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Canal Plus chief: Amazon, Netflix will bring video-on-demand to France early next year
Amazon might be continuing its European HD streaming video invasion by arriving in France next March, according to Canal Plus' president, Bertrand Meheu. The executive is well-placed to have that info, as he says his company will be supplying Amazon with content for the service's launch on the Kindle Fire. If true, it's not known yet if it would be in the form of Lovefilm, which launched in Germany and the UK recently, or if it would be available on PCs, Macs, Xbox 360 consoles or Smart TVs as it is elsewhere. Canal Plus has been fighting to keep such competitors out of the notoriously protectionist country, but it was recently blocked by a state watchdog from hoarding VOD rights exclusively for its own networks. The company also said that Netflix would arrive in France by "early 2013" -- another credible claim, considering the huge amount of content it produces that the US streaming service would surely need.
Lovefilm introduces HD streaming in the UK and Germany, adds another nail in mail rental coffin
Lovefilm certainly seems to be on the charm offensive to secure those movie viewing eyes. Yesterday it was the announcement of an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal, and today it's HD streaming for its "Instant" service. Subscribers in the UK and Germany can suck up full 1080p content when viewing on a Mac or PC, and 720p when watching via Xbox 360 or Smart TV (UK only) at no extra cost. The HD library is rolling out now, and currently includes only a selection of films and TV shows, but is set to expand over the coming months. So if you're a paid up member, you can start browsing the library today, and hunt out those HD badges.
HBO in talks to relax iCloud ban on Universal, Fox movies for Apple TV
Remember when it was revealed that Fox and Universal's movie libraries wouldn't be able to stream via iCloud to your Apple TV? The reason was that both studios were locked into an exclusive window with HBO. Fortunately, the cable channel is already entering into negotiations with the studios to relax that rule for people who have already bought their movies -- having already done so for stablemate Warner Bros. A settlement is expected to be forthcoming in the next few weeks, at which point we can get back to the important things in life: the second series of Game of Thrones.
