CNN and HLN’s complete 24-hour television networks will be streamed live on CNN.com, the CNN App for iPad and the CNN App for iPhone and iPod touch beginning today, July 18. CNN Worldwide is the first news organization to stream its linear television channels online and on mobile devices to consumers who subscribe to a multi-channel video service. Simultaneous to this launch, CNN.com has debuted its new video experience, which seamlessly integrates live network TV into a larger and higher-quality video player, capable of delivering HD quality.

Vision IPTV unveiled the latest addition to its suite of services for broadcasters: the addition of Roku capability to Vision IPTV’s platform for delivery of internet TV and video. This enables broadcasters and video content owners to extend the reach of their broadcast services to a rapidly expanding North American audience who own a Roku set top box.

Delivering an unrivalled user experience, the Roku streaming player is an easy to use and cost effective way for anyone to enjoy internet TV and video on their TV set, as well as popular on demand services like NetFlix and Hulu. Roku is proving a huge success in the US, where it recently served its one billionth stream, and expects to have sold some 3 million units by the end of the year.

Roku introduced Roku 2, a new family of streaming players. Available in three models – the Roku 2 HD, Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS – this new line brings popular casual games including Angry Birds to the TV alongside Roku’s large and growing selection of entertainment. Roku 2 players also feature a sleek new design that’s more energy-efficient than before, using less than two watts of power.

New channels launching soon on Roku 2 include Facebook, AOL HD, and FOXNews.com. Additional games will be available shortly after launch including Angry Birds Rio and Angry Birds Seasons.

Pace announces its groundbreaking App Café platform is ready for deployment throughout the Americas. The Pace App Café offers cable subscribers access to popular Web-based applications via their set-top box for the first time, increasing the range of entertainment available via the television set.

The Pace App Café is a unique service allowing cable operators to harness the potential of online applications within an integrated managed TV service. It offers applications in a storefront format for subscribers to download directly to their set-top boxes, enhancing their entertainment experience and solidifying the service provider's position at the heart of the home.

Orb Networks announces that it is shipping its new Internet TV streaming software for PlayStation 3 players, making it easy for consumers to watch thousands of online TV shows and movies from Hulu, HuluPlus, Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, YouTube, Comedy Central and more on any TV. The new Orb BR (Blu-ray) software works with an Internet- connected PS3, and is easily controlled through a smart device app (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Android phone, Android tablet) or using any computer.

Priced at only $19.99, Orb BR leverages the consumer's investment in a PS3, and offers a simple and cost-effective way to enter the new world of connected TV without buying or installing any new hardware. In addition to a huge selection of online TV shows, Orb BR provides consumers with access to thousands of movies on their TV, via Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand.

blinkx announced that a blinkx app is now available on Roku, the leading Internet TV platform. The app can be found in Roku's Channel Store and allows customers to seamlessly search, discover and watch high quality videos from blinkx's extensive index of professionally produced content.

Introduced in 2008, the award-winning Roku streaming players provide an easy, affordable and reliable way for customers to access a variety of entertainment choices instantly on their TV. In 2009, Roku added the Roku Channel Store, the first true app store and open development environment for long- and short-form streaming entertainment to the TV. With more than 225 entertainment channels-now including blinkx-Roku players deliver the best collection of streaming entertainment available for the TV.

Opera Software announces that InOutTV has chosen the Opera browser for their television platform. This opens the door for advanced web technologies adoption as a seamless means to bring content to millions of end users running Opera on their TVs.

Opera is a key enabler making content and applications available on TVs. Opera embraces open and industry standards, such as HTML5, W3C widgets, OIPF and HbbTV, giving players in the connected TV space the assurance that they can deliver any live or on-demand content or service, on any set top box or TV, from any source. Technology, coupled with strong industry partnerships, make the Opera Devices Software Developer Kit easy to implement on a platform, and to integrate with streaming media players, conditional access systems and personal video ecorders.

UTStarcom has launched its end-to-end Internet TV solution, and also won its first commercial contract to build up an Internet TV platform in Northern China.

The new end-to-end Internet TV solution is derived from UTStarcom's core RollingStream® technology system. The Company's Internet TV solution, based on cloud computing technology, has an open system structure, reliable service and flexibility to expand for large scale deployments in the future. The innovative technology of the solution can enable the customer to easily operate, manage and control the system and subscriber information. "We believe this is the best time for us to launch our Internet TV solution which will hopefully help us capture the great growth opportunity of the Internet TV market," said Jack Lu, President and CEO of UTStarcom.

thePlatform was selected by Cox Communications to provide the back-end video management for Cox's new video initiative, Cox TV Online. Cox is using thePlatform's mpx video publishing system, expanding upon thePlatform's history of managing Cox's video for Cox.com since 2008. This unique implementation enables programming networks to maintain the integrity of embedded custom video players on Cox's website, while providing Cox subscribers with a unified search and discovery experience.

thePlatform publishes video and other media to PCs, mobile devices and TV. Media companies rely on thePlatform as their open, central hub for managing, monetizing and syndicating billions of professionally produced video views annually. thePlatform currently provides online video management services to numerous programmers, leading media companies, and five of the top cable TV service providers in North America, including the largest "TV Everywhere" deployments.

Roku announces that it has delivered 15 million channel downloads to its base of more than one million Roku viewers. The growth in channels installed has been driven by two factors: the expanding selection of entertainment in the Roku Channel Store; and accelerating sales fueled by the company’s recent move into U.S. retail stores. Roku predicts it will surpass 3 million customers by the end of this year.

With its launch in 2008 as the original Netflix streaming player, Roku became the first Internet TV device platform to take hold with mainstream American consumers. In 2009, Roku added the Roku Channel Store, the first true app store and open development environment for long- and short-form streaming entertainment to the TV. Roku is the partner of choice for content owners who want to reach TV viewers directly. The simplicity of the Roku platform sets it apart—allowing developers to quickly deploy content with a variety of monetization options.

Growing sales of Internet-enabled or connected TVs will help push video service providers to move more quickly to develop offerings that combine elements of conventional pay TV with over-the-top Internet video in an effort to maintain service revenues, but the migration path to hybrid video is uncertain at this point, according to the latest report from Heavy Reading Insider, a paid research service of Heavy Reading.

Connected TVs Will Help Drive Big Changes in Video Services examines the potential impact of connected TVs, also known as smart TVs, on the video services business from the perspective of IPTV technology suppliers, including those also developing software for connected TVs. It maps the factors affecting how connected TVs are likely to be used and their role in shaping future video services. The report considers whether connected TVs threaten to derail service innovation or will propel the established pay TV community to faster incorporation of OTT content into their managed services and app stores into their front-end design. It also looks at how connected TVs might be used by service providers to extend the reach of their TV and other communications offers. Finally, the report profiles leading suppliers of end-to-end IPTV solutions and set-top boxes, as well as manufacturers of connected TVs.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship announces the debut of UFC Central, a news and analysis show that will air just in time for UFC 129: ST-PIERRE vs. SHIELDS this Saturday, April 30. Available live and exclusively on UFC.TV, UFC Central will be hosted by Todd Harris, along with fight analysts Stephen Bonnar and Kenny Florian. Molly Qerim will join the show as the backstage reporter during the entire broadcast.

UFC Central, which begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, will feature pre-fight analysis and be available for free during the first hour on UFC.TV. Once the UFC 129 live broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, UFC Central will only be available to fans that purchased the event for viewing on UFC.TV and will capture interviews with fighters on the fight card during the live broadcast as well as other analyst commentary.

AFL fans and Telstra customers are the winners in the new agreement between the AFL and Telstra with all matches, from the first bounce to the final siren, available live to the Telstra T-Box and to mobile phones and tablets connected to the Telstra Next G from 2012.

Under the five year agreement:

• All matches including pre-season, home and away, finals and the Grand Final, as well as the Brownlow Medal, will be streamed live and exclusive to mobile phones and tablets on the Telstra Next G network.
• All matches including pre-season, home and away, finals and the grand final, will be streamed live to customers who subscribe to Telstra’s FOXTEL on T-Box service which will be launching shortly. This may also extend to other IPTV-enabled devices connected to Telstra BigPond fixed broadband services. This includes one match per round that will be made available to Telstra T-Box customers regardless of whether they are subscribed to the FOXTEL on T-Box service.
• More after the jump.

KIT digital is helping the largest media companies in the world to capture and deliver packaged Royal Wedding video content simultaneously across multiple types of IP-enabled devices, including TVs, mobile phones, tablets and PCs.

Major media outlets like the Associated Press, MSN, ABC-Disney, Canal Digital, Singtel, CNN, SKY News, Astro and the BBC will be relying on KIT's unique broadcast systems and content management capabilities to marry the worlds of TV broadcast and real-time IP-video distribution.

Unlike the last Royal Wedding, this time the audience will be 'liking,' rating, tweeting and blogging about every aspect of the day's events.

Since the dawn of the new millennium, the television industry has witnessed unprecedented changes. Across globe, governments have started to shift towards digital terrestrial from analog signals, mobile and high-definition TV became a reality for consumers, and television viewers preferred hundreds of channels instead of limited number of channels. With change in television era, viewers and their demands have also changed and service providers are increasingly facing tech-savvy, sophisticated audience who want high definition pictures, multiple channels, surround sound, and PVR functionality. Though video over Internet has been in progress since the past few years, advancements in efficient delivery of higher resolution and longer length videos are among the most notable developments in the field of Internet TV. Consisting of only a limited number of television stations available during the initial development phase, Internet Television industry has grown by leaps and bounds with the availability of countless number of stations. As a global trend, viewership for Live TV or on-demand television service is catching up among younger generation. Merging together hardware, software and multimedia content will form major differentiating strategies for the vendors. With more consumers discarding their traditional TV sets and endorsing the idea of viewing the video content online, Internet TV is expected to become the part of mass market.