But don’t get too excited because it’s more accurately described as an anti-teaser as there is no appearance of any character’s face or voice. It’s just some cheesy rock ballad circa 2002 in minor playing over some footage of dirt moving around with the message, “In Bon Temps, nothing stays buried forever,” zooming on and off the screen.

See?

That didn’t stop Twitters from getting their blood pumping in anticipating of everyone’s favorite vampire camp this side of Buffy.

Undoubtedly, viewers will be introduced to even more supernatural creatures this season, so on that note, what kind of monsters would you like to see be given the sexy True Blood makeover? Personally, I’d kinda like to see a Creature from the Black Lagoon-type merman. You?

HBO has just released the newest teaser trailer for the season, and it shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that it looks awesome. All of your favorite characters like Tyrion Lannister & Daenerys Targaryen play a part in the trailer, as do some of the show’s most hated like the wretched Joffrey. Check it out below:

The season two premiere is set to take place on April 1st, unless it’s some sort of cruel April Fools Joke.

Twitter is buzzing about the little tease:

If you haven’t seen season one, you’ve got just over two months to catch up. I would recommend it.

This news doesn’t mean that Netflix is no longer going to be offering HBO series on DVD and Blu-ray to their customers. It’s just as it sounds, Netflix has to buy HBO series on DVD at retail price instead of the reduced wholesale price they have been getting the DVDs at for years.

It’s a smart move too because the only way to get HBO series with Netflix is through their rental service. Netflix was smart to continue buying the DVDs as it continues to be a popular option among their subscribers even as their streaming business becomes more popular.

HBO has their own streaming service through HBO GO that rivals Netflix’s streaming service. It’s main strength is that HBO GO is the exclusive provider of HBO’s popular original content.

As streaming services like Hulu become more prevalent and more content providers create their own streaming services, it will be interesting to see how Netflix adapts to an environment where there’s more competition than the struggling Blockbuster.

The response to the news from the Twitter public has so far been unworried or humorous:

This time, however, the inspiration for the latest Twitter chatter comes courtesy of Bryant Gumbel’s closing remarks on the most recent episode of HBO Sports. Normally, during this segment, Gumbel waxes poetic on a number of topics, offering his perspective on whatever’s trending in the sports universe. With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that Gumbel would offer his thoughts on the NBA lockout, which he ever so eloquently did.

This time, however, instead of commenting on the overall state of millionaires arguing with billionaires, Gumbel had a particular target in mind: NBA Commissioner David Stern. Not only did Gumbel offer his thoughts on the matter, he absolutely put Stern on nuclear-level blast, equating Stern’s behavior to that of a plantation owner. There’s video of the editorial, but it’s property of HBO, so there’s no telling how long it will last on YouTube’s servers.

Get it while it’s hot:

Do they have a valid point?

Pay attention to the hashtag in the previous embed.

Some, on the other hand, were surprised Gumbel came at Stern as “hard” as he did.

Bonus: today I learned what the H.A.M. acronym means. If you’re curious, check Urban Dictionary.

Again, while this topic may not be the most web business friendly in the world, the web content it produces is certainly ripe for coverage. The way in which we communicate has clearly changed (for the worse or better is up to you), making platforms like Twitter and Facebook some of the more viable businesses out there.

Whatever your thoughts are concerning the NBA Lockout or Bryant Gumbel’s “Come on Pookie, let’s burn this mother****** down” blast towards David Stern, you cannot deny the awesome web content such situations produce.

The New York Times reported late Sunday that Netflix has reached a deal with DreamWorks Animation to stream its content through their Netflix Instant subscription service (now simply called Netflix).

This new deal comes after DreamWorks ended its contract with HBO, who let the animation studio out 2 years early. The new deal with Netflix should prove to be more lucrative for DreamWorks, according to the Times –

The Netflix accord, which analysts estimate is worth $30 million per picture to DreamWorks over an unspecified period of years, is billed by the companies as the first time a major Hollywood supplier has chosen Web streaming over pay television.

FYI, DreamWorks is the company behind films like Madagascar, Shrek and How To Train Your Dragon.

If you think this sounds like good news for Netflix and Netflix subscribers, you would be right. DreamWorks is a good content source, and its films should add legitimacy to the Netflix streaming catalog. But there’s one little problem:

Netflix won’t start streaming DreamWorks content until 2013. Depending on when exactly in 2013, that’s at least a year to a year and a half away.

Netflix will begin streaming DreamWorks films starting in 2013. The studio plans three releases that year: “The Croods,” a prehistoric comedy; “Turbo,” about a garden snail; and “Peabody & Sherman,” an adaptation of “Rocky and Bullwinkle” characters. Titles from the DreamWorks library, including “Kung Fu Panda” and “Antz,” will become available over time, the companies said.

It’s been a rough little stretch for Netflix, and it seems like they need to start adding to that streaming catalog as soon as possible. Last week they announced a new deal with Discovery Communications to bring Discovery Channel and TLC content like “Man vs Wild” and “Say Yes To The Dress.”

This, just days after they announced that negotiations fell through with Starz – meaning Netflix will lose much of its Disney and Sony content by February 2012.

Between the price hike, the Starz content loss and the recent Qwikster split, Netflix is now playing from behind. People are upset and some are losing faith in the company. Adding new content to the streaming service is what Netflix has to do, no doubt, but 2013? If anyone should know, Netflix should know how much can change in just a matter of months.

It’s actually a little bit more to the story than that, but it looks like HBO is moving forward on their “TV Everywhere” program, which would allow subscribers access to HBO’s content on just about any connected device. The report comes courtesy of a GigaOm article, which references an HBO company call headed by CEO Jeff “I Hate Netflix” Bewkes.

In order to receive access to HBO Go‘s content, you have to have an existing HBO subscription, courtesy of your cable/satellite provider. From here, existing customers are allowed to register with the on-demand web service. The question remains, with HBO On Demand still going strong when it’s offered by providers, what purpose does the HBO Go expansion serve? Does making it available to web-connected televisions really necessary, when, in all likelihood, that TV is already connected with a subscription that gives them access to HBO On Demand?

Or is this some kind of consolidation move that takes the on demand aspect out of the hands of the cable providers? Lots of questions and not a lot of answers, although, the following snippet from GigaOm’s post may shed some light:

And according to Bewkes, Time Warner’s research shows that HBO Go users watch even more of the network’s content than those who don’t take advantage of the service.

So, wait? People who use HBO Go watch more HBO content than those who don’t? You don’t say? Forgive the sarcasm, but that almost sounds like a “water is wet” revelation.

As it stands, there was no particular date in mind during the discussion of HBO Go’s expansion, just that it’s coming. Perhaps this is simply a consolidation move on HBO’s part, one that will do away with all of the different titles for essentially the same service. Allow us to celebrate the news with this incredible 1983 intro/promo video for an HBO feature presentation:

#tbwithdrawal

WebProNews readers were recently treated to a social media breakdown of the True Blood phenomenon, which is thriving, and through these outlets, it’s clear people want their non-sparkling vampires who, you know, actually drink blood and seduce others? Or, as Neko Case calls it, vampire-sex TV.

Case is referring to a song she and Nick Cave did for tonight’s Season Four premiere, which can be heard at the blog for KCRW, a radio station in Santa Monica. Speaking of True Blood songs, maybe this can tide you over until tonight:

XfinityTV.com’s West Coast editor Craig Tomashoff, who has seen the premiere, promises fans they won’t be disappointed. “It will definitely be the thing people are talking about,” Tomashoff told ABCNews.com. “It will be the buzzed-about show of the summer.”

In case you can’t wait a few more hours, HBO may still have those eight minutes of footage from the premiere available. Speaking of can’t wait, that certainly was the mood of the Twitter crowd leading up to tonight’s premiere:

It’s safe to say that people are really happy True Blood is back in their lives, right?

Social Media Case Study: True Blood

Execs used various social tactics to launch the show back in 2008 and have kept the momentum going ever since. At launch, they created an Alternate Reality Game and several sites to help fans visualize the fictional world that the supernatural characters exist in. They also employed blogger outreach – bloggers were sent samples of Tru Blood, the synthetic blood that vampires on the show drink which allows them to coexist with humans by not feeding on them (stay with me here) – to pique the interest of potential cult followers. Oh, did I forget to mention that Tru Blood is now actually sold in stores?

HBO is working hard to keep the thirst of True Blood’s millions of Facebook fans and Twitter followers quenched with a constant mix of engaging channel management strategies and promotional campaigns.

Facebook

To keep the momentum going, the show continues to stake its claim in the social space. The 7.8 million Facebook fans continue to stay active in the show’s absence, counting down to new premieres with other fans, sharing their favorite quotes and offering commentary or predictions – and the page admins aren’t leaving them hanging.

The page is regularly sharing content like exclusive photos and videos and, while there are many posts driving to the other properties like True Blood Withdrawal and the official HBO site, their posts are still seeing a relatively high level of engagement. Nearly all posts dating back the last couple of months generated 5,000+ ‘likes,’ with their two photo albums for the upcoming Season 4 raking in 32,000+ and 15,000+ likes. In my opinion, the admins have a good understanding of the need for a balanced content strategy – they’ve got promotional posts, the exclusive content fans are looking for, and engagement in the form of Facebook Questions, quotes, and short episode recaps. And while they’ve been guilty of using hashtags on Facebook (a big pet peeve of mine), I can’t fault them too much because their posts have huge returns.

A couple of weeks ago, the page also launched the Immortalize Yourself application, which allows fans to incorporate themselves and their friends into an interactive exclusive clip from the next season. Fans can watch the video created with randomly selected friends’ names and profile pictures, or they have the option to “do bad things” by taking a quick friend quiz similar to Mad Libs in order to plug their friends into appropriate parts of the video. I used Megan as an example of a “friend who is likely to go MIA.”

For dedicated fans of the show, it’s a great way to get active fans to share your content because it’s easily customizable and sharable – and for the fans, it’s an added bonus to feel like you’re actually a part of the show’s world and culture.

Online Game: True Blood Dig Deeper

There is also a new TV spot that’s driving to an online promotion called True Blood Dig Deeper. I had watched the spots promoting the availability of Season 3 on DVD/Blu-ray, but I didn’t realize they were connected to an online promotion before starting research for this post. It’s actually a really, really clever game.

Essentially, fans watch the same commercial and identify 60 clues from the season hidden throughout within the 30-second clip in order to earn badges and to be entered to win the “Ultimate True Fan Experience,” a grand prize trip. Fans can watch the commercial multiple times, slow it down, zoom, pan… it’s clever in that it’s getting fans directly engaged and having them watch the spot over and over. It also ramps up the nostalgia and is a fun way for users to recap the previous season by recognizing elements they may have forgotten before the next one premieres. While some of the references are obvious, like the dog that shape-shifter Sam turns into, some are more obscure – like a blue sweater that one character wore for about 3 episodes – which could lead to hours spent playing along. I sent this site to a few of my friends who are fans of the show, and based on their testimonies, it’s pretty addicting.

True Blood Sites & Twitter Integration

The show is a summer series, so fans typically grow impatient waiting nearly a year for the next season, a sentiment echoed in the tagline “Waiting Sucks” – pun intended. There are several sites where fans can stay in the loop, including the revamped Bloodcopy, “The Official True Blood Conversation,” which once served as one of the fictional blogs at the launch of the show.

Here fans can find a live feed of all True Blood-related tweets, recent tweets from the official @TrueBloodHBO accounts and “Blood topics,” a clickable graphic of all of the most-talked about topics. The site even allows fans to connect their own Twitter accounts to get in on the conversation.

There’s also the recently launched True Blood Withdrawal site, promoted by a series of viral “PSAs” featuring the cast.

This page also aggregates tweets, with those tagged with #TBwithdrawal highlighting “the latest withdrawal victim.” Fans can see various feeds, connect their accounts, or engage in other activities to “feed their addiction.” Continuing to play on the puns, fans can also reach out to other “Truebies” suffering from “withdrawal,” or more cleverly, “check (themselves) in with GetGlue” to earn exclusive stickers and a chance to win a bottle of Tru Blood.

HBO has been promoting the #TBwithdrawal and #waitingsucks hashtags not only in their TV promos and videos, a trend I’m seeing more and more, but also with role-playing character accounts on Twitter. I’ve tried finding confirmation that these accounts are officially affiliated with HBO, but beyond the fact that the True Blood account follows them, I found nothing. Still, these fictional tweeters boast follower counts in the 20-30,000s, and the “characters” are regularly engaging in conversations around the show.

From what I can tell, True Blood is doing an excellent job of keeping its fans active and engaged all year round. The same goes for Sex and the City, another HBO favorite of mine, which continues to post content around the show (vs. the movie) regularly and host giveaways on their page, despite the show having ended years ago.

While I may watch a lot of TV, I’m sure there are a few niche shows that I’m missing out on that may be doing a great job in the social space. Are there any other TV shows out there that you think have a firm grasp on engaging audiences via social media?

Originally published on Ignite Social Media

But wait – here’s the rub: It will only available at launch for 5 Android OS phones that have “requisite playback support.” Those five phones are:

1. HTC Incredible with Android 2.2
2. HTC Nexus One with Android 2.2, 2.3
3. HTC Evo 4G with Android 2.2
4. HTC G2 with Android 2.2
5. Samsung Nexus S with Android 2.3

Here’s what they say about the app coming to more Android phones in the future:

Because the platform has evolved so rapidly, there are some significant challenges associated with developing a streaming video application for this ecosystem. One of these challenges is the lack of standard streaming playback features that the Netflix application can use to gain broad penetration across all available Android phones. In the absence of standardization, we have to test each individual handset and launch only on those that can support playback.

We are aggressively qualifying phones and look forward to expanding the list of phones on which the Netflix app will be supported. We anticipate that many of these technical challenges will be resolved in the coming months and that we will be able to provide a Netflix application that will work on a large majority of Android phones.

With the app, users can watch streaming video through Wi-Fi or 3G, although 3G streaming will be quite the data hog.  Users can also resume watching where they left off on their TV or computer.

Last August, Netflix launched their app for iOS.  And and the end of April HBO entered the world of phone-streaming video with their release of their HBO GO app for iPhone and Android.

Image courtesy

After months of trashing Netflix and its attempts to acquire HBO’s content, the premium cable channel is fully embracing the streaming-content business. First, the HBO GO service answered Netflix’s gauntlet, because it’s always a good business strategy to alienate other successful distribution chains. Now, they’ve set their sites on the trendy app crowd with the release of the HBO GO apps (iPhone, Android).

Naturally, the use the application, you must have an account with HBO that stems from your cable (or satellite) bill. The early reviews on both the Android app store and iTunes are pretty favorable, especially on the iTunes side. As for the complaints from the Android crowd, they seem to be focusing on compatibility issues instead of the quality of the application.

Here are some screenshots, all from the Apple environment:

iPhone

iPad