Sling TV adds à la carte channels, free shows and a rate hike

Sling TV pitches itself as a service for cord cutters, but there's always been one holdover: you've had to subscribe to a bundle of channels you don't necessarily want. Today, though, even that requirement is going away. Sling has introduced a new...

Bloomberg: Intel nearing TV service deals with Time Warner, Viacom and NBC

Bloomberg: Intel nearing TV service deals

It's a very poorly kept secret that Intel is looking to bust in the pay-TV business. Rumors have been circulating since at least December that the chip giant is working on its own set-top box and hopes to pair it with a "virtual cable" service that offers unbundled channels. Of course, content creators are reticent to give up the lucrative package deals they've struck, which require providers to serve up smaller outlets alongside popular ones. But the tides are starting to shift, and many are demanding that these channels be offered à la carte. According to Bloomberg, Intel is getting close to offering such a service and is reportedly closing in on deals with Time Warner, Viacom and NBC that would allow them to offer both live and on-demand content over the internet. Sources are reporting that the broad terms of the deal have been agreed to, and its only a few fine details and some financial terms that need to be finalized. Intel is also allegedly in talks with Disney, CBS and News Corp. Though, those negotiations are in the preliminary stages. If Intel can successfully land deals for CNN, Comedy Central, MTV and other properties owned by its supposed new partners then its TV experiment could stand a legitimate chance at success.

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Source: Bloomberg

HBO CEO casually mentions standalone HBO Go option for broadband subscribers, but it’s not à la carte

HBO CEO casually mentions standalone HBO Go option for broadband subscribers, but it's not  la carte

HBO's president and COO Erik Kessler stated just last month that having à la carte access to HBO isn't going to happen in the near future, but it seems that the channel's CEO has been mulling a compromise. According to a new Reuters report, Richard Plepler believes that while HBO "has the right model today," HBO Go -- its standalone app -- "could evolve." In what way, you ask? Presently, HBO Go only shows content to folks who subscribe to the channel via their pay-TV provider, but Plepler seems to think that there's potential to sell monthly access to the app itself so long as buyers are also subscribed to a broadband internet connection.

In other words, this wouldn't provide HBO access via one's cable box or DVR, but considering that HBO Go just recently gained AirPlay support, an iPad + Apple TV combo could effectively accomplish the same thing. Well, outside of the whole "live viewing" thing. Still, the concept of paying $10 or $15 per month for HBO Go (alongside broadband) could be quite compelling for up-and-coming cord cutters -- after all, these folks are used to watching shows after they air. Now, here comes the part where you wait for these thoughts to translate into reality. If we had to guess, we'd say that HBO's oh-so-friendly cable partners aren't going to be inclined to let such a solid idea actually happen.

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Source: Reuters

Verizon in talks to charge for TV channels based on real viewing time

Verizon in talks to charge for TV channels based on real viewing time

Few of us like paying for TV we don't use, and there's been attempts to fix a broken model that makes TV providers pay for channels in blocks, no matter the viewer interest. Verizon's lead programming negotiator, Terry Denson, has told the Wall Street Journal that a more logical usage-based approach may come to FiOS TV. The telecom firm is in talks with mid-size and smaller content companies to pay for channels only based on how long we watch: Verizon would pay whenever a subscriber tunes in for at least five minutes. In theory, it's a win-win strategy that lowers Verizon's overhead (and hopefully ours) while rewarding the more successful smaller channels. Of course, there's no guarantee that a deal will go through -- and while Verizon will ask about a similar model when renewing major contracts, Cablevision's battle shows how much media giants will resist disruption of a steady revenue stream.

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: Wall Street Journal

Verizon in talks to charge for TV channels based on real viewing time

Verizon in talks to charge for TV channels based on real viewing time

Few of us like paying for TV we don't use, and there's been attempts to fix a broken model that makes TV providers pay for channels in blocks, no matter the viewer interest. Verizon's lead programming negotiator, Terry Denson, has told the Wall Street Journal that a more logical usage-based approach may come to FiOS TV. The telecom firm is in talks with mid-size and smaller content companies to pay for channels only based on how long we watch: Verizon would pay whenever a subscriber tunes in for at least five minutes. In theory, it's a win-win strategy that lowers Verizon's overhead (and hopefully ours) while rewarding the more successful smaller channels. Of course, there's no guarantee that a deal will go through -- and while Verizon will ask about a similar model when renewing major contracts, Cablevision's battle shows how much media giants will resist disruption of a steady revenue stream.

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: Wall Street Journal

Redbox Instant targets launch by year-end, blends subscription streaming and DVD rentals with VOD

Redbox Instant targets launch by yearend, blends subscription streaming and DVD rentals with VOD

The last concrete details we'd heard about Redbox Instant was that it was entering internal alpha testing, but now Verizon exec Eric Bruno has revealed more background information. Previous info indicated the service would focus more heavily on movies than the back catalog of TV shows that is a part of Netflix Watch Instantly and Amazon Prime Instant Video, and Bloomberg reports Redbox will break with their models by paying its content providers per subscriber cable TV-style, instead of a flat rate decided up front. What customers will get is a monthly subscription and allotment of disc rentals from Redbox's kiosks, as well as access to VOD movie rentals and downloadable purchases through the service. The alpha test is currently in the hands of about 500 Verizon employees, with plans for a short public test before launching in a late November / mid-December time frame. The main unanswered question however is how much it will all cost, but knowing what we do now -- how much are you willing to pay?

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Redbox Instant targets launch by year-end, blends subscription streaming and DVD rentals with VOD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leica X2 gets à la carte, Paul Smith editions to help you stand out from plebeian photographers (update: hands-on)

Leica X2 gets  la carte, Paul Smith editions to help you stand out from plebeian photographers update handson

Let's say you've been considering a Leica X2 for the mix of a big APS-C sensor and retro styling, but a $1,995, fixed-range compact camera just isn't exclusive enough. Leica has you covered with two extra-rare editions that rise above the pack. Provided you don't mind someone else designing for you, the Edition Paul Smith spices things up with a mix of black, green and orange that reflects the UK fashion designer's love of stripes and wilder colors. Is the small 1,500-unit batch of Paul Smith cameras still too common? There's now an à la carte X2 option to limit the production run to exactly one. After picking from black, silver or new titanium colors for the main body, you can choose from a set of leather trim colors and get custom engraving to hedge against the unlikely event that anyone confuses your X2 with someone else's. Prices aren't immediately available for the October launches of both cameras. Not that it matters much -- if you're willing to even consider a special edition Leica, you already know that it's within your price range.

Zach Honig contributed to this report.

Continue reading Leica X2 gets à la carte, Paul Smith editions to help you stand out from plebeian photographers (update: hands-on)

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Leica X2 gets à la carte, Paul Smith editions to help you stand out from plebeian photographers (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 20:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers propose à la carte internet services, overhaul for web infrastructure

Researchers propose à la carte internet services, overhaul for web infrastructure

A quintet of researchers funded by the National Science Foundation have envisioned a new internet architecture, one where features could be purchased à la carte. The proposed framework would allow users to fine tune their experience by choosing from a variety of connection services. Let's say, for example, that a customer's connection is fine for browsing the web, but it doesn't pass muster for streaming content -- a service dedicated to video delivery could be added to close the gap. "Ultimately, this should make the internet more flexible and efficient, and will drive innovation among service providers to cater to user needs," report co-author Rudra Dutta told The Abstract. A piecemeal next-gen web is no easy feat, however, as it would require revamping the web's infrastructure with new protocols for choosing particular features, completing payments and monitoring network performance. The group's rough blueprint will be presented at a conference next week, but you can thumb through their short paper at the source.

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Researchers propose à la carte internet services, overhaul for web infrastructure originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Verizon’s CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it

Verizon CEO Lowell C. McAdam doesn't quite have all of those SpectrumCo AWS licenses in his pocket just yet, but if he does get them he has a decidedly old school idea of what to flood the airwaves with: TV. The Wall Street Journal quotes him saying Verizon and its new cable friends could have "the beginnings of an integrated offering" out by the holidays, so pay-TV customers could watch video on their mobile devices. Even though many of the TV services are already streaming video to tablets, PCs and phones, currently most subscription services are limited to the space of the home's WiFi network, unlike the video on-demand seen above. According to McAdam the potential to negotiate rights for outside the home streaming and even busting open the bundles for à la carte programming exist -- provided the FCC and DOJ allow Verizon to complete the proposed $3.9 billion purchase. Of course, consumption based billing would still be on the table, so don't start planning your streaming schedule just yet. For now we'll wait and see if the pros of this arrangement outweigh the cons (and how its Redbox play is mixed up in this), or if the pie-in-the-sky NowTV-style elements of the plan are merely being floated to get the deal done.

Verizon's CEO has a plan for wireless pay-TV, if the government will allow it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Mar 2012 23:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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