Hasta La Gadget!

Amazon only managed to land a slice of CBS’ library for Prime Instant Video on the first pass; it’s coming back for a second helping, including one of its first cracks at genuinely recent content from the network. A widened licensing deal gives subscribers access to further CBS and Showtime series that include Jericho, The L Word and an unspecified number of other shows. And for those intrigued by the broadcaster’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s Under the Dome, Amazon will be the only choice for many viewers: Prime Instant Video will be the exclusive home for subscription streaming and purchased downloads of the series, delivering streaming episodes about four days after their air date in order to shelter CBS’ traditional advertisers. Amazon may not have have completely locked in an audience between this and the Downton Abbey deal, but the recent set of exclusives is likely to leave Netflix feeling nervous.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon

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Source: Amazon Instant Video

Brits who shop enough at Tesco to be on a first name basis with the clerks may soon have a reward that doesn’t require leaving home. The UK retail chain is currently testing Clubcard TV, a web-based movie and TV streaming hub that would be a free perk of Clubcard membership. As it exists in beta form, the Blinkbox-derived service won’t have Lovefilm or Netflix quaking in their boots: there’s a limited slate of mostly family-oriented fare, and Tesco’s notion of TV streaming involves the video output on a laptop. While neither is an issue as long as the trial is limited to staff, we hope there’s a richer platform by the time Clubcard TV is open to anyone with a lot of grocery shopping in mind.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Via: The Telegraph

Source: Clubcard TV

We’ve clearly crossed a psychological barrier to digital media adoption when major content providers are going online-first on a regular basis. The BBC, despite its sometimes stuffy image, is revealing that it’s just as eager to break with tradition: it’s been given the go-ahead for a trial that will offer content on iPlayer before it appears on TV. The year-long test will offer up to 40 hours of regular BBC shows in advance, with no TV license fee required. While the selection of shows isn’t yet public, the offering should be a bolder experiment than usual in showing whether or not iPlayer can serve as more than a catch-up tool or repository for exclusives. Let’s hope it does — we’d like to see online services treated as first-class citizens.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: BBC

Anyone who’s planning to catch up on Downton Abbey on their preferred service may want to plan a viewing marathon very soon: Amazon has struck a deal to become the exclusive home of the period drama on subscription-based streaming video platforms. Starting June 18th, only those Amazon Prime Instant Video members will have access to the third season and beyond on a commercial service without paying per show. The terms don’t stop there — seasons one and two will be pulled from other services later on in the year. While we’re sure Kindle Fire owners will be happy, the move won’t thrill those who want more of a choice as to how they keep up on their pseudo-historical intrigue.

Update: We’ve since gotten in touch with a source near the agreement that supports what The Verge heard: season one will disappear from Netflix on July 1st.

Filed under: Internet, HD, Amazon

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Amazon’s officially pumped its original programming push up to 11. The mega-retailer’s studio has just green-lit five kids series, enlisting the help of some of the industry’s top creators. The list includes Teeny Tiny Dogs, produced by The Jim Henson Company, Creative Galaxy, created by Blues Clues‘ Angela Santomero and Oz Adventures, based on the classic L. Frank Baum books. Once production is wrapped, the shows will be available for free on Amazon Instant Video, Prime Instant Video, Lovefilm UK and Lovefilm Germany. More info on the shows can be found in a press release after the break.

Filed under: HD, Amazon

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