Two months from now, the Buffer Festival in Toronto plans to bring some of the more compelling YouTube content to the big screen. The festival will be held November 8-10 at several theaters throughout Toronto, such as TIFF Bell Lightbox, Scotiabank Theatre, Glenn Gould Studio and the Jane Mallett Theatre. While YouTube content has been included in other film festivals before, there has never been a festival solely dedicated to the video site’s content and its creators. Continue reading Buffer Festival in Toronto Will Showcase YouTube Content

Sony announced on Wednesday a new 4K video download service called Video Unlimited 4K, along with the unveiling of two new 4K television models. The announcements are part of a larger 4K Ultra HD initiative from Sony. While the service will initially be available only in the U.S., and challenges may result from the limited number of film and TV titles and the large file size of 4K videos, Sony has plans to expand its offerings and sees a strong future in 4K. Continue reading Sony Betting on 4K with Video Download Service and New TVs

Vimeo is providing filmmakers with movies at the Toronto International Film Festival the opportunity to have their films viewed by larger audiences through online streaming. Vimeo is offering a $10,000 advance to filmmakers who agree to feature their movies exclusively on the site for 30 days. With consumers increasingly turning to their mobile devices for viewing movies, the partnership may prove profitable for emerging filmmakers. Continue reading Vimeo Partners with Toronto Film Festival in Streaming Deal

Brooklyn-based VHX is developing a service that enables video makers to sell their videos to consumers. The company launched last year with a video from comedian Aziz Ansari, and since then has picked up 60 videos to sell from a wide variety of people, some famous and some not. While YouTube is a popular platform for uploading videos, VHX hopes to stand out by allowing anyone the opportunity to upload and sell their content. Continue reading VHX Enables Video Makers to Sell Their Videos to Consumers

CBS and Time Warner Cable ended their contract dispute yesterday, restoring CBS, Showtime and related channels to cable subscribers in the New York, Los Angeles and Dallas markets. For one month, the two sides had been locked into a debate regarding fees related to rights for retransmitting content. Retaining digital rights in order to sell content to online distributors such as Netflix and Amazon was also an issue. CBS and TWC did not release specific information regarding terms of the agreement. Continue reading CBS and Time Warner Cable End Month-Long Contract Dispute

Google is beginning to restrict developer access to Chromecast and the Android operating system. The company is disabling workarounds of its Chromecast streaming device and other app options on Android. The move may be bad news for developers as certain functions are no longer available, but it may be good news for consumers if the user experience becomes more refined and features less ads on the new Chromecast and maturing Android. Continue reading Google Limits Some Development on Chromecast and Android

Last week, the MPAA rejected findings of a European study that suggests the shutdown of piracy site Megaupload damaged revenues for theatrical films other than blockbusters. Megaupload was shut down by the FBI in January 2012. While researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that the shutdown boosted legitimate digital sales of movies, a new study from Ludwig Maximilians University Munich and Copenhagen Business School argues that anti-piracy measures may have unintended consequences for different kinds of movies. Continue reading Megaupload Shutdown: MPAA Rejects Findings of Piracy Study

Ericsson has published its latest consumer insight summary report, “TV and Media: Identifying the Needs of Tomorrow’s Video Consumers.” The ConsumerLab surveyed more than 17,000 people worldwide and, not surprisingly, learned that an increasing number of viewers are turning to mobile devices for TV and video. The report suggests that service providers have an opportunity to create new aggregate services that will help alleviate the complexity for users that has resulted from abundance of choice. Continue reading New Ericsson Report Examines Consumer Video and TV Habits

I recently spent an hour with Richard Raddon, co-founder of ZEFR (formerly MovieClips), a Venice, California company that is “connecting fans and franchises for the good of all.” MovieClips was co-founded by Raddon and Zach James about three years ago. The company developed proprietary technology that allowed them to identify content on YouTube. When MovieClips became ZEFR, it shifted its focus to help studios, sports, TV and music videos collect and monetize postings on YouTube. Continue reading ZEFR Helps Content Creators Reach Their Hidden Audience

Actor Kevin Spacey’s recent MacTaggart lecture at the Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival is generating a great deal of media buzz while it is busy making the rounds in the tech and TV industries. During his speech, the Academy Award winner discusses how Netflix and other companies are disrupting the traditional network and cable TV models. Spacey suggests that viewers want more control and that adopting a new distribution model could actually help curb piracy. Continue reading Spacey Recommends TV Industry Give Viewers More Control

A recent study from IPG Media Lab and digital advertiser YuMe indicates that consumers remember ads better after viewing them on tablets as compared to smartphones, PCs or TVs. The study suggests that the improved ad recall is because viewers tend to watch videos on tablets when they’re at home and they do not multitask the way they do when watching TV. In an unrelated poll of ad execs, IAB found that a majority plan to shift their budgets from TV to digital video ads. Continue reading TV Advertising Feels the Heat of Video Ads on Mobile Devices

Apple plans to launch iTunes Radio next month along with brand partners including McDonald’s, Nissan, Pepsi, Procter and Gamble, and possibly others. Apple’s new offering plans to compete with current streaming radio services such as Pandora. While the launch partners will benefit from exclusivity until the end of 2013, iTunes Radio will later be available to other advertisers. Apple also hopes to generate revenue by providing users with the option to purchase songs played via the service. Continue reading Apple Outlines Advertising Strategy for iTunes Radio Partners

Although the streaming music market is still relatively new, there is considerable consumer demand for a digital radio-style option. While jukebox services such as Spotify and music stores from Apple and Google receive a significant amount of attention, the market for Pandora has been steadily growing. Pandora continues to promote its unique radio-style approach as a great way to enjoy music in spite of growing competition from other online services. Continue reading Pandora Believes Radio Experience Will Beat Jukebox Services

Beats Music, a soon-to-be-released digital subscription service created by Jimmy Iovine, has a unique plan to attract subscribers and outdo competitors such as Radio and Spotify. This plan involves human curation, and while the company has declined to specify exactly how this will work, freelancers involved in the project have provided a certain amount of information. Essentially, unique playlists will be compiled by musicians, music writers and freelancers. Continue reading Beats Music Leans on Human Curation to Edge Out Competitors

Music video company Vevo, a joint venture between Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group, is making the transition from YouTube to television in an approach intended to generate revenue for the companies that create the videos. Vevo will deliver on-demand music videos and launch a channel of original programming via Apple TV set-top boxes and Samsung TVs. While the Samsung launch is likely a few weeks away, Apple could launch its Vevo Apple TV app this week. Continue reading Vevo Returning Music Videos to Television with New Channels