Media

Subscribers to Verizon FiOS TV now have the ability to download a range of premium video to rent or buy onto several devices including Windows PC's, the Blackberry Storm2, HTC HD2, Motorola Droid 2 and Droid X.

NEW YORK — Yahoo will significantly increase its original video offering in 2011 with a new business show on Yahoo Finance,  scripted entertainment programming and with news video in a number of vertical areas, say Erin McPhearson, VP & Head of Originals and Video Programming, Yahoo! in this video interview with Beet.TV

While Netflix, the MLB.com and Amazon have sophisticated payment systems in place on the Roku platform, smaller publishers have few options to generate subscription or pay-per-view payments.

MONACO — KickApps, the New York-based online video platform, known for helping publishers with video integration into social networks, is integrating its player/platform with NBC Universal for all its online video — both its destination sites and for syndication, says CEO Alex Blum in this exclusive interview with Beet.TV.

MONACO — The digital properties of the BBC Worldwide have been quickly growing, up 18 percent over the past twelve months to 65 million unique visitors in October, according to comScore.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Merton, the American singer/piano player, whose videos on YouTube have garnered over 20 million views, has found a way to parlay his fame into a paying gig with a series of piano improv performances at several U.K. airports and other public venues, sponsored by T-Mobile.

SAN FRANCISCO –  StumbleUpon, the big content referral engine, in which new content discoveries aka "stumbles" are referred to others, is moving directly into video discovery with a new video player and strategy.

Ran Harnevo, whose video syndication business 5Min was purchased by AOL in October for a reported $65 million, will head the growing online video operation at AOL, the company announced today.

MONACO —  Declaring that news providers in the U.S. are not “satisfying the needs” of publishers and broadcasters, Reuters will be expanding its offerings in the United States, with major announcements to come over the next couple of months, says Chris Ahearn, President of Media, Thomson Reuters in this exclusive video interview with Beet.TV

MONACO — As viewership of online video around the world continues to soar, there is not nearly enough quality video content for advertisers, says Carolyn Everson, Microsoft’s head of global sales in this video interview with Beet.TV

MONACO — With the approval of its governing body, the BBC is readying the global introduction of the iPlayer, the highly successful video on-demand platform which registered 139 million video program views in October.

MONACO —     Ushahidi, the crowd-sourced mapping platform, which launched during the disputed Kenya elections in 2007 and has been used recently by the BBC around the Tube strike and The Guardian for the Pope's visit to London, is now in seven languages and is becoming a commercial venture, founder Ory Okolloh told Beet.TV in […]

In an extensive story in The New York Times, Ron Leiber explains how Zagat's decision to keep its content behind a paywall has put it far behind in Web traffic and Google search ranking, placing it behind newer competitors such as Yelp.

Next New Networks, the New York-based company which produces and distributes original, entertainment for the Web, will double its network of independent producers in 2011.

Vevo, the online music video site hit 55 million unique visitors in the U.S. in October, according comScore.

In a significant development for smaller Web video producers, who have had to rely largely on word of mouth to get their videos seen, clips are now being surfaced daily on the giant home page of AOL. The page  attracts 15 million visitors per day.

Tremor Media has announced the acquisition of ScanScout, another large online video advertising network.

NEW YORK — Patch, a network of over 300 local news sites, saw its traffic surge by 300 percent on November 2 as visitors sought local results of the mid-term elections.

LOS ANGELES — While the television industry is abuzz in anticipation over Google TV, the big story in the convergence of television and the Web could be the Xbox, says Forrester's James McQuivey, a top industry analyst.

With the death this of longtime John F. Kennedy adviser Theordore C. Sorensen, the New York Times published a long obituary accompanies by a 27-minute video documentary on Sunday.