The World Cup was shot in 3D, BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) is investing heavily in to 3D. But, despite all the hype, it’s connectivity, and not whizz-bang visuals, that will shift more TVs in the next few years, according to iSuppli. Worldwide, iSuppli reckons 27.7 million internet-enabled TVs will ship this…

Jason Krikorian, co-founder of video technology company Sling Media, has joined venture capital firm DCM as a general partner. In January ‘09, Krikorian, along with his brother and Sling Media co-founder Blake, left the company less than a year after it was bought by EchoStar (NSDQ: SATS) as part of…

By Jemima Kiss: A new cross-industry video initiative announced yesterday in the US aims to help improve interoperability between different retailers. UltraViolet is being adopted by more than 60 consumer electronics firms and entertainment firms including Toshiba, Sony (NYSE: SNE) Pictures, Paramount and Netflix.

The connected-TV space is about to unleash whole new opportunities for video content owners to distribute and profit from their content. In one of the latest examples, Panasonic is adding a third-party movie vendor, AceTrax, to VieraCast, the connected-TV interface on its TVs and Blu-ray players, in Europe.

My Hulu Plus preview code hasn’t arrived yet but I’ve been able to sample the subscription service via the iPad app. Turns out the “free gallery” on the iPad includes pilot episodes for Parenthood, Ugly Betty, Spaced, the documentary Super Size Me and a dozen or so other shows and…

The launch of Hulu Plus takes the online video joint venture started by News Corp (NSDQ: NWS) and NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) more than three years ago into a new realm of complexity and potential. CEO Jason Kilar spoke with paidContent about the move into subscriptions soon after he made…

Bitbop, Fox Mobile’s subscription-based TV program showcase, has made its debut on Research in Motion’s BlackBerry this week and is now preparing to begin beta tests on Google’s Android system. The beta will launch in two weeks, Joe Bilman, Fox Mobile’s EVP, Global Products, told paidContent in an interview. In…

The BBC has received final approval to join a joint venture with three other broadcasters that will add a range of VOD, IPTV and internet services to UK TVs. In partnership with ITV (LSE: ITV), Channel 4, Five, the ISPs TalkTalk and BT (NYSE: BT), plus infrastructure company Arqiva, Project…

Online video investment is now paying off for Channel 4. The Future Media division turned in a £3.2 million operating profit during 2009. That’s up from 2008, after what C4 says was “savings on platform costs”, following heavy investment in video.

It will be a while before we get the full stats for online and mobile viewing during the FIFA World Cup 2010 but we already know some of the highlights from ESPN (NYSE: DIS) and Univision—and a couple of moments ITV (LSE: ITV) would rather forget: —Online: More ammunition for…

Having seen its benevolent intention to share the technology of its iPlayer VOD service with commercial broadcasters blocked by its regulator, the BBC will instead link iPlayer users out to counterparts’ own VOD sites. Inclusion of catch-up programme data from ITV (LSE: ITV) Player, 4oD, S4/Click, Demand Five and SeeSaw…

It’s easy to imagine TiVo (NSDQ: TIVO) execs wanting to fast forward through May: after last week’s legal setback in its war with EchoStar/Dish over DVR patents, the company reports that its net loss grew to 14.2 million from last year’s $3.9 million. This was the Alviso, CA-based company’s fifth…

		EPS*	Rev. vs Q109	Net Inc. vs Q109
TiVo	Release		11.4%	264%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

The BBC, seeking to maintain its brand, says it does not want to make its programmes available to third parties for VOD distribution on an unbundled basis. The corporation’s executive makes the suggestion in proposals for changing its on-demand syndication guidelines, submitted to the BBC Trust last month. The executive…

Video search-and-ads firm Blinkx nearly doubled its income last year - but ongoing product costs left it with another significant loss. Suranga Chandratillake’s Blinkx is well-positioned in the fast-growing space - it’s got 720 content providers, its video searches are up 169 percent to 22.6 million a day and the…

Original web video comedy site Funny Or Die is closing its UK operation, which launched nearly two years ago, citing financial struggles. Hat Trick Productions, the TV show maker with which the UK site a partnership, told paidContent:UK: “Following an assessment of the last 18 months, during which time Funny…

TiVo’s March court victory in its patent battle with Dish and EchoStar (NSDQ: SATS) could be erased, as a federal appeals court has agreed to rehear the case. The pronouncement wasn’t unexpected. The legal fight, which has dragged on for six years, concerns whether the satellite companies infringed on TiVo’s…

Verdicts may not be expected until next week on the BBC-proposed Canvas connected-TV standard - but home electronics makers are already bringing such devices to market, and this summer’s soccer World Cup in South Africa could be the boost the technology needs… Yesterday, whilst exploring Sony’s PlayStation Home virtual world,…

After spending much of the past year focusing its multimedia products at consumers, Thomson Reuters (NYSE: TRI) will introduce an on-demand, customizable online web video service that’s mainly for its paying subscribers. The service, called Reuters Insider, has been in the works for two years and makes its debut on…

A Federal Communications Commission rule change has granted two big wishes to the Hollywood film studios on Friday. Rejecting pleas from cinema operators, the FCC’s Media Bureau issued a waiver allowing movie studios to deliver first run theatrical releases via video-on-demand systems, The Wrap reported. On top of that, the…