DirecTV execs say online video is one of the “growth areas” it will be focusing on in the next few years as it attempts to attract younger potential customers who aren’t paying for cable service. It wants to target niche audiences in particular and is considering offering tailored programming to those viewers. Children and Latinos are the two major audiences the company is eyeing. The satellite TV firm said home security and new advertising products are also on the front burner. Continue reading DirecTV to Pursue New Audiences and Online Video Streaming

Facebook has begun selling video advertisements, which will appear in users’ timelines starting on Thursday. The ads will play automatically in news feeds on both the Web and via smartphones, although Facebook says that will only happen on phones connected to Wi-Fi so as not to eat up users’ data. One of the very first ads is a short teaser for the upcoming film “Divergent,” and Facebook’s hope is that it will beat TV’s reach and YouTube’s targeting. Continue reading Facebook Rolls Out Video Ads to Compete with TV and YouTube

Google is planning to bring Chromecast to international markets and make casting available on multiple devices with thousands of apps. The popular device’s SDK, which is still being finalized, will be opened up to help make apps compatible with the $35 dongle, and Google is partnering with several companies to bring its functionality to a number of other devices. Hundreds of developers have already signed up to add Chromecast capabilities to their apps. Continue reading Google’s Chromecast SDK Headed for International Markets

In anticipation of the upcoming 2014 International CES, January 6-10, the ETC@USC will have a team of more than a dozen writers, reporters and support staff onsite in Las Vegas to provide comprehensive coverage throughout the show on emerging products and trends in the consumer electronic space that are relevant to ETC member companies, and to the entertainment industry as a whole. ETCentric will publish articles, updates via social media, and video content throughout the show. Continue reading CES 2014: ETC Coverage Begins with Preview Series, Key Trends

Wearable technology and personal data — rapidly moving beyond early-adopter status to play an increasingly important role in the marketplace — is a major trend we’ll be examining at CES. The skyrocketing popularity of wearables is no surprise; at last year’s show, Digital Health and Fitness emerged as the second most-talked about topic behind only Ultra HDTV. ABI Research predicts 169.5 million wearable health and fitness devices will be on the market by 2017. Continue reading CES 2014: Wearable Devices and Technologies Gain Prominence

In the ongoing battle against broadcasters, Chet Kanojia, head of cloud-based DVR company Aereo said in a statement the company would “not oppose the broadcasters’ petition for certiorari before the United States Supreme Court.” If the Court decides to hear the case in 2014, Aereo could possibly benefit from freed-up resources to expand nationwide. As is, broadcasters’ stand on cloud-based services by Google, Amazon and Apple could threaten those services’ very existence. Continue reading Aereo Not Opposing Broadcasters’ Pursuit of Judicial Review

Warner Bros. launched Warner Archive Instant in April, offering rare and hard-to-find movies and TV shows online. The $9.99 per month service streams content from Warner Bros., MGM, RKO, Allied Artists and others. Last week, the studio announced a new iPad app for the service. Many of the titles are available for streaming to HDTVs in 1080p via an iPad or Roku player. The entire Warner Archive Instant collection is also now available with closed captioning. Continue reading Warner Archive Instant Adds iPad App and Closed Captioning

Just in time for the holidays, Google announced on Tuesday that it is supporting 10 new apps for its $35 Chromecast media streaming dongle that plugs directly into a television’s HDMI slot. The new apps come from Avia, BeyondPod, Plex, PostTV, Red Bull.TV, RealPlayer Cloud, Revision 3, Songza, VEVO and Viki. Chromecast, which debuted in July, now has 17 apps available for streaming content. Users can select the video apps on a phone or tablet to view content on their TV. Continue reading Google Chromecast: 10 New Streaming Apps for the Holidays

Facebook is working on ways to give brands and media companies a better look at conversations happening on the social media service about TV, movies and media. Facebook recently launched new APIs allowing certain companies to read what people are saying about them online. The goal, of course, is to allow those companies to better engage with target audiences. But for now, the program is limited just to media brands and content producers. Continue reading Facebook Helps Companies Gauge Social Chatter About Media

Twitter is taking another step toward TV integration, as new partners have signed on to leverage the social service and Comcast’s SEEiT platform. Originally available for Comcast Xfinity and networks owned by NBCUniversal, new partnerships will allow subscribers of Time Warner Cable, Charter and Cablevision Optimum to use SEEiT via set-top boxes. Additionally, networks such as ABC, AMC, Fox and FX will use SEEiT to help steer access to their programming. Continue reading Comcast Announces Major New Partnerships for SEEiT Platform

Pay TV subscribers in the U.S. who purchased Microsoft’s new Xbox One game console can now watch episodes of Fox prime time shows such as “The Simpsons,” “New Girl” and “Almost Human.” In order to access the Fox Now streaming service, consumers need to subscribe to participating cable, satellite and telco TV partners. According to Microsoft, 2 million Xbox One consoles have been sold since the product debuted last month in 13 countries. Continue reading Pay TV Subscribers Can Now Enjoy Fox Shows via Xbox One

Google-owned YouTube reached an impressive milestone when it passed the one billion user mark earlier this year. Now the popular online video service is poised to achieve another milestone by crossing the five billion dollar mark. According to recent estimates by eMarketer, YouTube is expected to generate $5.6 billion in gross revenue for 2013, up 51 percent from last year. That figure would represent 11 percent of Google’s total advertising revenues. Continue reading YouTube Expected to Earn $5.6 Billion in Revenue for 2013

BBC’s iPlayer streaming service shows that Britain’s TV viewers have different consumption habits than Netflix customers here in the U.S. The iPlayer service, which offers live and on-demand shows for viewing, indicates viewership habits that reflect traditional TV viewing, with varying peak times. The majority of BBC’s viewers still watch traditional television, but the definition of “prime time” changes along with the shift to streaming. Continue reading BBC iPlayer Peak Times Vary Between TV and Mobile Viewers

Google is rumored to be working on a set-top box that will run Android, play video games and stream from services such as Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. The device, reportedly named “Nexus TV,” is said to be scheduled for launch in the first half of 2014 and may include a motion sensor that can be controlled with an Android smartphone. Earlier this fall, Google apparently showed developers an early version of the box, which won’t support live broadcast. Continue reading Nexus TV: Google May Launch Android Set-Top Box Next Year

Darcy Antonellis, president and chief technology officer of Warner Bros. Entertainment, will leave her post to become CEO of Vubiquity in January. Virginia-based Vubiquity, formerly Avail-TVN, is a global provider of multiplatform video services. Antonellis, winner of three technical Emmys, has been with Warner Bros. for 15 years, and has held her current position since 2008. She will replace Ramu Potarazu, who stepped down as CEO in March. Continue reading Darcy Antonellis Named CEO of Vubiquity, Exits Warner Bros.