ABC News GoStream Launches

Where do you go to get the news of the day? Well many of us now find it 24/7 from mobile and other digital properties. Well add one more resource to your content arsenal as another News organization just made it even easier to find the news you want whenever and wherever you want.   Today ABC announced the launch of their new online video initiative called GoStream.

According to the network, they are putting more power in the hands of their reporters as the new service allows any of ABC's field journalists to fire up an app and begin sending raw video to ABC News, which will then disseminate the streams to ABC News via the LiveU streaming platforms. ABC News will then disseminate on its ABCNews.com/live platform – which will undergo a redesign as well as its mobile apps and Apple TV. Viewers will be able to choose from any number of feeds during major events, which will not air with a delay. The program could be broadened to include civilians that live stream as well. More: Mashable.com 12/02/14 - Live from everywhere: ABC News journalists will stream video to your screen

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Aereo - SCOTUS rules in favor of the Broadcasters

Aereo - Time to modify the business plan?

After my recent post about Aereo & the NFL, I felt it was worthy of a follow up on today's Supreme Court decision. I've always seen  Aereo is an industry disruptor but the question remained, was it legal or were they skirting the law? The verdict is in and the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, has ruled that Aereo's technology is indistinguishable from cable systems and publicly performs copyrighted content and that Aereo violated those copyrights by delivering broadcast programming without permission. Barry Diller, whose IAC/InterActiveCorp was the principal financial backer of Aereo, said in a statement that ruling was not a “big (financial) loss for us,” adding, “but I do believe blocking this technology is a big loss for consumers, and beyond that I only salute Chet Kanojia and his band of Aereo’lers for fighting the good fight.” Stock prices for CBS, 21st Century Fox, Disney and Comcast rose on the news of the ruling.  MORE: The Los Angeles Times 06/25/14 -Supreme Court rules against upstart Aereo TV service in copyright case and USA Today 06/25/14 - Supreme Court rules against Aereo in Internet TV fight or The New York Times 06/25/14 - Supreme Court Rules Against Aereo in Broadcasters’ Challenge
  

News that Finds You - BreakingNews.com's Proximity Alerts

Geolocation services are not new to smartphones, and place-based features have only improved over the years however in the battle for attention on your phone, Breaking News, a startup owned by NBC News, wants to win by finding smart ways to show you less. Today they debuted a new feature to their iOS app that pushes proximity-based news alerts when a big story breaks near a user’s physical location. Geo-targeted to mobile devices, the alerts highlight major stories that are relevant to people nearby, including significant earthquakes, tornadoes, wildfires, public safety alerts, evacuations and more.
Proximity alerts will also accompany users as they travel internationally. NBC says Breaking News is the first mobile app to offer the innovative service.
“In a world where news alerts are out of control, our mission is to deliver the breaking stories that are uniquely important to you,” said Cory Bergman, general manager of Breaking News. “Few things are as important as learning about a big breaking story that just happened near your location. Proximity alerts are lightning fast, and the service sets Breaking News apart as the go-to app to discover breaking stories that matter to you, wherever you are.” The app also includes the addition of a “Watchlist,” where users can easily track breaking news in their favorite interests in real time, as well as a new design, infinite scroll, simple navigation, faster search, and an improved iPad view.

The Breaking News app update is available today on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, and it will be available for Android devices soon. To download the Breaking News app for iOS, visit BreakingNews.com/apps. Also read their release - Introducing proximity alerts and much more in the new Breaking News iOS app

AT&T takes aim at Comcast with Direc TV Acquisition

AT+T may be on the verge of buying DirecTV for $50 million, which would be the largest in years and reshape the television business at a time of rapid change in the industry. Reports of rumors on the acquisition appeared all over the blogosphere today an a official announcement may be just weeks away. The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, reports the two companies are discussing a deal that would involve a mix of cash and AT&T stock. A combined AT&T-DirecTV would hold a vast swath of wireless spectrum, the public radio signals that make smartphones and tablets work and would also be better positioned to compete against the proposed Comcast/Time Warner combined entity.  The pact would be a way to expand its video offerings, which is similar to how the Comcast and Time Warner Cable deal could deliver. AT+T currently provides pay-TV service through its U-Verse brand. MORE: WSJ - 05/12/2014 -

AT&T Could Strike $50 Billion Deal for DirecTV, or

Bloomberg - 05/13/2014 - AT&T in Talks to Buy DirecTV for About $50 Billion

Rovi Acquires Video Search firm Veveo

Video-search firm Veveo, in a deal valued at up to $69 million, is being acquired by top interactive program guide vendor Rovi. Veveo's personalized natural language processing platform will "complement and leapfrog" Rovi's analytics and metadata systems, said John Moakley, Rovi's executive vice president of data solutions.  In addition to developing technology that allows viewers to use search for content using apps on smartphones, Veveo has said previously that it would license its technology to set-top and smart TV manufacturers.

The deal is expected to juice the bottom line for Rovi and they have stated that the Veveo deal will contribute to "double digit revenue growth and be accretive in fiscal year 2015". But the company said that the acquisition would also "likely lower" its adjusted pro forma income per common share this year by 3 cents to 6 cents.

Bottom line, the Veveo acquisition will deepen Rovi's cloud-based search and recommendation capabilities, enhance their entertainment metadata and guide solutions with next-generation semantic capabilities, and help them grow their advertising and analytics offerings. More: 02/24/14 Bloomburg.com - Rovi to Buy Veveo to Bolster Television Analytics

CHCH Ontario & Cogeco Cable Canada First to Offer Geolocated TV Ads

CHCH TV and Cogeco Cable Canada ("Cogeco") are pleased to announce that CHCH made Canadian television history last week by being the first television broadcaster to offer its advertisers the ability to customize their message to their potential customers, according to their geolocation. Cogeco subscribers viewing CHCH will see the content of ads evolve to become more pertinent with regards to subscribers' market locations.

The new service is thanks to the leading edge INVIDI Advatar® addressable advertising platform that supports geo-specific content delivery. The development of this platform is the result of collaborative efforts among Invidi Technologies Corporation, cable distributor Cogeco, CHCH Television and software distributor Capital Networks Limited, who is managing the ad insertion operation for the Advatar® platform.

"Cogeco is proud to be the first Canadian cable distributor to support television advertising by geolocation," stated Jean-Pierre Caveen, Vice President, Affiliate, Partner and Carrier Relations at Cogeco Cable Canada. "This new and more efficient advertising opportunity brings the print direct marketing model to television," concluded Mr. Caveen.

Through the INVIDI Advatar® addressable advertising system, CHCH's advertising clients can deliver tailored messaging during a commercial break to households of a specific geographical area within Cogeco's footprint in the Golden Horseshoe area of Southern Ontario. "The first advertiser to take advantage of this leading edge technology is the New Democratic Party of Ontario," said Geoff Thrasher, General Sales Manager, Channel Zero Inc. "Their ads will only be seen in households within the Niagara Falls by-election riding boundaries, and with no spill outside of this area, the targeting ability of the Advatar® platform allows clients to include television in their media plan - affordably," concluded Geoff.

Advertisers can utilize this technology during CHCH's key 6 & 11 Evening Newscasts, as well as throughout the channel's popular primetime movies and programs including U.S. simulcasts 20/20, 48 Hours and 60 Minutes.

Verizon ramps up TV, buys Intel Medias OnCue

Verizon announced Tuesday its agreement to purchase the assets of Intel Media, a division of Intel dedicated to the development of cloud TV products and services that includes the OnCue Cloud TV platform. Financial terms were not disclosed, and although the deal has to pass through regulatory screenings, it’s expected to be closed by the end of Q1 2014. From the industies perspected, OnCue was a long shot for Intel. Headed by Intel Media VP Erik Huggers, it was definitely one of those try-it-and-see-how-it-goes sort of endeavors. According to sources at Verizon, they are aquiring all of Intel Media, including their 350 employees, intellectual property rights, and other assets. "The OnCue platform and team will help Verizon bring next-generation video services to audiences who increasingly expect to view content when, where and how they want it," said Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam.

Roku gets Smart (TV)

Anthony Wood broke the news late Sunday prior to the CES show that Roku has decided to take another route to win the war for controlling your TV, soon Roku will be integrated into your new smartTV. Partnering with TCL and Hisense, the company plans to release the Roku TV later this year. This is a bold move from a company that has already positioned themselves as the leader in the OTT world. The field however is becoming crowded with existing and new entries all over at the 2014 CES show. This new strategy if carried out correctly could be the beginning of an entirely new era for connected TV's.
 MORE: Roku Blog - 01/05/14 Introducing Roku TV or WIRED - 01/06/14 Roku TV Is the First Smart TV Worth Using or

ABC.com limits access to New Episodes

In a definite sign of things to come, ABC announced that next-day access to new episodes of ABC shows will be restricted to authenticated cable subscribers on participating pay-TV services and Hulu Plus subscribers starting Monday, January 6, according to the net's web site. (ABC owner Disney co-owns Hulu.) Access will be free to everyone eight days after the initial air date. Fox instituted a similar delay in 2011.

Amazon Plans OTT Set Top Box

Amazon is on track to release a video-streaming STB prior to the end of the year, according to the WSJ. The device code-named ‘Cinnamon’ is said to be similar to the Roku 3 or Apple TV players and is similarly styled as a platform to run applications and content from a variety of sources including the obvious choice, Amazon Prime. A set-top box would deepen Amazon’s reach into the living room, where it is currently dependent on other hardware makers to reach consumers watching video on TV sets. Providing a device of its own is a potentially crucial component to Amazon’s ambition of expanding beyond its core online marketplace business.

 

In recent weeks Amazon has approached a variety of app developers and cable TV providers seeking partnerships for the rollout of its set-top box. They have set a deadline of mid-October to submit apps for the device, said the Journal's sources. More: CNET 10/04/13 - Amazon recruits variety of apps for set-top box, report says and WSJ Online 10/03 - Amazon Readies Set-Top Box for Holidays

Twitter's Amplify Scores a Touchdown

Twitter has made another TV partnership deal, this time with the National  Football League and in particular with its NFL Network. For the NFL the new deal it will enable fans to get customized NFL video content, created specifically for the Twitter platform, on PCs, tablets and mobile devices. The agreement marks Twitter's biggest sports-related commitment to date for its Amplify service. Amplify was formally unveiled last May as a way for Twitter, broadcasters and advertisers to capitalize on peoples' use of social media while they watch TV. Like Facebook, Twitter is pinning it hopes on advertisers looking to tap its member base of 200 million regular users. It is setting its sights on TV, the most lucrative advertising market, and playing up to media companies and major brands its appeal to viewers who use the 140-character messaging platform to discuss what they are watching. To date the program boost CBS, Viacom, AE Network and Bloomberg  as clients.

Trendrr Aquired, Twitter Continues To make Television a Foundation of its Business

Less that two weeks ago we were reporting on Twitters continuing moves into television with a trending product experiment and highlights on how they have been acquiring companies and commissioning studies to make television a bedrock of its business.  Today news broke out on a blog post by Trendrr founder Mark Ghuneim, "Twitter has acquired Trendrr". If your not yet familar with Marks company, Trendrr tracks and analyzes conversation about TV shows on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites.  Taking it one step further, Trendrr  not only tracks conversations, but offers curated tweets on a certain subject or from certain sources through its Twitter certified product, the aptly-named Curatorr.  Currently they list ABC, MTV and Univision as clients and state that they will honor its existing contracts, but won't be signing new ones. The deal comes a month after a Trendrr study reported that Facebook has five times more TV chatter than Twitter - a study that likely won't be repeated!

Aereo Can Stream in New York for the Foreseeable Future

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied a broadcaster request that the full court review a three-judge panel of that court's April decision not to stop Aereo from delivering broadcast signals over the Internet while a lower court considers a broadcaster challenge to the service's legality. The central issue in the Aereo case is whether the start-up’s decision to provide one antenna for every subscriber makes it a legal private transmission under copyright law or, instead, an illegal public broadcast so the broadcasters claim.

Meanwhile Fox Broadcasting isn't taking no for an answer, "We will now review our options, and determine the appropriate course of action," said a statement from Fox. CBS has also vowed to fight the company wherever it launches its service, which is available in New York, Atlanta and Boston (where it's already been sued by Hearst).

Aereo is a well funded startup that is challenging the current broadcasting model. While this ruling is another win for Aereo in its ongoing battle against broadcasters, their time in court is far from over. More on this to come...

Intel's TV service is named OnCue

Hot scoop from Gigaom is out today. According to Janko Roettgers, Intel's forthcoming TV service, which is expected by the end of the year, will be called OnCue. Branding and advertising for the service will likely be handled by OMD, Roettgers adds. The patent applications also reveal a logo and a potential tagline: "TV has come to its senses." More: gigaom.com 07/12/13 - Scoop: Intel’s upcoming TV service is going to be called OnCue