08/24, 4:24pm
Amazon adds Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, others to Prime Instant Video
Amazon has made a deal with NBCUniversal Cable & New Media Distribution to expand its streaming catalog. Hundreds of TV episodes will be available to stream through Prime Instant Video, including Heroes, Battlestar Galactica, Parenthood, and Parks and Recreation, in addition to the existing 22,000 movies and TV shows already on the service. Further content expansion in the future has also been hinted at.
more
06/28, 1:45am
Comcast pays $800,000 'voluntary' fee to FCC
Comcast has reached a deal with federal regulators to settle an investigation into the company's compliance with terms of the NBCUniversal merger. A payment of $800,000 must be made by Comcast, as well as starting an advertising campaign pushing inexpensive and "reasonably fast" Internet connectivity to customers who don't subscribe to Comcast cable's television services. Comcast claims to have done nothing wrong, and is making the payment "voluntarily."
more
03/20, 4:10pm
Aereo expands countering lawsuits
Aereo on Tuesday grew its countersuits against TV networks to include several more networks. Fox, PBS, Univision, WPIX, and WNET were all targeted under a complaint that wanted the judge to rule that Aereo wasn't violating the networks' copyrights. It had already sued ABC, CBS, and NBCUniversal a week ago.
more
11/03, 9:55pm
CBS says Apple planned stream TV with shared cash
CBS chief Les Moonves may have inadvertently confirmed Apple's negotiations for a streaming TV service during the company's fiscal results call. He claimed that CBS had turned down a deal for a service because it would have split ad revenues. The executive didn't give details of what the service would have involved.
more
10/31, 10:00pm
FCC picks Pai and Rosenworcel for FCC spots
The Obama administration late Monday nominated replacements for outgoing FCC commissioners Meredith Atwell Baker and Michael Copps that will keep the 3-2 split in favor of Democrats. Baker will be replaced by Ajit Varadaraj Pai, a Republican partner at law firm Jenner & Block as well as a veteran of the FCC general counsel. Copps will be replaced by Democrat Jessica Rosenworcel, is currently Senator Rockefeller's telecom counsel and one of Copps' former aides.
more
10/14, 6:30pm
Hulu still talking to Google on sale?
With yesterday's report that Hulu is no longer for sale, a new report from SAI sources suggests it's still considering a sale to Google. Google did make the largest bid for the streaming service, though it also wanted concessions that Hulu wasn't willing to make. Google's bid, at about $4 billion, was more than twice as big as Dish Network's $2 billion.
more
10/09, 11:55pm
Yahoo rumored jumping ship from Hulu deals
Yahoo is reportedly out of the increasingly uncertain bidding process for Hulu, a claimed leak said late Sunday. The search engine has allegedly been identified by the WSJ sources as the original mystery bidder but also to have exited entirely. The internal turmoil following Carol Bartz' firing and the possibility of a sell-off were attributed to the departure.
more
08/14, 10:35pm
TWC to reduce competition with Insight deal
Time Warner is about to try and consolidate the cable industry further by buying Insight, a last-minute leak brought out Sunday night. The deal would buy Insight out from the Carlyle Groupe for $3 billion and absorb the cable provider's debts. Final bidding had wrapped up at the start of the July, WSJ said, and the new deal was just Insight reaching a promised target of picking a winning buyer within a month's time.
more
07/28, 6:15pm
Offered free to Amazon Prime customers
Amazon has come to an agreement with NBCUniversal Domestic TV Distribution to stream movies to its customers. Under the terms of the digital video licensing agreement, Amazon will now have access to selected movies distributed by the entertainment giant. The online retailer will be offering its Amazon Prime members the streamed motion pictures at no additional cost through its Prime Instant Video service.
more
07/26, 7:45pm
Fox demands 8-day delay on Hulu shows
Fox on Tuesday night set out to shelter traditional TV with a long hinted-at plan to delay TV shows on Hulu for non-subscribers. Free viewers will face an eight-day delay for access to Fox TV shows unless they either pay for Hulu Plus or can prove they subscribe to a conventional TV service. Only satellite provider Dish Network is so far cleared to give users same-day access in the strategy, which starts up August 15.
more
07/21, 8:00pm
Apple included in early Hulu bidding rounds
Apple is one of those considering making a bid for Hulu, a pair of sources claimed Thursday. The company is supposedly in "early talks" that could lead to a buyout if all went well. It wasn't clear from Bloomberg tips what stage of the bidding process Apple had reached or how serious Apple's intentions were.
more
07/19, 5:25pm
May offer up to $2 billion
Yahoo's interest in purchasing Hulu may be reigniting. SAI reports that if Hulu's current owners are willing to guarantee four or five years of exclusive access to content, then Yahoo might be interested in paying up to $2 billion for the streaming content provider. Neither Hulu, its owners, or Yahoo have commented.
more
07/13, 3:30pm
Netflix keeps up NBCUniversal TV deals
Netflix on Wednesday landed a crucial renewal of a deal with NBCUniversal. The deal gives it access to much of the movie and TV studio's back catalog as well as more recent shows. Netflix didn't say how much it paid for the rights.
more
07/10, 8:55pm
Netflix and Hulu mutually uninterested in deal
New tips Sunday ruled out Netflix as one of the candidates to buy Hulu. The movie streaming service hasn't been actively involved, sources for the WSJ said. Hulu also reportedly hasn't been actively interested, in part since it would create overlap and reduce the number of suppliers, not increase them.
more
07/06, 3:35pm
No time frame given for sale
For the past few weeks, rumors have swirled around the possible sale of Hulu. Today, Disney CEO Bob Igor confirmed that Disney, NBCUniversal and News Corp., the TV streaming service's owners are indeed looking to sell off. Igor declined to provide a timeframe for a deal or to hint who might be the acquirer.
more
