Viacom’s MTV Networks Group is expanding its online video reach and asserting better control over its content — and the advertising that goes with it — by signing deals to make its video available on five well-known social media sites and video portals, as well as Comcast’s broadband site.

Through the agreement with Dailymotion, GoFish, iMeem, MeeVee, and Veoh Networks, video fans will be able to view both short- and long-form content provided by MTV Network and embed the clips on blogs and social networking sites. Continue reading »

Although this year’s Consumer Electronics Show only officially kicked off yesterday, we’ve already seen a flurry of announcements relating to products that bridge the gap between the PC and TV or bring Internet content directly to a television. Here’s a roundup of some of the more interesting devices and services announced.

SlingCatcher (Sling Media)

The long-delayed SlingCatcher from Sling Media is being given its first public demo at CES. The device serves three purposes: getting content from a SlingBox (the company’s place-shifting device) onto a TV, playing back media stored on an attached USB hard drive on a TV, and viewing Internet content via a PC on a television. To achieve all of this, the SlingCatcher comes bundled with three applications. SlingPlayer for TV, SlingSync and SlingProjector. Continue reading »

Broadly speaking, there exists two apposing camps in the battle to deliver Internet TV into the living room. On one side are devices that connect to and run on the “open” Internet: consumer-facing set-top boxes (think TiVo, AppleTV or Vudu), along with Internet-connected game consoles, DVD players and televisions. On the other side are Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services offered by major Telcos such as AT&T.

Which of the two strategies will win out in the end is yet to be seen. But one company, Microsoft, has long been spreading it bets — developing consumer-facing Internet TV products along with those sold directly to Telcos and ISPs.

With yesterday’s announcement that BT will soon enable customers of its existing IPTV service, BT Vision (powered my Microsoft’s Mediaroom), to use an XBox 360 instead of its own set-top box, Microsoft has managed to bridge the gap between the two. Continue reading »