At this week’s Digital Content NewFronts event in New York, Yahoo announced a new slate of online comedies and lifestyle programs to be available this year. In addition to the original programming, Yahoo has partnered with WWE to create an online wrestling hub scheduled to launch this summer, and will feature select streaming content from Conde Nast Entertainment, ABC News and CNBC. Continue reading Yahoo Announces New Shows and Broadcast Partnerships

Hulu announced yesterday that it has doubled its number of paid subscriptions to four million over the last year. The announcement was made Tuesday morning during the Digital Content NewFronts in New York. The company said it set a new revenue record in the first quarter, but did not specify the amount. Hulu also announced its third and most ambitious wave of original programming that will debut exclusively on the video site this year. Continue reading Hulu Doubles Paid Subscribers, Announces Original Shows

IBM Research now claims the world’s smallest movie with “A Boy and His Atom.” The 60-second movie — certified by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s smallest stop-motion film — shows the story of a boy comprised of individual atoms who befriends an atom and interacts with it while playing on a trampoline made of atoms. It illustrates how scientists at IBM’s Almaden Research Lab can precisely move and manipulate individual atoms. Continue reading IBM Releases Smallest Stop-Motion Film in Cinema History

An array of companies that produce digital online content are offering presentations, parties, goody bags and more this week in New York City as part of their efforts to draw advertising dollars from marketers and agencies. Similar to how the TV upfront season works, media companies presenting at the Digital Content NewFronts are pulling out all the stops to showcase new series and programming ventures for Madison Avenue. Continue reading Media Companies Compete for Ad Dollars at NewFronts

Online video has yet to match television in terms of viewership numbers, but it is gaining momentum. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, which released its findings at this week’s Digital Content NewFronts in New York, professionally produced online video reaches approximately 45 million U.S. viewers each month (roughly 19 percent of adults). Nielsen indicates that more than 95 percent of the U.S. population watches TV. Continue reading Digital NewFronts: IAB Report Says Online Video on the Rise

Speaking at the Variety Entertainment Technology Summit, Paramount Film Group President Adam Goodman discussed the need to protect the moviegoing experience, while remaining open to the possibilities that new technologies provide. “With an increasing amount of Paramount’s movies taking advantage of 3D and other innovations in display on the silver screen, he sees theaters continuing to be the first driver of content across the various windows,” reports Variety. Continue reading Paramount Exec Sees Theaters as First Driver of Content

The text-driven model of e-commerce that emerged during the first 15 years of online shopping is giving way to a more visual model. Today, many consumers are more inclined to peruse high-resolution images of products posted by family, friends and online colleagues than read traditional product descriptions that appear as text. These same consumers will then often click through from the images to purchase products that sound and look the coolest. Continue reading Online Shopping Goes Visual: Hi-Res Images Replace Text

AT&T announced that it has launched its Digital Life home security and monitoring service in 15 U.S. cities with plans to expand to 50 locations this year. Built on the telecom’s 2010 acquisition of Xamboo, it will compete with security offerings by companies like ADT and various startups building devices for the connected home. Digital Life will provide visual access via Web-connected cameras and sensors hooked up to a broadband connection. Continue reading AT&T Launches Digital Life Home Security and Monitoring

Tech evangelist Robert Scoble spent two weeks evaluating Google Glass, during which he delivered five speeches while wearing the device, passed through airports four times, and let hundreds of people try it out. He wrote that he had “barely taken it off since getting it other than to sleep.” Scoble offers high praise for the device’s potential, and suggests its adoption depends largely on the product’s eventual price. He says that if Larry Page can get it down to $200, he’ll have a “major hit” on his hands. Continue reading Scoble Praises Google Glass: Says Device is Life-Changing

New data from analytics firm Flurry indicates that mobile app traffic is heavy during the middle of prime time television hours. On weekdays, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., more than 50 million U.S. consumers are using mobile apps, according to the research. While mobile app usage has exploded in the last two years, ratings for numerous prime time shows have fallen. However, shows with older audiences are maintaining viewers — and original online programming continues to grow. Continue reading Mobile App Traffic During Prime Time TV Hours on the Rise

As an increasing number of television viewers are accessing content via tablets and smartphones, apps from the likes of HBO, ESPN and Netflix are growing in popularity. Local TV stations may soon be taking a similar approach to pursuing online and mobile viewers. For example, NBC affiliate KHQ in Spokane, Washington launched its “Watch KHQ” app earlier this month. While content is currently limited, the app suggests a new direction by local broadcasters. Continue reading TV App: Local Station Pursues Online and Mobile Viewers

Last week, Cinedigm announced it was partnering with BitTorrent to help promote the release of Dante Ariola’s “Arthur Newman,” starring Colin Firth and Emily Blunt, which debuted in limited release over the weekend. In less than five days, users of the file-sharing app downloaded one million copies of the film’s 10-minute preview. By comparison, the studio’s official trailer had less than 20,000 views on YouTube over the past three weeks. Continue reading Will BitTorrent Prove a Viable Marketing Tool for Hollywood?

The Huffington Post has finally found a cable TV home for its eight-month-old Internet video channel, HuffPost Live. Starting in mid-May, HuffPost Live will air on Mark Cuban’s AXS TV (previously known as HDNet) daily from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Some of the online interactivity is expected to be emulated by showing online comments on the side of the TV screen, and an app will later encourage viewers to submit comments. Continue reading Online Video News Channel HuffPost Live Coming to Cable

Google announced last week the YouTube Comedy Week, “a seven-day cyber extravaganza designed to showcase some of the best comedy across its expansive video platform,” reports AP. The special online venture is slated for May 19-25, will kick off with a global live stream from Los Angeles, and marks the first of additional event weeks planned around various themes to be held in the near future. Continue reading YouTube Themed Weeks to Grow Platform as Next-Gen TV?

Netflix is spending billions as television evolves from a linear delivery model to a world of competing apps and new screens. CEO Reed Hastings released an 11-page paper this week on the company’s investor relations site that outlines ambitious plans for the future. While we’ve heard some of Hastings’ points in the past, the paper offers new insights regarding the transition from traditional linear TV to a new era of Internet-delivered on-demand content. Continue reading Netflix Spends Big in Effort to Lead Internet TV Transition