Kony 2012, the half-hour viral video, has become the fastest-spreading video ever. Amazon makes the biggest addition to its online video library yet. A new report finds Americans are willing to pay for downloaded media (well, except news). All that and more in your weekly rewind.
Even though it's only a week old, Kony 2012 has been viewed more than 100 million times, making it the fastest-spreading video ever, besting Rebecca Black, Justin Bieber and surprise kitty. Even Pew has done a report on the half-hour viral video. The finding: Younger adults were more than twice as likely to watch the video on YouTube or Vimeo than older adults.
Amazon landed its biggest video deal, signing on Discovery Channel and its catalog of 3,000 titles. Who's up for a Mythbusters marathon?
Walmart announced it will launch a program to digitize customers' DVDs and Blu-rays for $2 a piece. Disc to Digital will load copies of each movie to the retailer's streaming service VUDU.
We heard through the grapevine that Netflix was talking to cable operators about a possible partnership, but SNL Kagan says Comcast, DirecTV and Dish have all rejected Netflix's overtures.
Cisco Systems announced it will acquire NDS, an Israeli firm that delivers video and interactive elements to set-top boxes. NDS was 51 percent owned by a private equity firm and 49 percent by News Corp.
The good news: Americans are likely to pay for music, book and movie downloads, according to Nielsen. The bad news: they're less willing to pay for news. And we wonder why newspapers are dying...
Two of China's YouTube copycats, Youku and Tudou, have merged, and now control 49 percent of China's online video market.
Gizmodo took Aereo, the new New York City broadcast recording service, out for a spin: "Aereo might not last forever, but we sure hope it does, because it's a pretty excellent option for people who hate cable."
TechCrunch's MG Siegler goes hand's on with the new Apple TV. Cons: lower image quality than Blu-Ray, and it's not the cheapest box on the market. Pros: AirPlay, AirPlay, AirPlay. "AirPlay is one of those things that still seems like magic every time you use it. How on Earth am I streaming an HD movie wirelessly from my iPhone or iPad to my television while I continue to use that device? If it’s possible, why does anything need wires anymore?"
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