Streaming services in Australia – are there lessons to be learnt from the sale of Hulu Japan?

US-based online streaming service Hulu announced in February that it had sold its Japanese service (which launched three years ago) to Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV). Under the terms of the deal, Nippon TV assumes control of the day-to-day operations of the business and its management (when the deal completes). Nippon TV is the leading… Continue reading Streaming services in Australia – are there lessons to be learnt from the sale of Hulu Japan?

Is a Freeview catch up service next?

Frost Global has long highlighted the need for an Australian Hulu and Netflix, but to date there has been no firm commitment from either company about commencing Australian operations. This has left Australian consumers with silo catch-up services, that is catch-up content only accessible through each free-to-air network’s online catch-up services (save for services such… Continue reading Is a Freeview catch up service next?

Its Hulu’s time to shine Down Under

FrostGlobal reported earlier this month that Hulu’s shareholders 21st Century Fox, NBCU and the Walt Disney Company had decided to take Hulu off-the-market and inject US$750 million of new capital into the company.  At the time of the announcement, Disney’s Chairman and CEO Robert A. Iger, said: “Hulu has emerged as one of the most consumer… Continue reading Its Hulu’s time to shine Down Under

Hulu is no longer for sale

US media giants 21st Century Fox, NBCUniversal and The Walt Disney Company have announced that their online catch-up TV service Hulu is no longer for sale.  The announcement follows a sales process that was rumoured to have attracted bids from Yahoo, Direct TV and Time Warner Cable, amongst others. 21st Century Fox, NBCU and Disney have… Continue reading Hulu is no longer for sale

The battle against piracy continues

Torrent Freak has reported that the season finale of HBO’s Game of Thrones set a new piracy record. This will not be good news to content owners as digital piracy continues to threaten their business models. The statistics are astounding.  Torrent Freak reported that 171,572 people were active on a single active torrent downloading the episode;… Continue reading The battle against piracy continues

Foxtel-Austar merger makes sense

Foxtel’s proposed merger with Austar took another step in the right direction last week when the Australian Competition and Consumer Commissions (ACCC) commenced market consultations over Foxtel’s draft undertakings. Foxtel has provided the ACCC with undertakings in order to allay ACCC concerns that a merged company would hamper competition in the IPTV market. Foxtel and Austar, along… Continue reading Foxtel-Austar merger makes sense

A Local Version of Hulu is Needed

We reported earlier in the year that leading US online catch-up TV service HULU had applied for registration of its trademark in Australia, fuelling speculation of an Australian launch of the service some time in the near future. HULU is jointly owned by US media companies NBC Universal (Comcast), News Corporation & The Walt Disney Company and has around 260 partners… Continue reading A Local Version of Hulu is Needed

Aussie TV needs Hulu to stop pirates

The digital content distribution market in Australia is hopefully about to become a lot more interesting. According to a report by Asher Moses in Fairfax Newspapers, the US online catch-up TV service Hulu is preparing to launch in Australia with or without the support of Seven, Nine and Ten. This is good news for content owners… Continue reading Aussie TV needs Hulu to stop pirates

“Content is not just king, it is the emperor” – 2010 Review

News Corporation boss Rupert Murdoch said earlier this year that “content is not just king, it is the emperor of all things electronic. Clever technology is merely an empty vessel without any great content.”

YouView safe for now from UK regulator

UK communications regulator OFCOM has confirmed no investigation will be launched into YouView (formerly Project Canvas) the new IPTV on-demand service from the UK’s free-to-air networks. According to guardian.co.uk, YouView will launch in the first half of next year and target the 7 million Freeview households that have a broadband connection. YouView’s seven partners include British… Continue reading YouView safe for now from UK regulator