Disney

Studios prepping $30-per-film rental service?

Would you pay up to $30 to watch a film before it comes out on DVD? Sony Pictures, Warner Bros., and Disney certainly hope so.

The studios are considering launching a new service that would enable people to watch the latest films from home through their set-top boxes, Bloomberg reported. The films would be available long before they make it to DVD, Blu-ray, or on demand, the news service said.

For now, details on how the studios plan to bring films to home customers are scant. According to Bloomberg, an unidentified Disney representative said the company plans to test it … Read more

WSJ: ABC, Fox to rent 99-cent TV shows on iTunes

On the eve of Apple's annual fall media event, The Wall Street Journal reported that two major Hollywood studios will rent TV shows on iTunes for 99 cents.

According to the Journal, Apple will announce Wednesday at its media event that Disney and Fox will embrace--at least for a while--a price structure that Apple wants all the other studios to adopt.

Right now, TV shows are not available for rent at iTunes. The Web retailer offers numerous episodes free of charge and others, such as the hit AMC drama "Mad Men," the price to buy a single … Read more

Suit alleges Disney, other top sites spied on users

A lawsuit filed in federal court last week alleges that a group of well-known Web sites, including those owned by Disney, Warner Bros. Records, and Demand Media, broke the law by secretly tracking the Web movements of their users, including children.

Attorneys representing a group of minors and their parents filed the suit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, records show. The suit alleges that Clearspring Technologies, a software company that creates widgets and also offers a way to serve ads via widgets, is at the center of the wrongdoing.

Web site operators … Read more

Disney to acquire social-gaming company Playdom

Rumors that The Walt Disney Company would acquire social-gaming conglomerate Playdom have turned out to be true: Disney issued a statement on Tuesday, after the market closed, announcing its intent to acquire Playdom for $563.2 million, plus potential earnouts of up to $200 million.

"We see strong growth potential in bringing together Playdom's talented team and capabilities with our great creative properties, people, and world-renowned brands like Disney, ABC, ESPN, and Marvel," President and CEO Robert Iger said in the statement.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based Playdom is the manufacturer of popular social games such as … Read more

RIP Sidekick

Thanks for watching Loaded today. We will be off Monday for the long Fourth of July weekend. Why we get off July 5 when the holiday is a day earlier, I am not quite sure. But I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth! Have a happy and safe Independence Day!

Links from Friday's episode of Loaded:

The U.S. government releases four new smartphone apps Disney purchases Tapulous Google acquires travel software company ITA Microsoft is licensing technology that allows batteries to work no matter how you put them in your gadgets Sex.com … Read more

iOS developer Tapulous acquired by Disney

Disney has agreed to buy app developer and publisher Tapulous, according to a report from TechCrunch, and later confirmed by CNET's own sources.

The Palo Alto, Calif.-based Tapulous is probably best known for its iOS apps, which include the Tap Tap series, Riddim Ribbon, and Twitter app Twinkle, which made the jump from a jailbroken application to a legitimate one on the App Store.

Tapulous' creations have also been featured in several Apple advertisements and keynotes, including the one for iOS 4, where Apple CEO Steve Jobs used a Tap Tap game to demonstrate multitasking for the first … Read more

Hulu unveils $9.99 premium service

Hulu, the online TV and film portal, has finally rolled out a subscription service, according to a note posted to the site on Tuesday.

For $9.99 a month, subscribers of Hulu Plus get access to a full season's worth of their favorite TV shows--and even past seasons in some cases--and "not just a handful of trailing episodes" that the free-version of Hulu offers, according to CEO Jason Kilar, who wrote the note.

Hulu Plus marks the first time the service has charged for content and it's arrival has been long anticipated. Supported by Disney, NBC … Read more

'Tron Legacy' gear includes wall-climbing light cycles, glowing controllers

As we headed to a Disney preview of toys and gear for the upcoming "Tron" movie sequel, "Tron Legacy," we were reminded of what Yogurt said in "Spaceballs": "Merchandising, merchandising!"

While we're as excited about Disney's upcoming "Tron" sequel as anybody, it's clear the merchandising push will be fierce and all-encompassing. But if our preview of a few of the upcoming items is any indication, some of them are actually kind of cool, too.

Among the very many pieces of Tron gear available for your shopping pleasure … Read more

Have your cake, hold the heat

Kids are notoriously picky eaters. I have one child who deigns to eat a few bites every third day or so. Maybe I can tempt him into more regular mealtimes with the 5-in-1 Tasty Baker from Pop Art Toasters. (If the name sounds familiar, it's because they also make a Creativity Coloring Kit.) Use it to make pancakes, waffles, muffins, quick-breads, and even brownies in fun Disney shapes kids will enjoy.

The Tasty Baker comes with a booklet full of recipes and ideas. I'd go for whole wheat and pureed veggies in the mixes to make healthier snack … Read more