Espial announces the availability of Espial MediaBase 9.1. The newest version of Espial’s flagship video-on-demand delivery platform, Espial MediaBase 9.1 helps provide improved video quality, extends cable MSO support and dramatically increases storage capacity with COTS technology.

News

• Espial MediaBase is the first VOD platform to implement bandwidth reservation using Resource Reservation Protocol. RSVP support allows a VOD session to reserve end-to-end network resources and bandwidth. This provides a guaranteed Quality of Service to viewers which reduces operational costs due to service calls and increases brand perception with improved customer satisfaction.
• More after the jump.

The Western Hockey League and NeuLion announce the debut of WHL LIVE for the 2010-2011 season delivering online coverage of WHL games. WHL LIVE gives fans the greatest access to live and archive games, radio, live chat, video-on-demand and highlights. The modernized video console grants hockey fans an opportunity to tune into their favorite team with a simple Internet connection and watch the action anywhere at any time. New this year, WHL LIVE will feature an updated look and feel, including a game status indicator, and will offer integrated team level branding and HD support.

ZON TVCabo has selected Concurrent's video delivery platform to expand its service offerings to its more than 1.6 million customers in Portugal. Concurrent will provide ZON with a unified video delivery and media data collection and management system, extending and expanding its current use of Concurrent's media data management solutions and operational reporting services. Concurrent's video delivery and media data management solutions provide ZON the ability to deliver multi-screen video, monitor video usage and analyze the subscriber experience at a census-level.

Netflix and Nu Image/Millennium Films announce a long-term agreement through which first-run theatrical films distributed by the Nu Image/Millennium Group will be licensed to Netflix for streaming over the Internet to its subscribers during the "pay TV window." Historically, these films have been licensed to premium TV channels.

The deal underscores how Netflix is moving rapidly to expand both the variety and timeliness of movies and TV episodes available to be watched instantly by its members. The companies said they expect five to 10 theatrical films per year to flow to Netflix through the agreement, in general just a few months after their release on DVD.

Entone announces the launch and immediate availability of its WebVOD Hybrid TV solution. Entone’s WebVOD application is integrated with leading middleware solutions to significantly enhance IPTV services. By downloading the WebVOD application to subscribers’ settop boxes, IPTV service operators can now offer Hybrid TV services that combine the best of broadcast television and “over the top” media services that were previously only available through separate store-bought devices.

First and foremost, WebVOD enables video service operators to offer video-on-demand services over the Internet, allowing consumers to select from vast online movie libraries that include thousands of HD titles. The solution is pre-integrated with leading middleware solutions and does not require any modifications to the middleware.

Netflix announces the availability of its free Netflix App for iPhone and iPod touch, allowing Netflix members on plans starting at just $8.99 a month to instantly watch a vast selection of TV episodes and movies streamed to their iPhone or iPod touch at no additional cost.

The Netflix App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone and iPod touch or at www.itunes.com/appstore/.

ViewCast announces that venerable book and digital content publisher HarperCollins has selected advanced streaming media solutions from ViewCast and Adobe Systems Incorporated to power the company's live streaming and video on demand media programming. With ViewCast Niagara streaming media encoders and Adobe Flash Media Server software at the heart of HarperCollins' new digital conference center, the company is equipped with a feature-rich, easy to use streaming media platform for real-time and pre-recorded corporate communication and events.

SnagFilms announces a landmark expansion in its distribution of nonfiction films by bringing its library to a suite of new platforms, including the creation of VOD offerings with Comcast, the nation's leading provider of entertainment, information and communication products, and with Verizon FiOS TV, the converged communications platform. Additionally, SnagFilms' wholly-owned indieWIRE (which focuses on the independent film sector's news and reviews, and is this month celebrating its 14th birthday) expanded its roster of leading film voices, announcing a new blog with legendary director Peter Bogdanovich.

Netflix will expand into Canada this fall offering unlimited movies and TV episodes streamed instantly to TVs and computers for one low monthly fee. The Canadian launch will mark the first availability of Netflix outside the United States.

Canadian Netflix members will be able to instantly watch a broad array of movies and TV episodes right on their TVs via a range of consumer electronics devices capable of streaming from Netflix, as well as watching on PCs and Macs.

In addition to representing its inaugural international market, Canada will also mark the first streaming-only service promoted by Netflix.

Netflix and Relativity Media announce a long term agreement through which major theatrically released films owned by Relativity will be licensed directly and exclusively to Netflix for streaming to its subscribers during the "pay TV window." Traditionally, these films have flowed through Relativity's studio releasing partners to output deals with premium TV channels.

The deal marks a continued shift in the distribution of major motion pictures in the U.S. Under the agreement, an increasing amount of popular contemporary movies previously encumbered by pay TV agreements with premium channels such as HBO, Showtime and Starz will become available to be streamed from Netflix months – and not years – after their release on DVD. It will be the first time that studio quality theatrical feature films will be streamed via subscription by Netflix instead of being broadcast by the traditional pay providers, and it opens up a new revenue stream for such movies.

The British Broadcasting Corp.'s controlling trust Friday approved Project Canvas, a joint venture Web-television service that will bring Internet content and new video-on-demand to the TV early next year.

But the approval, which was widely expected, was subject to conditions including free-to-air access for users, access to the platform for content providers and Internet Service Providers, as well as industry consultation.

BBC Trust also said the BBC's involvement will not exceed its estimated costs by more than 20% over a five year period, and that Project Canvas "will comply with all applicable laws including competition and state aid law."

On Demand Group and HBO have announce a deal to provide on-demand access to full episodes of award-winning television shows from HBO via 3 UK’s TV: On Demand TV subscription video-on-demand service. Under the terms of the deal, 3 UK’s SVOD subscribers will be able to watch episodes of HBO hit series including The Sopranos, Sex and the City, Entourage, Curb Your Enthusiasm and Flight of the Conchords.

Endavo Media recently launched TalkingTelcOTT, the first and only blog dedicated exclusively to helping telcos more effectively understand and leverage telco TV and OTT to grow their businesses. TalkingTelcOTT content is produced by Endavo president and CEO Paul D Hamm.

“Most have heard about OTT associated with YouTube and Netflix being delivered over the Internet,” said Hamm. “But to Endavo, OTT represents the long-awaited convergence of traditional television and the Internet, and all the exciting revenue and subscriber growth opportunities now available to telcos.”

Clearleap unveils an EBIF application designed to give cable, IPTV and satellite TV subscribers a continuous, lean back viewing experience for short form programming on VOD. The application, dubbed MyPlaylistTV, provides TV viewers with the ability to generate pre-populated play lists from their VOD libraries and have the video segments stream in a linear fashion, with numerous options to navigate forward, backward and between different play lists without the usual stops and starts of today’s VOD systems.

Blockbuster announces that BLOCKBUSTER On Demand will reach millions more homes across America through the latest models of Samsung connected HDTVs, Blu-ray players and Blu-ray integrated home theater systems. Consumers now have even more ways to enjoy the hottest new releases from BLOCKBUSTER.

BLOCKBUSTER On Demand is part of the newly-launched Samsung Apps, the first HDTV-based application store where users can download applications from select 2010 Samsung HDTVs, Blu-ray players and home theater systems via the upgraded Internet@TV – Content Service