Walt Disney Studios is planning to launch a new website on June 11 designed to simplify the process of accessing digital versions of movies purchased on Blu-ray Disc or DVD. The Disney Digital Copy Plus website intends to streamline digital delivery for consumers by eliminating the cumbersome “digital copy” process. The site will debut on the same day that the studio’s “Oz the Great and Powerful” is released on disc. Continue reading Disney to Launch New Digital Copy Plus Website Next Week

The majority of television content viewed on mobile devices is accessed through Netflix and Hulu Plus, rather than via networks or pay TV providers, suggests a new study commissioned by the Council for Research Excellence (funded by Nielsen). About 64 percent of shows watched on smartphones and 54 percent on tablets were accessed through online video-subscription services, while broadcast and cable websites and apps only accounted for 26 percent of TV viewed on mobile devices. Continue reading Netflix and Hulu Plus Most Popular with Mobile TV Viewers

Mozilla is teaming up with major phone manufacturers as part of a plan to offer sub-$50 smartphones in emerging markets. The company is looking at international regions with growth potential as the global market for smartphones continues to take off. Mozilla is also pushing for more mobile devices to run its Firefox operating system, which it is pitching as an alternative to dominant systems from Google and Apple. Continue reading Mozilla Planning Affordable Smartphones for Firefox Adoption

Ericsson released a new mobility report yesterday that suggests video traffic is growing on mobile networks by 60 percent annually and overall data traffic is predicted to grow 12-fold by the end of 2018. The report notes that global smartphone subscriptions reached 1.2 billion in 2012, a number expected to approach 4.5 billion by 2018. Additionally, Ericsson anticipates 60 percent of the world’s population will be covered by LTE in 2018. Continue reading Ericsson Mobility Report: LTE and Mobile Video Drive Growth

CBS announced on Friday that it has wholly acquired TV Guide Digital, whose assets include TVGuide.com and TV Guide Mobile applications. CBS purchased the remaining 50 percent of TV Guide’s digital assets from Lionsgate (although terms have not yet been disclosed). The site and apps will join the growing collection of CBS Interactive properties, where the digital group hopes they will help attract a larger audience in addition to advertisers. Continue reading CBS Beefs Up its Portfolio with Acquisition of TV Guide Digital

TV networks are producing second screen content related to their original programming in an effort to attract viewers who are increasingly turning to their smartphones, tablets and laptops. The content — which typically includes videos, photos, games and trivia — is intended for viewers who multitask with their mobile devices. According to Nielsen, more than 40 percent of American consumers use their phones or tablets each day as they watch TV. Continue reading Networks Develop New Strategies for Second Screen Content

It’s that time of year again. Internet analyst Mary Meeker, general partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, presented her annual Internet Trends report in California yesterday. Speaking at the D: All Things Digital conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Meeker noted there are now 2.4 billion worldwide Internet users. Mobile usage is rapidly expanding, while the Internet is becoming more social and content rich. In the future we should anticipate wearable computing devices, connected cars, drones and other new platforms. Continue reading D11 Conference: Mary Meeker Presents Internet Trends Report

At the D: All Things Digital conference in California yesterday, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg suggested it would take time to get Facebook Home on track. While acknowledging problems with Facebook’s new Android application, she remains optimistic about the company’s vision for a mobile experience. She stated that “Facebook Home is version one of a very large transformation” and suggested that progress is “going to be a long road.” Continue reading D11 Conference: Facebook COO Discusses New Android App

According to Cisco’s new Visual Networking Index (VNI) forecast, online video is growing faster than any other type of consumer service, and within four years online video services will be more popular than social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The report predicts that by 2017 there will be 3.6 billion global Internet users and 19 billion global networked devices. Additionally, the average broadband speed will increase by a factor of 3.5 to 39 Mbps. Continue reading Cisco Says Online Video to Outpace Social Networks by 2017

In a new twist to cord cutting, the trend in which consumers cancel their cable subscriptions in favor of Internet video, surveys indicate that hundreds of thousands of Americans canceled their home Internet service last year. As consumers leverage the growth of free Wi-Fi hot spots and fast new wireless networks via their smartphones and tablets, some are cutting their home Internet cord more so than their pay TV cord. Continue reading Cord Cutters Canceling Internet Service More Than Pay TV

During NewBay Media’s “TV in a Multiplatform World” event last week in New York, industry execs participated in a panel called “Tablet Tune-Ins: Syncing Up with the Second Screen” that was moderated by Jeff Baumgartner, technology editor for Multichannel News. The panel discussed some compelling points regarding today’s second screen experience, the status of user engagement and the emerging role of HTML 5 technology. Continue reading Will HTML 5 Help Streamline the Second Screen Experience?

Pandora is launching a new Facebook application called the Pandora Timeline App that integrates its mobile applications and website so that users can easily share their favorite music and discover new artists that are popular with their friends. The app has been updated with the new Facebook feature for iPhone and Android users. Users can customize which music they opt to share and can specify which categories (listening activity, likes and follows) to share. Continue reading Pandora Timeline App Hopes to Leverage Mobile and Social

The Android version of the Google Drive mobile app has been updated to include a number of new features, including the ability to scan receipts, business cards and other documents with your camera phone and save them in the cloud via Drive. In addition to the ability to scan documents, the update uses an optical technology in order to search the stored images. And according to Google, a new grid view makes it easier to find files. Continue reading Google Drive Update: Mobile Android App Features Scanning

Last week we reported that pay TV operators Time Warner Cable and DirecTV had joined the group of potential Hulu suitors. Over the weekend, it was reported that Yahoo has bid $600-$800 million for the premium video site. The range is based on a number of circumstances including the length of content licensing rights and the amount of control programming companies have over their media. The bid comes amidst plans by Yahoo for other possible acquisitions. Continue reading Yahoo Latest to Pursue Hulu with $600-$800 Million Bid

Viacom announced the results of a new study last week that examines the relationship between television and related social media habits. The study surveyed 5,000 viewers, ages 13-49 (in the U.S., U.K. Brazil, Germany and Russia) who weekly use at least two or more social media platforms. “When Networks Network: TV Gets Social” uncovered three key areas that lead viewers to engage in TV-related social media: Functional, Communal and Playful. Continue reading Social TV: Viacom Releases Results of Multi-Country Study