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AMAZON ANNOUNCES FIRE TV SET-TOP BOX: Amazon announced its much-anticipated Fire TV set-top box today at an event in New York City. The new streaming device will start shipping immediately. Amazon has priced the device at $99, on par with Apple TV, but well above Google’s Chromecast. Fire TV includes support for Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and a number of other streaming video services. Prime members will continue to receive free unlimited streaming from Amazon Instant video. The device will also include support for games. (Business Insider)
We forecast that Amazon will sell nearly 6 million Fire TVs in the U.S. this year, compared to 8.8 million Apple TVs and 4 million Chromecasts. This number should allow Amazon to carve out about one-fifth of the U.S. streaming device market share by sales.
AEREO WILL BE "FINISHED" IF IT LOSES SUPREME COURT CASE: Aereo will be forced out of business if the Supreme Court sides with broadcasters in the company’s upcoming case, according to Barry Diller, a former media executive and one of the company's biggest investors. "If we lose we’re finished … Aereo would probably not be able to continue in business," Diller said. (Gigaom)
DREAMWORKS OWNED NETWORK BUYS YOUTUBE CHANNEL BIG FRAME: AwesomenessTV, a network of YouTube channels owned by DreamWorks, has purchased fellow YouTube channel Big Frame in a deal worth $15 million. Combined, the two channels will top roughly one billion monthly views. (Re/code)
QPLAY COMES TO THE WEB: Qplay, a new streaming device from the original creators of TiVo, has released a Web version of its companion video aggregation app. The app allows users to create personalized playlists or "Qs" that can be played on the company’s streaming device. Qplay also announced that it has added support for College Humor, Funny or Die, The New York Times, and Vice. (The Next Web)
TIVO EXECUTIVE DEPARTS FOR DROPCAM: Long-time TiVo sales executive Doug Bieter is leaving the DVR-company to become the vice president of sales for Dropcam, a video monitoring camera start-up. Bietter had been with TiVo since 1999. (Re/code)
DIRECT TO NETFLIX MOVIES?: VentureBeat teases out the idea that Netflix might one day partner with a major studio to premiere new feature films on the streaming video site. "Why will this happen? Because this way, more people can afford to see a movie; more people will have the time to ‘take’ their whole family to a movie; and the studios stand to make more opening weekend and lifetime gross on movies then in the previous studio-to-theater distribution model," VentureBeats’ Tim Devane writes. (VentureBeat)
HOLLYWOOD BRASS LAUNCH DIGITAL STUDIO: Discovery Communications and Imagine Entertainment's Ron Howard and Brian Grazer are teaming up to launch a new digital studio, New Form. The studio will be focused on creating programming "outside the traditional molds of TV and movies," according to Variety. The purpose of the venture: "[T]o reach out to a new generation of younger viewers who are gravitating to YouTube and beyond for innovative programming — particularly on the scripted side, which may be underserved." (Variety)
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