As broadcasters and television networks try to figure out their Internet strategy, the limited TV content that actually is online is making quite a pretty penny. Get the full story »
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YouTube aims for living rooms in overhaul
Google Inc. is working on a major overhaul of YouTube as it tries to position itself for the rise of televisions that let people watch online video in their living rooms, according to people familiar with the matter. Get the full story »
Dish Network wins Blockbuster auction for $320M
Dish Network Corp. won Blockbuster Inc. in a bankruptcy auction for about $320 million, a move that could see the second-largest U.S. satellite TV provider tapping the movie rental chain’s online content to strengthen its offerings. Get the full story »
Consumer Reports: AT&T U-verse, Verizon FiOS tops
A new Consumer Reports survey rates AT&T U-verse and Verizon FiOS as the top choices for customers looking to buy bundled telecom services. Get the full story »
Ongoing auction delays Blockbuster’s fate
A bankruptcy auction of Blockbuster Inc. was set to stretch into a second day after preliminary talks between bidders and the movie rental chain’s representatives dragged on late Monday, a company spokesman said. Get the full story »
Blockbuster gift cards another Chapter 11 casualty
Heads up anyone with a Blockbuster gift card. Better use it right away.
As part of Blockbuster’s bankruptcy process, the movie rental company will not honor any of its gift cards after April 6, as technically the company will be sold to creditors. Get the full story »
Amazon to offer cloud storage for music, videos
Amazon.com Inc. is planning to start a service that would let people store music and video online and access it from various digital devices, people familiar with the matter said. The company could announce the effort as early as Tuesday, the people said. Get the full story »
Netflix back up after 4-hour outage
Netflix Inc. suffered a service outage Tuesday night that left customers unable to view movies or television shows through its online streaming service or through devices such as Roku. The California-based content provider said Wednesday that the service was fully restored.
“Netflix is up and on as usual,” said Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey, via email. “Last night we had an unanticipated and rare technical issue that interrupted the service for about four hours, since fixed.” Get the full story »
Judge clears way for Blockbuster sale
A judge Thursday cleared the way for movie-rental company Blockbuster Inc. to sell itself to a group of hedge funds, after lawyers spent all day in courthouse hallways brokering a deal with movie studios that had objected to the sale terms. The ruling gives the movie studios a better deal and staves off immediate liquidation of Blockbuster’s assets. Get the full story »
Free streaming video for Amazon Prime members
Amazon.com Inc. on Tuesday added a streaming-video service offering for its $79-a-year Amazon Prime members, an expected move by the online retailer as it looks to more directly compete with Netflix Inc. Get the full story »
Blockbuster prepares itself for sale
Blockbuster Inc., which filed for bankruptcy last year, is preparing to put itself up for sale after creditors disagreed on plans to give the chain more cash, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday, citing unnamed sources. Get the full story »
YouTube in talks to buy video producer
Google Inc.’s YouTube is in talks to buy video producer Next New Networks, according to a person familiar with the discussions. Get the full story »
Push for 3-D continues despite making some sick
From Hollywood studios to Japanese TV makers, powerful business interests are betting 3-D will be the future of entertainment, despite a major drawback: It makes millions of people uncomfortable or sick.
Optometrists say as many as one in four viewers have problems watching 3-D movies and TV, either because 3-D causes tiresome eyestrain or because the viewer has problems perceiving depth in real life. In the worst cases, 3-D makes people queasy, leaves them dizzy or gives them headaches. Get the full story »
Redbox hurt by delayed DVD releases
A Redbox kiosk at Walgreens. (Handout)
Shares of Coinstar Inc. fell 26 percent on Friday morning, a day after the electronic kiosk company said delayed releases of DVD titles hurt sales at its unit Redbox during the crucial holiday season.
“This was Redbox’s first holiday season with 28-day delayed titles, and we underestimated the impact that the delay would have on demand during the fourth quarter,” Chief Executive Paul Davis said.
As part of a settlement last year, Redbox had agreed with News Corp.’s Twentieth Century Fox, Universal Pictures owned by General Electric and Time Warner’s Warner Bros, to wait for 28 days after a DVD title is released before offering them for rent. Get the full story »
Comcast rolls out video app for iPad, eyes live TV
Comcast Corp. plans to soon roll out a feature allowing its customers to watch real-time television shows, whether a crime drama or newscast, on tablet computers such as Apple Inc.’s iPad. Get the full story »
