Entertainment hourly.
I'm a big advocate of the video site Hulu, which streams movies and TV shows for free (they are commercial-supported). But there's still a huge list of shows, like The Hills, that aren't available on Hulu. The website Sling — brought to you by the masterminds of the SlingPlayer — is adding Viacom Shows (like The Hills) to its full streaming lineup. Viacom shows that were exclusively on Hulu Read more
The Terminator will be added to the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. — Zap2It Unless a deal is struck today, Time Warner Cable subscribers will lose Viacom channels (MTV, Comedy Central, etc.) just after midnight tonight. — Variety Fox is looking to delay the release of Watchmen. — Reuters Funny Games star Michael Pitt has been cast in Martin Scorsese's HBO pilot, Boardwalk Read more
If you've ever checked out YouTube clips from The Daily Show and The Colbert Report (among many others), your information may soon be released to Viacom — they've been granted access to private user data to find out how many people are watching! Part of a copyright infringement lawsuit, Google was ordered to release the deets about how many times copyrighted clips are played, and who's Read more
There was news this week that Viacom, which owns Showtime (as well as CBS, the CW, Paramount Pictures, and approximately a billion other things), will be launching a new pay-cable channel in 2009. Unlike Showtime and HBO, which carry both movies and TV series, this new channel will have movies only. I'm a relatively new subscriber to premium channels, but it was the TV series, not the movies, Read more
The Daily Show's Demetri Martin reports on the current legal dispute between Viacom and Google. Yadda, yawn, yadda. But the paper dolls and t-shirt backdrop set it all up nicely, which is why this is the best reporting I've encountered in a while. So sit back and let DJ Demetri breaka-break this shizzle down for you. Read more
Viacom (my old fabulous employers) are suing one of my new favorite companies, YouTube. We all know YouTube is worth billions now that they are part of Google's family and Viacom owner Sumner Redstone is not taking it lightly that they are making money off many of his network's programs. In fact, today Viacom announced they are suing the video site for more than $1 billion!!! Hopefully they Read more
Netflix recently shocked its customers by announcing that it would split its streaming and DVD rental company in half, essentially forcing customers to deal with two separate subscriptions — Netflix for streaming, and newly founded company Quickster for DVDs. Netflix's recent price bump may have angered customers, but this move has sent loyal movie watchers over the edge. GeekSugar Twitter Read more
Good news for those wishing to stream movies online: Hollywood movie studio Miramax joins the streaming media crowd with the launch of a Facebook app called Miramax eXperience. For $3, rent any of the available movies, like Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill (in addition to previously mentioned Doctor Who episodes) for commercial free viewing on Facebook, iPad, and GoogleTV. Miramax's foray into Facebook Read more
Nearly 200,000 Americans canceled their cable or satellite subscription this quarter. This loss comes as no surprise (since cable and satellite subscriptions have been heading downward all year), and while some folks are cutting back on monthly bills due to the down economy, some are moving to online streaming options. If you're toying with the idea of canceling your outrageously priced cable Read more
Walmart announced today its streaming media service, VUDU. The company bought VUDU in 2010 and has finally integrated the HD digital media rental company into the Walmart website. The service is accessible through the VUDU page on Walmart's website or from VUDU-enabled devices like certain HDTVs, Blu-ray players, or PlayStation 3. Customers do not sign up for a subscription, but rather pay per Read more
