Latin American mobile entertainment specialist Movile hopes to compete with Amazon’s FreeTime Unlimited offering and the Netflix Just for Kids UI by targeting children who watch video content on tablets. Movile’s PlayKids TV iPad app launched four months ago in the U.S. The company has now secured rights to shows from PBS, DHX Media, Henson and Televix Entertainment, including “Caillou,” “Super Why!” and “CareBears.” PlayKids will offer children 2-5 years of age up to 30 shows in addition to games and lullabies. Continue reading PlayKids TV App: Movile Announces New Content for Children

Amazon’s newest tablet, the Kindle Fire HDX, is a good color tablet with a few improvements, but isn’t as versatile as its current rivals, suggests Walt Mossberg. Its best feature could be the video chat-based tech support, activated by its Mayday button. The latest 7-inch screen version starts at $229. Mossberg describes the tablet as a “hardware gateway to buying digital content from Amazon.” The basic model includes ads, but a version without ads can be purchased for an additional $15. Continue reading Tablet Review: Amazon Launches Kindle Fire HDX this Week

While many are in favor of DRM being integrated into HTML5, some open Web advocates are concerned that the integration will eventually lead to third parties controlling too much of our online browsing. Tim Berners-Lee suggests that allowing content protection may be needed for standards to combat the rise of proprietary platforms. Meanwhile, mobile operating systems such as Firefox OS will be DRM-free. Also, some TV networks and performers are selling their content without digital restrictions. Continue reading DRM Integration Into HTML5 Concerns Open Web Advocates

Amazon plans to release a video streaming device in time for the holiday shopping season. The set-top box, which will reportedly look similar to a Roku player, will feature a platform that runs apps and content from a variety of sources. Amazon has approached multiple app developers and cable TV providers with the hopes of attaining partnerships. The device will be a vehicle for Amazon’s expanding video streaming service that puts the company in competition with Netflix. Continue reading Amazon Plans to Release New Set-Top Box for Holiday Season

Scribd will now be offering a subscription service, similar to Netflix and Spotify, through which users can access the entire Scribd e-book inventory. The service will offer unlimited access for a monthly fee, and may be a challenge to larger technology companies such as Amazon, Google and Apple. The company offers its service on most platforms and devices, and hopes to offer a new model for the revenue, distribution and discovery of books. Continue reading Scribd Unveils New Subscription Service for Digital Books

When Google’s $35 Chromecast streaming media player launched in July, it only supported Netflix, YouTube, Google Play Movies and Google Play Music. Google added support for Hulu Plus yesterday, the first new partner since Chromecast made its debut. Other apps are reportedly going to be supported as well, although formal announcements have not yet been made. Pandora and HBO Go are two services rumored to be integrated in the future. Continue reading Google Chromecast Streaming Media Fob Adds Hulu Plus App

Netflix is starting to provide all of its subscribers with access to Super HD and 3D content. The company announced that it is no longer obligatory for a subscriber to have Open Connect to access higher bitrate HD streams, as well as 3D titles. Netflix may face challenges convincing ISPs to adapt Open Connect; issues related to peering and local content caching are not completely resolved. Netflix also plans to unveil Ultra HD, with four times the screen resolution of HD, in 2014. Continue reading Netflix Makes Super HD and 3D Options Available to All Users

Roku has unveiled its new line of streaming players, offering a simplified means of distinguishing models based on features and power. The company has done away with product names like LT, HD and 2XD. Consumers now have a simple selection and can choose among the entry level Roku LT, the increasing features of the Roku 1 and Roku 2, or the most powerful, the Roku 3. The Roku 1, 2, and 3 will be available in the U.S. U.K., Ireland and Canada. Continue reading Roku Unveils New Simplified Models from Basic to Powerful

Amazon is launching an offline viewing feature for its Prime Instant Video service on the new line of Kindle devices. The move is an attempt to catch up to Netflix and make the Amazon offering distinct from other subscription video services. Google is planning its own offline video feature for YouTube mobile apps as well. It remains to be seen if offline viewing will be a desired feature in the long term, but Amazon is the first to offer such an option. Continue reading Amazon Launches Offline Viewing of Videos on New Kindles

In the run-up to last weekend’s Emmy Awards, a great deal was written about the nominations received by “House of Cards,” and what those nominations mean for the future of television, both as a business and as an art form. Though the show missed out on most of the evening’s top honors, the three wins it did secure still mark a turning point in TV’s evolution. While it seems unlikely that the changes in the way television is produced and consumed will be as transformational or as swift as some predict, it does seem clear that the nature of television has changed and will continue to change in several important ways. Continue reading EXCLUSIVE: Netflix, the Emmys, and the Changing Face of Television

A new study released yesterday by PricewaterhouseCoopers indicates that 44 percent of today’s consumers would prefer an a la carte system, while 73 percent note they would prefer a la carte or at least more customization of current packages. Notably, a mere 14 percent of consumers are satisfied with the status quo. However, since only 38 percent said they would be willing to pay more than $3 monthly per channel, it does not seem likely that TV providers would stray from bundling. Continue reading Cable Customers Want Change, But Seem Unwilling to Pay

Pay TV operators such as Comcast and Verizon FiOS are expanding their on-demand TV services. This is in response to Netflix, through which many users “binge” on a full season of programming in one viewing. Cable operators and media content companies differ on where they should distribute their on-demand content and are cautiously moving forward. A concern for many is the pricing structure if cable companies offer expanded on-demand services. Continue reading Cable Operators Expand On-Demand to Compete With Netflix

Netflix has launched a new website called Spoiler Foiler that enables users to read their Twitter feeds without running the risk of seeing spoilers related to AMC’s award-winning series “Breaking Bad.” For example, fans who access Twitter on Monday morning, but missed the show the night before, can now rest easy. Through an automatic filter, tweets that contain potential spoilers appear blacked out, providing users with the option to read them or not. Continue reading Spoiler Foiler Blocks Unwanted Tweets About “Breaking Bad”

At this week’s Advertising Week conference in New York, Nielsen is expected to announce that it will start incorporating viewership on mobile devices into its TV ratings system in the fall of 2014. The move is in response to changing viewership trends in addition to networks and industry analysts that have been critical of the company’s slow adoption of new technologies. Nielsen’s ratings data helps determine how advertisers spend about $66 billion each year. Continue reading Nielsen to Include Tablets and Phones in TV Viewership Data

According to a recent Nielsen survey, an increasing number of American consumers are turning to Internet-based streaming video services. The research indicates that 38 percent of those surveyed use Netflix, 18 percent use Hulu and 13 percent use Amazon Instant Video. These numbers all represent increases over the previous year. Additionally, binge-viewing is on the rise, with 88 percent of Netflix users and 70 percent of Hulu Plus users saying they watched three or more episodes of a TV show in a single day. Continue reading Nielsen Study: More Viewers are Accessing Streaming Services