Not content to let Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu corner the market on original streaming TV shows, Facebook is reportedly trying to carve out a spot for itself in the entertainment business with its own scripted programming. [More]
entertainment
Chinese Entertainment Company Won’t Be Buying Dick Clark Productions After All
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Chinese entertainment giant Dalian Wanda will be keeping $1 billion in its pocket after a proposed deal to purchase Dick Clark productions fell through. [More]
Bankrupt Big Apple Circus Will Stay Alive Under New Ownership
By 2.14.17
The show must go on, and for the Big Apple Circus, that hackneyed old saying is actually true: A judge has approved a deal that will save the circus by selling its tents, equipment, and intellectual property to an investment firm. [More]
Is Netflix’s DVD Service Doomed?
By 1.19.17
When we talk about video nowadays, the conversation is usually about streaming content and the services that provide them. While Netflix’s DVD service is still kicking — and even has its very own app — it’s been losing customers steadily for years. And now, with the latest quarter’s subscriber exodus, some are wondering whether the disc-based service’s time is limited. [More]
Chinese Factory Accused Of Labor Violations Loses Disney Contract
By 11.30.16
“Dongguan Qing Xi Juantiway Plastic Factory” isn’t a household name, but you’d probably recognize the products it made for the world’s largest entertainment company: the factory was one of thousands making official products featuring Disney characters. [More]
New Vizio Owner LeEco Is In The Ecosystem Business, Not The Gadget Business
By 7.28.16
Earlier this week, TV-maker Vizio announced that it had been acquired by the Chinese company LeEco. “Who?” you might have said. Even people in China would have said the same thing until a few years ago, but now the company is a conglomerate that sells streaming video and smartphones, and electric cars. [More]
Texas-Based Retailer Hastings Files For Bankruptcy; Looks To Sell 126 Stores
By 6.14.16
Following in the footsteps of companies like Blockbuster, Borders, and other retailers that sold or rented books, movies, and video games, Hastings Entertainment is bowing to years of faltering sales, filing for bankruptcy on Monday. [More]
Delta To Offer Free In-Flight Streaming Entertainment Starting Next Month
By 6.3.16
If movies and TV shows make your flying experience more enjoyable, Delta Air Lines has some good news for you: by July 1, the carrier will make all of its in-flight entertainment for free. [More]
American Airlines Bringing Back Free Snacks, Meals On Some Flights
By 2.1.16
Nearly two months after United Airlines said it would turn back the clock and start providing passengers with free nibbles, American Airlines is also jumping on the snack bandwagon, once again offering complimentary treats — and, on some flights, free meals — to economy-class travelers. [More]
Hyatt Ditching On-Demand Porn In Hotel Rooms
By 10.15.15
Consumers looking to sneak in an adult film or two while on their next business trip might want to make sure their room isn’t reserved at a Hyatt property: the hotel company says it will no longer offer on-demand adult entrainment in its rooms. [More]
United Airlines Expands In-Flight Entertainment To Android Devices
By 11.24.14
Travelers who use Android devices hoping to catch a movie on their next United Airlines flight finally have the same opportunity already afforded to their Apple counterparts. [More]
Netflix Explains How It Comes Up With Its Recommendations
By 4.9.12
Sometimes Netflix is able to peek deep into your soul and tell you exactly which movies you’ll want to watch next, and other times it suggests Power Rangers Samurai. The company is now offering a behind the curtain to explain how it plays matchmaker with you and all the lonely movies out there. [More]
Illinois Attorney General Twists AMC's Arm, Makes It Accommodate Disabled Moviegoers
By 4.5.12
It took pressure from the Illinois Attorney General, but AMC Theatres agreed to make adjustments that allow blind and deaf people to enjoy movies in more of the chain’s theaters in the state. The chain agreed to add captioning and audio-description features to 460 screens. Before the deal, only a couple dozen AMC theaters in Illinois offered the technology. [More]
Amazon Instant Video Hitches A Ride On PS3 To Hit More TVs
By 4.4.12
Access to Amazon Instant Video’s streaming library has been a nice perk to signing up for Amazon Prime. But the service was never particularly useful to many customers who like to sit back on their couch and watch stuff on TV rather than stare at a computer screen. Now Amazon has cut a deal with the PS3 that draws it closer to competitors Netflix and Hulu Plus, which both stream on the Wii and Xbox 360 in addition to Sony’s console. [More]
Cineastes Bicker Over Virtues, Drawbacks Of Darker, Grainier New Casablanca Blu-ray
By 3.29.12
Since the dawn of home video, movie lovers have debated the implications of screwing with old movie prints to make them look better. The advent of Blu-ray has drawn a line between traditionalists who adore the rough-hewn, old-school look of grainy images and those who prefer technicians to buff out the grain in favor of sharper, smoother visuals. The latest battlefront in the debate pits the new dark-toned, supposedly more true-to-the-original Casablanca Blu-ray release, which follows a brighter, cleaner-looking 2008 edition. [More]
2 Big Studios Won't Float In Apple's Movie Cloud
By 3.8.12
Drowned out in all the hullabaloo over Apple’s unveiling of the next iPad was its announcement that its cloud storage of movies had gone live. Those who have bought movies from iTunes can now stream their films onto their Apple devices. Two studios, though — 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures — aren’t letting their films come out and play for now. [More]
Report: Netflix Wants To Piggyback On Cable Services
By 3.7.12
If reported deals between Netflix and cable giants go through, the company’s streaming service will be offered as a bonus to cable packages. Netflix is said to be negotiating with several cable companies to add its service as a possible premium on-demand option. [More]
Starz Movies Fall Off Netflix Streaming This Week
By 2.28.12
Your Netflix streaming queue is probably about to get a bit lighter. As we noted back in September, Netflix and Starz did not renew their deal, meaning about 800 movies will be leaving Netflix’s streaming service by the end of the week. [More]
