FOX, NBC UNIVERSAL AND SONY EMPLOYEES CAUGHT DOWNLOADING ILLEGAL TORRENTS

Considering all of the concerns major music and movie studios have over piracy and file sharing, one would think the studios could at least manage to keep their own employees from stealing content. That is apparently not the case, however. TorrentFreak has a new tool that reveals what a specific IP address has downloaded from BitTorrent, and used it to snoop around a few popular studios. The site found that employees at Fox, Sony and NBC Universal were downloading illegal content from BitTorrent. A Sony employee, for example, downloaded Conan the Barbarian, an album from The Black Keys, and a Beavis and Butthead video. An NBC Universal Employee downloaded HBO’s hit series Game of Thrones, Cowboys and Aliens and a trance album. Fox typically contacts the FBI when a movie has been leaked, but TorrentFreak found an employee downloading a 1080p HD version of the movie Super 8. “By highlighting the above our intention is not to get anyone into trouble, and for that reason we masked out the end of the IP addresses to avoid a witch hunt,” TorrentFreak said. “An IP address is not a person, IP addresses can be shared among many people, and anyone can be behind a keyboard at any given time.” A Google employee was also caught downloading Windows 7, and the Church of God was busted for downloading two popular TV shows.

NETFLIX BRINGING ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT BACK AS AN EXCLUSIVE SERIES

In a serious content play, Netflix has announced that it is bringing the wildly popular show Arrested Development back exclusively on its platform.

The exclusivity is the key here, as it shows that Netflix is serious about putting its distribution power into promoting original content, rather than just a catalogue of previously aired content and films. Ted Sarandos, Netflix Chief Content Officer said "Arrested Development is one of the finest American comedies in TV history and its return through Netflix is a perfect example of how we are working closely with studios and networks to provide consumers with entertainment they love."

Cancellation of the show, which first aired in 2003, caused an outcry and became a bit of a touchy subject for Fox. Even after winning an Emmy award, the show aired its last episode on February 10th, 2006. The series has been a popular DVD purchase and streaming option since its cancellation.

FOX RESTRICTING ACCESS TO NEW TV SHOWS TO "AUTHENTICATED" PAY TV SUBSCRIBERS

Starting this fall, for the first eight days after they air, watching Fox TV shows online will require a subscription to Hulu Plus or a participating cable or satellite company. So far Dish Network is the first and only provider to sign up its customers for access to the new walled garden on Fox's site but others looking to fill out their TV Everywhere lineups probably won't be far behind. While pay-TV networks like ESPN with ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app and EPIX have already gone the "authentication" route, Fox is the first of the broadcast networks to do so. The new rules go into effect August 15th, then we'll find out if Fox is driving cable cutters towards paying for TV, piracy, or just ignoring the latest episode of Glee altogether.

HULU STRIKES CONTENT DEAL WITH FOX AND DISNEY, NBC IN TALKS

Now that Hulu's owners have apparently decided the best thing to do is sell it to someone else, long arrangements for content are needed to bring the highest price. Bloomberg is reporting that after cutting a deal with Fox a few days ago Hulu has now tentatively reached a deal with another of its owners, Disney. While both arrangements could keep the TV shows flowing, they also reportedly include provisions to increase the number of ads shown on the service. That would also put it in position to reach a similar agreement with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, because of the media giant's FCC promise to reach similar agreements as its competitors for online content.

HULU CONFIRMS IT IS FOR SALE

Hulu has hired bankers Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners to sell the online video site. Hulu is jointly owned by News Corp's Fox, Disney's ABC and Comcast's NBC (although NBC has no voting power or a seat on the board). Hulu has stated it is on track to generate over $500 million in revenue this year, making it a quite attractive property.

Earlier this week it was rumored Yahoo was interested in Hulu and had tendered an initial offer. No news on if that offer was considered, but the board has not met to discuss any offers, so it is doubtful Yahoo's offer was sufficient.

Last year, Hulu and Morgan Stanley floated the notion of an IPO, which went nowhere because the company couldn’t secure long-term exclusive content licenses from its owners.

THEATER OWNERS READY TO FIGHT STUDIOS OVER $30 PREMIUM VOD PLANS

While we're not exactly in a hurry to spend $30 each on 60-day delayed movie rentals, theater owners are quite upset by the whole premium video-on-demand plan apparently being pushed by Warner, Sony, Fox and Universal. The most active objector so far appears to be AMC Theaters, which announced yesterday it would notify studios that it plans to "adapt its economic model" regarding movies bound for p-VOD. What it wants is likely a bigger slice of the revenue and also a heads up on which movies will be getting the earlier releases. Rival theater chains Regal and Cinemark have already expressed plans to cut promotion and screens for movies headed to p-VOD, but without any official announcement it's still not clear which movies those will be. Of course, cutting down promo and screens cuts into the theater's own revenue, so we'll consider this one another waiting game and wait to see who blinks first.

BROADCAST NETWORKS BLOCK GOOGLE TV

ABC, NBC and CBS have blocked Google TV from accessing online content of their shows.  According to the Wall Street Journal all 3 networks have confirmed the ban and Fox hasn't reached a decision yet.  Google says "ultimately the content owners' choice to restrict their fans from accessing their content on the platform," but Reuters is now reporting the Google is in active negotiations with the networks to get access back.

Google TV can be found in select Sony televisions and also in a Logitech set-top box.  It allows users to view live television as well as the internet at the same time. [Engadget]

AMAZON STREAMING ABC AND FOX SHOWS

Not to be outdone by Apple, Amazon has launched a streaming service.  For just 99 cents you can purchase, YES..purchase, select ABC and Fox TV shows.  This is a much better deal than Apple's rental model.

RUMOR: APPLE READYING 99 CENT TV SHOW RENTAL

Apple is working on bringing 99 cent TV show rentals to iTunes according to Bloomberg's report.  They have nearly locked in Fox with CBS and Disney not far behind.  Apple is in advanced talks with Fox to allow rental of their TV shows for 48 hours for 99 cents.