Sony HD movie channel may launch soon
on July 7, 2010
A new movie channel dubbed Sony Pictures Movies HD will possibly launch Oct. 1, tapping into Sony’s extensive library of films which includes blockbuster titles such as Angels & Demons and Spider-Man 3. This news comes via the Los Angeles Times which reports Sony Television plans to launch two new channels in the United States. The Sony movie channel may launch along with Fearnet, a joint venture between Sony, Lionsgate and Comcast Corp which already offers horror genre films on demand and online. Sony has already launched television channels abroad but has yet to do so in U.S. markets. Full Story
TechCrunch wrote an article today which reports 600,000 television viewers pulled-the-plug on paid subscriptions in 2009 (adding up to about 800,000 over the last two years). The article, (citing a report from Convergence Consulting Group), estimates 1.6 million people will use other methods of watching television shows and movies (including over-the-internet and over-the-air) by the end of 2011. The studies from Convergence attribute much of the decline in paid subscribers to the growth of online viewing, using websites such as Hulu and Netflix. 
The future for video-on-demand looks particularly bright this week. A recent study published by Infonetics Research has shown that spending for video-on-demand and content servers as well as other VOD infrastructure components and devices by cable and IPTV service providers to be steady at $625 million in 4Q09, though overall video infrastructure spending was down for 2009 due to the recession in North America and Europe. 
Coinstar CEO Paul Davis said Redbox will most likely begin offering Blu-ray Disc rentals from its over 22,000 rental kiosks throughout the U.S. by the middle of 2010, that according to Home Media Magazine. Although a rental fee was yet to be determined, the CEO said the fee will “for sure be higher” than standard DVDs. 
Dish Network says they have reached a milestone, now providing satellite TV service to 14 million customers in the U.S. The company added over 150,000 subscribers in the present quarter, and says they lead the nation in international channels, offering 175 channels in 28 languages. 
BigBox DVD rental kiosks offer something different than other movie rental services, renting by the hour. According to the company, you can rent a new DVD release for as little as 6 cents per hour, older than one year DVDs for 4 cents per hour, and Blu-ray Discs for 9 cents per hour. A little math…24x.09=$2.16. Not bad. Renting a hi-def disc for 24 hours will cost you $2.16. 
Study predicts more than than 47 million American households will be subscribing to some type of high-definition TV service by the end of 2008. 
- Limited Time
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