Blog
Blog posts, opinion pieces, news and features about video on-demand.
Shakespeare Day Live: The full BBC iPlayer line-up
April 19, 2016 | David FarnorSaturday 23rd April marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death – and BBC iPlayer is celebrating in style.
Shakespeare Day Live will take place across the whole of Saturday, with a host of events streaming live on a dedicated pop-up … Read More
Netflix hits 81m subscribers – but tough times are ahead
April 19, 2016 | David FarnorNetflix has hit 81 million subscribers around the world, following its global expansion at the start of the year – but tough times are ahead.
In January, the streaming giant launched in 130 new countries simultaneously, giving the site unprecedented … Read More
Sky and Sony sign exclusive pan-European deal
April 18, 2016 | David FarnorSky and Sony Pictures Television have signed a new deal that will give Sky subscribers streaming access to the studio’s titles over a year before any other subscription service.
The agreement is the first multi-territory deal with a major Hollywood … Read More
Sky snaps up exclusive UK streaming rights to Adventure Time
April 18, 2016 | David FarnorSky has snapped up the exclusive streaming rights to Adventure Time in the UK.
Sky and Turner have agreed a long-term deal so Sky customers will be able to watch more shows from Turner’s portfolio of kids channels, including Cartoon … Read More
Louis C.K. announces end of Horace and Pete
April 18, 2016 | David FarnorLouis C.K. has officially announced the end of his web series, Horace and Pete.
The show, which arrives online in January 2016 with no warning or promotion whatsoever, has swiftly become one of the most interesting – and perhaps one … Read More
PewDiePie passes 43m subscribers as YouTube growth continues
April 17, 2016 | David FarnorPewDiePie now has more than 43 million subscribers on YouTube. Already the most popular channel on the whole site, Swedish gamer Felix Kjellberg isn’t about to lose that title any time soon – but he also now represents a growing … Read More
This week’s new releases on BFI Player+ (16th April)
April 16, 2016 | David FarnorHeard of BFI Player? Well, there’s also BFI Player+, a subscription service that offers an all-you-can-eat selection of hand-picked classics.
Every Friday, Mark Kermode highlights one of the collection’s titles with a video introduction. This week, it’s Nosferatu the … Read More
Record growth for UKTV as broadcaster invests in original content
April 16, 2016 | David FarnorUK TV has announced a significant leap in revenue, ratings and programme investment in the last year.
The UK’s broadcasting network delivered 9.31 per cent SOCI across 2015, putting it ahead of the Channel 5 portfolio (9.27 per cent) and … Read More
Is Amazon about to take on UK pay-TV providers?
April 16, 2016 | David FarnorAmazon may be about to take on UK pay-TV providers with its own streaming network.
SVOD services and pay-TV providers, such as Sky or Virgin, have often been thought of as rivals to each other. Recent figures from Barb, though, … Read More
New releases and coming soon to MUBI UK this week (16th April 2016)
April 16, 2016 | David FarnorNot getting your art-house fix from Netflix? Wish there were more indie films on Amazon Prime Video? Every week, we round up the new releases on MUBI, the subscription VOD service that hand-picks new and old classics from around the … Read More