Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos, television shows and films without a traditional video playback device and a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of over-the-air programming was the most common form of media distribution. As Internet and IPTV technologies continued to develop in the 1990s, consumers began to gravitate towards non-traditional modes of content consumption, which culminated in the arrival of VOD on televisions and personal computers.
Toku is an American pay television network and streaming service owned by Olympusat and dedicated to broadcasting anime and East Asian programming.
Chiller was an American cable and satellite television network that was owned by NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group subsidiary of NBCUniversal, all owned by Comcast. It later opened its own film production company as well. Chiller specialized in horror, thriller and suspense programming, mainly films.
Fearnet was an American digital cable television network, website and video on demand service owned by Comcast. The network specialized in horror entertainment programming through a mix of acquired and original series, and feature films.
Xumo, LLC is an American internet television and consumer electronics company. It is a joint venture of Charter Communications and Comcast that operates the free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) and advertising video on demand (AVOD) service Xumo Play, and distributes Xumo Stream Box digital media players and Xumo TV smart TVs. The Xumo Play platform's service operations are based in the Greater Los Angeles suburb of Irvine, California. As of October 2020, Xumo Play has 24 million monthly active users.
MGM HD was an all high-definition television cable network owned by the MGM HD Productions subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), a division of Amazon's MGM Holdings, Inc. It featured movies from the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer library of 1,200 movies mastered in a high-definition-compatible format. The films were usually presented uncut and in their original aspect ratio, although some films were edited for content for daytime viewing and commercial breaks were often added during peak viewing hours. MGM HD offered programming like the MGM Channel which was available in 110 countries.
MGM+, formerly known as Epix, is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary of Amazon MGM Studios. The channel's programming consists of recent and older theatrically released motion pictures, original television series, documentaries, and music and comedy specials.
The Afrotainment family of channels is a New York-based network of nine linear television channels and digital properties broadcasting Afro-Centric content in North America. Afrotainment family channels are available on Comcast, DISH Network, Altice USA, Verizon FIOS, Frontier Communications, Bell Fibe, Videotron, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.
Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Disney Entertainment unit of the Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven years of age, its programming consists of original first-run television series, films, and select other third-party programming.
Ion Plus is an American free linear television network owned by the Scripps Networks subsidiary of the E. W. Scripps Company that formerly operated as a broadcast television network until February 28, 2021. The network originally launched in 2007 as Ion Life, maintaining a format featuring lifestyle programming focused on health and wellness, cooking, home decor, and travel. With expanded cable carriage, in 2019, Ion Media converted the network into a general entertainment format that matched that of parent network Ion Television, featuring day-long marathons of various drama series.
Vortexx was an American Saturday morning children's television programming block that aired on The CW from August 25, 2012 to September 27, 2014. Programmed by Saban Brands, it replaced Toonzai, a block that was programmed by 4Kids Entertainment until its bankruptcy. The Vortexx block primarily featured animated programs, although it also featured several live-action series, including the Lost Galaxy installment of the Power Rangers franchise, and the WWE wrestling series Saturday Morning Slam.
Ameba is a Canadian subscription streaming video service founded in 2007 and headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The service features children's cartoons & television series, movies, and music videos.
Sportskool is a US-based cable television network dedicated to sports instruction, exercise and entertainment. Sportskool was launched as a free on-demand channel in 2004 by Rainbow Media Holdings now known as AMC Networks, which at the time was a subsidiary of Cablevision. Sportskool was acquired in October, 2008 by Grace Creek Media, Inc, a television production and distribution company headquartered in Annapolis, MD. Sportskool's programming consists largely of sports, fitness and yoga instruction featuring professional athletes and coaches like Mia Hamm (soccer) Bode Miller (skiing) Misty May Trainor (volleyball) and Tony Gwynn (baseball) and the US Navy Seals (fitness). In 2010, Sportskool produced the six-part series "For Coaches & Parents: It's More Than A Game," with Hollywood actor and youth coach Sean Astin. The channel also features sports documentaries, including the original production "Yogi Berra: Deja Vu All Over Again", "Women and the Waves", and “Sean White: Wizard of Winter Games” among others.
PlayStation Vue was an American streaming television service that was owned by the Sony Interactive Entertainment subdivision of the Sony Corporation of America division of Sony. Launched with a limited major-market rollout on March 18, 2015, the service – which was structured in the style of a multichannel video programming distributor – combined live TV, on-demand video, and cloud-based DVR to stream television programs, movies, and sporting events directly to a PlayStation console or other supported device – including smart TVs, digital media players and apps – without a subscription to a cable or satellite television provider. Targeting cord cutters, PlayStation Vue was designed to complement subscription video-on-demand services. As of August 26, 2018, the service had approximately 745,000 subscribers. On October 29, 2019, Sony announced PlayStation Vue would be ending service on January 30, 2020, because "the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected".
Buzzr is an American digital broadcast television network owned by Fremantle North America, a unit of the Fremantle subsidiary of RTL Group. The network serves as an outlet for the extensive library of classic game shows owned by Fremantle. Buzzr marks Fremantle's entry into North American television broadcasting; parent company RTL currently operates numerous TV channels in Europe.
Cheddar Inc. is an American live streaming financial news network founded by Jon Steinberg in the United States. Cheddar broadcasts live daily from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), Nasdaq, the Flatiron Building in New York City, and the White House lawn and briefing room in Washington, D.C. covering new products, technologies, and services.
The Film Detective is an American classic film restoration, distribution, and streaming company based in Rockport, Massachusetts, and is a division of the American entertainment company, Cineverse. Launched in 2013, The Film Detective offers an extensive library of over 3,000+ hours of classic films and television series, with a focus on both renowned classics and B-movies across genres including comedy, drama, film noir, horror, musical, mystery, science fiction, and silent. Services offered by The Film Detective include a classic film and television app on web, iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV; a 24/7 linear channel offered across multiple leading OTT platforms including Sling TV, Plex, STIRR, DistroTV, Local Now, and Rakuten TV; and exclusive, limited-run Blu-ray and DVD releases.
Jungo TV, LLC is a privately-held media company that owns and operates television channels and streaming apps founded in 2016. Jungo TV is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in San Diego, Mumbai, and Manila.
Giant Pictures is an American independent film distribution company founded by Nick Savva and Jeff Stabenau with offices in New York City and Los Angeles. The company releases feature films, documentaries and series on streaming platforms, with an emphasis on flexibility and customization for filmmakers. Giant Pictures owns and operates specialty theatrical label, Drafthouse Films. Giant is the distribution and technology partner of the Tribeca Festival.
Free advertising supported streaming television (FAST) is a category of streaming television services, akin to linear or cable TV, represented by platforms such as The Roku Channel, Tubi, Pluto TV, Xumo, and Samsung TV Plus. These services offer traditional television programming and studio-produced movies without a paid subscription, funded exclusively by advertising. They stand apart from platforms predominantly featuring user-generated content, as well as from subscription-based ad-supported services.
