Digital spending for sell-through, VOD and streaming made up more than half of U.S. home entertainment sales for the first time in Q2, said a report from the Digital Entertainment Group. VOD spending slipped 3.7 percent to $551 million, while electronic sell-through ($510 million) rose 22 percent and subscription streaming ($1.1 billion) rose 23 percent, said DEG Friday. Total digital spending rose 15 percent to $2.2 billion, it said. And home entertainment subscription spending rose 16 percent to $1.3 billion, said DEG.
Netflix didn't violate the Video Privacy Protection Act or California Civil Code Section 1799.3 when it disclosed a subscriber’s viewing history to third parties -- specifically a subscriber’s family, friends and guests, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday. To assist subscribers in adding videos to their queues or selecting videos to watch instantly, Netflix gives customers lists of recommended videos, the 9th Circuit said. “These recommendations are generated through the use of predictive software that analyzes, among other things, a subscriber’s rental history,” the court said. “Netflix displays a subscriber’s queue and recommendations lists automatically on a subscriber’s account home page.” Subscribers can edit and delete titles from the queue, but can’t hide or remove the queue or other lists displayed by Netflix, meaning they're available for others to see when subscribers accesses their account, said the ruling. Because the personally identifiable information is only available only to those who have been given access to a subscriber’s account, the 9th Circuit said the company didn’t violate the law. Judge Raymond Dearie wrote the opinion on behalf of himself and Judges Johnnie Rawlinson and Richard Tallman. It upheld a lower court's ruling. Plaintiffs Meghan Mollett and Tracy Hellwig couldn't be immediately reached for comment Monday.
Ciena completed its acquisition of software provider Cyan for nearly $488 million in cash and stock considerations, said Ciena in a news release Monday. The company will unify its own software activities with those of Cyan to create its new Blue Planet division, it said.
The Downloadable Security Technology Advisory Committee (DSTAC) plans its sixth meeting Tuesday, a public notice issued Thursday said. The DSTAC’s congressionally mandated report is due Sept. 4, and Tuesday's is the second to last remaining meeting on the schedule. The group's final meeting is slated for Aug. 28. According to the agenda, Tuesday's meeting will include discussion of how to resolve the separate efforts of the committee’s two working groups and the final process for drafting the report.
Comments and submissions for the 17th FCC video competition report are due Aug. 21, replies Sept. 21, the agency said in a notice in Friday's Federal Register. The report will focus on the 2014 video market and how the industry performance is aligned with such FCC goals as increased competition and diversity in multichannel video programming distribution, increased availability of satellite-delivered programming and more development of communications technologies.
Univision Communications signed a deal with Snapchat for the social media company to create “unique Live Stories” around Univision sports and entertainment events, the broadcaster said in a Thursday news release. Snapchat’s Live Stories let users at the same event contribute photos and video “Snaps” to form one collective story. “Snapchat curates each Live Story, aiming to capture how participants are experiencing the event from all angles,” Univision said. The partnership will begin with the Gold Cup Final on Sunday, and Snapchat and Univision are plan a Live Story tied to the soccer event Copa America Centenario next summer, it said.
Bluesound now offers iHeartRadio, the high-res wireless audio company said Wednesday. The iHeart Radio library includes more than 20 million songs and “thousands” of live U.S. radio stations, the companies said. Bluesound users also can create custom music stations from the iHeartRadio library. Other free services offered on Bluesound are Slacker Radio (basic) and TuneIn. Premium music services available for Bluesound users include Deezer, Juke, Murfie, Napster, Qobuz, Rdio, Rhapsody, Spotify, Tidal and WiMP, Bluesound said.
SFX and Spotify established a content distribution partnership that involves the inclusion of audio and video content from SFX's Beatport service on Spotify, a joint news release said Wednesday. The deal will allow Beatport, an electronic music content supplier, to host "a variety of premium and exclusive content" on Spotify, which includes new music and video coverage of live events, they said. It said Beatport launched its own streaming service and mobile apps earlier this year, and has more than 5 million registered users.
E.W. Scripps acquired podcast content provider Midroll Media, said Scripps in a Wednesday news release. It said the 5-year-old acquiree produces original podcasts and operates a network generating revenue for more than 200 shows.
The Department of Commerce and the National Foreign Trade Council's Global Innovation Forum have partnered to aid startups and small businesses in accessing the global marketplace, a Forum news release said Wednesday. The partnership pairs the forum and its members with the Obama administration's National Export Initiative, the release said, and will accelerate the Commerce Department's Startup Global, an initiative designed to "help more startup firms think global from the earliest stages" of growth. “The Obama administration is committed to ensuring American entrepreneurs have the tools they need to prepare for global success from day one," Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said in a statement.