Netflix Is a Hit in UK & Ireland

Welcome to today's broadband and cable news roundup.

Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) says it has breached the 1 million subscriber mark in the U.K. and Ireland as the video streaming firm continues to do battle there with Sky and Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN)-owned LOVEFiLM International Ltd. Netflix, which has 27 million subs worldwide, reached the milestone about seven months after launching services in the two countries, claiming it has reached the milestone faster there than it has in any other territory it has launched. Netflix will also try to outbid BSkyB for rights to newer movies from Hollywood's big studios, reports the Sunday Telegraph.

Hulu LLC 's co-owners may buy out (subscription required) Providence Equity Partners 's stake in the company by September, a move that could lead to an overhaul of the online TV service and set the stage for the exit of CEO Jason Kilar, reports Variety, citing a leaked memo. News Corp. (NYSE: NWS), Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) and Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) own most of Hulu, though Comcast's role is limited due to conditions of its NBCUniversal LLC merger.

Comcast is conducting a "large field trial" with hi-def DTA devices, and expects to deploy them more broadly later in 2012, reports CED, noting that the MSO is also working with Evolution Digital LLC on a wall-mounted version that, the vendor hopes, will discourage customers from taking the device with them when they move. (Yes, some customers do take them with them and try to sell the devices on outlets like eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY)). (See BendBroadband Boots Up HD-DTAs and Comcast HD-DTAs Reach the FCC.)

GigaOM says OnLive Inc. , Steve Perlman's online video gaming service, has sold its assets to a newly formed company with "substantial backing" that will likewise hire a "large percentage" of its staff. Earlier reports said the company laid off most of its staff and was about to close, but OnLive insists it's not shutting down. Perlman, OnLive's president and CEO (founder of WebTV Networks), has some cable associations. He started Rearden Steel, a video set-top/gateway outfit that eventually became Moxi Digital Inc. and merged with Paul Allen's Digeo Inc., a video box and software maker that is now in the hands of Arris Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ARRS). (See Arris Digs Digeo .)

The [email protected] Consortium and the International 3D Society are now one following a merger of operations and activities of the groups, which involve companies such as Disney, Turner Broadcasting System Inc. , Vizio Inc. , ESPN and Panasonic Corp. (NYSE: PC). The combined organization is to be led by I3DS President Jim Chabin. (See ESPN: No Regrets About 3DTV Tilt .)

— Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable