Amazon took its first stab at original programming last weekend with 14 new pilots. By the time those shows actually make it to series, customers may also have a new box to watch them on. According to a recent report, the e-tailer is working on a streaming device to compete with Apple TV, Roku, and Boxee, and the like, with plans to introduce it this fall.
Posted on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 by Angie Han
As other streaming services scramble to catch up to Netflix, Netflix has long eyed HBO as its biggest rival. And if Netflix isn’t hasn’t pulled off a decisive win quite yet, it is at least closing in. The company reported that it had 29.17 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter of 2013, surpassing the 28.7 million reported by HBO at the end of 2012. Netflix’s numbers represent an increase of 2 million domestic and 1 million foreign subscribers since the end of 2012.
Those figures come with a couple of caveats, however. SNL Kagan, which compiled the data, has not yet offered information on Netflix’s first quarter of 2013, so it could turn out that Netflix has grown as well. Additionally, while the two companies are neck-in-neck for subscribers in the U.S., HBO is trouncing Netflix worldwide, with 114 million subscribers globally compared to Netflix’s 7.14 million. [Variety]
After the jump, Netflix reveals in a letter to investors that it’s not renewing its Viacom deal, but is adding a new plan for families.
With the openings of Oblivion and The Lords of Salem, the expansion of The Place Beyond the Pines, and the Netflix premiere of Hemlock Grove today — not to mention new episodes of Mad Men and Game of Thrones this Sunday — film and TV lovers are already spoiled for choice when it comes to stuff to watch this weekend. But if none of those suit your fancy, or if you still have some hours left to fill, Amazon also has fourteen comedy and children’s pilots ready for viewing right now on their site.
The highest-profile of the crop by far is Zombieland, but there are also new shows involving The Onion, Kristen Schaal, John Goodman, and many more. And if you like what you see, you can actively help your favorites live on. Amazon will decide which of the pilots get picked up to series based on their popularity with viewers.
Posted on Wednesday, April 17th, 2013 by Angie Han
After Zombieland hit in 2009, there was much talk of a sequel. Unfortunately, it didn’t move as fast as it could have. As the cast and crew moved on the project fizzled altogether. But then, like the horrifying monsters that give the movie its name, it came back from the dead in a slightly different form.
Writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick reworked the idea as a TV series, found a distributor in Amazon, and snatched up Tyler Ross, Kirk Ward, Maiara Walsh, and Izabela Vidovic to play the new Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock. Now the pilot is finished, and Amazon wants fans to check it out and help decide whether it gets greenlit to series. Get more details and watch a trailer after the jump.
Posted on Wednesday, April 10th, 2013 by Angie Han
It seems like every major film or TV campaign now includes at least one set of character posters, but trust Arrested Development to have a little fun with theirs.
Nine new posters have dropped for the highly anticipated fourth season of the comedy, but they don’t show the Bluth clan’s handsome mugs. Instead, they showcase a series of objects that should look very familiar to anyone who’s followed the first three seasons of the show. Check ‘em out after the jump.
Posted on Tuesday, April 9th, 2013 by Angie Han
Under most circumstances, a Martin Scorsese / Ray Liotta reunion would be cause for celebration. In the case of Campus Life, however, their team-up is more puzzling than enticing.
Jesse McCartney leads the cast of the indie thriller, about a group of college kids trying to uncover a supernatural secret. But based on the trailer, the bigger question may be what Scorsese and Liotta are doing in this seemingly low-rent Chronicle imitation. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.
Posted on Thursday, April 4th, 2013 by Angie Han
Seven years, three months, and sixteen days. That’s how long Arrested Development fans will have been waiting for new episodes when the fourth season finally premieres on Netflix next month, as revealed by the streaming service today.
The fact that the beloved cult comedy is returning at all is reason enough to get excited, but Netflix and the show’s producers are further sweetening the deal with another extra episode, bringing the total for Season 4 up to 15. To celebrate the announcement, the company has released a new teaser poster which you can see after the jump.
Posted on Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 by Angie Han
There’s no shortage of streaming options for the web-savvy cinephile, but the recently launched Warner Archive Instant promises something a little different. Whereas Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBO Go, and their ilk compete to bring the newest releases to subscribers’ homes, Warner Archive Instant boasts a catalog of films and shows from the 1920s through the 1990s.
The service isn’t for everyone, and its limited range makes it more of a complement to than a replacement for any of the other major streaming services. But for fans of classic film, it’s a great way to discover or rediscover older works that are otherwise tough to find online. Learn more after the jump.
