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Time Warner to begin live-streaming TNT and TBS channels starting this summer
Oh, how the times are a-changin'. Hot on the heels of ABC revealing its plans to start streaming live TV in some areas, Time Warner's now let it be known that it will be taking a similar route with its own TNT and TBS networks. According to the Los Angeles Times, Steve Koonin, head honcho of Turner Entertainment Networks, confirmed these online services are due to kick off this summer and will allow interested streamers to watch content "anytime, anywhere, on multiple devices." Just don't go thinking you can join the cord-cutting crowd, as you'll still need a proper cable subscription to enjoy TBS or TNT on the interwebs.
Grooveshark circles back again, swaps app for HTML5
It's hard to keep up with whether Grooveshark is in the Google Play store, or out again, but now it doesn't matter. The music streaming service has decided to ditch its yo-yoing app, and instead opt for a flashy new HTML5 website for all devices. It's gone live in the US with an international launch "in the coming months", although this London-based editor didn't have any trouble using it. If you've been missing your favorites list, then jump over to Grooveshark.com and get listening -- after all, you might see it disappear again soon if a fresh lawsuit from EMI has any impact.
Netflix snags DVD.com domain, invests in the future of optical media
Looking for a shortcut to Netflix's home on the web? Try hitting up DVD.com -- it'll take you there, for now. The latest address to join the family of Netflix redirects actually brings you to a subdomain -- dvd.netflix.com -- suggesting that the company could once again be planning to split its streaming and physical media services, at least from an access perspective. A shareholder letter lists the company's U.S. DVD subscriptions at 11.17 million at the end of Q4, bringing in a total of $370 million in revenue, with a profit of $194 million. Compare this to domestic streaming, which represents $476 million in revenue with a mere $52 million profit, and it's clear that the DVD rental market is still quite strong. So what could this latest domain acquisition mean for snail mail subscribers? DVD-only customers may soon have a new site to call home, with focused content and perhaps an upsell opportunity or two. At the very least, it certainly can't hurt when it comes to SEO.
YouTube starts up live streaming trial, could turn into LiveTube if all goes well
Sure, we've all seen sprinklings of live content on YouTube, but now Google's video arm is finally threatening to really flex that content streaming muscle. Today and tomorrow, chosen partners will participate in a trial of a new live streaming platform, and so long as the traffic doesn't burn down too many server farms, the feature should be progressively rolled out to a wider audience in the near future. Alas, it sounds like Google intends to limit the capability to content partners only and not allow its masses of regular users the pleasure of livestreaming their cats' latest acts of mischief out to the world. Oh, such a shame.
Netflix adds Relativity Media to its Instant queue, takes on HBO and Showtime
Ever wonder why premium movie channels (your HBOs and the like) get top-shelf Hollywood movies not long after their DVD release but yet you're still stuck streaming Mystery Science Theater 3000's greatest hits on Netflix? That situation could be changing thanks to a deal with Relativity Media, who you may not have heard of before but has had a hand in the production and distribution of big Hollywood flicks like 300 and A Serious Man. The deal with Netflix will bring some of the company's movies to Watch Instantly within months of their DVD release, avoiding the usual multi-year exclusivity window that pay networks usually require. Right now only a few movies are mentioned, including The Fighter, Skyline, Movie 43, and Season of the Witch, but this deal establishes Netflix as a player in this market, pitting itself against HBO and Showtime for first distribution of premium content to the small (but ever growing) screen. If things go well, your Instant queue could be getting a bit more plump over the next year or so.
ESPN360.com turns into ESPN3 tomorrow - more HD, DVR, social networking features on the way
Get ready for a shift in ESPN's online offerings, tomorrow the video streaming arm of its empire changes names from ESPN360.com to ESPN3.com. New features immediately available on The Tres include new viewing modes for events including split-screen and picture-in-picture, updated scoreboards, Facebook and Twitter tie-ins and live chat with other viewers, while it also plans to launch more HD-quality video streams during the NBA Playoffs, World Cup and U.S. Open Tennis events later this year. It should be available to customers on AT&T, Verizon, Cox Communications, Comcast, RCN and many other networks, a quick revamp and positioning next to the two top dog channels may be just what it needs for us to consistently see what's available on the desktop and not just the television. Check after the break for a few of the TV spots that will be promoting the change.
Warner Music talks trash about free streaming services, keeps using them
Warner Music Group CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. isn't happy with free music streaming services. Shocking, right? Coming out yesterday with a barrage of disparagement for online streamers like Spotify and Last.fm, Bronfman Jr. made it clear that they do not represent "the kind of approach to business that we will be supporting in the future." Why is that, Eddie? The man in charge seems to think that paid subscription models are the future, because "the number of potential subscribers dwarfs the number of people who are actually purchasing music" online. That's wonderful and all, but he neglects to tell us the specifics of how and why Warner will succeed at something that every publisher would love to have, but none have managed to translate into reality yet. Additionally, WMG is not withdrawing its music library for the moment -- something a lot of publications seem to have erroneously reported (see Spotify tweet below) -- which leads us to believe the entire spiel is more of a renegotiating ploy than a concrete statement of intent. [Thanks, Wiggy Fuzz]
iPlayer HD on the way
The BBC had big plans for its iPlayer immediately upon launch in 2007, and it may be ready for a resolution bump up to HD as soon as April. Director of BBC Vision Jana Bennett revealed that an HD edition is on the way during a panel discussion at the FT Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference. Of course, UK ISPs are apparently already unhappy with the squeeze iPlayer puts on their bandwidth, and HD will only make things worse. We don't know if a ZillionTV style deal is the answer, but here's hoping it gets by the bandwidth caps somehow.
Analyst sees Netflix adding surcharge if Watch Instantly gets too popular
Oh c'mon -- you had to know this was a possibility, right? As Netflix's Watch Instantly service becomes more viable and its library expands, more and more users are going to start tapping into those servers for instantaneous enjoyment. Eventually, suggests Cowen and Company analyst James Friedland, all that instant gratification could lead to more costs, and not surprisingly, it'll be the end-user paying up. As an increasing amount of subscribers use the online streaming feature, Netflix is asked to shell out more cash to studios for the content. Friedland predicts that "the company will charge an extra fee for the service [if it] starts to squeeze profit margins," just like it already did with Blu-ray Discs. We get the feeling most customers wouldn't balk at another $1 per month charge so long as the instant library started to include new releases, but if not, who knows what the backlash would be.
LG plugs YouTube, CinemaNow into next year's Blu-ray players
Never satisfied with offering only a Blu-ray disc player (see 2007's BH100 Blu-ray + HD DVD combo and 2008's Netflix-streaming BD300), LG is upping the ante for '09, promising support for YouTube and CinemaNow videos on its next gen decks. Along with the now-standard Netflix, owners can browse CinemaNow pay-per-view offerings (or other stores powered by the service) and thumb through YouTube's catalog directly from the device. Unmentioned in the PR fluff is additional info like price and more detailed specs, but expect all to become (hopefully) clear January 7 in Las Vegas.
NBC Universal to carriers: add temporary HD channels or live without Olympics streaming
For a whole slew of individuals across America (particularly those with lackluster Time Warner Cable lineups), the addition of two new temporary high-def stations has been quite the treat. Just prior to the start of the Beijing Olympics, many cable carriers opted to add in an HD Soccer and HD Basketball channel, but if you thought they were just doing so to be nice, you thought wrong. After scads of CableONE subscribers in Idaho were flat shut out of live online streaming, a bit of digging revealed the problem: NBC Universal bundled online streaming into a "premium package" with the previously mentioned stations, which CableONE declined to offer. For the CableONE users, the story does end in on a high note -- they are getting three permanent HD channels instead. For everyone else loving the convenience of online streams, at least you can sleep easy knowing that minor increases in your future bill will likely be used to pay for it. Then again, what is free these days?
Comcast's Fancast a hit with consumers
Comcast's Fancast was launched rather quietly at CES just weeks ago, but apparently, the firm has really hit a homerun with this endeavor. The 'net is ablaze with positive reviews about the new site, which allows users to "watch, manage and find entertainment content wherever it is available." Granted, it is offering up full-length content from CBS, NBC, FOX (provided by Hulu), MTV Networks and BET Networks, so it's hard to miss with that much programming on tap. Of course, you'll also find hordes of recommendations based on previous selections, and if all goes to plan, Fancast users will even be able to program their DVR from their PC (and mobile?) sometime in 2008. So, Fancast users, we're hearing oodles of good stuff about this outlet -- are you equally impressed?[Thanks, Nate]
