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This week, while the broadcast networks' prime time schedules are winding down for summer, Netflix will add a new season of "Arrested Development" to its library. And with the franchise's built-in fan base, the new season is about the closest thing to a sure bet currently found in original online video production.

Netflix said it believes HBO will be its biggest long-term competitor among TV networks. HBO has bid against Netflix on many original projects and recently won long-term exclusive domestic movie rights from Universal and Fox, Netflix said.

Hulu announced it will close 2012 with more than 3 million paying Hulu Plus subscribers, a huge coup for the company that also offers a version of the same service, albeit with less content, for free. In a Hulu blog, Jason Kilar, CEO of the company, also announced the company would finish the year with $695 million in revenue, a more than 65 percent increase over 2011.

Verizon and Redbox, collaborators in a joint venture since February, have trickled out some more details about how that venture will work, including its name, "Redbox Instant by Verizon," and its executive team, starting with CEO Shawn Strickland, previously president of Verizon's New York south/east region.