Last year, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings was quoted as saying that HBO’s on-demand video service HBO GO was “the competitor we fear most.” The new comedy series, titled Orange is the New Black, centers around the story of a communications executive who has a sordid history with drugs. The initial order is for 13 episodes of the off-color comedy.

In addition to this latest show, Netflix has also managed to score exclusivity for shows like House of Cards, Lilyhammer, and new episodes of the cult hit Arrested Development. After it experienced its first-ever net subscriber loss last year, Netflix has nearly recouped the number of users that were effectively purged after it raised prices and created unnecessary confusion.

[via Bloomberg]

Amazon is still very much the new kid on the block when it comes to streaming. Even though a year of Amazon Prime is cheaper than a year of Netflix, and the volume of movies and TV shows is comparable, it’s tough to compete against the well defined leader in the market. So these new job postings on Amazon.com are pretty interesting. Specifically, the jobs are for Amazon’s “People Production Company.”

One of the listings is for a VP of Series Development, which lists responsibilities like asessing pilot proposals, working with writers and artists, staffing and casting new projects, and supervising series production. This idea of original content is also starting to break out in Netflix, as well as sponsored content on YouTube. Apparently, Amazon paid more than $2.5 million to develop potential pilots in 2011, but nothing made it to distribution. At least not yet.

[via GigaOM]

The cool part about this is that Netflix put every episode online at the same time. That means you can watch the entire series in one sitting if you like it. I’m a little surprised that Netflix did that; I would’ve thought that they would want to keep people coming back each week. As a fan of movies and TV, I do like the thought of being able to watch every episode back to back. The catch is that if the show is good, you have to wait until they make more episodes next season.

Netflix also tapped a few more details about the show that I didn’t know when it was first announced. Actor Steven Van Zandt wrote the series, produced the series, and plays the lead role. Music fans will know Van Zandt from playing in Bruce Springsteen’s band called the E Street Band. Fans of the hit TV show The Sopranos will recognize Van Zandt from that series as well. The difference between Lilyhammer and The Sopranos is big; Lilyhammer is a comedy about a mobster living in the witness relocation program in Norway rather than shooting people in New York.

That concent ranges from full-length movies to music concerts, short films, and TV show episodes. It has all the major licenses including Disney, Sony, Warner Bros, NBC Universal, etc, etc, etc. Unlike Netflix or Hulu, CinemaNow charges users per movie or TV show, and with most titles users have lifetime access to their content on any device that has CinemaNow support. The service is available on computers as well as Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes. Everything is stored in the cloud so buying a TV episode on the Xbox 360 means you can watch it on your PC later.

This of course is just the latest addition in the growing library of video streaming apps on the Xbox 360. There’s nearly too many to count at this point. Another recently announced addition is Crackle, a Sony Pictures-centric free streaming service that offers Kinect-powered voice control through the app. As always, Xbox Live Gold is required.

[via Multiplayer Blog]

The announcement came during this week’s quarterly earnings conference call. The call had an ultimately positive vibe to it, as Netflix managed to gain back 600,000 of the 800,000 subscribers it lost in the previous quarter. The quarter in question was the first time the online company saw a dip in its user base.

The last time Netflix entertained the idea of adding video games to its mix was in October, when CEO Reed Hastings was quoted as saying there were still internal discussions about its viability. But the truth is Gamefly has a very strong stranglehold on that market, and there is already competition from Blockbuster Online, as well as Redbox kiosks. For streaming content, which is the direction Netflix is clearly heading, there’s OnLive, and there’s no way Netflix would invest in the resources necessary to compete in that nascent market. So for now, your remote lives with Netflix and your joystick lives with Gamefly. Those streams will not cross any time soon.

[via USA Today]

The job posting reads: “Together with our partners, we’ve shipped over 800 different models of Netflix-enabled devices and are planning to keep this momentum going both domestically and internationally.” A Netflix spokesperson confirmed the claim but said that the number “increases all the time.”

Beyond the increase in Netflix-enabled devices, there’s also a shift in usage patterns. Traditionally, Netflix has been used most commonly on game consoles with the PS3 accounting for 30 percent of all traffic last year. But now, other device categories such as tablets and Smart TVs are among the company’s four fastest growing device categories. Reed noted that Apple TV has been especially successful for Netflix.

[via GigaOM]

Netflix has been steering customers towards its streaming-only service since it raised prices for its DVD and streaming plans last summer by as much as 60 percent. Although the company did bleed a good amount of subscribers due to the price hike, it has gained 610,000 new subscribers with 220,000 of them signed up for streaming service, boosting the company’s streaming subscriber count to 21.67 million and its total subscriber count to 24.4 million.

Overall, Netflix had good news to report and investors have been pleased, sending the stock up 10 percent in after-hour trading. However, the company continues to warn of unprofitable quarters to come due to expansion costs and diminishing DVD revenue.

[via AllThingsD]

If you’ll recall back around those faithful days as early as July, there were some rather disturbing numbers being dropped down. July 12th, for example, as paidContent outlines, had Netflix trading at $291.27 per share the day before the group announced separate charges for its DVD and streaming content, this increasing subscriptions by 60 percent in some cases. Fast forward to just a few days before this post is posted, Friday the 13th of January, and Netflix stocks are sitting at $94.79 a share.

The suit being filed now by investors reads, in part, like so:

“At the beginning of the class period, Netflix was facing increasing competition for streaming business, and content providers were exploring new ways to distribute their content and/or maximize their licensing fees, … Rather than fully disclose the devastating cost increases which were then threatening Netflix’s entire business, the defendants talked about [their] ability to grow.”

We’ll see how this all plays out, and how the additional accusations that Netflix senior management sold stocks when they were still high in 2011 before the plunge, grabbing a significant amount of dough before the outflow, if you know what I mean, will play out as well. Netflix, don’t leave us, how else will I watch Southpark from my Wii?

[via paidContent]

Other shows include Life On Mars, Spooks, and the mini-series Whitechapel. The deal also covers nature programming like Planet Earth. People that are interested in LOVEFiLM in the UK can get access to the new streaming content on a bunch of different devices including the PS3, iPad, and Xbox 360 among other things.

It’s nice to see LOVEFiLM improving its catalog of offerings all the time. Last month the streaming side of the firm landed rights to stream Sony Pictures content. Subscribers also still get access to DVD rentals via the mail too.

The show will be a Netflix original and will only be offered on the streaming site. The show stars The Sopranos actor Steven Van Zandt. The first season will see eight episodes air, and two seasons are reportedly ordered right now. The series follows Van Zandt as he enters witness protection after turning on his mob boss in New York and moves to Lillehammer in Norway in witness protection.

The Lilyhammer name of the show comes from the way the lead character says the name. You can check out the show trailer below and see for yourself what it is all about. The guy apparently starts his mob ways back up in Norway. Netflix is also working on two more original shows, including bringing new episodes of Arrested Development back.

[via Techcrunch]

The media players already have access to big streaming services like Netflix, Hulu Plus and others. The new additions include VUDU, Snagfilms, XOS College Sports, SEC Digital Network, Comedy Time, and Watch Mojo. Most of those other than VUDU are little known and may not be that appealing.

One of the coolest new announcements for users is that the WD TV Remote has launched for both of the devices. The app allows the user to turn the iOS device including the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad into a compatible remote control for the streaming devices. Right now only iOS is supported with the app, but WD is working on an Android version too.

One should note that *not everybody had the same problems as I did when using Netflix on the iPad up until now, but based on the feedback I’ve received in my search for a cure, I certainly wasn’t the only one. It should speak to your sense of excellence then to hear that I’ve been paying for Netflix this whole year because streaming videos and television shows through this Netflix app, down through the converter cord for the iPad to HDMI and into my HDTV is oh so simple and awesome enough to dismiss the errors I ran into. Now there’s nothing holding Netflix back. New to this update outside of some obvious bugs:

1. Netflix now available in Latin America for iPhone and iPad
2. New iPad UI for all regions – US, Canada, Latin America – requires upgrade to iOS 5
3. Addressed stability issues
4. For support questions please contact us at mobilesupport@netflix.com

Netflix now shows off twice as many videos in one shot as the old interface did, and pulling the rows back and forth show off the vastness of your instant collection. We’ll see how long this version lasts before the arachnids come back to claim what is theirs. Let us know if the download worked out alright for you and if your new interface is more or less stable than the last!

The newly added video services for the Xbox 360 console can be downloaded now via the Apps Marketplace in Xbox Live. Verizon FiOS TV is available to users in the US, while Rogers on Demand is available for those in Canada. Other entertainment services include iHeartRadio and MSNBC.com for US users only, while TMZ is available in both US and Canada.

There are also video services available now for users outside of North America, including SBS On Demand for Australia, Blinkbox for the UK, RTVE for Spain, and MUZU TV for several European countries. Other services expected to roll out include Comcast and HBO Go, but they’ll likely turn up in late December or early 2012.

[via Engadget]

The new deal will start in early 2012 when Netflix launches in the UK and Ireland. Netflix gets some interesting streaming flicks from the deal that will be on its service exclusively. The movies include The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, Zookeeper, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, and 21 Jump Street. Other MGM catalog titles will come with the launch in the UK as well.

Viewers will be able to see MGM catalog titles with classics like Fargo and the Usual Suspects among others. This is good news for UK fans of streaming media that have been waiting for a long time for Netflix to hit the UK. MGM distribution partners will also offer films on the service.

The number of films on the FyreTV network is said to be in the 15,000 range from about 100 different adult studios. The FyreTV app will be offered on the Boxee store if adult apps are enabled. There is already an adult app category for Boxee users and videos directly from some adult studios have been offered previously.

Considering the FyreTV box required a rental at $9.95 monthly with some free VOD minutes offered I would bet there were few takers. The app on the other hand should do much better than the dedicated box. Parents worried about this app will need to block adult apps. It’s not clear if the Boxee app is free or a paid download.

[via Gigaom]

The device supports streaming in 1080p resolution, supports video, photos, movies, presentations, and just about anything else. It needs no wires to work and the system will cost you $129.99. You can also use it to mirror your desktop to the TV as well. The kit includes a wireless USB adapter for your computer and an adapter that fits into your HDMI port on your TV.

The StreamHD VE has a range of 30-feet as long as the TV and computer have line of site. You can mirror the screen of your PC to the TV or shoot streaming content out your TV while you use a different screen on the computer.

Actual revenue reached $822 million, up 49 percent year-over-year, while profit hit $62 million, up 63 percent from the same period last year. However, the company projects to be hit with a loss of between $60 to $70 million in Q1 of 2012 due to its expansion into the UK and Ireland.

Partly due to the price hike, Netflix lost 800,000 subscribers last quarter in the US, leaving it with 23.8 million subscribers, of which 21.5 million subscribed to streaming and 13.4 million subscribed to DVD rentals. The company noted that only seven percent of new Netflix streaming customers chose the DVD option.

Netflix is set to lose Starz content, but Hastings downplays this, saying that Starz only accounted for six percent of actual viewing time on Netflix. Hastings also claimed that neither Amazon Prime nor Hulu Plus were threats as one has less content and the other only shows recent TV content.

[via TechCrunch]

Movie fans in the UK will have 1,000 films to watch to begin with and they will start at a price of £2.49 each. For that price, the user will get 30 days to watch the film and the movie will be available on any connected device the user logs into. That means the user’s Android smartphone, tablet, and even the computer can be used to watch the movie.

Once the user starts watching a film, they get 48 hours to finish. If you don’t finish in the 48-hour window, you will have to pay again. This will let Google fight the new YouTube movie rental program that launched not long ago.

[via Android Community]

Back in September, Netflix had updated its app to support all Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices. Prior to that, the app only supported a very limited selection of Android devices. More recently, some Honeycomb tablets have begun shipping with Netflix preloaded and those tablets include the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 and the Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet.

This new update will support tablets running any of the 3.x versions of Honeycomb that don’t already have Netflix onboard. However, the update doesn’t appear to be optimized for the larger screen.

[via Netflix]

Movie fans in the UK can now join fans in the US and Canada in watching films like The Dark Knight, Reservoir Dogs, and new flicks like Hanna, Fast Five and Red Riding Hood. British classics like Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels are offered along with other films. UK fans can hit Youtube.com/movies to see what is available to watch.

Fans can also check out YouTube Movie Extras with behind the scenes video for free. Other content includes cast interviews, parodies, clips, remixes and more. If you are a movie fan in the UK, you can start streaming the flicks today.

The Media Hub service will start off with only a limited selection of movies and TV shows, but the content can be viewed on both your Galaxy S II smartphone as well as on your 2011 Samsung Smart TV, if you happen to have one. This will be the first of a series of new services that Samsung intends to launch for its Media Hub in the coming months.

However, the Media Hub beta testing is only available to AT&T Samsung Galaxy S II owners at this time. Once you sign up for beta testing, Samsung will send you a confirmation email along with instructions to redeem your $25 voucher. After the beta program ends, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire regarding your experience.

[via Android Community]

The addition of the new content brings the total number of TV shows and movies to 11,000. The new content won’t land until later this fall though. The agreement will bring access to old and questionably valuable content like “Speed,” “Mrs. Doubtfire,” “Doctor Dolittle,” “Last of the Mohicans,” and “Office Space,” “The Longest Day,” and “All About Eve. The deal will also bring access to new TV shows.

The TV shows will include “24,” “The X-Files,” “NYPD Blue,” “Arrested Development,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Ally McBeal, and “The Wonder Years.” Is any of that video appealing to you? You can get some of that stuff on Hulu already.

“We have received very positive feedback from Prime members about Prime instant videos. Customers love the instant access to thousands of movie and TV favorites,” said Steve Oliver, director of Video at Amazon.com. “Since the launch of Prime instant videos in February, we have more than doubled the library to 11,000 titles and will continue to add more of our customers’ favorite movies and TV shows to Prime instant videos.”

Previously the movies from DreamWorks went to HBO when they hit TV for the first time. The deal is said to cover not only films, but also TV specials. That means the holiday content that DreamWorks offers will hit Netflix as well. The terms of the deal aren’t public at this time, but according to the NYT, analysts think that Netflix is coughing up $30 million per movie for the content.

The content won’t hit Netflix until 2013 according to reports. The deal between Netflix and DreamWorks is the first deal to be made of this sort between a streaming content provider and a major movie studio. Generally, flicks from studios as large as DreamWorks go to cable channels like HBO within a few months of hitting DVD. This Netflix deal represents a major shift for a movie studio. Netflix has been struggling with customer defection since it upped prices recently.

[via NYT]

Although no official announcements for the service have been made yet, MacRumors was able to glean some details off of the above screenshot they obtained. The service only allows Comcast subscribers to stream live TV to their iPads while connected to their home network, meaning WiFi from other locations or via 3G will not work.

This restriction most likely has to do with the distribution agreements between Comcast and content providers. Both Time Warner and Cablevision have already gotten into hot water with providers such as Viacom, which sued both cable companies for breach of contract regarding their TV streaming apps.

Users should be able to watch most channels that are available with their Xfinity TV service and can register up to 10 tablets. However, the service can only stream live TV to one tablet at a time and it’s not clear when the service will be ready.

Blockbuster Movie Pass will allow subscribers to access Blockbuster’s broader catalog of 10,000 movies via internet streaming, including content from Starz and other providers that have snubbed Netflix. Movie rentals can be returned via mail or to a local Blockbuster store and Blu-ray movies aren’t charged at a premium like they are by Netflix.

Despite some of the advantages, the Blockbuster Movie Pass may not hurt Netflix more than Netflix’s own detrimental decision to conceive Qwikster because the service is only available to Dish Network subscribers. These folks must pay an additional $10 per month on top of their Dish subscription to get the new service. This pretty much defeats the purpose of why a lot of people choose streaming—to cut ties from a cable subscription.

[via TNW]

The Sony SMP-N200 sports a sleek design in the form of a glossy black box that should fit well and discreetly into most decor. Its connection options include composite, component, HDMI, and WiFi, which will allow you to connect to almost any TV to add all the features and content access you can get from the Sony Entertainment Network. These features include live streaming TV shows, movies, music, and photos. There’s HD and 3D content, internet radio, and video and music on-demand services as well. However, the 3D streaming will require a 3D TV.

Additionally, the Sony SMP-N200 now supports DLNA, which will allow you to easily connect and control a network of devices, including PCs, smartphones, and tablets. A remote control is included, but you can also use your iOS or Android device instead by downloading the free Sony Media Remote app. The device will hit store shelves sometime in October and is priced at $99.99.

Any WiFi enabled device like a computer, smartphone, or tablet can be used to watch episodes of TV shows or full-length films from the participating studios during the flight. Films that will be available include Avatar, Harry Potter, Inception, Toy Story and more. The content offered will include multiple genres from action and drama to children’s titles.

The platform will also offer live streaming IPTV directly to the devices to allow the passengers to watch live TV on their screens from CNBC, Fox News Channel, and VERSUS. Being able to watch a good movie would certainly make the time pass faster on the plane. There is no word on the pricing of the Row 44 service.

This is great news for Netflix subscribers who have had to rely on leaked APKs to get the app running on unsupported Android phones. Unfortunately, the update still doesn’t support all Android tablets, which have much more suitably sized screens for enjoying a Netflix subscription.

So far, the only tablets that support Netflix are the Lenovo IdeaPad K1 and the Lenovo ThinkPad tablet. The app allows subscribers to stream movies and TV shows over WiFi or 3G connections as well as to manage their DVD queues.

[via Android Community]

This major rebranding will consolidate all the services into one portal and will also eliminate the Qriocity brand, although the PlayStation Network brand will remain intact. The original “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity” will now simply be called “Video Unlimited” and the same goes for its music on demand service, which will now be called “Music Unlimited.”

The PlayStation Network online games will now be accessed through SEN with all the content providing partners remaining the same. SEN will be accessible across multiple channels, including PCs, Bravia TVs, the PS3, PSP, and Android devices, of which Sony has recently launched the Tablet S and Tablet P.

[via Sony]

Launching the “Just for Kids” tab on the Netflix website (and we assume on other interfaces such as mobile apps for iOS and Android eventually) will bring you to a screen with a giant icons, cartoon characters at the top, video covers on the bottom, and not a whole lot more than this so that kids can select their own videos to watch, one after another after another, all day long. Todd Yellin, VP of product innovation at Netflix explains his position:

Todd Yellin here. In addition to being VP of product innovation at Netflix, I’m a dad of a five and seven-year-old who love to watch characters. So, in both of my roles, I’m proud to announce the launch of a more intuitive and enjoyable way for children to watch all of the great age-appropriate TV shows and movies available to watch instantly streaming from Netflix: “Just for Kids.” – Yellin

When you’ve got your inspiration working right beside you every single day of the year, you more than likely know your audience. Not that Yellin is only using his own children to make this Netflix screen great, but it certainly doesn’t appear to have hurt.

More than one hundred of kids’ favorite cartoon characters and non-cartoon characters are available for the clicking as Netflix offers up one gigantic heaping helping of kid-friendly media. Netflix has also apparently worked with Common Sense Media, “a leading non-profit that provides trustworthy information and tools so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume,” to help prioritize their selections.

“Just for Kids” is available TODAY on PC and Mac computers via internet browsers of all the most updated types in the USA and Canada today with “similar functionality” coming to the Wii, iPad “and many other devices.” Again, we can assume this means Android as well.

[via Netflix]

With studios only getting their cut on the initial DVD sale Zediva soon came under fire from Hollywood. Major movie studies sued and Zediva lost in court back in April of this year. The argument Zediva made was that its service was no different than renting a DVD in stores only they streamed their rentals over the web. The judge in the case didn’t buy the explanation.

Zediva says that it will appeal the court decision, but has suspended its operations right now. If you had credit for rentals, you may ultimately be out of luck. Zediva says that those with unused credits will be contacted after they figure out the next step.

We are suspending Zediva’s operations to comply with an order by the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

While we hope to be back online soon, we don’t know when (or whether) that will happen. We are disappointed by this turn of events, and that we are not permitted to serve you.

We are quite aware that some of you have unused credits with us and appreciate your patience as we figure out our next steps. Stay tuned for more information via email.

[via Gigaom]

The HBO Go app allows users to stream recent HBO programs as well as older shows and episodes along with bonus features and behind-the-scenes extras. Its customizable Watchlist makes it easy to mark programs for watching later, and a Series Pass feature auto populates your list based on shows that you’re following.

However, it is only available to HBO subscribers who are also customers of a participating television provider. This makes sense, since one of the company’s subsidiaries is Time Warner Cable. But the content is accessible via both WiFi and 3G, and you’re not restricted to using the app in the home.

Time Warner’s plan to bring HBO Go beyond the mobile platform, means that the service could soon come to internet-capable TVs and game consoles such as the Xbox and PS3. But exactly when that would be has not been confirmed.

[via Electronista]

The iTunes TV Show streaming feature should be a welcome addition for Apple TV users, who have so far been restricted to renting TV shows from ABC and Fox. The new feature lets users purchase and stream content directly from the media hub, while also allowing them to access and stream content that they’ve previously purchased from iTunes.

The Vimeo support now lets users access the portal via the internet section of the media hub, similar to how YouTube videos can be accessed. Users not only can browse and playback Vimeo videos, but they can also access their Vimeo account inbox and mark videos for watching later.

If you own a second-generation Apple TV, you should be able to download and install the update directly from your device. It should only take a few minutes and a quick reboot to be on your way to enjoying more content via your Apple TV.

[via Engadget]

Currently, DreamWorks has a deal with HBO that won’t expire until 2014. However, it’s reported that DreamWorks has been allowed out of the contract two years early, making it possible for them to make the switch to Netflix this year. But even so, access to DreamWorks content may not start until 2013. And although the addition of DreamWorks movies won’t be a significant amount of content, its films have been among the highest grossing and should be quite popular with Netflix subscribers.

This development will also help Netflix to further its streaming-only strategy, which it believes to be the future of its business. The company has recently split its DVD and streaming bundle, almost doubling the total subscription rate for customers to keep both services. Instead of $9.99 for the bundle, customers now have to pay $7.99 for each.

[via VentureBeat]

Android is seeing rapid growth with more than 550,000 devices activated daily and 20th Century Fox is looking to tap into that huge market and are aiming to bring digital downloads to all your Android devices. They are jumping aboard the Android train and will be offering Blu-ray titles with a digital-download for Android. We are hearing one of the first titles with the new option should be X-Men: First Class.

The digital copy will be downloaded right to your computer like the system already in place for Windows and users will be able to side-load the movie to any and all of their Android devices. Hopefully Android tablets are included but I can’t imagine them not offering it on those beautiful 1280×800 resolution displays. Users in the U.S., U.K. Germany and France will be among the first to access this new service.

This should be a huge boost for Android as far as movie options, with Netflix only supporting a small number of devices this could potentially be a large market and very successful for 20th Century. We should be hearing more regarding this soon so stay tuned.

[via TechCrunch]

The multi-year agreement will bring the Miramax content to Netflix users in the US and will mark the first time that films from the company have been available on a digital streaming service. The Miramax films will come to Netflix in June and will add several hundred films to the catalog. Netflix hasn’t offered any details on how much the streaming deal cost are not being offered at this time. The catch is that only “dozens” of the titles from the library will be offered at a time.

The titles will rotate through availability. I don’t like that rotating feature. I wish the films were just there all the time. I find movies I want to watch all the time, add them to my instant queue and then when I come back to watch they are no longer available. The catalog will include movies like Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Clerks and a lot more. Netflix also recently launched its Android app for select smartphones.

The new movies will begin rolling out today with titles being added throughout the week. They will include several of the most recent releases including Inception, The King’s Speech, Little Fockers, The Green Hornet, and Despicable Me as well as cult classics such as Caddyshack, Goodfellas, Scarface, and Taxi Driver. Rental pricing will be based on industry standard of $4 except for new releases which will cost an additional dollar. The movies can be watched from your YouTube account on any computer and can be found at youtube.com/movies.

This development could help bolster the revamp of Google TV by bringing more quality content and make YouTube a better contender in the online movie streaming market.

Google offered the following YouTube Movies FAQ:

Q. What are some of the new studios you’re partnering with?
A. NBC Universal, Sony Pictures and Warner Brothers.

Q. How many films have you added and how many total movies are now available on YouTube?
A. We have added a total of approximately 3,000 new titles including catalog and new releases from Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, NBCUniversal, Lionsgate Films and many great independent studios. This brings the total number of movie titles available to rent on YouTube to over 6,000.

Q. Where and when will the additional movie titles begin appearing on YouTube?
A. Movies for rent will be available at www.youtube.com/movies and new titles will begin appearing to users today and be added throughout the week.

Q. Where are the new movies located and when will they be available on the site?
A. The new movies are located at www.youtube.com/movies and will start appearing at that destination throughout the day.

Q. How many total studios are now represented at YouTube.com/movies and what are they?
A. Studio partners include Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate Films, Starz, The Weinstein Company, and Magnolia Pictures, among others.

Q. How much will the movies for rent cost?
A. Movies are set at industry standard pricing (i.e. most new releases start at $3.99 and library start at $2.99).

Q. How long will a consumer have a movie once he or she has purchased it?
A. For most movies, viewers will have 30 days to begin watching their rental. Once they start watching the movie they will typically have 24 hours to finish.

Q. What transaction service are you using?
A. The service accepts all major credit cards.

Q. Will movies for rent be available at the same time as DVD releases?
A. It’s always up to the content owner, however, many movies will be available at the same time as DVD releases.

Q. Is this a subscription service?
A. No, this is a transaction offering.

Q. Are the movies downloaded, or streamed?
A. Streamed.

Q. Is this global?
A. No. This service is available to US YouTube users only.

Q. Do you need a YouTube account to purchase a movie for rent?
A. Yes.

Q. Will YouTube movies for rent be available on Google TV?
A. Yes, these will be available via the browser (www.youtube.com) on Google TV.

Q. Can rented movies be shared or embedded into other sites including blogs, Facebook and Twitter?
A. Users can embed movies on other sites. If a user who has not rented the movie views the embedded video, the embedded player will show the movie’s trailer along with an overlay that users can click on to rent the full movie.

Q. Is the content in HD?
A. YouTube supports video in up to 4k resolution, however, it is up to our partners to specify what video quality they provide. Most movies for rent will be available in standard definition.

Q. What is unique about the YouTube Movie experience?
A. Movies on YouTube are about providing a complete movie experience. With YouTube Movie Extras movie fans can get more into their favorite films through cast interviews, clips, alternate movie endings and other highly produced content from talented YouTube partners. YouTube reaches one of the largest and most engaged online audiences in the world, with hundreds of millions of views a day in the US alone.

[via TechCrunch]

The online video platform has been around for six years now and is fast becoming a place where its original made-for-web and personal videos can co-exist with the content of traditional media partners. The platform is now available on 350 million devices and folks are tuning in 2 billion views per day. But on average people are spending just 15 minutes per day on the platform and spending five hours a day on watching TV. YouTube wants to change this.

YouTube’s movie rental service has been around for over a year now, but has gained little traction and consists of a meager selection of mainly independent flicks. The 3,000 new movie titles for rent could mean a huge step forward and indicates that the company must have successfully struck deals with the big movie studios.

This development could pit YouTube against other major movie streaming platforms such as iTunes and Netflix. But the additional home-grown original content that YouTube offers, could give them a unique edge. They intend to also increase their support and investment in the content created by its over 20,000 channel partners that include several YouTube stars that command TV-size audiences.

[via TechCrunch]

I guess I don’t fit into the TV-less group, but my TV is just a screen that makes it easier for me to watch, as I would prefer not to watch on my laptop. I have no plans to get cable or a satellite dish anytime soon. Just not interested. Anything I really want to watch, I can do it online, and not having cable means I’m less likely to spend hours watching TV and am more selective about what my family watches. I suspect that point of view is unlikely to become mainstream, but I do think that the group of people who are willing to pay a premium price for cable is likely to shrink, especially as more and more content is available online, and is available immediately. Also, the rise of Smart TVs and set top boxes like the Boxee Box, Apple TV, and the Roku make watching internet content easier and more accessible (you don’t have to hunch in front of your laptop).

Nielsen is now looking at including internet video in their surveys, something that I think is already overdue. According to the report:

“While Nielsen data demonstrates that consumers are viewing more video content across all platforms — rather than replacing one medium with another — a small subset of younger, urban consumers seem to be going without paid TV subscriptions for the time being. The long-term effects of this are still unclear, as it is undetermined if this is also an economic issue that will see these individuals entering the TV marketplace once they have the means, or the beginning of a larger shift to online viewing.”

To further gauge interest in streaming, we have a poll running right now asking our readers their opinions on Smart TVs.

The vast majority, 46%, say they have no plans to buy one. Only 11% say that they have a Smart TV and use all the features. This is not really surprising, since most Smart TVs come with a premium price. Vincent Nguyen just reviewed the Samsung D8000, which sells for around $3500. It’s a beautiful TV with a great picture and amazing features, but priced out of the range of many. There are cheaper options, like the Sony Google TV for $999, and if you go the set-top box route, the cost is much lower, starting at $59 for the lowest-end Roku.

Kristine at Katharses.org has an interesting perspective, as after she got a $170 cable bill, stated weighing the cost of cable vs. the cost of cutting the cord and going with a Roku player. She found that she would save about $740 per year by dumping cable, which was enough to justify the switch, and even allowed for some extra purchases renting movies on Amazon.

I don’t see people giving up their TVs, the TV is still the center of the American living room, and TV ownership is well over 90% in the U.S. and likely to stay that way. But I can definitely see cable subscribership declining, and more people cutting the cord and watching via streaming. Paying for cable, or even satellite, is going to start making less sense as more options pop up for getting what you want when you want it, and for less. With Netflix now getting original content, and seemingly everyone getting into the content streaming game, namely Amazon Prime, YouTube, Hulu Plus, Epix HD, possibly Facebook, and most recently Warner Brothers, there is no question that online streaming is where content delivery is headed.

If Nielsen wants to stay relevant, they had best start studying internet TV viewing sooner rather than later, and if cable networks want to stay in business, they will need to step up their efforts to work with streaming companies like Netflix and others instead of trying to oppose them. I’m quite happy with my Roku and my Netflix subscription, and even with small kids, I don’t feel that I need Nickelodeon. My kids are fine with their DVDs, and watching the shows that are available via Netflix streaming. And I am happy with the choices I have watching on the Roku or on DVD. The one thing my husband and I sometimes miss is being able to watch live sports, especially football. But that isn’t enough for us to justify paying for cable. If I was more of a dedicated TV watcher, though, I might feel differently. So what do you think? Have you cut the cord yet? Would you? Or if you really love having cable, why would you hate to give it up?

The Time Warner subsidiary, Warner Bros Home Entertainment has just announced its acquisition of Flixster for an undisclosed amount. Flixster is one of the top movie discovery apps for mobile users with over 25 million users per month and serves about 1,200 movie titles along with various TV shows. It also owns the leading movie review website RottenTomatoes.com.

The acquisition is intended to help Warner Bros “expand its services beyond movie discovery to enable digital content ownership and delivery across any connected digital device.” Warner Bros intends to keep Flixster running as a separate operation maintaining the brand and its technical expertise.

Other competitors in the movie streaming market right now include a potential movie-on-demand service from YouTube, Amazon Prime moving streaming, Apple TV, Google TV, Hulu Plus, Epix HD, and rumors of Facebook joining in—to name a few.

[via Guardian]