Verizon to offer new Video Streaming service

This is pretty interesting. This would probably be an ad-driven model for profit. That is one of the reasons that the Yahoo acquisition is important to it.


TechCrunch

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed the company’s plans to launch an over-the-top streaming service later this year, according to a report from Variety, citing remarks the CEO made at a telecom conference in Boston this week. Verizon (which owns TechCrunch parent company AOL), will use the combined platform of AOL and Yahoo – and their 1.3 billion users – to test the new platform, McAdam said.

The company expects to close on its acquisition of Yahoo mid-June, so the over-the-top service could arrive any time after that.

PlayStation VUE Live OTT national Rollout

Interesting timing for this, and great stuff!

HDGuru

The market for over-the-top delivered live pay TV services continued to evolve over the weekend as Sony revealed that its IP-delivered PlayStation Vue multi-channel video service is now available nationally.

The news of the service, which will limit availability of local live TV channels in most of the new areas, comes just a few weeks after AT&T’s DirecTV revealed plans to expand its direct-to-home satellite TV service with a multi-tiered IP-delivered version targeting homes as well as mobile devices.

In addition to providing live cable TV channels and sports events, the PlayStation Vue service also allows users to record shows to a “cloud DVR” and watch multiple TVs around the house from one account.

Like the forthcoming DirecTV OTT service, PlayStation Vue is not targeting so-called cord-cutters – which is a term used to describe disgruntled cable and satellite TV subscribers looking to drop multi-channel pay-TV services for cheaper alternatives. Instead, they are offering more flexible and more robust OTT solutions for live TV viewable on TVs as well as mobile devices.


All of the services are offering customers greater flexibility of choices and new pricing options to traditional cable, satellite and telco TV services. The services also provide an easier path to obtaining live TV channels on mobile devices and PCs in addition to traditional TV sets.

Sony’s PlayStation Vue service, which will now expand from 7 to 203 TV designated market areas, will include bundled channel tiers either including or excluding local live TV stations, indicated as “full” or “slim.”

The PlayStation Vue slim packages start at $30 per month. In place of live local TV, they offer on-demand next-day access to Prime Time content from ABC, NBC and Fox. CBS programming is not included at launch, but is expected to be added in live and on-demand versions in select markets later.

Verizon - $5 BILLION Invested in Streaming Video

From Nasdaq

Maybe they know something about PicoP and its utility with mobile devices and the trend towards mobile from fixed.

This service will be free to users and supported by advertising.

Whatever you may think of PicoP -- it will be greeted on arrival with a primed and ready ecosystem for its adoption.

Have SONY and Verizon been coordinating their efforts? The timing couldn't be better if they planned it that way.

Five Billion invested, with the biggest cellular network -- and they're worried about the competition.

Verizon is preparing to launch its free, ad-supported streaming video service called Go90 later this month. Adoption of the new application will be closely watched by investors, given that the company has dedicated considerable resources to building its streaming video and mobile advertising capabilities, via a series of acquisitions over the last two years at a cost of roughly $5 billion. There is a larger trend to watch here as well; the service should provide an indicator as to how combining an ad platform with a wireless carrier pans out. Below we discuss Verizon's growing interest in mobile content and advertising and the prospects of the new streaming application.

Advertising spending is moving away from traditional media such as newspapers and TV, onto the Internet and mobile devices. Total digital ad spending is expected to increase 15% to $58.6 billion in 2015, according to research firm eMarketer, and mobile ad spending is expected to rise 50% to $28.7 billion.

Read more: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/will-verizons-streaming-video-service-catch-on-cm522614#ixzz3mZ8msQ4V

Cutting the Cord -- goes mainstream.

The ecosystem for PicoP to thrive immediately is set.

Interesting "e-book" about the future of television. Wait until you hear what they have to say at their event next year.

Portability and cloud-based content is a big theme. MicroVision will own the delivery method for portability.

From Viaccess-orca

Binge-viewing enhanced by PicoP

From MicroVision's Displayground

The end of the latest episode of our favorite television show used to leave us on edge. That cliffhanger eating away at us all week until the next episode aired and we continued on the vicious cycle. (Don’t even get me started about end-of-season cliffhangers!)

Thanks to Over-the-Top (OTT) services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, we can now satisfy our craving to watch multiple episodes in succession, sometimes even finishing an entire series or season in one sitting. Not surprisingly, a recent study from the TiVo Research Group found that this binge-watching behavior has become the new normal, with approximately 90 percent of the population preferring to partake in ‘TV benders’.

Some OTT services are catering to this “all in one” viewing experience by releasing entire seasons of shows up front, answering their subscribers’ need to binge watch as soon as the new material is available. To make things even more convenient, we don’t need an actual television to join the conversation about the latest House of Cards episodes. Our smartphones and tablets are the new TV screens, and they are with us everywhere we go.

So what does this mean for the mobile device market?

These video streaming platforms have created a new purpose for smartphones and tablets. Gone are the days when we were confined to sitting in front of a stationary television screen and flipping the channel during commercials. Instead, we have pocket-sized devices on which we can instantly view mobile video without interruption. The one thing we have been giving up when we view our movies and shows on a mobile device is a screen size big enough to sit back and watch the show in comfort, alone or with a group. But like everything else in the technology world, there is a solution at hand that makes larger-viewing experiences achievable.

Pico projection technology is helping enhance the choice people are already making by offering the option of mobility, without the limitations of a small screen. Customized viewing experiences give the consumer the power to pick the screen size that best suits the moment. Whether you’re on a plane, a passenger in a car, or even camping in a tent, you can project and watch your latest television obsession on a screen bigger than the 5 plus inch screen of a smartphone or tablet, getting as big as one that rivals the largest big screen at home.

As a growing part of the population is demanding “TV Everywhere,” pico projection can be the key to having content on-the-go and the big screen we are used to at home – the technology answer to having our cake and eating it too. Solutions such as MicroVision’s PicoP® display technology offer a vivid, always-in-focus picture and the ability to generate a screen size of over 100 inches from a device no bigger than a smartphone.

- See more at: http://www.microvision.com/binge-watching-craze-mobile-influenced-pico-projection-enhanced/#sthash.7peAramy.dpuf

SONY creates "Viable Cable Killer"

This could turn out to be really big. It's different, and it could be an excellent part of the PicoP ecosystem.

SONY JUST TURNED ITS PLAYSTATION VUE STREAMING SERVICE INTO A VIABLE CABLE KILLER

From PopularScience


From TechCrunch


Today at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference the company announced that it will unbundle its Vue streaming channels and offer the stations a la carte. In doing so, Sony becomes the first provider to offer (at least some) TV stations to the American consumer without bundles.

Details are still a bit fuzzy but it seems clear-cut. Subscribers will be able to choose which stations they want in their lineup although at first the selection is very limited.

Sony Computer Entertainment President and Global CEO Andrew House took the stage and described Playstation Vue as more than a streaming service. “It’s a complete live TV experience,” he said, “designed for the gamer, making it simpler and easier to find the television they want.”

House stated that service will be available in July and Sony is rolling the PlayStation Vue to San Francisco and Los Angeles tonight.

Cord-cutting Attitude? In MicroVision's Favor

From Motley Fool -- trust me. When this company gets on the Motley Fool Radar(and it will), it will go MUCH higher.

"After years of being ignored, cable cord-cutters and streaming-TV consumers are now more popular than the homecoming queen. Individual TV networks are offering, or soon will offer, streaming-only services to woo the cord-cutting lot. CBS' All Access and Showtime and Time Warner's HBO are joining incumbent Hulu Plus (collectively owned byComcast/NBCUniversal, 21st Century Fox, and ABC/Disney) to offer streaming content for a monthly fee."

Further down the article they state this:

Fortunately -- there will be new products on the way, and we know that SONY has an ace up their sleeve on this one.

One must also consider the "equipment costs" associated with the new product. While Dish's Sling TV only needs a computer and the Internet, Sony's offering requires users to have the PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4 in order to get the service. The Wall Street Journal reported the service is set to come to iPads as well, but isn't available yet.

More cord cutting

I think this is significant because an increasing amount of free web based content makes PicoP even more valuable. The more that is done to improve the ecosystem the better. A relative no-name making additional content says the space is opening up, and even smaller operators are starting to see how providing this content can be financially rewarding.

Check out ShoutFactoryTV

ShoutFactory’s library isn’t huge, and much of it’s forgettable, but dig around and you’ll find a few gems, including old Jackie Chan films, episodes of Abbott & Costello, and some classic Twilight Zone. The service also includes plenty of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and a fair share of B-movies with no parody attached).

Much of ShoutFactory’s content is also available on Hulu, and the site’s media player actually has Hulu branding on it. But the company says it owns the rights to all of its video, and is licensing much of its content to Hulu. (Prior to launching the streaming service, ShoutFactory distributed its videos through DVD and on-demand channels.)

In any event, ShoutFactoryTV is free and ad-supported on all platforms, including phones and tablets (through any web browser) and set-top boxes (just Roku for now, though a promo video hints at a future Xbox version). By comparison, Hulu requires a Hulu Plus subscription for mobile and TV access.

PC World - Cult classics Free

Golden Globes, Amazon, Netflix and TV Anywhere

Streaming TV is golden for the future of Microvision. When we can get as much programming, from our mobile devices as we can from our cable box we will no longer anchored to the screen in our living room.

When PicoP becomes widely available, watch as the screen in your living room is replaced.

From CNBC

Amazon and Netflix series both won top awards at Sunday's Golden Globes, highlighting the rise of on-demand streaming services and the fight they are putting up against broadcasters for content and audience attention.

Amazon bagged two major awards with its Transparent series, in its first appearance at the event which is usually dominated by traditional TV players, while Kevin Spacey won best actor in a TV drama forNetflix's House of Cards.......

The tech giant – best known for its e-commerce operations – launched its studio arm in 2010 and is increasingly pushing its original content such as Transparent. Subscribers to Amazon Prime have access to its streaming service, which is going head-to-head with Netflix.

Amazon is debuting four original series in 2015 backed by high profile Hollywood names such as Marc Foster, the director of action blockbuster World War Z and James Bond movie Quantam of Solace.

Rival Netflix is more established on the streaming scene, with House of Cards actress Robin Wright winning a Golden Globe last year, and the series bagging seven Emmys in 2014..............

Analysts said the prominence of major streaming services at top industry awards was likely to grow as their reach extends and they put out more high-quality programs.

"It is significant that shows which are financed and distributed by these new players are showing they're of similar quality to the ones traditional linear TV networks are producing," Tim Wescott, head analyst for TV programming at IHS, told CNBC by phone.

"They are launching the shows internationally so can grab a bigger audience. Most linear TV channels only do it one country and then get licensed around the world."

SONY, DISH & OTT (Over the Top TV Streaming)

From Rapid TV News

Will big moves from Sony, DISH change the OTT narrative?

Details

Michelle Clancy

| 11 January 2015

Over-the-top (OTT) TV streaming has become the Next Big Thing of late, with late-2014 announcements by HBO and CBS regarding standalone services making headlines in the cable world. But OTT could be a much more disruptive force than it has been to date.

Indeed both DISH Network and Sony made it clear during CES 2015 that, unveiling packages that threaten to underpin a movement to a la carte TV.

To date, OTT has been seen as largely complementary to existing cable subscriptions, with cord-cutting occurring at low levels at best. Mostly, this is related to the fact that plum content, like sports and a wide selection of content from beloved cable nets, has been largely kept out of the OTT picture. And even outside of this reality, for a cord-cutter to create their own streaming TV portfolio that contains any sort of content diversity, the price of putting together several OTT offerings often approaches that of a traditional cable subscription—with none of the convenience of traditional pay-TV.

US satellite powerhouse DISH has thrown a bomb into all of this with the announcement of its Sling TV OTT Internet TV service, which will price at $20 per month. The package includes content from ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, HGTV, TNT, Food Network, Travel Channel, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and short-form videos produced by Maker Studios.

Sling TV will require no commitment, contract, credit check or hardware installation. Users can sign up by the month and access content online and via Amazon Fire TV, Google's Nexus Player, some Samsung and LG smart TVs, Roku, Xbox One, and iOS and Android apps.

At launch, Sling TV will offer the core programming package and two optional add-on packs for $5 per month—making for a step closer to true à la carte TV, where consumers pay for what they actually watch. And that's a game-changer.

Sling TV expects to expand its programming add-on packs throughout 2015 but for now, the packs are for kids' content and news.

Meanwhile, in an announcement event at CES 2015, Sony president and CEO Kaz Hirai revealed more details about the PlayStation Vue service, set to debut in the first quarter of 2015. Playstation Vue will offer a wider bouquet of cable channels, plus broadcast fare from CBS, NBC and FOX. Analysts expect it to price out at $60-$80, suggesting that live sports will be a key piece of the proposition.

The service will stream only via a PlayStation 3 or 4 at first. But eventually it'll migrate to iPads and other non-Sony devices.  (And perhaps some NEW device for viewing media?)

.... More at the source

Read more: Will big moves from Sony, DISH change the OTT narrative? | Major Businesses | Business http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2015011136725/will-big-moves-from-sony-dish-change-the-ott-narrative.html#ixzz3OXfHIK7e