NBC will Stream Sunday Night Football to your phone

Ecosystem keeps getting better. The screen and the content that wants to be shared.... 


Engadget

The end to Verizon's NFL streaming exclusive is already paying dividends. NBCUniversal has cut a deal with the NFL that gives it the rights to stream Sunday Night Footbal through TV Everywhere on smartphones, not just bigger-screened devices like PCs, tablets and TVs. The deal takes effect starting with the 2018 season, so you might not get to watch the Super Bowl on your handset in February. So long as you have TV service, though, you'll at least get to tune into regular season games throughout 2018.

Streaming Content

Go90 Explanation

Verizon CFO Fran Shammo wasn't keen to talk in depth about the telco's reported $3 billion bid for struggling Internet company Yahoo at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch 2016 Telecom & Media Conference. He did however draw a line between Yahoo and Verizon's own Go90 video service.

"Obviously we've gone on a strategic roadmap here around mobile-first activity. We purchased AOL for the ad-tech platform. AOL has brought a lot of viewership to the platform, and you're going to see us over this next three to six months start to cross-pollinate our products utilizing the Verizon Digital Media Services platform. And when I say cross-pollinate, I mean the Go90 assets more integrated with the AOL assets so that we can broaden the viewership. And then really when you get down to it, viewership matters because viewership drives advertising dollars which drives the top line revenue."

HOOPLA

"Instantly borrow free digital movies, music, eBooks and more, 24/7 with your library card.

FREEDOM STARTS HERE, NOW.

Bringing you hundreds of thousands of movies, full music albums, audiobooks and more, hoopla is a revolutionary digital service made possible by your local library.

From Hollywood blockbusters to best selling artists and authors – not just the hits, but the niche and hard-to-find as well – you’ll soon discover that hoopla provides you the freedom you've been searching for to experience, explore and enjoy what you want, when you want, and where you want.

Simple to access and use, without the hassle of having to return the items you’ve borrowed, all you need is your library card, a web browser, smart phone or tablet to get started. The freedom you want is here, now. Sign up today! "

HOOPLA Available at library

Start downloading movies and tv shows, music and audiobooks.

Check out up to 10 items per month. Loan periods are:

• 3 days for movies and TV shows
• 7 days for music
• 21 days for audiobooks

Overview Instructions

Register for an account by visiting hoopladigital.com or using the hoopla app on your iOS or Android mobile device and clicking on Sign Up. You will need to provide an email address, create a password, and have your library card information (card number and pin). The free mobile app can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.

Easily browse titles on your computer or mobile device by clicking Browse and choosing Music, Movies, or Television tab. You can search for specific titles by clicking in the Search box and typing in your title or keyword.

To borrow a title, click on its icon and then click the Borrow button. The borrowed titles can be found under the My Titles tab for viewing/listening. Enjoy!

Borrowed titles will be automatically returned when your lending period is over.

If you need additional help visit hoopladigital.com/support

Netflix Considering Offline Streaming

This would be huge for PicoP.  

The portable TV with recorded media will be made possible by MicroVision.

NY Daily News

Amazon has it already, so Netflix should too.

Offline streaming might be a future option for Netflix. CEO Reed Hastings said Tuesday in an earnings interview that he's okay with leaving the door open to the possibility of letting users download movies and TV shows.
"We should keep an open mind on this," Hastings said during the earnings interview (at the 22:30 mark). "We've been so focused on click-and-watch and the beauty and simplicity of streaming. But as we expand around the world, where we see an uneven set of networks, it's something we should keep an open mind about."

There is probably no technical limitation for Netflix allowing offline streaming, but the company would have to settle licensing deals in order to give content offline viewing rights.

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

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.

Faster than Ever Away from Traditional TV

Verizon to launch Streaming TV service


From Washington Post

All part of the massive improvement in the ecosystem for MicroVision's PicoP. The change will be incredibly profound when those streaming services can be watched and shared easily on big screens with portable devices.

Traditional television watching is declining faster than ever as streaming services become a mainstream feature in American homes, according to new research by Nielsen.

Adults watched an average of four hours and 51 minutes of live TV each week in the fourth quarter of 2014, down 13 minutes from the same quarter of 2013, according to Nielsen’s fourth-quarter 2014 Total Audience Report. Viewing was down six minutes between the fourth quarter of 2013 and 2012. And between 2012 and 2011, viewing time actually increased for live TV.

At the same time, more homes turned to online video, with 40 percent of U.S. homes subscribing to a streaming service such as Netflix, Amazon Instant Video or Hulu compared with 36 percent in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to Nielsen. Netflix is by far the most popular streaming service, in 36 percent of all U.S. homes, and Amazon Instant Video is in 13 percent of homes.

The trends have rattled the entertainment industry, with broadcast and cable networks scrambling to take on new competitors on the Web. Cable networks have seen steep ratings declines, which got much worse in the last six months of 2014. Cable ratings among adults fell 9 percent in 2014, three times the rate of decline over 2013, according to Michael Nathanson, an analyst at Moffett Nathanson research.

“It’s hard to ignore our belief that technology is disrupting viewer consumption of linear network programming,” Nathanson wrote in a recent research note.

In response, companies such as HBO, NBC and CBS are launching their own streaming services. The moves could unleash a fast demise of the cable and satellite industries that have fed TV networks with licensing fees.

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

Super Bowl Sets Streaming Record

Next year, it will be much easier to stream -- and watch on a big screen with the aid of PicoP. 

From Yahoo News (CNN Money)

More than 1.3 million people watched the Super Bowl through NBC's web stream, instead of traditional television, at the pivotal moment when the Patriots' Malcolm Butler intercepted a pass intended for the Seahawks' Ricardo Lockette.

That stat -- released by NBC shortly after the game -- can be read one of two ways.

One: streaming continues to take over by converting new fans. 1.3 million is the highest-ever number of concurrent streaming viewers for a Super Bowl.

Two: television distribution continues to reign supreme. If people can watch the game on a big screen through a cable or satellite provider, they generally will. Streaming is a back-up.

Both assessments are true.

More and more people are streaming all sorts of programming, including live sporting events. And that phenomenon is sure to continue in the years to come; if next year's Super Bowl broadcaster, CBS, decides to make the game available on the Internet, it'll probably break this year's streaming record.

Last year Fox's live stream of the game peaked at around 1.1 million viewers. Fox said that stream averaged 528,000 average viewers, meaning the number that were watching, on average, every minute of the game.

An NBC Sports spokesman said the average streaming viewership number is not yet available.

Even with a peak of 1.3 million simultaneous viewers, the online streams account for barely 1/100th of all Super Bowl viewing in the United States. Many observers expect the TV ratings for Sunday's game to surpass last year's record highs, when 112.2 million tuned in at home, according to Nielsen....

...The biggest disappointment, she said, was that "some of the commercials were blacked out."

NBC said there were no major hiccups with its live stream -- no small feat, given the high stakes of a Super Bowl.

There were no widespread complaints about Verizon's app that streamed the game to its wireless customers, either. (No viewership data for Verizon is available.)

Of course, some people couldn't be home to watch the traditional way, and streaming was a handy alternative. Time of day is a crucial factor for web viewership -- some World Cup matches that took place during the workday in the United States peaked at well over 1.3 million simultaneous viewers last summer. The USA-Germany match on June 26 had 1.7 million viewers on the web.

More Mobile Content

More mobile content improves ecosystem for PicoP. 

AT&T's Randall Stephenson plans to lean on DirecTV relationships to strike new media deals.

Full Article at CNET

Dish Network's Sling TV, which offers a bundle of a dozen cable channels for $20 a month, is seen as the first to break through with a credible alternative to cable TV service. But it won't be the last. Verizon has said it will launch its own over-the-top service later this year.

AT&T hopes to strike new deals through its pending $48.5 billion acquisition of satellite TV provider DirecTV, which will give the carrier 20.3 million subscribers to add to its own 5.7 million U-Verse TV customers. More important, it will give AT&T the relationships and clout it needs to negotiate more online content deals for its customers. Stephenson said he expects the takeover to be completed in the first half of the year, and added that mobile television is a top priority.

Stephenson also talked about Otter Media -- AT&T's joint venture with the Chernin Group to acquire, invest in and launch online video services -- as a way to deliver online content.

"I expect customers to walk out the door with content on their mobile device," he said, noting that he's looking at multiple channels and channel lineups that could be delivered to tablet, smartphone and broadband customers. "Stay tuned."

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

Drudge Report: Shock Study, 7 in 10 viewers stream content

It's a world that is being made for Microvision's success!!

BroadcastingCable.com (full article)

Las Vegas, Nev. (January 8, 2015) – While the television continues to provide the best quality picture and viewing experience, the way content is being discovered and consumed is changing dramatically, especially for millennials. According to the preliminary results of the second NATPE||Content First and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® joint research study on consumers’ attitudes toward television viewing, just 55 percent of millennials use TVs as their primary viewing platform, while streaming devices – laptops, tablets, and smartphones – are poised to dominate their viewing preferences....

“Our study confirms that the paradigm for TV content discovery has changed dramatically with increased availability and use of TV content streaming options,” said NATPE President & CEO Rod Perth. “With more than seven in 10 viewers in broadband households having streamed full-length TV programs in the past six months, there are opportunities for networks and content producers to reach and build audiences.”

“While the vast majority of consumers continue to watch television programming on their TV, many consumers, particularly millennials, increasingly are turning to a variety of devices to view their TV content,” said CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro. “This has profound implications for the way CE manufacturers market their products as they try to reach diverse markets.”

Although many viewers of streaming programs say they are watching more TV programs overall, the joint study shows a decline in the amount of time spent watching live television programs during their scheduled air time. This is particularly true of the younger, millennial demographic which has some distinctive, common characteristics, including the regular use of multiple sources of program content.

Among the study’s findings:

·         Portability is the trend. About half of millennials say they watch TV programming on a laptop, and for 19 percent, it’s their preferred TV viewing screen. Another 28 percent watch television on a tablet and 22 percent on a smartphone. Portability and the ability to watch anywhere is a key benefit in their use of multiple screens due to a greater comfort level with smaller screen sizes compared to older generations.

·         Millennials shifting to devices rather than TVs. While nine in 10 viewers say they watch TV programming on a television set, millennials are significantly less likely to do so (85 percent). In terms of preference, only 55 percent of millennials select a television set as the preferred screen for viewing television content.

The full study and additional findings will be released later this month at the NATPE||Miami conference (January 20-22, 2015).

CBS Online Free Streaming announced

This E-mail arrived this morning.  Microvision has been VERY focused on the change to viewing television through mobile devices.  Tomorrow we should hear a great deal more about PlayStation TV from Microvision partner SONY. Stream CBS News 24/7 with CBSN. WATCH NOW

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