An Interface by Any Other Name…
Over the last ten years there has been an explosion in devices, apps, and content marketplaces, all champing at the bit to deliver ever-improving TV experiences. This revolution has birthed the terms cord-cutter, cord-shaver, and cord never. It’s disrupted the way content is traditionally distributed and completely redesigned the interfaces we use to watch TV. It may seem superficial, but these interfaces may be the most critical part of the modern streaming video experience. Whether you’re using a Roku, an Apple TV, an Amazon Fire, a Chromecast, or one of the dozens of other streaming boxes
Winter is Coming for Set-top Boxes: How Game of Thrones and the FCC’s Set-Top Box Proposal are Intertwined
Last night, HBO’s wildly popular Game of Thrones returned for its sixth season. We won’t provide any spoilers for those who haven’t yet watched the show but we will highlight an aspect of the show that is important for tech policy and the FCC’s set-top box mandate. That aspect is how the show can be watched via so many sources, from different providers, as part of different packages and on many different devices. Last night, you could have watched Game of Thrones via the following devices besides the TV in your living room–smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, streaming set-top boxes like Roku
The FCC Set-Top Box Mandate is Not Only Unnecessary but Legally Unsustainable
Twenty years ago, watching TV meant sitting at home in front of a television set, probably in the living room. It came through a box sitting next to the TV, and if you wanted to watch TV in a different room that it meant setting up a different box and a different connection. Today, apps, tablets, smartphones, streaming services, TV Everywhere technology, and near-ubiquitous Wi-Fi have given consumers more choices than ever as to where, when, and how they watch TV. These innovations have come from all kinds of service providers and tech companies, all of which are innovating rapidly and to
White House May Think Weighing in on Boxes is Good Politics, but It's Bad Government
This morning, the White House published a blog on an ongoing FCC proceeding discussing the future of TV technology and weighing in on what kind of set top box you should have in your home. We are disappointed that White House political advisers are choosing to inject politics and inflammatory rhetoric into a regulatory proceeding by what is supposed to be an independent agency. Consumers and regulated companies have the right to expect decisions affecting their businesses are made based on sound analysis of the record and not the political interests of the executive branch. To see the White
Discovery VR is Celebrating the Story that is Earth
Discovery has long been known for telling the story of all that is Earth. And while that core story hasn’t changed, the way the network is telling or will tell that story in the future will only get more intimate, personal, complimentary, and exciting. Launched last August, Discovery VR features content that not only plays off some of Discovery’s on-air programming, but that also spans several of Discovery’s linear and web-native networks and content that is independent of Discovery as well. Audiences can dive under water in the Bahamas and swim with sharks from the angle of a diver, up close
Pivot TV: The Network Inspiring Millennials to Social Action
Earlier this year, a documentary called Codegirl aired on Pivot TV and showed the experiences of young girls around the world in their quest to design life-changing mobile apps. The program, however, seemed to serve a dual purpose. One was of course to inform viewers of the various social issues impacting different regions of the globe. The other was to mobilize the younger generation, particularly women, to effect social change around them through the pursuit of careers in what is usually a male-dominated STEM field. And therein lies what makes Pivot a network unique among the rest: the call
How El Rey is Diversifying Television, On and Off the Screen
Have you ever seen Lucha Underground? At a quick glance, you might mistake it for the WWE, but if you take a closer look you’ll come to realize the show stands for a lot more than just wrestling—it’s a mix of cultures, passionate personalities, multiple storylines complete with a bilingual fan base. Taking after the “lucha libre” wrestling style of Mexico while also combining elements of America pro wrestling, the show very much sums up what the mantra of its network, El Rey, is all about. Born three years ago and founded by filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, El Rey reaches over 40 million households
HBO Initiative Makes Hollywood Careers Tangible for D.C. Locals
The start of March was an exciting time in the nation’s capital for many Veep fans and Julia Louise-Dreyfus aficionados. The HBO Emmy-award winning series was in the District for a week-long shoot, and fans took to Twitter and local blogs to share stories of their celebrity sightings. But the show’s stint in D.C. added an additional layer of excitement for the city as several locals were afforded the opportunity to work on set through the network’s Production Assistant Trainee Program as part of a larger program, HBO & Cinemax Community Impact Program. The initiative is one that continues to
Are You Enjoying March Madness the Right Way?
You’ve broken out the brackets and dialed the trash talk to eleven because as of yesterday, you’re in full March Madness swing. In years long past all of this meant rushing home or out to the bar to catch big games. More recently, it’s meant loading up your DVR with piles of games and zooming through them as quickly as possible before going to bed. But this year, streaming TV users will be able to watch in whole new ways. First, there’s the all new NCAA March Madness Live app built by the NCAA, Turner Sports, and CBS, which is available on all of the major streaming platforms. NCAA says, “NCAA
The Rise of the Virtual Reality Social Network
“Imagine being able to sit in front of a campfire and hang out with friends anytime you want. Or being able to watch a movie in a private theatre with your friends anytime you want.” That’s what Mark Zuckerberg posed in front of the Mobile World Congress last month as he discussed the future of Facebook and his plans to delve into virtual reality. Well, as it turns out, you can do all of that now, and you don’t necessarily need to go through costly hoops and high-end equipment to experience it. Mobile VR is making headway worldwide and game developers have been hard at work as they’ve taken