Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

HBO & Apple Bring Critically Acclaimed Television Programming to the iTunes Store

Favorites Including 'The Sopranos' and 'Sex and the City' Now Available on iTunes

HBO and Apple today announced that programming from HBO is now available for purchase and download on the iTunes Store. New HBO programs on iTunes include the Emmy Award-winning programs "The Sopranos," "Sex and the City," "Deadwood" and "Rome," as well as the critically acclaimed hits "Flight of the Conchords" and "The Wire." The iTunes Store is the world's most popular online TV store with over 150 million episodes sold and features the world's largest catalog with over 800 shows (over 20,000 episodes).

Thursday, May 8, 2008

Yankee Group Says 2008 Is the High-Water Mark for Interactive Cable


Cable Networks Must Step Back From Interactive Video and Address On-Demand Programming

Yankee Group today announced that there is a significant shift taking place in the advertising industrycable and IPTV operators will lose out to internet video platforms in the competition for the incremental ad revenue that supports investments in interactive television. By the time cable and IPTV operators will be able to deliver interactivity to a large number of households, content owners and advertisers will have already made long-term interactive platform investments online.

According to the recently published Yankee Group Report, The High-Water Mark for Interactive Cable, digital and interactive advertising is the cornerstone for the infrastructure investments necessary to support interactive programming. Cable networks will continue to command large linear audiences and above-the-line advertising revenue, but cable operators will be limited in their ability to deliver interactive experiences that can compete with internet video.

Ubiquitous broadband connectivity is driving a new media mix for time-shifting and ad-skipping audiences, said Daniel Taylor, senior analyst, Yankee Group Consumer Research group. Advertisers see interactive television as a way to reach viewers in this increasingly saturated media environment. But in light of recent internet video developments, it's time for cable operators to face facts about their abilities to deliver interactive experiences.