Netflix wll begin offering its Watch Instantly service through Nintendo's Wii. While rumors have been circulating, especially after Netflix reached a deal with Sony to include Watch Instantly with the PS3, sources say the Wii could be packaged with the service before the holiday shopping season begins. Making Watch Instantly available on all three major gaming consoles could not only help Netflix increase subscribers, but it may also give consumers more content, as Netflix is constantly working on increasing the amount of content on its instant streaming service.
Apple unveiled a software update for Apple TV that it hopes will improve its functionality. The update includes a new interface for the product, as well as support for Apple's new iTunes LP format. While Apple TV has yet to catch on with consumers for a number of reasons, Apple hopes that making the service as easily navigable as iTunes and adding more content will make Apple TV more attractive to consumers.
The NBA is set to allow fans to stream games on mobile phones for $40 a year. The move by the National Basketball Association, which is similar to the MLB's mobile streaming service, will allow fans to stream up to 40 games a week. The service, which will be available for the iPhone and on both T-Mobile and Verizon's Android handsets, will also give users the ability to rewind 30 seconds while streaming, letting users manually control instant replay.
Two new companies are allowing people to pay for products with their cell phone numbers. Zong and Obopay give users the ability to link their credit cards to their mobile phone number through their website, through which customers can pay simply by entering their phone number. While both companies are hoping their simplified version of checking out will be attractive to users, its still too early to tell whether or not customers will gravitate towards such a service.
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV. Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net For information about Get Digital Classes, visit www.shellypalmer.com/seminars