There are many video providers on the internet that are competing for your glances.  Fighting for market share with among the likes of YouTube, MetaCafe, and Dailymotion, Vimeo has been in a tough position to say the very least.  As a longstanding supporter of HTML5 and the video capabilities that the platform provides, it has been one of the few services that have a fully featured in-browser delivery system for their media on iOS based devices.  They have always hung their hat on the fact that they never needed a supplementary iOS application to play your content, but that looks to be changing very soon.

Projected for an App Store release of some point late in the fourth quarter of 2010, Vimeo has decided to not only be trailblazers in the browser space, but to bring their multimedia expertise to their viewers in an iOS tailored application.  While some could interpret this as backpedaling on their prior plans, Vimeo General Manager Dae Mellencamp seems to think otherwise.

“Vimeo user(s have) been asking for an iPhone app for a long time. Not everybody uses the browser as much, on the iPhone particularly. People have become prone to using the apps. We want to be where the users are.” — Dae Mellencamp via NewTeeVee.com

This simply looks like a smart business move on the part of Vimeo: to go where the audience is.  As far as I am concerned, in an already tightly contested streaming content ecosystem, it would only make sense to follow in the footsteps of the other market leaders.  Really, it is a marvel that it took them this long to make the jump.

At the end of they day, this is all about the advertising dollars and in order to stay afloat you need the numbers.  This should put Vimeo in a much better position than they have been, plus allow them plenty of room for expansion.  Who knows, we could even be witnessing another party seeking to usurp Apple iAds from their lucrative position atop the In-App advertising heap.  Only time will tell.

[ via NewTeeVee.com ]

[ Vimeo Makes the Jump From HTML5 to iOS is a post from 148Apps ]

Recently, Netflix has announced a possible deal with the startup paid-TV channel Epix. This deal would give Netflix the exclusive online rights to films from its three equity partners – Paramount Pictures, Lionsgate, and MGM. The deal would also allow Netflix subscribers to watch movies such as “Iron Man 2,” “Dinner for Schmucks,” and “The Expendables” through the company’s interent streaming service.

As more people have started watching Internet content on their television sets, Netflix has put a lot of resources into their Internet streaming video services. This could lead to Netflix becoming a potential threat to Time Warner’s dominant pay channel HBO. It is expected that the agreement would allow Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM to sell and rent their movies via digital stores such as Apple Inc.’s iTunes, a privilege that HBO doesn’t
give its studios.

There is still a lot of agreements that need to be settled between the two companies, but the deal is expected to cost Netflix over $1 billion over a 5 year time period.

[LA Times]

AT&T U-verse customers, you lucky dogs, are now able to watch on-demand video from the newly updated U-verse mobile app.

On top of being able to “browse the U-verse TV program guide, view program descriptions, and schedule and manage your DVR recordings,” you can now download full TV shows from the U-verse network over any available Wi-Fi network.

“We’re making it possible for you to watch TV shows on your iPhone at no extra charge. It’s just one more valuable and innovative feature available on U-verse TV,” said David Christopher, chief marketing officer, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Our U-verse multi-screen promise is now a reality for millions of U-verse TV customers, with content available on U-verse TV, U-verse Online, and today, U-verse Mobile. No cable provider comes close to matching the cross-platform experience we’re delivering today, and we’ll continue to add unique features that further integrate these screens.”

In an effort to get existing iPhone users to sign up for yet another AT&T contract, they are offering a $75 gift card for new users that order AT&T U-verse U300 or U450. In case you are weary of selling your digital souls to AT&T, they were the “Highest in Residential Television Service Satisfaction in the South and West Regions Two Years in a Row,” according to the J.D. Power and Associates for 2008 and 2009.

For those of you who have already made the leap, be sure to pick up U-verse Mobile from the App Store ASAP, it’s totally free.

[Source: PR Newswire]

FREE!

AT&T U-verse TV Mobile Remote Access

iPhone App – Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Released: 2009-06-18 :: Category: Entertainment

[ U-Verse: TV on your iPhone is a post from 148Apps ]