Showbiz Sandbox 124: UltraViolet Is A Solution In Search Of A Problem

October 31, 2011

 Thumbnail

More than 75 companies have teamed up to form UltraViolet, a new service that promises to give consumers the freedom to watch movies and television shows wherever and whenever they want. However, early adopters have discovered that untethering content from physical media such as DVDs can be a tedious and confusing process. As the entertainment industry experiments with rapidly evolving technologies, viewers seem hard pressed to find any benefits in moving to the cloud.

When it comes to music though, fans have already migrated to online services such as Pandora, iTunes and Amazon. Now Google is preparing to launch its own music offering which is rumored to allow users to share music with their friends and family.

And if you thought digital technology was a tough racket, so is trying to copy the success of the hit television series “Mad Men”. NBC failed with it’s 1960s drama “The Playboy Club” and ABC isn’t fairing much better with “Pan Am”, a similar knock-off. They could have picked up Charlie Sheen’s new sitcom, “Anger Management” as a replacement, but FX scooped it up before anyone had a chance.

We also cover the week’s top entertainment news including new legislation aimed at curbing piracy, Netflix’s continuing struggles and why Adele had to cancel the rest of her world tour.

Spielberg’s ‘Tintin’ Off To A Solid Start At European Box Office
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/10/box-office….

Pro Football Dominates Fall TV Ratings
http://www.adweek.com/news/television/nfl-only-game-town-135951

Slow Start For TV’s X-Factor
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204485304576641454….

Charlie Sheen’s ‘Anger Management’ Lands at FX
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/charlie-sheen-anger-management-FX-252834

Amazon Becomes A Book Publisher – Is Music Next?
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/digital-and-mobile/business-matters-amazon-becomes-a-book-publisher-1005417162.story

Pandora Prepares To Do Battle With Local Broadcast Radio
http://venturebeat.com/2011/10/18/pandora-prepares-to-do-battle-with-local-broadcast-radio/

Google Music Will Let Users Share Songs After Purchase
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-music-will-let-users-share-songs-after-purchase-2011-10?op=1

At Broadway Box Office This Fall The Plays The Thing
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/at-broadway-box-office-this-fall-the-plays-the-thing/

UltraViolet Adds Streaming Access To DVD And Blu-Ray
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/ultraviolet-adds-streaming-access-dvd-and-blu-ray-135704

Doris Day to Receive Career Achievement Award From Los Angeles Film Critics Association
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/doris-day-los-angeles-film-critics-association-awards-254981

YouTube Announces TV Initiative With 100 Niche Channels
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/youtube-tv-channels-kutcher-poehler-254370

Redbox Raises Its Prices To $1.20
http://www.redbox.com/pricechange

SAG and AFTRA Condemn IMDb Revealing Performers’ Ages
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/sag-aftra-condemn-imdb-revealing-performer-ages-254341

Warner Bros. Closes Harry Potter Vault December 29
http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/warner-bros-closes-harry-potter-vault-december-29/

CW Strikes 5-Year Deal With Hulu For New Shows
http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/28/idUS190340544120111028

Netflix Takes Up A Third Of Internet Bandwidth
http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/netflix-takes-third-internet-bandwidth-136115

Netflix Stock Falls 35% As Analysts Turn On Company
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/10/netflix-stock-falls-analysts-turn-on-company.html

Despite Millions of Record Sales UB40 Members Are Bankrupt
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/despite-millions-of-record-sales-ub40-members-are-bankrupt/

Leonard Cohen To Release A New Album Next Year
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/20/leonard-cohen-to-release-a-new-album-next-year/

Tim Burton Sews Up A Spot In Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/21/tim-burton-sews-up-a-spot-in-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/

Adele To Have Surgery On Vocal Chords
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/28/adele-to-have-surgery-on-vocal-cords/

Ticketmaster To Pay $10 To Fans It Redirected To Scalper Site
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-ticketmaster-to-pay-10-to-scalped-customers/

Amy Winehouse Inquest Rules Death By Misadventure
http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/879784-amy-winehouse-inquest-rules-death-by-misadventure

Hilary Swank Fires Staff Over Chechen Incident
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hilary-swank-fires-staff-chechen-255079

Feds To Blacklist Piracy Sites Under House Proposal
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/10/feds-to-blacklist-piracy-sites-under-house-proposal/

Comments

2 Responses to “Showbiz Sandbox 124: UltraViolet Is A Solution In Search Of A Problem”

  1. CJ Flynn on November 4th, 2011 5:08 am
     

    Break out the old Selectric with the correcting ribbon. I type humbled.
    Watching the Tin Tin preview I hear that he introduces himself as Tin Tin, not Tin Tin. I didn’t know. I chastised you previously. I will never be so bold again.

    Notwithstanding, here in the EU, the name is pronounced is if it we spelt ‘tan tan’. I will say no more about it.

    I noticed this in today’s paper and sent the typically un-nuanced translation. The french media often talk in admissions, not income, by the way. And, as you probably both know, France has the most screens of any market in the EU.
    http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&rurl=translate.google.com&tl=en&twu=1&u=http://next.liberation.fr/cinema/01012369362-tintin-et-le-secret-de-la-licorne-explose-le-box-office-en-premiere-semaine&usg=ALkJrhi9S0UccGtUU6KisArhr5ERJpWqpA

     
  2. Michael Giltz on November 4th, 2011 10:20 pm
     

    No need to be humbled whatsoever. Now when we want to be cool and in-the-know, we can pronounce it as Tan-tan and look down on anyone who says it differently. Plus, we know what to call the character when in France to avoid getting beat up!