo Live Stream Comes To Vevo

    This article is dedicated to all of you whose friends have trotted off to Bonnaroo without you. Whether you couldn’t get off work, don’t have the money or can’t stand the thought of camping in 90-degree weather for 4 days, you’ve stayed behind while others are beginning to arrive at the festival as we speak.

    It’s okay, though, you can watch many of the big performances from the comfort of your own home, or office chair, or smartphone for that matter. Vevo will be streaming many of the shows live, beginning tomorrow at noon.

    The VEVO crew will be covered in sweat, mud and sunscreen in Manchester to bring you as much from the grounds as we possibly can. Stinky or not, we’ll be tweeting to the high heavens about the fest, have a slew of live performances from the Southern event set to stream, and will blog every single thing we see onstage and off.

    The festival actually kicks off today, but Vevo’s coverage won’t begin until tomorrow. Some of the solid shows today are Wavves, Best Coast, The Walkmen, Sleigh Bells, and Deerhunter. But to see those, Bonnaroo attendees have most likely had to endure some of the famous multiple-mile-long traffic jams entering the grounds.

    Although Vevo’s Bonnaroo site is not yet providing streaming video, it does have an “on the scene” section with a photo gallery, blogging from the festival grounds and flashbacks highlight videos and interviews.

    Here’s a taste of what concerts Vevo will be streaming (All times EST):

    Tomorrow, June 10th – Florence + The Machine at 6:45 pm and My Morning Jacket at 8:15 pm

    Saturday, June 11th – Ray LaMontagne at 2:30 pm, Alison Krauss & Union Station at 4:00 pm, Kylesa at 5:30 pm, Wiz Khalifa at 5:50 pm, Mumford & Sons at 8:00 pm and Arcade Fire at 9:30 pm

    Sunday, June 12th – Cold War Kids at 5:00 pm, The Stroke at 6:45 pm, Explosions in the Sky at 8:15 pm and Widespread Panic at 8:45 pm

    Ok, so what about the people who are already there/on the way/leaving shortly? Well, the weather looks to be a nice, cool 92 degrees today, 91 tomorrow, 90 on Saturday and 87 on Sunday. Although the recently updated Bonnaroo app can do a lot, unfortunately it can’t lower the temperature or humidity.

    The 2011 Bonnaroo iOS app features a full festival lineup and map feature with the added ability to plan your personal schedule of which shows you’re going to attend. And with so much happening all at once, planning your schedule is crucial.

    The app has full Facebook and Twitter integration and also features GroupMe for easy group messaging and uses Color to stream photos being taken in real time. It also features a “Roo Camera Booth” with new photo filters.

    So whether you are enduring the crowd and heat in Manchester, TN, or watching from your temperate living room, this year’s Bonnaroo looks like it have some great shows. Which performance are you most excited to see?

  • Xbox 360 All About The Streaming

    Microsoft has a pretty interesting post on their official blog today about the Xbox 360. It’s been pretty clear in the past few years that the console is an extremely important part of the company as a whole, but until recently it had seemed that the Xbox was still about gaming first and foremost. Other features of the Xbox experience like the Netflix app were great, but definitely a secondary priority of the overall focus.

    According to Microsoft, 40% of all activity on the Xbox 360 is non-gaming activity. That means that users spend close to half the time on the console watching streaming video. The Netflix application, ESPN streaming, and newly introduced Hulu partnership make up a dominating trio when it comes to usage. Not to mention that users can stream movies and music through Zune.

    Over 30 hours per month per Xbox is spent consuming video. That’s about an hour a day. When you think about the fact that there are over 53 million Xbox owners, 30 million of which are Xbox live members, that totals out to a lot of streaming video.

    Sure, this means that 60% of use on the 360 is still gaming, but a substantial chunk has been replaced by other activities. This makes Microsoft’s console not just a video game system, but a real entertainment hub. While the PlayStation Network is doing everything but work for the last few weeks, Microsoft is reporting growth in their entertainment division that is simply astonishing.

    In April, when Microsoft reported their Q3 earnings, the Xbox 360 and Kinect emerged as the stars of the report.

    All of their divisions grew (Business 21% year-over-year, Server & Tools 11%, Online Services 14%). But their entertainment division grew 60%, fueled by Xbox console and Live subscription sales, as well as Kinect sales.

    Frank Shaw, Microsoft’s VP of Corporate Communications says that “simply, Xbox = entertainment” in the blog post. And then he hints about the future of how Xbox will be marketed:

    The vision for Xbox is straightforward: All of the entertainment you want. With the people you care about. Made easy. That is why you’ve seen us invest in partnerships with ESPN, Netflix and Hulu. That is why we’ve baked social directly into the experience with Xbox LIVE – connecting gamers, friends and families across the globe. That is why you’ll see Xbox marketed more as an entertainment brand this year.

    Will the Xbox console, both the 360 and any future versions ever be less about gaming than other entertainment? It’s possible. Microsoft seems to know that it got into everyone’s homes with gaming on the Xbox, and that it can use that established position to develop a full on entertainment brand. Their recent acquisition of Skype may be further evidence of the changing landscape of the Xbox gaming console.

  • Netflix Looks Toward Multiple Video Streaming Options

    A household Netflix account comes with its share of difficulties.  Basic streaming plans only allow for one video to be streaming at a time, per account.  That means that Daddy may be watching Californication on his laptop but little Susie wants to watch Dora the Explorer on the TV.  Susie can’t do that, she starts crying, chaos ensues and the night is ruined.  Let’s not even go into the scenario of the girlfriend who can’t watch Glee because her boyfriend is hooked on Sons of Anarchy (too personal).

    Netflix may be looking at a way to make accounts more personal by shifting their focus to individual memberships.  Basically, the company hints that it might be developing more options for multiple streaming accounts.

    As of now, Netflix offers a stream-only plan that costs $7.99 a month.  Subscribers get one video at a time per account with that plan.  People who get the one-DVD a month plan can still stream with limits, but only one at a time.  Currently, multiple streams are offered to those who pay for multiple-DVD plans, but those can get a tad pricey.

    In a statement on the Netflix Investor Relations FAQ, the company hints that later this year they may be offering more account options for multiple streams.  This would be part of the “individual membership” approach, which would obviously be tailored more towards specific viewers.  Another part of “individual memberships” would most likely be personalized recommendations that don’t factor in what little Susie watches when determining a suggestion for Dad.

    Google+Reader”>Hacking Netflix first spotted this statement deep in the FAQ.  It’s not very specific but it definitely looks like Netflix is going to be changing the streaming options sooner rather than later.  The FAQ statement:

    When our focus was primarily DVD rental, we talked about our opportunity in terms of households, in particular the number of households with broadband access, which is more than 70 million households. Another way to view our potential opportunity is to consider the number of households that subscribe to home entertainment, which includes cable and satellite subscribers, a market estimated at about $68 billion in annual revenue. In either case, we were describing a very big potential market, giving us a lot of room to grow.

    More recently, as streaming has become central to our business, we believe there may be an opportunity to change our focus from a household relationship to an individual relationship, since streaming is viewed on personal devices, such as phones, tablets, and laptops, as well as on shared large screen televisions. As we think about this shift from a household to a personal relationship, we are starting to think internally that our opportunity could be viewed as the number of mobile phone subscribers, a group that both invests in electronic content and can afford $7.99 for home entertainment. Needless to say, that is a large opportunity.

    The evolution toward individual memberships will take time, and we are still thinking about how to best do it. One option would be to allow an account to add additional concurrent streams (using the analogy of our DVD business, it would be like choosing a higher-priced plan that allows a subscriber to have more DVDs at home). Our $7.99-per-month plan is for one stream at a time, and later this year we expect to be able to offer consumers some account options to watch multiple simultaneous streams. Or it could be that there is a price point that would encourage multiple accounts in one household. In either case, our long-term goal is to evolve the Netflix service so that it feels more natural to have a personal account. We will also be working on broader Facebook integration which we hope will further the notion of personal accounts.

  • WatchESPN App Launched for iOS

    WatchESPN App Launched for iOS

    Oh Boy! Oh Boy!  It’s Christmas morning, and some people just got a new puppy.  Some people, however, didn’t get anything.  ESPN has just unveiled its WatchESPN app that allows users to stream live content to their iPhones and iPads.  Unfortunately, it’s not yet available to the large portion of sports fans.

    Customers of Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, and Verizon FiOS TV are currently the only people that can reap the benefits of the awesome new app.  If you receive ESPN as part of your package with those providers, you now have access to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU on your mobile device.

    This is including, but not limited to: NBA regular season and playoffs, Major League Baseball, The Masters and other PGA events, NCAA basketball and football, Grand Slam tennis and Barclay’s Premier League and Euro 2012 soccer.  Not only do users have access to live sports, but they can also view ESPN original content like SportsCenter, Pardon the Interruption and Mike and Mike in the Morning.

    The app is currently free in the app store.  Once downloaded, users will be prompted to enter their cable provider details.  In May, an app optimized specifically for the iPad will be released.

    This app is guaranteed to be huge, as long as the quality of the streaming video can hold up.  Unfortunately for the sports fans that are currently left out, there is no time table for when the app will be available through other service providers and for other platforms.

    “Innovation continues to drive ESPN.  When we launched in 1979, nobody envisioned a day when people would carry ESPN in their pockets. But here we are. And we’ve reached this watershed moment for the industry through tremendous collaboration with forward-thinking partners,” said George Bodenheimer, president, ESPN, Inc. and ABC Sports in a press release.  ESPN is expanding access to its content lately, as they recently gave Starbucks access to its subscription service ESPN Insider.

    I fall into the “left out” category.  I feel like it’s Christmas morning, I’m 10, and I just received Goldeneye 007 and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time – but no N64.  If you get this reference, then you know how bad this hurts.

  • Masters Golf Tournament App Brings Live Action On-The-Go

    This morning, the world’s most elite golfers are beginning their quest for the green jacket at the 2011 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.  The first major of the year always has its share of storylines, this year being no exception.  Golf fans wonder if no-longer-top-ranked Tiger Woods can bounce back from a dismal 2010 following his off-the-course indiscretions.  Some are anxious to see how many fans show up for the tournament, as the PGA has reported declining attendance.  Also, 19 year old Japanese phenom Ryo Ishikawa has pledged all of his tournament winnings to the earthquake and tsunami relief effort in his home country.

    If you are like many golf fans, work oftentimes prevents you from following the first few rounds in their entirety.  To help with this, Augusta National has developed an app for the iPhone and iPad that allows fans to keep up with the unofficial kick-off of the 2011 golf season.

    The free iPhone app contains course information including hole by hole layout, yardages and flyover views as well as player information including pairings and tee times.  The app offers real time scoring updates as well as video highlights and press conferences.

    The darling of the app, however, is the live video.  Users can watch live streaming video from holes 11, 12 and 13 (aka Amen Corner) as well as holes 15 and 16.  As golf fans know, Amen Corner at Augusta National provides some of the most exciting moments of the whole PGA Tour season as more than one dream will be gobbled up by the swirling winds around Rae’s Creek.

    The iPad version is $1.99 and adds more live video streams of featured pairings as well as more highlights from ESPN and CBS.

    Some users are reporting video crashes and loss of sound on the iPhone.  Hopefully this is only temporary, as this app could be a godsend for golf fanatics who can’t be near a computer or television.

    As a big lefty myself, I have to throw in my support for reigning champ Phil Mickelson.  Go Lefty!

  • Netflix Bandwidth Settings Announced for Capped Users in Canada

    Earlier this month, AT&T announced an end to uncapped internet, saying that on May 2nd it will begin limiting DSL customers to 150 GB per month of usage. Usage caps have become much more strict for our neighbors up north, with caps in some cases going from 200 GB per month to 25 GB. Ouch.

    Netflix wants to help the internet starved Canadians! Late last night, Netflix CPO Neil Hunt announced via the official Netflix blog that data usage is being lowered by 2/3 for members in Canada.

    According to Hunt, watching 30 hours of streaming Netflix content typically consumes about 30 GB. If all of that content was in HD, it could consume up to 70 GB. Both of those numbers are well over some of the limits on Canadian internet users.

    Here are the three new settings, complete with their usage numbers:

    1. “Good” – The default setting with good picture quality and lowest data use per hour (about 0.3 GB/hour)
    2. “Better” – Better picture quality and medium data use per hour (about 0.7 GB/hour)
    3. “Best” – Best picture quality and highest date use per hour (generally about 1.0 GB/hour – or up to 2.3 GB/hour when streaming HD content)

    Doing the math, a person who streamed 30 hours of content in a month would use 9GB on the “good” setting, 21 GB on the “better” setting and 30-69 GB on the “best” setting. More specifics about each setting:

    The “good” setting limits video/audio to 625 kbps/64 kbps. The “better” setting limits video/audio to a maximum of 1300 kbps/192 kpbs. The “best” setting will use any of the video/audio rates available. Our highest quality files are 4800 kbps (for 1080p HD video) and 384 kbps audio (for 5.1 audio). 30 hours of this highest quality streaming would be less than 67 GBytes. However, only a selection of movies and TV shows are available at these rates, and in many cases, the effective video/audio upper limit for non-HD content is 2200 kbps/192 kbps.

    Hunt also notes that frequent pauses, stops and seeking will sightly increase your usage, as Netflix streams a small amount of data as a buffer each time you perform one of those actions. He also says that there should be some lessening of the video quality, but that it should be “minimal.” Viewers can toggle their settings anytime on the “Manage Video Quality” page.

    I’m going to be honest. When the quality bar on my Netflix streaming dips below 4 bar HD, I throw a mini tantrum. I have an HD television and a broadband connection, which means I should never have to suffer inferior picture quality, dang-it! The thought of having to choose a “good” setting instead of “best” makes me uncomfortable.

    Although that might be a tad dramatic, how far away are severe usage caps in the States? A commenter on this Netflix blog post asks, “Any chance we’ll get this in America, too? I’m getting capped by AT&T and would love to have this option.”

    Gross.

  • Ebert: Thumbs Down To Facebook’s Movie Streaming

    The announcement concerning Facebook’s content partnership with Warner Brothers not only caused a dip in the Netflix stock as investors panicked at the idea of competition, it’s also caught the notice of perhaps the most famous movie critic ever, and it’s safe to say Roger Ebert won’t be hitting the “Like” button for Facebook’s fledgling service anytime soon.

    In fact, Ebert did just the opposite; he gave the service a verbal beating, or, a thumbs down, if you will. Keep in mind, Ebert is not opposed to online movie streaming. Actually, he acts as if he’s quite fond of the technology and admits to also taking advantage of the technology from time to time. While Ebert believes Netflix is the best of these services, especially for mainstream movie watching, he also details other, lesser-known streaming companies others might not be aware of:

    Mubi.com calls itself an “online art theater,” and specializes in indie, foreign, classic and festival films. Asia Pacific Films.com streams an enormous variety of films from the Pacific Rim that are not available anywhere else; for example, it currently lists 199 films from South Korea, whose film industry has been so fertile in the last 20 years. Fandor.com streams indie, offbeat and non-mainstream films, and has Facebook plans. Hulu.com matches Netflix at $7.99 a month, and has a ton of TV but seems weaker on films. It also arrives on your TV through Roku and game devices. All of these sites have active communities.

    However, concerning Facebook, one of the movie critic’s main concerns focuses on security, naturally. Facebook’s track record of privacy breaches give him pause, but more than that, Ebert simply isn’t that impressed with the user interface. In fact, Ebert believes it’s easier to manipulate Apple’s computer operating system as a first-time user than it is managing a Facebook account.

    More than that, however, is the Ebert’s belief that Facebook’s movie streaming service will not be as robust or user-friendly as Netflix or Amazon.

    Siskel and Ebert
    Image courtesy

    These details lead up to Ebert’s main point about how exponential growth isn’t the best indicator of quality, while calling out those that oversee the social media platform:

    There’s a philosophical issue here. I’m in favor of choice. I can envision a future in which half of the web has been vacuumed up by Facebook. It’s big enough already. Growth is not excellence. It’s so enormous not because of programming genius but because of a mass compulsion to be part of the crowd. But since Zuckerberg or the twins had the great original stroke of insight, do you think the site has been particularly well-managed? If it’s not making money, I’m in favor of monetizing it. Sell ads. But don’t cannibalize sophisticated sites that do what they do perfectly well. And what kind of a streaming platform insists that you can only “Like” a movie?

    It’s hard not to wonder, however, if Ebert would be more open to a Facebook movie streaming service if they built a stand-alone platform, offering users tons of feedback options, much like Netflix offers? Would he be inclined to use it if their platform had better security protocols in place, or was his post simply a “I’m a Netflix fan” reaction?

  • Does Time Warner’s iPad App Steal Cable?

    Does Time Warner’s iPad App Steal Cable?

    Time Warner unveiled an iPad application that allows users to stream their Time Warner’s cable television subscription to a tablet device, and not surprisingly, some of the cable networks were none too pleased about having their content streamed for free.

    iPad

    Clearly, the revenue made from the initial subscription is not enough to cover the overhead of installing an infrastructure capable of online streaming. Wait, that’s not what this is about. Instead, it’s a case of those providing the content wanting to further monetize their shows, even if Time Warner’s app is free. According to MediaWeek, the Time Warner app allowed subscribers to:

    …stream video content to iPads and other tablet devices. Although Time Warner Cable introduced the free app just 24 hours, a number of cable network groups have already made it abundantly clear that they had not signed off on any such distribution arrangement.

    The report goes on to say the application has the capability of streaming up to 32 cable networks to Apple’s tablet, including channels like Comedy Central and the USA Network. Nevertheless, not all content providers are pleased with Time Warner’s actions. Perhaps if there would’ve been some collusion between the content providers and Time Warner, things would be different; but as it stands, there’s a lot of work to be done before these “TV on the go” applications become commonplace on the tablet environment.

    There may have, however, been some overreaction on the content providers’ part:

    …one affiliate chief acknowledged that streaming to gizmos within a limited range of hearth and home may be “less of a threat” than the networks are letting on.

    But it’s never been about a measured reaction. Things like Time Warner’s app and the subsequent hubbub comes down to two things: control over content in order to monetize it. Meanwhile, the consumer is once again left out in the cold.

  • YouTube To Stream NBA and NHL Games?

    YouTube To Stream NBA and NHL Games?

    Sports-seeking cord cutters might have reason to rejoice, or at least reason to hope:  there’s a possibility YouTube will become a major player in the way sporting events, specifically, the NBA and the NHL, will be consumed by their fans.

    After the success YouTube enjoyed from streaming of cricket from the Indian Premier League, Google’s online video service is looking to expand its reach by including the NBA and NHL in their sports stream lineup.

    While there’s a lot being made about how such agreements would potentially increase YouTube’s revenue stream, making them a viable with such services like Netflix’s Watch Instantly, Amazon and Hulu Plus, the fact that YouTube continues to pull in incredible amounts of traffic makes these concerns somewhat unfounded.

    YouTube Stats
    And these are almost a year old
    Image courtesy

    Nevertheless, there’s no denying how much stronger such features would make the already-powerful YouTube, but there more significant, non-business related issues at hand:

    First off, there are no dedicated streams of NBA or NHL games.  Yes, these many of these games can be found through unauthorized streaming services, but having a legitimate, powered-by-YouTube, service that offers legal streams would be a windfall both financially and as a method that further strengthens YouTube’s dominant user base.

    Considering the way the NBA and the NHL have embraced YouTube, such a partnership seems quite natural, not to mention, beneficial for all parties involved. 

    Furthermore, when you take into account the NBA’s labor issues, an additional revenue stream as powerful as the Google/YouTube platform would certainly benefit the NBA’s coffers as much as the platform offering the streams.

    Not only is YouTube looking to add the NBA and NHL, they also have their sites set on European soccer; but their vision doesn’t stop there.  According to Bloomberg, Gautam Anand, Google’s director of content partnerships for Asia Pacific, says:

    “It’s fair to say that there will be a lot more appealing sports content you’ll see on YouTube.  We have ongoing conversations with pretty much everyone.”

    Spokespersons for both the NBA and NHL were fairly mum on the topic.  The NHL offered no comment and the NBA offered a compulsory response saying they’re glad YouTube recognizes the value of live sports. Hopefully, David Stern, Gary Bettman and any other sports commissioners involved in these negotiations recognize the potential value partnering with a service as powerful as YouTube can provide.

  • Netflix and CBS Strike Content Streaming Deal

    Netflix announced a new deal with CBS that will allow it to stream CBS content for two years (non-exclusively). The deals enables Netflix to stream select TV shows like Medium, Flashpoint, Frasier, and Cheers.

    Other shows included in the deal are: Family Ties, the original Hawaii Five-O, Star Trek, Twin Peaks, The Twilight Zone, and The Andy Griffith Show. 

    "This deal recognizes the increasing value of our content in today’s marketplace," said Scott Koondel, President of Distribution, CBS Television Distribution.  "More and more, people want to be able to access our programming on a wide variety of platforms.  We are very pleased that the titles offered through this deal will now also be made available to a whole new community through the terrific and convenient service that Netflix offers.  We will continue to pursue additional non-exclusive distribution partners that are additive to our overall business."

    NetflixNew Content Alert! Starting in April, Medium, Twin Peaks, Cheers, Frasier, Family Ties and The Andy Griffith Show will be available instantly from Netflix. We’ll also have Star Trek, Hawaii Five-O and The Twilight Zone. Click the Like button if you’ve watched any of these shows. http://bit.ly/NTFLXCBS9 minutes ago 1,273 likes 153 comments

    "We are thrilled to be bringing CBS shows to Netflix and are looking forward to growing our relationship over time," said Ted Sarandos, Chief Content Officer for Netflix. "Netflix is now the only online premium subscription service with shows featured on all four broadcast networks and dozens of cable TV’s biggest brands."

    While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, CBS retains an option to extend the agreement for up to two additional years. 

    Netflix will begin offering CBS content in April.

  • Amazon Launches New Netflix Competitor

    Amazon has announced the launch of an unlimited, commercial-free instant streaming movie and TV show service for Amazon Prime members. The service will give subscribers access to 5,000 movies and shows. 

    Prime members will not be charged any extra. The price will remain $79 per year for the membership. The service also provides members with "all-you-can-eat" free 2-day shipping, which the company says has already attracted millions.

    "Millions of Amazon Prime members already enjoy the convenience of free Two-Day Shipping," said Amazon Prime VP Robbie Schwietzer. "Adding unlimited instant access to thousands of movies and TV shows at no additional cost is a great way to give members even more value for their $79 annual Amazon Prime membership."

    Amazon Video Streaming Service for Prime Members

    "In addition to now offering unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows to Amazon Prime members, we continue to offer all customers more than 90,000 movies and TV shows through Amazon Instant Video," noted Cameron Janes, director of Amazon Instant Video. "With Amazon Instant Video customers can rent or purchase hit movies, such as ‘The Social Network’ as well as purchase the latest TV shows available the day-after they broadcast."

    Obviously the service will go head to head with Netflix, with each providing different benefits to users. Amazon has the additional services described above, and Netflix charges by the month, and offers various plans that include DVD mailings for titles that aren’t included in the streaming service.

  • Fox Jumps On The “Block Google TV” Bandwagon

    Much like its competitors (ABC, CBS, and NBC) Fox has decided to block Google TV from accessing its website to stream video content. Currently if you go to any of the networks website you’re met with an error message that reads, “This content is not compatible with your device“.

    Does it make any sense that networks are blocking content from Google TV? Tell us your thoughts.

    It looks like Google has a long negotiating road ahead of them. According to TheNextWeb, “Google was said to be in negotiations with at least three television networks to unblock the content but that news surfaced towards the end of October and we’re now approaching the middle of November and it looks as if things have regressed rather than move forward.”

    Why does blocking content to viewers ever seem like a good idea? Well it seems that networks don’t want television and online content to cross paths, as online content pulls in far less ad revenue compared to on-air commercials. Networks want you to watch their actual broadcasts.

    When do you think Google will reach agreements with the networks? Let us know.