iTunes

MICROSOFT is expected to make several major online video announcements today, at DigitalLife in New York. The company is rumored to be adding fullscreen, ad-supported video content to Windows Media Center. Content will include Fox Sports videos, full-length music concerts, and individual shows such as the popular Arrested Development. Ads will be served by YuMe Continue Reading →

AMAZON is now going head-to-head with iTunes. The company launched its digital music store yesterday, offering 2.3 million tracks. Songs cost as little as 89 cents, come at a high bitrate, and not one of them is crippled by DRM. As a result, they work with almost any device on the market. Universal and EMI, Continue Reading →

CW NETWORK will launch a newsmagazine-style show this Sunday that will not break for traditional commercials. Instead, “CW Now” will seamlessly present entertaining, paid segments as part of the regular program. The first episode will feature a celebrity-filled segment pitching a new Xbox game’s availability at Wal-Mart. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS will launch its own mobile website Continue Reading →

CABLE AND SATELLITE OPERATORS have been hit with a multi-million dollar class action lawsuit seeking to force “a la carte” programming. Antitrust attorney Maxwell Blecher has filed the suit, asking the court to prevent cable and satellite companies from unlawfully bundling channels, and to award damages for forcing customers to pay for channels they do Continue Reading →

THE FCC has approved a dual must carry regulation. Cable operators will be required to carry both digital and analog channels of certain local stations for three years following the shutdown of the analog TV signal, which occurs on February 17, 2009. The regulation is considerably less onerous than Chairman Kevin Martin’s push for perpetual Continue Reading →

WARNER BROTHERS will announce 24 new web productions today, in formats ranging from games to episodic online TV. Projects include a neurotic minivan-driving mother who starts a talk show, a puppet show for adults, and a mockumentary about a digital production studio. About 6 additional projects are in development, including an online dating game. The Continue Reading →

APPLE wants to slash the price of TV show downloads in half, according to a new report in Variety. The company has been presenting studios with the idea of selling shows for $0.99 per episode, telling them that increased volume will make up for the price drop. However, the studios are concerned that such low-priced Continue Reading →

APPLE unveiled an all new lineup of iPods yesterday – including revamped shuffles and a new, squarish Nano. The company also released the iPod Touch, which is essentially a phone-less iPhone with WiFi, and announced an unexpected, massive $200 price cut for the iPhone. The iPhone and iPod Touch will be able to purchase songs Continue Reading →

NBC UNIVERSAL has struck a deal with AMAZON to distribute its television shows through the Unbox digital download service. The move comes just days after announcing it would not renew its contract with Apple’s iTunes. Episodes are currently available for $1.99 — the same price Apple charges on iTunes. However, Unbox has much tighter restrictions Continue Reading →

APPLE kicked off the holiday weekend by issuing a press release saying it would not sell new NBC shows for the upcoming season. NBCU previously said it would withdraw from iTunes in December. Apple’s release says it will not raise prices to meet NBCU demands, and refuses to sell half a season’s worth of episodes, Continue Reading →