Category: Software

Under the deal, Netflix and Tivo Series3, Tivo HD, and Tivo HD XL subscribers will be able to stream movies and TV episodes instantly from Netflix directly to their TVs.

The two companies said they are initiating a test of the new capability in several thousand US households and expect it to be broadly available in early December. The ability to instantly watch content from Netflix on the TV via Tivo DVRs will be offered at no additional charge to customers who subscribe to both services.

“For Netflix and TiVo subscribers, this collaboration offers a easy way to enhance the enjoyment of watching movies in the comfort of their living rooms,” said Netflix co-founder and CEO Reed Hastings. “Subscribers to Netflix and Tivo are avid movie watchers and this combination gives them immediate access to all of the content available through Tivo and the additional choices available to be streamed instantly from Netflix.”

The agreement provides Netflix with a new technology partner to instantly stream a growing library of more than 12,000 choices of movies and TV episodes. It also solidifies Tivo’s position for navigation and delivery of the entertainment content to the TV.

Through Thumbplay, millions of music fans can now download — wirelessly — DRM-free songs directly to select MP3-enabled phones as well as PCs.

To date, Thumbplay has secured rights to more than 1.5 million songs from major labels including Universal Music Group and EMI Music, and from independent digital music providers The Orchard and INgrooves.

With access to music through both the Thumbplay web (
http://www.thumbplay.com ) and mobile (http://m.thumbplay.com ) sites, customers now receive song downloading from any location. Moreover, audio quality has been optimised for superior mobile playback while file sizes have been kept to a minimum.

In addition to the ability to download songs, to select MP3-enabled phones and PCs, the music can be transferred to most portable music players, including the iPod. Customers can instantly and easily search for and purchase music in addition to the extensive array of other content the company offers, including games, videos and more.

Thumbplay‘s MP3 downloads are $.99 per song through monthly subscriptions. For $9.99 per month, Thumbplay customers are given 10 credits to be used toward any content on the service; MP3s are one credit, or $.99 each. The value to new customers is even greater, as they automatically receive 10 bonus credits in their first month of service.

Thumbplay CEO and founder Are Traasdahl says, “Right now, there are millions of customers who own phones that are
already able to serve as excellent MP3 players; and, in fact, a significant number of consumers are now using their phones as their primary entertainment devices.

“The number of our customers with MP3-enabled phones has grown five-fold in the last 18 months alone. Naturally, we had to respond to such demand, and at the same time, we had to deliver the great customer-experience Thumbplay users have come to expect. I‘m proud to say we‘ve accomplished both goals today with our new digital music store, thanks in large part to such terrific launch partners as Universal Music, EMI Music, The Orchard and INgrooves.”

Thumbplay offers entertainment content, direct-to-consumers, on more than 2,000 devices among every major carrier in the US.

MUMBAI: Broadcom Corp, the US-based integrated circuits (ICs) supplier for broadband communications, has completed the acquisition of AMD‘s (Advanced Micro Devices) digital TV (DTV) chip business.

Broadcom will pay $141.5 million to AMD – a discount to the original price of $192.8 million that was announced on 25 August.

The IC supplier anticipates that AMD‘s DTV business will have Q4 revenue between $15 and $20 million, lower than previously expected. Accordingly, the parties agreed to reduce the purchase price from $192.8 million to $141.5 million in cash (subject to certain escrows and adjustments pursuant to the terms of the definitive asset purchase agreement).

NEW DELHI: Animation and graphics company DQ Entertainment (DQE) has conferred Lifetime Achievement Award to René Goscinny in Mipcom, in recognition of his contribution towards children entertainment.

Goscinny is the creator of iconic characters like Le Petit Nicolas (Little Nick), Asterix and Lucky Luke.

This is for the first time that DQE has launched an annual Lifetime Achievement Award to honour those individuals who have made significant contribution in the field of children’s entertainment.

While accepting the award, Anne Goscinny (daughter of Goscinny) said, “I am honoured to receive the award on behalf of my late father. I am sure he is with us right now and watching over us. His work lives on through the production of the animation series based on his creations such as Le petit Nicolas and Asterix.”

Hot Gossip Bollywood is a two-minute show about Bollywood stars.

Apart from Time Broadband, the other selected content is from major networks like MTV, Disney, Turner Broadcasting and Fox.

European Broadcasting Union’s Nicoletta Laccobacci headed the selection committee. The selection, from 1000 entries, was based on innovation, customisation, and inventiveness of the content.

MUMBAI: Not content with giving rival Hindi GECs sleepless nights in India, the two-odd-month-old Colors is now set to take the world by storm. Well, almost. Viacom18, the JV between Indian Network18 and US media giant Viacom, has joined hands with The New Media Group KK (TNMG), parent of the World On-Demand IPTV platform. to enable the channel to be seen via the IPTV service World On-Demand.

Confirming the development ot Indiantelevision.com, Viacom18 Media Pvt Ltd SVP network development Sanjeev Hiremath said the service started on 1 October.

“We are happy to partner with TNMG to extend Colors’ entire spectrum of emotions to the Indian viewers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia,” said Hiremath. “Colors has received tremendous response since launch in India and we are confident that its shows will now become household names amongst the Indian diaspora in these markets soon.”

Beginning 1 October, World On-Demand members have been getting the latest programming from the GEC through subscribing to one of a number of channel packages that are aimed at specifically at underserved communities around the world. Colors will be available free for a limited time on the service as part of a global marketing campaign highlighting the new launch.

“We are happy to be the first TV platform in the world to offer Colors to our subscribers and to help promote this brand. The success of the channel in India and its ability to draw subscribers from other communities is a testament to the job Viacom 18 is doing, and it matches the cross-community emphasis that we take in our marketing and its mission,” said World On-Demand sales and distribution VP Sumit Ahuja.

Working from JWT’s New York and Paris offices, Selfridge had played critical role in evaluating, selecting, and continually improving technologies for job collaboration and exchange between the agency and JWT‘s clients.

Some of the brands on JWT‘s client roster include Rolex, Diageo, HSBC, Jetblue, Microsoft, Royal Caribbean and Kimberly-Clark.

“Over time I‘ve realised that it takes a lot of collaboration and consultation with our integrator and others to get the most out of our investment. That realisation helped pave the way for my involvement in the Xinet Users Group,” said Selfridge.

MUMBAI: AT&T will market and sell DirecTV‘s service as a co-branded satellite television offering from 1 February 2009.

As per the new agreement, AT&T/DirecTV customers will get DirecTV programming packages, with the benefit of a discount for bundling their wireless, home phone and broadband services with AT&T.

“Our focus is on providing customers with a better TV experience than cable,” said AT&T VP-video and entertainment Jeff Weber.

AT&T is in satellite agreement with Dish Network till 31 January and had made it clear that it will not be renewing its five-year partnership with Dish.

The partnership lets AT&T compete with cable companies’ “triple play” plans in markets where AT&T, the nation’s biggest phone company, does not have its own television service.

NEW DELHI: Yahoo! India has launched its first campaign, ‘Log on to new’ for its search engine service Yahoo! India Search.

The campaign is currently on air on both television and radio.

Says Yahoo! India director marketing Nitin Mathur, “There is a strong and compelling reason for us to go out to the market in a much more vocal way and talk about our story. Through this campaign, we want to further strengthen our connection with youth between the age group of 16-24 years in India and give people a reason to make Yahoo! India their starting point to the Internet. This campaign will bring strengthen Yahoo’s brand values in a contemporary manner and reinforce our leadership position as a lighthouse brand for new and first time users.”

The TVC shows a group of sky divers ready for a jump from a plane. The instructor advises the sky divers that after jumping from the plane they should count till 10 before opening their parachutes. One overenthusiastic diver asks to be the first one to jump off the plane. However, he stammers.

After jumping he begins counting till 10, but stammers very badly on each count, so by the time he reaches a count of five, he collides with the ground. With fear written all over his face, he desperately tries to latch on to the railing of a balcony, but misses it. And the sound of an ambulance reverberates.

The present TVC is scheduled to be followed by another campaign later this month. This will be on the Yahoo! Messenger service which is a key part of Yahoo‘s offering.