July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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In an unusual move, streaming video service Netflix will start streaming new episodes of AMC’s The Killing in the U.K. and Ireland the day after they air on TV, the company announced today.

Back in March, it was revealed Netflix had cut a deal with Fox Television Studios to be the exclusive streaming provider of season three of The Killing. Originally, AMC was not planning to bring The Killing back to TV for a third season, but Netflix’s deal made it possible to go back on the air.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing Season 3 of The Killing exclusively to our members in the U.K. and Ireland,” Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. “The Killing is an incredibly gripping fan favorite so we wanted to make each new episode available as soon as possible.”

The Killing details the lives and exploits of homicide detectives Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder. After closing the case of Rosie Larsen’s death at the end of season two, the show is “rebooting” with a new twisted case following a serial killer. Viewership declined significantly during the second season, so it was important for the show to start with a fresh case.

This move closely follows the debut of new episodes of cult comedy TV show Arrested Development, which were produced by and will only stream on Netflix. The streaming giant also has produced popular original TV shows including House of Cards and Hemlock Grove, with other shows also in development.

American Netflix members will be able to watch the third season of The Killing three months after the season ends its run on TV. While this isn’t as good of a deal as U.K. and Ireland Netflix members are getting, it is still a shorter-than-usual window for typical American TV shows moving over to Netflix.

It should also be pointed out that while Netflix doesn’t usually get TV shows the day after they air, rival streaming video service Hulu often does have TV shows for viewing either the day after or a week after an episode airs. But Hulu will not get season three of The Killing, and other deals by Netflix that are similar to this would prevent rivals from airing the same TV shows.

The Killing photo via AMC

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Streaming TV startup Aereo has modified its pricing plans to now only offer memberships at $8 per month or $12 per month.

Aereo offers streams of over-the-air broadcasts from channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS and makes them available on PCs, smartphones, and tablets. It’s only available in a handful of cities, including New York City, and will soon be available in Boston. Previously, Aereo offered a day pass for $1 per day and annual membership for $80 per year. The $8 a month plan also gives a viewer 20 hours a month of DVR storage space, while the $12 a month plan gives them 60 hours a month.

“We looked at our data and it was clear, consumers want a more simple approach to pricing,” Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia [above] said in a statement. “With our new pricing structure, consumers begin with one base plan and then have the ability to upgrade their membership to triple their DVR storage capacity. We want to make it simple and easy for consumers to access our technology and we believe this updated pricing plan accomplishes just that.”

While Kanojia says this is about simplifying pricing, the most likely reason the company is ditching day passes and annual memberships is to make more money. Day passes gave people the capability to just use Aereo for one-time events like the Super Bowl or the Oscars, and annual memberships bring in less total revenue than the base $8 per month plan.

Aereo has faced persistent legal attacks from TV networks who don’t want more control over the viewing experience taken away from them. These attacks most likely will continue, but Aereo still plans to roll out to other major cities in the U.S. this year.

Photo via Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Despite continued legal attacks by television networks, controversial streaming TV startup Aereo will bring its service to Boston starting May 15, the company announced today.

Aereo offers streams of over-the-air broadcasts from channels like ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and PBS and makes them available on PCs and smart devices for $8 or $12 a month. It has installed many dime-sized antennas in New York City and other areas that receive broadcast transmissions and then pushes those transmissions to customers via the web. It also offers a cloud-based DVR so you can watch shows on your schedule.

The company recently won a major court victory against TV networks that meant the service could continue running. In response to that ruling, executives from News Corp. and CBS casually threatened to turn their broadcast networks into cable channels so Aereo’s re-transmissions could be stopped. (However, that seems unlikely.)

Even with the push-back from big media players, the company intends to keep expanding. After Boston, it has plans to hit other big cities by the end of the year.

People in the Boston area who have pre-registered for Aereo will get an invitation to join on May 15. Anyone else who wants the service can join after May 30. Aereo CEO and founder Chet Kanojia and several of his employees are actually Boston natives, so making the service available in that market is especially meaningful to the company.

“Consumers deserve more choice and flexibility in how they experience television and Aereo provides them a high-quality, rationally-priced alternative,” Kanojia said in a statement. “This is an exciting step forward for the company. Today’s announcement is even more meaningful and special for our more than 60 employees who call the Boston area home, including me. I’m proud of our team and what we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time.”

New York City-based Aereo has raised $63 million to date from investors including IAC, Highland Capital Partners, First Round Capital, and High Line Venture Partners.

Photo via Aereo

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Netflix will only produce one new season of the cult comedy TV series Arrested Development, the popular streaming video service admitted today.

Arrested Development is one of a handful of high-profile projects Netflix is producing so it can provide its members with exclusive high-quality content. Its original series House of Cards has David Fincher and Kevin Spacey behind it and is the most watched piece of content on the service right now. House of Cards shows people using Netflix will happily lap up new content if it is good. (The series boasts an impressive 9.0 out 10 on IMBb now.)

Other big exclusive TV shows Netflix has committed to make include Eli Roth’s Hemlock Grove, Jenji Kohan’s Orange is the New Black, and the new Dreamworks kids show Turbo: F.A.S.T. But Arrested Development is clearly in a different boat because it is a resurrection of a series that was prematurely canceled — not a new series.

Netflix told the Wall Street Journal today that it would be “extremely difficult to get the cast together.” Netflix called the new season of Arrested Development a “one-off” and “non-repeatable” event. Basically, it appears Netflix doesn’t appear to have the cash to make another season worthwhile.

While it’s hard not to be blue (like Tobias), fans are likely still excited to get one more season from the show, which become more popular after it stopped airing in 2006. Netflix has committed to make 14 new episodes of the show, and they are planned to debut in May.

Netflix faces steep competition from Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu, and other services that also have planned their own original video content. But at least right now, Netflix has done a great job bringing creators to the fold that connect with its viewers. Will the other services be able to say the same?

Check out some of the best clips from Arrested Development below.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Streaming TV startup Aereo has expanded its coverage area to include parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania — the first major step in a larger rollout that will likely attract more consumers.

New York-based Aereo puts out HDTV broadcasts from major channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, and others) on smartphones, tablets, laptops, and desktops. On top of watching channels on other devices, it offers a DVR feature so you can record up to 40 hours of video and watch it whenever you want. The service costs $1 per day, $8 per month, or $80 per year. Essentially, if you don’t have a TV but still want to watch broadcast stations as they airs, Aereo could be your friend.

The company announced back in January that it would be expanding to 22 new markets in 2013, including big cities such as Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Miami. But with today’s announcement, it looks like Aereo will still be focusing on New York and areas surrounding it in the short term.

To make sure New Yorkers and people in the NYC area know what Aereo can offer, the company will start a new advertising blitz. It promises to market its service on “NYC billboards, phone kiosks, and at key city transit points, including waterways, commuter trains, and PATH transit hubs.”

“Today, consumers are tethered to expensive and outdated technology that limits how, when, and where they can enjoy their own television programming,” Aereo CEO Chet Kanojia said in a statement. “Aereo’s technology now lets us provide simplicity, ease of use and rational pricing –- three things that have all but disappeared for the consumer. We believe that consumers deserve better and we’re committed to delivering on that promise.”

Aereo has raised $63 million to date from investors including Highland Capital Partners, IAC, First Round Capital, and High Line Venture Partners.

Check out the new coverage map below to see what counties Aereo now serves.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Aereo lets you watch free, over-the-air local TV streamed on the Internet. It also lets you record content for later viewing, like a DVR in the cloud.

The Barry Diller-backed company, which is already operational in New York City, announced yesterday that it had raised an additional $38 million to expand its Internet-based TV service to 22 more cities.

Unlike Hulu, Amazon, and most cable and satellite operators, Aereo doesn’t pay programmers. Instead, it relies on two rulings by U.S. courts. In Sony Corp. of America v. Universal City Studios, Inc., the Supreme Court ruled that recording an entire program for later viewing was fair use and not copyright infringement. Commonly known as the Betamax case, that legitimized VCRs. More recently, in refusing to hear Cable News Network, Inc., et al. v. CSC Holdings, Inc, et al., the Supreme Court let stand a lower court ruling that determined that Cablevision’s network-based DVR was legal.

Aereo subscribers have individual antennas in Aereo’s facilities, and they can direct Aereo’s cloud-based DVRs to record the content that they want. No specialized hardware is necessary on the consumer end.

At a time when companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Google have been comfortable extinguishing consumers’ fair use and first-sale rights, Aereo is trying to push the envelope. I’ve argued before that innovation like YouTube would never come from inside a large company. Once companies get to a certain size, they become risk averse as lawyers tell them all the things they shouldn’t do. And business people are willing to concede things that favor consumers in exchange for more favorable terms, such as Netflix agreeing to delay renting new releases of DVDs for weeks, even though under the first-sale doctrine they can rent them on the first day.

Aereo shows the kind of chutzpah that only small innovators can. It is pushing for a broad interpretation of fair use rights, an interpretation that is relevant to the 21st century. It shouldn’t matter if you have a physical device in your home or you pay someone else to host a device in their facilities.

Beyond that, it’s a good product. I had a chance to use it when I was visiting New York City. (They’re being extra careful and not even letting reporters and analysts try it remotely.) Unlike a DVR, there’s no hardware to buy and configure. Unlike Hulu plus, you’re not subject to the whims of programmers that tell Hulu when and for how long a program can be made available. If it aired on live TV in your local market, you can record it and watch it.

This is especially important for things like live over-the-air sports, which are typically impossible to stream legally. The interface is elegant and easy to use. Aereo offers a range of plans, including $1 a day and $8 a month. A comparable level of service from a cable company would cost 3 to 4 times that. At a time when cable and satellite bills are rapidly rising, Aereo provides an inexpensive alternative.

If Aereo were to come to San Francisco, I’d drop my Comcast service in a heartbeat. (Unfortunately, San Francisco isn’t among the 22 cities in Aereo’s announced expansion.)

The cable and satellite companies aren’t entirely to blame for the rapidly rising prices of pay TV. Those price increases are driven in part by rising costs from programmers. Programming costs are driven in large part by the increased conglomeratization of programmers and rights fees to sports leagues. You want Comedy Central and MTV on your cable system? You’re also going to have to pay us for Logo. ESPN in particular and sports programming in general is a substantial tax on every pay TV household, whether they watch sports or not. Of the top 10 most expensive cable networks (measured by viewership), all 10 of them are sports networks, according to SNL Kagan, which researches this stuff.

If Aereo is successful in getting traction, it may force cable and satellite operators to offer other, less costly alternatives.

Although a lot of pundits vastly overestimate the benefits of unbundling channels — just because the cable company pays roughly $4 for ESPN or about 50 cents for CNN doesn’t mean you could buy it individually for that price — the current system has led to too much channel and bundle bloat.

Aereo also offers an outlet for smaller programmers that aren’t part of companies like Disney, Viacom, and TimeWarner to get more distribution. In December, Aereo announced that Bloomberg TV would be added to its lineup.

From a legal standpoint, Aereo isn’t out of the woods yet. It managed to prevent an injunction that would have shut it down. But many programmers will fight hard to either shut it down or force it to pay the kinds of fees that cable and satellite companies pay. Even if it gets past the legal hurdles, acquiring customers for a monthly subscription service that is hard to explain is a real challenge. (Just ask TiVo.)

Whether it will ever be a big commercial success is a huge, open question. I think the odds are very much against it. But I have to root for a company that is pushing to bring the law into the 21st century. And I have my credit card ready for when Aereo does come to San Francisco.

Rocky Agrawal is an analyst focused on the intersection of local, social and mobile. He is a principal analyst at reDesign mobile. Previously, he launched local and mobile products for Microsoft and AOL. He blogs at http://blog.agrawals.org; and tweets at @rakeshlobster.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Amazon has signed a licensing agreement with A&E Networks that will make TV shows from A&E, Bio, History, and Lifetime channels available to watch on Prime Instant Video, the company announced today.

Amazon claims the Prime Instant Video service now has more than 33,000 movies and TV episodes that you can stream instantly on a variety of devices. That’s a far cry from the amount of content provided by its biggest competitor, Netflix, but at least it’s getting better.

“In a year we have more than doubled the Prime Instant Video selection for our Prime members,” said Brad Beale, the director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon, in a statement. “We remain focused on adding TV episodes and movies to Prime Instant Video that we think our customers will enjoy. A&E Networks has some of the most popular shows on television, and we know our customers will love streaming the A+E content with Prime Instant Video.”

Today’s deal will bring some of the highest rated television shows from A&E’s networks to Prime, including hits like Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, and Dance Moms.

Last year, Amazon signed quite a few deals to make Prime’s library of movies and TV shows larger. These include a deal with Epix to get The Hunger Games and The Avengers and a deal with NBC to have shows such as Parks and Recreation, Friday Night Lights, and Battlestar Galactica.

Pawn Stars via History Channel

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Nintendo entered the media battlefield today with the introduction of its Nintendo TVii service that will be included for free on its upcoming Wii U game console.

In a somewhat unexpected move, Nintendo showed off the Nintendo TVii service today in an attempt to catch up with its media-savvy console rivals, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Nintendo also wants people to use the Wii U instead of media streamers like the Apple TV, Boxee, and Roku.

Nintendo TVii streams movies, TV, and sports from your cable box and from services like Netflix, Amazon Instant, and Hulu Plus. It also connects with your social networks so you can comment on content you’re watching.

The Wii U launches Nov. 18 with two different models — one is the “basic” white edition for $300, and the other is a “deluxe” black edition for $350. Nintendo TVii is an extra that could help someone decide to buy a Wii U or at least deter someone from choosing an Xbox or PS3 because the Wii U didn’t have media options.

Check out the Nintendo TVii service in the video below.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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HBO will soon launch its first-ever streaming-only service with access to its extensive catalog of great TV shows and movies. Unfortunately, for now, the service will only be available in the Nordic countries and nowhere else.

Cord-cutters in the U.S. and around the world have been clamoring for some time for a way to subscribe to streaming-only HBO Go service without having to pay for cable. Regardless, HBO had continually pushed back and said only cable subscribers will get access to HBO content online.

But now it looks like HBO has decided to experiment with the Nordic countries. Variety reports that the new “HBO Nordic AB” service will be available in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland starting in mid-October. It will cost less than 10 euros a month.

Without mentioning it, HBO is setting itself up for a bloody fight with Netflix in international territories. Netflix just announced a few weeks ago that it intended to launch in the same four Nordic countries as HBO’s new service before the end of the year.

What we’re really interested to see is if HBO’s Nordic opportunity is successful, would HBO be willing to bring a streaming-only service to those in North America or other territories? Our guess is that HBO’s model is too profitable in U.S. right now for the company to offer Americans a streaming-only option. But other parts of the world could be looking at an HBO online invasion if the Nordics gain traction.

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

Game of Thrones photo: HBO

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Streaming TV and movie service Hulu could soon have a new CEO and lose many of the exclusive content deals that have made the business as successful as it is, according to a confidential memo obtained by Variety.

It’s been rumored for some time that Hulu CEO Jason Kilar would leave the company as soon as he could cash out his equity. That timing is pegged for September. Kilar was in the running for the Yahoo CEO position before Marissa Mayer stepped in, but he loudly declined.

But even bigger than potentially moving to a new CEO is a radical change to Hulu’s business model. Right now, Hulu has an exclusive on streaming much of TV’s current season content. This is why, say, Netflix only streams episodes from last season of your favorite show that’s airing now.

Hulu is a joint venture by News Corp. (Fox), NBC Universal, Disney (ABC), and Providence Equity. The three broadcasters are buying Providence out, so the networks will get more say over everything. They are reportedly planning to kill that current-TV-season advantage for Hulu and let other sites get in on the action.

The memo outlines the following big changes to Hulu’s content deals:

• No more exclusivity for current-season content once restricted to Hulu and the networks’ respective websites. Now Disney and News Corp. can turn around and license programming to another third-party, i.e. YouTube, which could dilute Hulu’s competitive advantage in the marketplace.

• No more content parity. ABC.com and Fox.com will be able to hold back certain content to differentiate their own sites from Hulu, which was once entitled to everything on the networks’ sites.

• Exclusive “super-distribution” rights Hulu once retained to syndicate content to third-party sites like Yahoo and AOL would revert back to Disney and News Corp.

• Fox wants to increase to four ads per commercial pod on Hulu.com.

If all these changes do go into effect, no wonder Kilar would want out. It would make the company a less attractive destination for online viewers and increase the importance of subscription-based Hulu Plus to the company.

Jason Kilar photo: CharlieRose.com

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Netflix has inked a deal with horror director Eli Roth to create Hemlock Grove, an original series about “murder, mystery, and monsters,” the company announced today.

Hemlock Grove will join other original content being created by Netflix to help them maintain and attract customers in its growing war with HBO and cable companies. Other content being produced includes David Fincher’s House of Cards, Steve Van Zant’s Lilyhammer, and Jenji Kohan’s Orange is the New Black.

The series is based on Brian McGreevy’s horror novel of the same name. Set in an old Pennsylvania steel town, Hemlock Grove begins with the murder of a young girl and a search to find who (or what) killed her. As the killer is not found and frustrations mount, two young men begin to search for answers themselves and uncover many disturbing facts.

Roth, who will direct the first episode and executive produce the series, is best known for directing films Cabin Fever and Hostel and starring as the maniacal Donny Donowitz in Inglourious Basterds. This will be his first foray into television; albeit with Netflix as the backer, it’s a bit unconentional.

“Netflix as a platform is the perfect hybrid of cinema, television, and social networking, with the creative freedom to go as dark as the story needs,” Roth told the Hollywood Reporter.

Hemlock Grove will star Famke Janssen from the X-Men trilogy and Bill Skarsgard and debut exclusively on Netflix in 2013.

Eli Roth photo: Inglorious Basterds homepage

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TV programs and movies, including local favorites such as The Only Way is Essex, can be streamed via Netflix to smart TVs, game consoles, computers, tablets and mobile device for £5.99 ($9.23) per month. A month’s free trial is available.

Netflix’s main rival in the UK market is Amazon’s well-established LoveFilm, which reacted quickly to the announcement by undercutting Netflix with a new introductory streaming package for £4.99 ($7.69) per month. VentureBeat previously reported that Netflix had signed deals with Sony, Disney, Paramount, ITV and Channel 4 in advance of the launch, while Lovefilm had bagged BBC Worldwide and ITV.

Netflix’s chief product officer, Neil Hunt, wrote on the company’s blog that the service will offer social viewing suggestions, based on an integration with Facebook. Netflix will also give personalized recommendations based on your previous selections and those of similar users. “If you watch a lot of dramas and loved an inspiring, rags-to-riches tale like ‘October Sky’, you might get a set of ‘Emotional Dramas based on contemporary literature’ titles such as ‘Chocolat’ and ‘Cider House Rules,’” explained Hunt on the blog.

Netflix has more than 20 million streaming customers in the U.S., Canada and Latin America who collectively watched over 2 billion hours of content in Q4, 2011. The company has been on the firing line over the last year due to its decision to raise subscription rates on its DVD-by-mail service by 60 percent in July 2011 and it’s move in October to spin-off its DVD-by-mail business into a separate company called Qwikster (a decision later reversed after uproar from customers).

CEO Reed Hastings has admitted that the company’s UK operation will take at least two years to turn a profit. However, Hastings doesn’t seem like a man who’s easily rattled. At Dublin’s F.ounders conference last year he gave an entertaining talk about business lessons he learnt from his marriage counsellor. Netflix shareholders will be hoping that the company’s customers are as forgiving as his wife.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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For the first time ever, NBC and the National Football League have agreed to live stream the Super Bowl online and on mobile phones in February, the two organizations announced today.

The Super Bowl is the most-watched television program around the world each year, and commanded 111 million viewers for the last game, so it’s a huge deal to see its distribution move from analog to digital. With many users choosing to “cut the cord” and get rid of cable boxes in favor of computers, NBC and the NFL likely saw value in bringing the games online and to mobile devices to reach an even-bigger audience.

The two organizations also said they would live-stream NBC’s broadcasts of wild-card playoff games and the Pro Bowl, on top of the Super Bowl. The games will be streamed at NBCSports.com and NFL.com through the SNF Extra web app, which features “HD broadcast, DVR-style controls, additional camera angles, in-game highlights, live statistics and interactive elements.”

NBC and the NFL started live streaming select football games in 2008, but this is the first time the organizations have agreed to show playoff games online. NBC claims Sunday Night Football streams average between 200,000 and 300,000 viewers, while 21 million watch the games on TV, indicating that the TV ratings aren’t being affected significantly.

The phone presentation will be much more limited in scope than the traditional desktop streaming presentation. Only Verizon smartphones running the Verizon NFL Mobile app will be able to watch the Super Bowl and playoff games on their phones. NBC and the NFL did not specify which phones in the Verizon lineup include this application.

This year’s Super Bowl will take place in Indianapolis on Feb. 5.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Netflix will launch its popular streaming TV and movie service in the U.K. and Ireland in the first months of 2012, the company announced today.

Netflix has had a turbulent past few months with a price hike that angered users and a botched plan to move physical DVD rentals to a site called Qwikster. But even with its shortcomings, the service has been trying to rapidly expand its presence outside of North America. This year, the company launched its service in 43 Latin American countries and the Caribbean and it has plans in place to launch in Spain in Jan. 2012.

Along with Spain, Netflix’s introduction in the U.K. and Ireland will be important to helping the company get recognition in Europe so that it can later extend into other European markets. British TV shows like Doctor Who (pictured), Sherlock, Being Human, Merlin and Skins are available for streaming on the American version of Netflix, but we’re sure many U.K. and Ireland-based folks will be happy to have access as well.

Netflix may have felt some urgency to announce its product for the U.K. and Ireland because another streaming TV and movie service called Vdio may be launching there soon. Vdio comes from one of the founders of Skype and Rdio, and while it has collected just $5.6 million in startup funding, it could feasibly start small in the U.K., get more VC funding, and then move to other countries. YouTube also recently announced that its U.K. users could rent movies from its service for £2.49 or £3.49 a piece.

Users in the U.K. and Ireland who want to know the precise day the service goes live can go to www.netflix.com and sign up for a notification.

Will you sign up for Netflix when it comes to your country?

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Nintendo’s 3DS handheld and Wii console will get access to Hulu Plus‘ trove of streaming TV content before the end of 2011, the company said today.

One of the most pressing issues facing streaming services like Netflix and Hulu is access. Netflix figured that out early and pushed out apps for phones, tablets, game consoles and other connected devices. Hulu has been slightly behind with getting Hulu Plus on every imaginable device, but it’s now on many phones, tablets and consoles. The Wii is one of the most popular devices for Netflix streaming, so it’s important that Hulu is close to launching on the console.

Hulu Plus’ launch on the Nintendo 3DS is not as important as the introduction on the Wii, but it’s still smart. The 3DS has seen much better sales ever since Nintendo dropped the price by 40 percent to $170. While there aren’t nearly as many 3DS units as other major consoles, Hulu wants to give users as many ways as possible to use its service, while Nintendo wants to incentivize those on the fence about buying another handheld console when smartphones like the iPhone 4S can play pretty cool games too.

To get access to Hulu Plus’ considerable streaming television catalog, you must pay $7.99 per month. Hulu Plus takes the service way above what you can do with regular Hulu.com by letting you watch content in HD, letting you watch Hulu on connected devices (like the Wii), and giving you many more TV episodes to watch.

Nintendo also used the announcement as an opportunity to tell its 3DS users that a major system update would happen at the end of November that will enable 3D video capture. Users will be able to record up to 10 minutes of 3D video and can also create 3D stop-motion animation videos.

“Nintendo 3DS continues to evolve with great new features and functions designed to reinforce its position as a premiere entertainment device,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime in a statement.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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One of the founders of Skype and Rdio has decided to make a run at Netflix and Hulu with a mysterious new video service called Vdio, according to a GigaOM report.

Janus Friis, the co-creator of Skype, Kazaa, Joost and Rdio, has kept Vdio a secret for as long as two years and received $5.6 million in funding in Oct. 2010 while the company was listed under the name Project WBS. At present, Vdio.com is simply a splash page featuring high-quality animations from many movie and TV properties, including shows like Breaking Bad (pictured), Mad Men and Justified, as well as movies like Enter the Dragon and A Few Good Men. If you are the in the U.S. like I am, the screen says the service is only available in the U.K. If you are in the U.K., the splash page says “Coming soon to the UK.”

Since the startup has only collected $5.6 million in funding, I find it hard to believe this will act as a serious competitor to Netflix’s streaming service out the gate. But if Vdio’s model uses advertising paired with partner-provided content, it could be dangerous to Hulu. And if given the opportunity to grow and collect more funds under a subscription model, it could be a threat to Netflix, especially because Netflix has done nothing but agitate users this year with price bumps and a botched plan to move physical DVD rentals to another website.

We still don’t know much about Vdio, but I think it’s safe to make a few assumptions. Since the company comes from the people behind the excellent music streaming service Rdio, this new venture will likely be primarily subscription-based and highly social, with integration from Facebook and Twitter. Instead of streaming music, Vdio will probably streaming TV and movies, based on what we see on the Vdio splash pages.

Rdio recently launched a free element to its music subscription service as well, which gives users some free access to the huge Rdio catalog without ever needing to offer a credit card. Vdio might take this approach as well as a way to get users interested in the service.

Joost, a previous Friis venture, also dealt with video. It was a web TV service founded in 2006 that originally centered around peer-to-peer video technology. Now the site is a simple (and bland) YouTube-like hub for content like movie trailers and short TV clips.

Do you think the guys originally behind Skype and Rdio have a chance to make a dent in online videos with Vdio?

Update: The story originally indicated that Vdio was a venture by both of the Skype and Rdio founders. The company was in fact founded by only one of the Skype founders, Janus Friis.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

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Satellite TV operator DirecTV has dropped out of the bidding process for Hulu after bidding too low, according the Financial Times.

Hulu has been on sale since June with bids fluxuating between $1.5 and $2 billion. Hulu’s owners — Disney, News Corp., Comcast and Providence Equity — indicated they wanted to auction off the company because of disagreements over the direction Hulu’s streaming service should take.

Now that DirecTV has reportedly dropped out of the bidding, that leaves just Amazon, Yahoo and Dish Network bidding on Hulu. Amazon is the current favorite for winning the auction because Hulu CEO Jason Kilar is a former Amazon executive with close ties Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Amazon already offers streaming movies and TV, so Hulu could bolster those offerings and make Amazon an even bigger media presence. Hulu could also be integrated into Amazon’s upcoming 7-inch Android tablet.

Yahoo has a strong interest in picking up Hulu, as well. The company has struggled in the past few years on several fronts, so owning a strong player in the streaming media space could be one way to jumpstart the company’s prospects for a successful future. Yahoo could also use Hulu to help sell lots of advertising while still generating revenue from subscribers.

Dish Network is interested in Hulu as a chance to improve its digital media offerings. The company acquired Blockbuster in early April and has expressed interest in creating a Netflix alternative.

Despite the impending sale, Hulu looks healthy and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. The company announced it had reached one million subscribers for its premium Hulu Plus service in early July.

Mirroring Netflix, Hulu has also expressed interest in moving its service to countries outside of the United States. The company just launched a premium-only version of its service in Japan for $19 a month. The Japanese service claims to offer “hundreds of premium feature films and thousands of episodes of popular TV shows.” Most of the content comes from American studios rather than Japanese entities.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Tickets On Sale Now

CBS, which airs shows like the Big Bang Theory, CSI and Survivor, may make a move to release its TV content through online steaming site Hulu’s premium subscription service, Hulu Plus, according to a report by Bloomberg. NBC, ABC, and Fox all offer their content through Hulu’s free service, but CBS has long been a holdout.

Still, the network isn’t making a firm commitment. CBS CEO Leslie Moonves told Bloomberg the company might consider participating in Hulu’s premium service eventually.

Hulu is a free, ad-supported way for viewers to watch content from several of the largest broadcast networks online. Hulu Plus, announced earlier this year, will offer additional content (such as older shows) in HD to mobile devices, video game consoles and smart TVs as well. Hulu unveiled the premium service in June earlier this year.

Hulu was founded in 2007 as a joint venture between News Corp, Disney, NBC Universal and private equity firm Providence Equity Partners. Hulu Plus, which will cost users $9.99 a month, is currently in “preview” mode with a limited number of users, and an official launch date for the service has not been released yet.

Hulu is valued at around $2 billion, according to a report by the New York Times, suggesting the company was preparing for an initial public offering based on the immense popularity of the service.