Hasta La Gadget!

Adding to the growing competition against traditional cable service providers, Sony has achieved a preliminary deal with Viacom in regards to offering the network’s content on its planned Internet-based TV service. The information comes from sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal, stating that before the deal is finalized, Sony needs to lay out […]

Late last month, a failure to negotiate fees between Time Warner Cable and CBS resulted in the first company dropping the latter one from its service in many markets, causing about 3 million people to lose access to the network. Although a truce was offered earlier this month, the spat continues, and in its wake […]

In February, Comcast began testing a pre-paid Xfinity Internet service in a few states, and now has begun doing the same for a pre-paid cable TV service. Thus far, the service provider hasn’t detailed what markets have access to the service, with its “Check Availability” tool not working presently. The plans have been detailed, however, […]

Google has approached media networks in recent times about licensing their content for an Internet TV streaming service, according to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. This comes a day after different sources spoke of Apple’s television-dabbling ambitions, with the company reportedly approaching media companies about an advertisement-skipping service.

Reportedly, the service Google has in mind would work by streaming traditional television to subscribers via a broadband connection, something it certainly isn’t the first to pursue. Competitors would range from regional offerings to big-name companies, such as Sony, Intel and Apple. Though Google hasn’t commented on the rumor, it reportedly has gone so far as to demonstrate the service in action.

Sources said that there is at least one instance of Google demonstrating the Internet-streamed TV product to a company that it approached about licensing content. There’s no word on how the companies have responded, if any of them have entered into negotiations, and what kind of terms Google is looking for. This isn’t, however, the first time Google has tried this.

According to the sources, Google also approached companies with a similar proposal a couple years ago, with nothing much coming of them. Things have changed in the last couple years, however, and with some of the changes that have taken place, media companies may be more receptive to working with Google – and others like it – with their respective goals.

Many consumers have already ditched traditional cable in favor of online options, among them being things like Netflix, Hulu, Vudu, and even networks’ own various websites. Set-top boxes make this process easier, aggregating content into a single interface where it can be easily streamed to a television. Google’s plans are different, however, with its Internet service streaming television in the form of channels much like traditional cable and satellite.

SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal

Google reportedly seeking licensing for Internet-streamed television service is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Aereo has restructured their pricing plans for their antenna television and DVR service. Plans will now start at $8 per month, which gives you access to the service with 20 hours of DVR storage. $12 per month will see your DVR storage bumped up 40 hours to a total of 60 hours of DVR time. Furthermore, there’s no contract to sign, allowing you to sign up for the service essentially risk-free for a whole month.

Aereo is also giving new customers one month free when they sign up, and since there aren’t any contracts or commitments to sign your life away, new users could basically use that first free month as a free trial if they’d like. This is certainly a smart move on the company’s end, as it gives potential users the opportunity to try out the service in depth without paying any money at first.

By moving down to just two plans, Aereo got rid of three of its previous options, including the one hour free trial, as well as the $1 per day plan and the $80 per year annual plan. The annual plan allowed to save more money by committing for a year, but the new plans give you more incentive to upgrade to the $12 per month plan, which offers 60 hours of DVR time, as opposed to just 40 hours.

The $8 per month plan stays the same, and you’ll get free month of service instead of just an hour of trial time. Overall, the plans are a lot more simplified, but they aren’t all that much better or cheaper. The only big difference is that the $12 plan gives you 20 hours more of DVR storage, which Aereo is hoping that most people will opt for. The new plans officially go into affect on May 15.

If you haven’t heard of Aereo before, or aren’t really sure what it’s all about, it’s essentially a service that brings live broadcast television to users over the internet by taking regular antenna signals and streaming them online for customers. The company has been in some heat with television networks, claiming that Aereo is taking away viewers illegally. However, Aereo remains to stay for now, and it’s continuing its expansion across the northeast US as well speak, just recently hitting Boston.

Aereo streamlines pricing plans by axing annual and daily options is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.