Latest News

11 Oct WarnerMedia Prepping Streaming Service Featuring HBO, Other Entertainment Brands [Hollywood Reporter]

Posted at 14:33h in Industry News, Latest News

BY NATALIE JARVEY October 10, 2018 | AT&T's WarnerMedia division is prepping a new direct-to-consumer streaming service that will feature its portfolio of entertainment brands, including HBO. WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey on Wednesday announced the new product onstage at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, noting that it is expected to launch in the fourth quarter of 2019. "You're going to see a stronger...

11 Oct Apple plans to give away original content for free to device owners as part of new digital TV strategy [CNBC]

Posted at 13:48h in Industry News, Latest News

BY ALEX SHERMAN October 10, 2018 | Seven years ago, Walter Isaacson wrote that Apple founder Steve Jobs told him he'd "cracked" the code on bringing television into the digital age. Seven years later, the world is still waiting. But Apple's not giving up, even if it isn't revolutionizing the industry. Apple is preparing a new digital video service that will marry original content and subscription...

08 Oct Walmart’s Vudu Orders MGM Shows for Free Video Service [Variety]

Posted at 08:56h in Industry News, Latest News

By Todd Spangler October 7, 2018 | Walmart, America’s biggest bricks-and-mortar retailer, is taking its first crack at original entertainment. Vudu, the company’s streaming-video arm, has struck a partnership with MGM under which the studio will create original series based on franchises from its extensive film and TV catalog. Those shows will be exclusively licensed to Vudu for North America, and available on Vudu’s free, ad-supported Movies...

05 Oct The Hollywood Empire Strikes Back Against Netflix [Bloomberg]

Posted at 16:50h in Industry News, Latest News

By Lucas Shaw October 4, 2018 | Peter Roth knew it was time to take out his checkbook. Roth, the head of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.’s TV studio, had just watched Netflix Inc. lure top producers from several rivals by offering them more money than they’d ever made before. Ryan Murphy, the creator of American Horror Story, left 21st Century Fox Inc. for a deal worth...

03 Oct Surprise success of Cage’s new day-and-date movie forced overhaul in release strategy [Business Insider]

Posted at 16:52h in Industry News, Latest News

By Jason Guerrasio October 2, 2018 | Panos Cosmatos' acid-laced revenge movie starring Nicolas Cage, "Mandy," isn't just having a solid theatrical run, it's defying the release strategy of most day-and-date movies before it. In the three weeks since opening, the movie has only played in 210 theaters, but to date it's grossed close to $840,000. And that doesn't even count the money coming in...

02 Oct The anti-Netflix: Free, ad-supported video streaming services are growing [Digiday]

Posted at 10:43h in Industry News, Latest News

BY SAHIL PATEL OCTOBER 1, 2018 | Subscription services might dominate the over-the-top video market today, but free, ad-supported platforms are beginning to find their way to viewers on internet-connected TVs. This growth is proving to be an opportunity for video programmers searching for distribution on the biggest screen in the house. The Roku Channel, a free video streaming service from the connected-TV...

28 Sep Redbox Hires Chris Yates as GM of Digital Video Business [Variety]

Posted at 10:50h in Latest News, Member News

By Todd Spangler September 27, 2018 | Redbox hired Chris Yates, who’s worked at companies including CinemaNow, Dell and Omnia Media, as general manager of Redbox On Demand — the DVD-rental kiosk operator’s bid to extend its business into digital. In the newly created role, Yates oversees Redbox’s digital video business and is responsible for P&L and strategy. Read more on Variety. RELATED ARTICLES: Redbox Clinches Warner Bros. Deal for...

Disney might be set to gain even more control over Hulu: AT&T said it is considering selling WarnerMedia’s 10% stake in the streaming venture

27 Sep Hulu Is the Next Front in the Battle Between Disney and Comcast [NYT]

Posted at 10:36h in Industry News, Latest News

By Jennifer Saba September 27, 2018 | The Mouse House is about to buy Fox’s entertainment and international assets, including the Sky stake, for $71 billion. Disney’s chief executive, Bob Iger, has allowed discretion to conquer any ideas of valor: He plans to use the $15 billion windfall from the sale to pay down debt and invest in direct-to-consumer products, including Hulu. Read...

PBS Distribution will add Walter Presents to Amazon Channels.

27 Sep PBS Masterpiece Channel on Amazon Prime Adds International Dramas From Walter Presents [THR]

Posted at 05:03h in Latest News, Member News

By George Szalai September 27, 2018 | PBS' PBS Distribution unit has struck a deal with British streaming service Walter Presents, which last year launched in the U.S. as an SVOD product, to add more than 300 hours of international drama series to its PBS Masterpiece channel on Amazon's Prime Video Channels. Read more on The Hollywood Reporter. Related Articles: Amazon has become an important distributor...

Cinedigm CEO McGurk talks about Bambu at DEG Fall Membership Meeting

25 Sep Cinedigm’s McGurk Offers New Details About OTT Service Bambu [Deadline]

Posted at 10:29h in Latest News, Member News

(l. to r.) Bennett Pozil of EastWest Bank moderates a chat with Cinedigm's Chris McGurk and Pandemonium Films' Bill Mechanic at DEG's Fall Membership Meeting Tuesday. By Dawn Chmielewski September 25, 2018 | Cinedigm CEO Chris McGurk offered fresh details today about a planned Chinese streaming service aimed at younger Western audience, and poised to launch early next year. The new OTT service, to be called Bambu, will feature...