online TV

Verizon Communications Inc. is aiming for a spring 2018 launch for its new online TV service, which has been delayed at least twice as the telecommunications giant grapples with how to compete in the media world, according to people familiar with the matter. While Verizon has shared its plans with TV networks, the timing of the web-based, live TV service’s introduction remains tentative and could be further postponed.

After an eight-year absence from television, the multiple Emmy-winning comedian has signed a massive pact with Netflix for two stand-up specials. Sources say Rock has secured a whopping $40 million for the specials, which sets a new high-water mark for a stand-up comic.

For the first time, digital devices and streaming services (and the viewers that embrace them) will be incorporated into Nielsen’s industry standard ratings system.

Overall, TV Everywhere content consumption grew 246% year-over-year, excluding data from the Sochi Olympics, according to a new survey from Adobe. More consumers search and consume TV content on devices running Apple’s operating system. iOS apps now surpass browsers for the first time as the most popular access type for TV Everywhere, taking 43% market share in 1Q 2014, up from 41% in the year-ago quarter.

Following the success of Netflix and a fresh push by Amazon in online video, the battle of the tech giants is now moving into television with Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL, among some of the latest players. These moves come as a growing number of consumers are turning away from traditional television to online services such as Netflix, and with those providers looking to draw viewers by offering new, and not just recycled programs.

Station Creator, one of the members of the Knight Foundation’s Matter startup accelerator’s first class, wants to remove the barriers of entry for streaming video, including cost and tech savvy. “We’re really after democratizing television,” said co-founder Jon Labes. “We think there are a tremendous amount of organizations out there who are interested in broadcasting but just don’t have the means.”

Adobe is releasing Project Primetime to beta today. It’s the company’s effort to streamline the process of bringing broadcast television to IP and connected devices. Right now, the process of getting content from broadcast to the web or to connected devices — including phones, tablets, set-top boxes and game consoles — is a painful one. This is the problem Adobe wants to solve with Project Primetime, which it bills the “first fully integrated video technology platform for publishing and monetizing TV across any Web-connected device.”