As of the first half of 2013, Netflix accounted for almost a third (32.5 percent) of downstream traffic on US fixed line networks, followed closely by YouTube (17.11 percent), according to the latest Sandvine Networks Internet Phenomena Report. Median monthly consumption jumped 56.5 per cent compared with the previous report, to 18.2GB per month.

BitTorrent’s share as a proportion of traffic continues to fall, with the pirated content file sharing technology accounting for a mere 5.57 per cent of downstream traffic.

Interestingly, the situation was different in Europe, where BitTorrent still accounted for 12.22 percent of down traffic, and Netflix didn’t appear in the top ten at all. HTTP took the top spot and YouTube came in second at 21.27 percent.

“In Europe, countries with lower Real-Time Entertainment share typically have higher Filesharing traffic, which leads us to believe that subscribers are likely using applications like BitTorrent to procure audio and video content not available in their region,” Sandvine wrote.

“We believe that Filesharing’s share of traffic may have finally reached its peak in terms of traffic share and will begin to experience a steady and significant decline, as paid OTT video services continue to expand their availability throughout the region.”

2 years ago, Netflix surpassed Bittorrent in the United States for the first time, gaining 24.71 percent versus BitTorrent’s 17.23 aggregate traffic. Now Youtube and Amazon have become major streaming contenders as well and Torrent traffic is on a major downslope.

[Via: The Register]

The app also includes a Hulu Plus Live Tile, which provides updates such as availability of new episodes, and shows clips of popular shows which help users find new shows and movies to watch. The app also can resume playback of content from other devices that use a form of the Hulu Plus app, like those on smart TVs. Users can also add their favorite shows to their Hulu Plus queue and search for content such as episodes, clips and movies.

The Hulu Plus service requires a paid subscription, which costs $7.99 a month with limited advertising. The Hulu Plus for Windows Phone 8 app can be downloaded here.

[Via: Mobile Burn]

Of course, the application is free to download, and it brings some usual features such as single title rental options that can be streamed instantly or saved for later viewing on any supported device. Moreover, users will also get the long-awaited support for HD and surround sound.

Here’s what’s also included in the app:

• Thousands of hit movies and new releases – rent and watch instantly or save to your Watchlist and view later
• Tons of movies you love – hand-selected titles with the highest ratings from Rotten Tomatoes®
• Stream Instantly — phone, tablet, laptop, Samsung Smart TV, Roku, and more
• Amazing sound and video – stunning HD movies in full Surround Sound
• Easy shopping and viewing – prime movie watching experience
• No subscription or late fees – pay only for what you watch

[iTunes App Store; via 9to5Mac]

The streaming company also reported that its site’s revenue also hit a record for the first quarter of the year, albeit, Hulu didn’t give specifics on any numbers. Furthermore, customers can expect Hulu to follow the same path taken by its competitors Netflix and Amazon, as it too jumps into the production of original content.

[The New York Times; via engadget]

Providing a direct option for consumers would allow the company to step away from depending on third-party platforms, such as Roku, Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Android and iOS. BusinessWeek’s sources claim the new device will be launched sometime in the Fall.

Of course, Amazon hasn’t responded to this report. Though having a set-top box would definitely put their content front and center ahead of competing video streaming services like Hulu Plus and Netflix. Honestly if this report turns out to be true, it would not be at all surprising — this is what Amazon does. They offer a device for dirt cheap to push their content, which is their standard approach to customers.

That being said, Amazon has lots of room to bring in more products like this, just think about the long rumored phone. Regardless, whatever Amazon ultimately reveals, we’re sure folks will buy it up.

[via BusinessWeek]

]]> http://www.intomobile.com/2013/04/24/amazon-plans-launch-its-own-video-streaming-settop-box/feed/ 0 http://www.intomobile.com/2013/04/22/spotify-records-smashed-futuristic-french-duo-daft-punk/ http://www.intomobile.com/2013/04/22/spotify-records-smashed-futuristic-french-duo-daft-punk/#comments Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:19:26 +0000 Ian Kersey http://www.intomobile.com/?p=418883 ... Read more]]> Daft Punk, one of the quintessential late 90′s electronic duos has smashed Spotify streaming records with their new single Get Lucky, their first single in eight years. The helmet clad French duo’s new single features Neptune’s mastermind Pharrell, who lays down some smooth vocal tracks over Daft Punk’s disco-y jams. Daft Punk’s new album, Random Access Memories will be released on May 21st, according to Amazon.com.

Get Lucky broke Spotify streaming records in both the US and the UK, being streamed more times than any other track managed by Spotify in a single day. The previous record holders for the US were Thrift Shop hipsters Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, and Bastille in the UK. Exact number of plays are yet unknown, but Spotify assures us that they are bountiful.

With only a few weeks until the release of Random Access Memories, we’ll just have to play the new single on repeat until our heads explode. Or check out some of Daft Punk’s previous jams? Yeah, that sounds good. Check out the videos below for a live performance of Get Lucky, and a few other Daft Punk gems!

[Via: Ubergizmo]

Well, today is the day folks finally get to use Spotify’s Ford SYNC support. The music streaming company left this description for users on its iTunes page:

With Spotify now available on select vehicles equipped with available SYNC with SYNC AppLink, it’s easier than ever to find the right music for every road trip. Just log into your Spotify Premium account and connect your device to SYNC AppLink. With simple voice commands, you’ll have easy, hands-free access to all your music, playlists and Spotify Radio stations. Say “play starred” to access the songs you can’t get enough of and even launch playlists sent by friends just by saying “yes” to play.

Here’s the rest of the features that comes in Version 0.6.2

• New: Now you can listen in your car with the Ford SYNC AppLink platform. Log into your Premium account on your iOS device and connect it to SYNC AppLink. Enjoy voice-controlled access to all your favourite music, playlists and radio.

• Fixed: You can now view your friends’ top tracks.

If you have a Ford car with SYNC and Spotify, be sure to let us know in the comment section how good the new Ford SYNC feature is.

[iTunes; via 9to5Mac]

]]> http://www.intomobile.com/2013/04/02/spotify-ios-app-gets-updated-ford-sync-support/feed/ 1 http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/25/spotify-stream-movies-create-original-content/ http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/25/spotify-stream-movies-create-original-content/#comments Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:15:04 +0000 Ian Kersey http://www.intomobile.com/?p=412171 ... Read more]]> Music-streaming service Spotify has become a huge player in the on-demand music streaming scene, and is now looking to enter the realm of on-demand video streaming. According to Business Insider, Spotify will compete head on with the likes of Netflix and HBO Go by providing original content as well as access to a library of other content.

Spotify has picked up some substantial investment from companies such as Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs, but is still having a hard time turning a profit. Spotify does not own its content, but rather pays record labels for access to their songs. This model is increasingly hard to manage for Spotify, as prices for access to songs climb as Spotify’s popularity rises. A variety of other music streaming services are bidding for the same access, thusly allowing the record labels to charge whatever they see fit.

Netflix has faced similar problems, with movie studios charging high prices for content, leaving Netflix with a small profit margin. Netflix decided to make original content in an attempt to woo more users and increase profits, releasing its original series House Of Cards last year. Whether the original content model will pay off however, remains to be seen. Production costs of original series are expensive to produce, but Netflix and now Spotify are investing now for the hope of more subscribers in the future.

This announcement highlights changes of the entertainment industry, as smaller studios are able to create content on par with traditional Hollywood studios.

[Via: Business Insider]

NVIDIA is pushing cloud based services heavily, especially pertaining to cloud based gaming. In his keynote speech, NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsen Huang proclaimed, referring to devices, “if we can’t light them all, we can stream to the rest of them.” This ambitious goal is powered by the GRID, NVIDIA’s cloud based gaming and computing solution.

Thanks to the GRID, we are no longer tethered to the processing power of our physical devices. NVIDIA’s GRID allows games to be played on a variety of devices. The GRID is essentially a cloud based gaming server which renders and streams the game to the user’s device. We saw this technology running on Smart TV’s, MacBooks, tablets as well as PC laptops. Utilizing NVIDIA’s new GPU virtualization technology, the GRID can serve up to 36 HD quality streams from one server. The GRID offers a variety of titles available for play, making owning physical copies of games a thing of the past. Players can also start and stop games on multiple devices.

There’s no doubt that the GRID has the potential to change the gaming landscape, bringing us into an era of gaming that is no longer reliant on set-top boxes and hardware limitations. Are you excited about cloud based gaming? Will you ditch your console? Sound off in the comments below!

Windows Phone 8 users will get to enjoy the internet radio service free without ads and a 40 hour monthly cap restriction for the rest of the year. Other amenities include the ability for people to pin their preferred stations to the start screen for easy access to their music, while a Live Tile provides up-to-date artist and track information without having to inconveniently open up the app. Parents also get to have control over what their kids listen in Kid’s Corner. We have yet to test any of the features, but we’re sure users can expect similar functionality in the Pandora app that’s seen in many of the official apps from other developers.

Much credit should go to the Microsoft team for working hard to the bone in getting as many prominent developers on its Windows Phone 8 platform. Microsoft’s mobile operating system may be behind iOS and Android with apps, but its seemingly light years ahead of BlackBerry 10’s official app choices. More on that later.

Those of you interested in getting the new Pandora app can download it from the link below. Tell us how you like it?

Windows Phone Store | Download

]]> http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/21/windows-phone-8-lands-official-pandora-app/feed/ 2 http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/12/spotify-moves-6-million-paid-subscribers-worldwide/ http://www.intomobile.com/2013/03/12/spotify-moves-6-million-paid-subscribers-worldwide/#comments Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:05:15 +0000 Charles West http://www.intomobile.com/?p=409409 ... Read more]]> Spotify continues to grow at a rapid pace as the music streaming service now home to 6 million paid subscribers worldwide. This number makes Spotify by far the industry leader in the all you can eat music biz. What’s even more impressive, is that the company added 1 million paid subscribers since the month of December. Spotify is now the second fastest growing digital music provider ever, only trailing Pandora.

Here’s another amazing factoid, Spotify now sits at 24 million active users, which is more than double what it had a year ago. These kind of numbers should make any company exec gleam with excitement, however, the company remains humble with a focus of continued growth. Blanketing the entire globe is the goal.

Spotify is making plenty of moves to keep its edge in the music streaming business. For example, the company recently cut a deal with Ford Motors in streaming its service over Ford’s SYNC-equipped cars. Bundling its music streaming service with other internet companies is another way to spread the word.

The company keeps on trucking along despite being in such a brutal business that has constant negotiations in licensing deals with record companies, and unjustified scrutiny from musical artist. Labels are the ones jerking the artists, as they pay out only a fraction of a penny for a song streamed over Spotify.

Unfortunately, this screw job puts the burden solely on Spotify’s shoulders, but if it continues to grow like it has in the past year — more plays and dollars will come for artist. With paying subscriptions growing to a 44 percent clip, it’s safe to say that music streaming is here to stay.

[via cnet]