Folks have plenty of options when it comes to streaming online movies and TV shows: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Apple's iTunes come to mind, but Target apparently thinks the space has room for one more.

The retailer is reportedly testing a beta version of Target Ticket, a TV and movie-streaming service with access to 15,000 titles.  

It will also provide “new releases, classic movies, and next-day TV,” the beta site claims. Right now, it’s just being tested on Target’s own employees, the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports. This joins another employee-only beta test currently underway that allows people to order products online and pick them up at the store.Continue reading...

If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Major US broadcasters are lining up their digital offerings for consumers, whether they like it or not.

"Television networks increasingly need to make content available to fans no matter where those fans are and what devices they are using," said Greg Ireland, IDC research manager.

Disney-owned ABC is the first major broadcaster to live-stream programming to iPhones and iPads starting this summer for residents of New York City and Philadelphia via WATCH ABC, including local news, daytime talk shows and prime-time dramas. Plans include expansion to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago and eventually, buy-in from all ABC affiliates.

"Many people are starting to wonder if cable is worth keeping, and they're thinking of cutting the cord and going online only since they can get content from Netflix, Amazon and other places,” notes NPR. “Live streaming is a way the broadcast industry is trying to cement the system they've had in place for a long time, even as more people are watching TV and video online. So, they're going where the viewers are going, but they're scared that people are going to cancel their cable subscriptions."Continue reading...

While Amazon, Hulu and grandfather HBO all crow about significant online growth, Netflix continues its lead, accounting for one third of all streaming into North American homes since 2010.

A new report from broadband tracker Sandvine finds that Netflix’s share of prime-time “downstream” traffic delivered over fixed networks is 32.3 percent, just a tad off its projected estimate of 33 percent last November. Amazon and HBO have held fairly steady, the former down from 1.75 percent to 1.31 percent, and the latter down from 0.5 percent to 0.34 percent, while Hulu actually gained, up from 1.1 percent to 2.41 percent. 

These percentages include what Sandvine calls “home roaming,” data transmitted from personal networks via WiFi to tablets and iPhones, up 9 percent from one year ago and accounts for 20 percent of 2013 traffic.

“2013 will be the year long-form video will make its move onto mobile networks,” said Dave Caputo, CEO, Sandvine. “The 'home roaming' phenomenon… combined with increased consumption of real-time entertainment on mobile networks globally, and the doubling of Netflix traffic on mobile networks in North America, suggests that users are getting comfortable with watching longer form videos on their handheld devices.”Continue reading...

Coca-Cola promises to reduce marketing to kids as part of global anti-obesity commitment.

Levi Strauss buys naming rights to planned new stadium of San Francisco 49ers.

Lay's reveals chip-flavor contest winner.

Abercrombie & Fitch draws fire for stocking only "skinny" sizes for women.

Activision Blizzard warns "World of Warcraft" is losing subscribers.

AT&T severely slashes Facebook Home phone prices.

BT enters British-sports broadcasting.

Claire's IPO will test market for debt-laden companies.

Ford takes over as title sponsor of Detroit's annual fireworks.

Google Maps will reportedly unveil new interface.Continue reading...

Continuing its aggressive push to convince the world that YouTube video content is better than TV, the online video giant is rumored to be launching paid subscriptions for specialist video channels as soon as this week, the Financial Times reports.

YouTube has said it was “looking into creating a subscription platform that could bring even more great content to YouTube for our users to enjoy and provide our creators with another vehicle to generate revenue from their content, beyond the rental and ad-supported models we offer.” 

The preeminent global video site has long-since evolved from its user-generated roots into a platform that every major company and marketer is looking to leverage with professional-grade content. With an audience of one billion, YouTube and its content partners are looking to create another revenue stream besides the site's burgeoning ad platform. "This is a whole new form of content, content delivery and content consumption," said DreamWorks CEO Jeffery Katzenberg in Business Insider. "It's the medium of the future and the future has already arrived. Video is becoming the global shared experience."Continue reading...

Reed Hastings has thrown down the gauntlet to the gold-standard of pay-tv and on-demand as a new model emerges, largely defined by consumers.

Netflix has officially surpassed HBO in subscribers, reporting 29.17 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, while HBO ended 2012 with 28.7 million, according to SNL Kagan. The company’s stock passed $200 a share for the first time since 2011 after reporting its quarterly earnings.

Ted Sarandos, chief content officer for Netflix told GQ that, "The goal is to become HBO faster than HBO can become us.” It looks like they're well on their way. 

Aside from subscribers and revenue, Netflix is now competing with HBO for talent and creative ideas. The streaming company recently launched a new original series, Hemlock Grove, while it's slated to capitalize on the Arrested Development series in May. "This is the direction that storytelling is evolving, where you're going to have the most interesting story lines, the most interesting characters," Kevin Spacey, star and executive producer of the Netflix original series House of Cards. "What a company like Netflix is doing is the ultimate expression of individual control, proof of what people's attention span really is." 

Of Netflix’s subscriber increase in Q1, more than two million in the US are attributed to the success of its first original series. Those who checked in to Netflix for House of Cards stayed for the most part, with fewer than 8,000 who paid the $7.99 monthly fee to watch the show choosing to cancel.Continue reading...

Netflix reports strong subscriber growth.

Amazon may be planning to open a store in London, reports say.

Ford is reaching record profit on growing sales of Fusion, as company extends programmatic ad buying to online video.

Twitter reportedly reaches deal with Publicis' Starcom MediaVest Group for hundreds of millions over several years.

Airbus strategy for big A350 is being vindicated.

Apple grapples with hardware-software identity crisis.

Burger King tests delivery in Los Angeles.

Cadillac eyes smaller cities for Chinese luxury share.

Del Taco debuts revamped menu.

DuPont more than doubles profit.

Fisker loses $21 million to US seizure.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt belittles importance of UK taxes.Continue reading...

After scoring a hit with the political drama House of Cards earlier this year, Netflix is set to release its second original series on Friday. This one, Hemlock Grove, is a 13-episode, small-town werewolf soap opera starring Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgard.

The hope for Netflix is that it can give viewers something new to “binge watch,” a trend in recent years as consumers rent or DVR whole seasons of shows in order to catch up with their friends or the overall cultural conversation. “Our goal is to shut down a portion of America for a whole day,” House of Cards producer Beau Willimon told the New York Times when the series debuted in February.

Next month, Netflix will release 15 new episodes of the comedy Arrested Development, which originally aired on network TV, but the streaming site aquired the rights last year. The highly-anticipated relaunch of the series will likely drive new users to Netflix, if only for the duration of the series. With enough fan power backing Arrested Development, the brand's marketing power is currently focused on Hemlock Grove. As the Los Angeles Times points out, that push is needed because it can’t promote itself as usual television series do: with lead-ins from popular shows and in-network promotion.Continue reading...