Month: December 2016

Disney inks deal with Hulu for content

Dan Uff December 27, 2016 1

(CNBC): Disney movies are coming to a Hulu subscription near you.

The video-on-demand service signed a multiyear agreement with Walt Disney Studios for streaming rights to more than 50 Disney titles, including "The Nightmare Before Christmas," "Mulan," "Sister Act" and "Air Bud." The movies are available Tuesday.

"The Disney brand is synonymous with beloved movies that the whole family can enjoy," Craig Erwich, senior vice president and head of content at Hulu, said in a release. "Expanding our offering of top-rated kids and family programming has been a top priority for us, and we know viewers will love watching these films over and over again on our service."

Hulu — which is owned by The Walt Disney Co., 21st Century Fox, Comcast and Time Warner — previously was the home to other Disney content including Disney Channel original movies. Hulu also announced in November that it would include Disney/ABC television and ESPN content in its upcoming over-the-top streaming service in 2017, which will not require a cable subscription to watch paid TV content.

While some of the theatrical titles in this new deal will be exclusive to Hulu, others are available on other services. Netflix also signed a deal in May for streaming rights to Disney, Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar movies.

Disclosure: Comcast is the owner of NBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC and CNBC.com.

Amazon Echo

Amazon Echo involved in Murder Investigation (No, really!)

Dan Uff December 27, 2016 1

(CNBC): An Amazon Echo device is embroiled in the investigation of a murder in Arkansas, The Information reported on Tuesday.

A man was found dead, allegedly by strangulation, in a hot tub in 2015 after a group of coworkers reportedly gathered at the suspect's home to watch an Arkansas Razorbacks football game. Now, smart home devices are central to investigating his death, according to The Information reporters Tom Dotan and Reed Albergotti.

The Information reported that police in Bentonville have a warrant for audio and other records from an Echo, a device that can perform verbal commands, including playing music and buying goods from Amazon. Investigators have already extracted some data off the device, and Amazon has turned over the suspects' account information and purchase history, according to The Information.

But Amazon has refused twice to hand over remaining information from the Echo device of the murder suspect, The Information reported. CNBC has reached out to the Bentonville criminal investigations division.

"Amazon will not release customer information without a valid and binding legal demand properly served on us," a spokeswoman told CNBC. "Amazon objects to overbroad or otherwise inappropriate demands as a matter of course."

The case comes as law enforcement and technology firms have clashed over the boundaries of privacy and national security. Earlier this year, Apple defied the FBI's orders to help unlock an iPhone belonging to Syed Farook, who was responsible for the shootings in San Bernardino.

With "smart" devices like water meters also involved in the Arkansas case, it may foreshadow more battles ahead between Silicon Valley and law enforcement, The Information said.

For the full report, see the article at The Information.

NBC’s ‘Breaking News’ app and social media feeds going dark

Dan Uff December 27, 2016 1

NBC has announced that it is pulling the plug on its Breaking News app and social media accounts on December 31st.

The company's co-founder and General Manager Cory Bergman said in a statement:

"We're true believers of news that isn't designed for clicks, but a service that helps people and companies make smarter, safer decisions. As we discovered, such a model doesn't fit with advertising, and despite a surge of interest in our premium data, the money has run out."

Current employees will remain at the company and then possibly be employed at NBC in various positions.