Cisco predicts smartphones and tablets will account for three times more data consumption than desktops by 2017. The U.S. currently consumes significantly more data than any other nation — a trend Cisco expects to continue. However, consumers in Asia are expected to collectively pass North America. Cisco also predicts the average mobile user will consume 10 hours of video, 15 hours of audio, download 15 apps and take part in five video calls per month. Continue reading Cisco Forecast: Mobile Devices to Outnumber Humans by 2017

Reed Hastings once led Netflix as an effective distributor of movies and TV shows through the U.S. Postal Service, but always envisioned the company becoming the premier provider of streaming video content. Now the CEO hopes to stay ahead of the competition by positioning Netflix to take on HBO as a provider of premium video content. Hastings’ move is undoubtedly risky, but he sees it as a necessary step towards the future of television. Continue reading Netflix Strives to Revolutionize the TV Viewing Experience

Traditional television viewing continues its decline, according to new charts published by Morgan Stanley analyst Benjamin Swinburne and his team. The charts show the “long, slow decline of old-fashioned broadcast and cable TV, and the number of ad dollars chasing the dinosaur medium,” writes Business Insider. According to the numbers, there has been a 50 percent decline in broadcast TV audience ratings since 2002. Continue reading Is Decline of Broadcast TV to Blame for High Cable Bills?

Video ad company FreeWheel announced DirecTV as a new client last week. The satellite TV giant chose to work with “the startup to improve monetization on new digital platforms, and has taken an equity stake in FreeWheel to help make it happen,” writes TechCrunch. DirecTV — and other cable, satellite and telco companies — are making investments in services that promote TV Everywhere. Continue reading DirecTV Hires FreeWheel, Hopes to Monetize Digital Content

Amazon Studios announced last week that it has selected its first five pilots for children’s shows. Angela Santomero, the creator of “Blue’s Clues” is behind one, and the Jim Henson company is behind another. The remaining three include a series based on “The Wizard of Oz,” a science-based series from creator J.J. Johnson, and “Tumbleaf,” created by Drew Hodges and Bix Pix Studios. User feedback will help determine which shows will have a future. Continue reading Amazon Studios Expands its Reach with Children’s Offerings

The Netflix political drama “House of Cards” debuts via the streaming video site today. Directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, the series is the first original programming financed by Netflix, which could take on cable offerings from the likes of HBO and Showtime. It also serves as a new experiment to the distribution model, since all 13 episodes will be made available at once. Continue reading Netflix Debuts Entire Season of New Political Drama Today

HBO’s new chief executive Richard Plepler alluded to the fact that a standalone HBO broadband option could potentially exist somewhere down the road. “We recognize that there’s a piece of the audience out there that, if they could get HBO without going through a pay package, we would get it,” he noted, adding that he is hesitant to alienate HBO’s distributors by taking the channel directly to consumers online right now. Continue reading HBO Chief Exec Discusses Possibility of Broadband-Only Play

Tivli understands that young adults today are not watching TV in the traditional manner, but instead they are taking in programming via streaming subscriptions and other online alternatives. The startup is an “attempt to adapt to the ways young people increasingly want to watch TV — through a computer or tablet or video game console — while keeping the existing cable model intact,” reports The New York Times. Continue reading Streaming TV Arrives on Campus, Could Prevent Cord-Cutting

“TV networks may have plenty of flaws, but one thing they’re really good at is promoting other TV shows,” writes AllThingsD. But what about Netflix? The streaming service does not have experience promoting its own shows and does not have advertising support from TV networks. How will it advertise new shows like “House of Cards” (to launch in February) and “Arrested Development” (due in May)? Continue reading Netflix Markets its Original Content Without a TV Network

Viki is “the Hulu for the rest of the world,” according to the company’s CEO Razmig Hovaghimian. It takes content from all over the globe, licenses it for cheap and brings it to the U.S. and other countries. The company announced a partnership with Amazon that will add more than 1,000 hours of entertainment from Japan and Korea to Amazon’s Prime Instant service. Continue reading Viki to Expand Reach with Amazon Prime Instant Partnership

Netflix has been through some well-documented ups and downs, but for those who still have doubts about the company, Netflix had a resounding answer this week: 27.15 million. That’s the number of American homes that presently subscribe to the streaming service, a number exceeding even the company’s own expectations for the fourth quarter of 2012. Continue reading Netflix Strategy Takes Root, Numbers Surge in Fourth Quarter

Netflix will expand its offerings through new deals with Turner Broadcasting and Warner Bros. Television Group. The licensing agreements will provide the streaming site with complete previous seasons of animated and live-action programming from Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Animation and Adult Swim. The shows will become available beginning March 30. Continue reading Netflix Signs New Deals with Turner and Warner Bros. TV

The latest project from showrunner Tom Fontana, writer/producer of acclaimed shows such as “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Oz,” is not currently available via cable or broadcast in the U.S. Instead, the historical Vatican drama “Borgia” was launched without a network, has aired in France, and is now looking to additional options, including streaming. Adweek talks with Fontana about the unorthodox path the show has taken. Continue reading Vatican Drama Borgia Takes Unconventional Distribution Path

To release his first single in six years, Justin Timberlake went with an unorthodox approach. After investing in Myspace, he is helping to relaunch the social networking site by making his new track the first thing that loads on its homepage. After months of private beta previews, the new Myspace is open for business with a new focus on helping artists post music to share with fans. Continue reading Justin Timberlake Promotes New Single with Myspace Launch

M-GO promises to be the “people friendliest” rent/buy movie service the Internet has to offer. It’s backed by Technicolor and DreamWorks Animation and is ready to stream movies through browsers and to connected devices preloaded with its apps. And it really is friendly: “M-GO promises that if you’re looking for a movie it doesn’t offer, it will search other stores to find it for you,” writes Engadget. Continue reading M-GO Launches Beta of Streaming Service for Multiple Devices