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 Satellite : Dish Loses Peachtree TV In Fee Fight |
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Jan 27, 2012 - 7:53 AM - by fatone147
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Dish Loses Peachtree TV In Fee Fight
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 27, 2012) -- Dish, which has a contentious history with regional sports networks, apparently has lost another one due to a fight over a new programming pact.
Peachtree TV, an Atlanta-based independent station which airs Atlanta Braves games as well as SEC college football and basketball, issued a statement last night saying its current agreement with Dish has expired. "And, by law, Dish Network no longer has the right to carry our copyright programming," the statement added.
There has been no official word from Dish on what it plans to do. The company has made no reference to the dispute on its Twitter page or at the company web site. However, Dish viewers have noted on Twitter that the channel is no longer available and Peachtree is advising Dish viewers to "watch us through alternative means."
Dish has had a number of fee fights with regional sports networks over the last year or two. The satcaster currently does not carry any of the four New York regional sports channels due to disagreements over carriage fees.
"Please know that we have tried very hard to reach an agreement with Dish Network, so that our viewers would not have to miss any of our station's programming," Peachtree stated. "We are disappointed in the outcome of our negotiations, especially since we have successfully reached agreements with every major cable and satellite company that recognizes our fair market value. The fact is that we are only asking Dish Network for pennies a day from your bill for our programming. Without fair and equitable treatment, local TV stations will not be able to continue to provide top quality news, sports, entertainment, and other local programming that is most important to you."
Peachtree is owned by Turner Broadcasting. The station's call letters are WPCH-TV and it also broadcasts such syndicated fare as The Office, Big Bang Theory and Meet the Browns.
Peachtree says in its statement that it will continue to negotiate with Dish.
"Unfortunately, we do not know if, or when, we will reach an agreement. In the meantime, we hope you will continue to support local television and watch us through alternative means. You may watch us for free over the air waves, or you may choose to subscribe to another provider which carries Peachtree TV and all of the local television stations in our market," Peachtree statement says. "We also encourage you to continue to call Dish Network and tell them you want WPCH Peachtree TV back.
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Satellite : DIRECTV Settles Dispute With Sunbeam |
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Jan 27, 2012 - 4:51 AM - by evd
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New England Patriots fans who subscribe to DIRECTV have one more reason to rejoice: Super Bowl XLVI will indeed be televised in Boston thanks to a late-breaking deal the satcaster reached with Sunbeam Television. The two sides had been locked in a retransmission consent dispute for the past week causing many to fear it would interfere with locals' ability to watch the NFL's championship game next weekend.
The dispute garnered more attention than most retrans negotiations as Boston stations WHDH and WLVI could have been blacked out on DIRECTV while the Patriots played in the Super Bowl. Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) were so concerned about the dispute that both sent letters to the companies urging them to settle their clash before the big game.
DIRECTV said it was pleased to have reached an agreement to end the blackout and regretted putting customers in the middle of a business dispute. "The public interest is best served by allowing customers to keep their local broadcast stations as we negotiate future agreements, rather than being denied access by broadcast stations and used as leverage in what should be a private business matter," the company said.
Sunbeam's WSVN in Miami is also part of the agreement. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. •
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/27/2012 |
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Jan 27, 2012 - 4:51 AM - by evd
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Rules & Regs: T-Mobile is preemptively challenging the FCC and Congress over potential spectrum auction rules that might see the carrier squeezed out by its bigger rivals. "Legislation pending in Congress would effectively preclude the FCC from considering existing spectrum holdings in determining the qualifications for participation in auctions” says Kathleen Ham, T-Mobile VP of regulatory affairs. "Eliminating the FCC’s authority to establish competitive rules... could discourage participation by bidders other than the largest carriers, ironically driving down auction revenues and potentially undermining the very economic development Congress hopes to gain through its legislation." --- Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR), chair of the House Subcom on Communications & Tech set a tentative markup of the FCC Process Reform Act before the full House Energy & Commerce Committee for Feb. 7. The bill, intro'd last fall and voted out along party lines, requires the FCC to 1) vote on a rule only after the final language has been made public, 2) perform cost/benefit analyses of every proposed rule change, 3) impose time limits on communications M&A activity, and 4) prevent the agency from imposing conditions on M&A approvals that are outside the FCC's legal realm. --- The FCC's Enforcement Bureau said Comcast should place the Tennis Channel on expanded tiers "as soon as practicable" - but the cable giant disagrees. Comcast told the agency that it plans on appealing an earlier decision that would force the company to put Tennis on an expanded tier and immediate compliance denies the company its due process rights. --- The FCC announced a tentative agenda for its Feb. 15 open meeting including: 1) robocalls (unwanted prerecorded phone calls); 2) streamlining cellular service licensing (from site-based to geographically-based); and 3) outage reporting for VoIP providers (E-911 updates).
QRs: Motorola Mobility reported its Q4 results this week with net revenue of $3.4B and non-GAAP net earnings of $.20 per share. The company's mobile devices contributed $2.5B to net revs, a 5% y/y increase, with 10.5M mobile device shipments (5.3M smartphones) during the period. --- Media General reported a Q4 net loss of $3.3M ($.15 per share) with total revenues down 11.7% y/y to $168M.
In Court: A former male worker is suing Jimmy Fallon and NBCU for 'gender bias.' The staffer says he lost his job to a "totally incompetent woman" because Fallon "prefers to take direction" from the fairer sex. In related entertainment litigation news, a Punjabi religious org has filed suit against Jay Leno and NBC over a joke the host made this week about presidential candidate Mitt Romney's much-publicized wealth. THR has details on both cases here: Fallon and Leno.
Disputes: PA-based community activist group Action United protested outside of Comcast's HQ in Philly this week saying the company isn't upholding its obligations to help low-income school kids get access to the internet. NewsWorks has the local story.
$$$: Charter subsidiaries CCO Holdings and CCO Holdings Capital Corp. closed on $750M in aggregate principal amount of senior unsecured notes due 2022 (at 6.625% per annum and issued at 99.5% of the aggregate principal amount).
Online: In-house data from CNN says an average of 73M people visited CNN-related digital properties throughout 2011 while CNN.com is averaging 101.3M monthly video views. The news org says its numbers show that CNN's monthly unique visitors are higher than its rivals MSNBC (38%), Fox News (187%), ABC News Digital (217%) and CBS Interactive (260%). --- YoutooTV is offering free airtime to candidates and voters wishing to express their take on the Florida Primary. Commercial slots are limited and will be honored on a first come first served basis once they have cleared broadcast standards. All political parties are welcome to submit spots, the company said. --- BuyTV is running a special program recapping the cool new tech products to come out of this year's CES in Vegas. --- Definition 6 said it will stream live horse racing tomorrow through a Facebook app designed to promote HBO's new series "Luck" and give users a chance to win $50K.
Programming: DISH is adding TiVi5MONDE, a French-language children's programming channel, to its French bouquet (available for $20/month).
Advertising: STRATA says optimism is returning to the media buying industry after a nice holiday season last year. According to the firm's latest study, 81% of agencies expect the ad market to increase or at least stay the same - a 14-pt. swing from Q311. STRATA says digital dollars have remained relatively unchanged during the past two periods, and agencies feel clients still don't understand digital's value. The survey says Facebook continues its dominance in ad campaigns with 89% of agencies planning on utilizing the social-media platform for clients, followed by Twitter (39%), YouTube (36%), LinkedIn (21%) and Google+ (18%). --- Media analytics company TRA is teaming up with Experian Automotive to launch a new software solution that enables advertisers to target networks and programs that reach consumers by their car registration information. The service provides advertisers and networks a household-level solution to evaluate the automotive industry's current investment in TV advertising. More information can be found here.
Tech: Reports are saying the "most direct evidence" that Apple is inching closer to an Apple-branded TV comes from the company's filing for a touchscreen remote control. Get details at Mashable. --- So is gesture control for TVs one of the home runs coming out of CES this year? Not according to this piece from Technology Tell. Paradoxically, TheNextWeb says Microsoft (thanks to its Kinect tech) holds the key to smart TV success. --- Spectrum Bridge is testing the first commercial TV white space network in Wilmington, N.C. this week offering broadband service in local parks and for video security surveillance. --- Greenpacket is launching a portable WiFi router featuring USB and ethernet ports supporting 4G wireless devices (including current WiMAX tech) and 4G LTE.
Mobile: Cablevision is testing a live TV app for laptops creatively called "Optimum App for Laptop." The app's in BETA testing now, but it could allow both iO TV and Optimum Online subs to access all their channels on computers located within distance of their home routers. Details from The Verge.
SkyREPORT: Satellite broadband solutions provider Skycasters is partnering with Ka You Communications to launch IPReady, a turnkey satellite solution for EAS CAP compliance. --- The SBCA Foundation is accepting grant request applications through Feb. 1. Details here.
Retail: A Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) survey says 173M people will watch the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, up from an estimated 171M last year. The group says consumer spending for the game will reach an all-time high with the average viewer expected to drop almost $65 on related merchandise, apparel and snacks, up from $59 last year. Total Super Bowl spending is expected to reach $11 billion, RAMA says.
Over, Up & Under There: Verizon is expanding its global enterprise network platform, enabling multinational corporations to use its Private IP service in six additional African countries (Gabon, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Swaziland), and Bahrain and Qatar in the Middle East. --- Bell is making a bunch of sports content available to its Bell MobileTV customers including the NHL All-Star Game, Super Bowl XLVI, the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Final, and more. Bell MobileTV is available for $5 per month for 5 hours of programming. --- Rhapsody announced its European expansion Thursday through the acquisition of flat-rate subscription music service Napster International in Europe. Rhapsody said it will own and operate the Napster service in Germany and the United Kingdom. --- The English language version of Al Jazeera will soon be available in Romania.
Green: Verizon kicked off the first of 13 electronics recycling events scheduled to be held at the company's facilities around the country. The first event was held in Temple Terrace, FL with future events to be held in Chandler (AZ), Wilmington (NC), Alpharetta (GA), Ashburn (VA) and Basking Ridge (NJ).
Education: NAMIC launched the first round of 2012 scholarship opportunities for the NAMIC Leadership Seminar on March 28-30 in D.C. Deadline for nominations is Friday, March 9.
People: Starz Entertainment president Bill Myers has resigned after 10 years with the company.
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Satellite : The OTT Revolution Will Be Televised |
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Jan 26, 2012 - 4:50 AM - by evd
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Another week of eye-opening developments from the world of over-the-top delivery:
• Azuki Systems is turning the OTT-as-enemy perspective on its head as it unveiled this week a new solution for MVPDs to integrate over-the-top delivery of live and on-demand content into their current networks. The company hopes providers will embrace the multiscreen/multiplatform technology as a complimentary service to their existing network infrastructures.
"First generation OTT solutions like Netflix and Hulu were largely viewed by service providers as the enemy, when in reality they are lucrative business opportunities," company President & CEO John Clancy said. "It's no longer about OTT vs. the service providers; it is about the perfect marriage between the two."
• Boxee is rolling out "major updates" to its connected TV platform, including support for its LiveTV dangle ($49 - on sale now). This week the company said it would take its products to small cable operators as an alternative means for distributing pay-TV services to customers. The company's blog proclaims: "Let the cord-cutting begin!"
• Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed Tuesday that the company sold 1.4M AppleTV boxes during Q4... (about 1/2 of what the company sold in the entire year prior and 1/3 of the 4.2M sold in total). Of note, says GigaOm: 1) Apple is clearly outselling the competition, 2) there's "pent-up" demand for the "mythical" iTV, and 3) people want their TVs to connect to the internet without having to buy another set. The calm before the storm? •
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Satellite : Cable's Favorite Networks |
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Jan 26, 2012 - 4:48 AM - by evd
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An enlightening new study from Beta Research is making its way through cable circles this week as the company has named which networks are the most wanted by cable operators. According to the firm's 2011 carriage survey, the "emerging network" cable ops most want to carry overall is the Hallmark Movie Channel (88%) while the "mid-sized network" is Fox Business Network (85%). For large cable systems, the study said the most-wanted emerging net is the BBC World News (33%) and the mid-sized net is NatGeo Wild (24%).
The top vote-getting networks in each category are as follows:
• Emerging (all operators): 1) Hallmark Movie Channel, 2) Smithsonian Channel, 3) MTV Hits, 4) BBC World News, 5) Crime & Investigation.
• Emerging (large operators): 1) BBC World News, 2) Sony Movie Channel, 3) Crime & Investigation, 4) RLTV, 5) Chiller.
• Mid-sized (all operators): 1) Fox Business Network, 2) NFL Network, 3) NatGeo Wild, 4) PBS Kids Sprout, 5) Cooking Channel.
• Mid-sized (large operators): 1) Nat Geo Wild, 2) NFL Network, 3) PBS Kids SProut, 4) Current TV. •
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/26/2012 |
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Jan 26, 2012 - 4:47 AM - by evd
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QRs: Netflix reported Q4 results Wednesday mostly pleasing investors with a rebound of sorts. The company added 220K new streaming members during the period accentuated by "fewer streaming cancellations, lower migration to DVD-only plans" and an international reach of 1.9M customers. Netflix posted Q4 net income of $41M ($.73 per share) with FCF of $34M. The company added $2.3B of streaming content library assets, and revealed an "expected" loss in DVD members to 11.2M. In sum, the company said it now boasts 24.4M members (25% y/y increase), will continue its evolution from DVD to streaming and has plans to launch as many as 5 original TV series by 2013.
Rules & Regs: The FCC will hold an open meeting Tuesday, Jan. 31 to discuss reforming the Lifeline program including: 1) universal availability of communications services to low-income Americans, 2) minimizing universal service contributions, 3) eliminating program waste, fraud and abuse, and 4) supporting broadband adoption. --- The FCC is accepting objections to the proposed Verizon Wireless/Spectrum Co. deal through Feb. 21. Justice Dept. spokeswoman Gina Talamona said this week that the department is looking into the $3.6B agreement. Meanwhile, Verizon CFO Fran Shammo said he expects the deal to close by midyear. --- After a 3-year wait, the FCC quietly dismissed Urban Networks' application to share the airwaves with ION Media Networks despite its own 2010 channel-sharing proposal. The long, complicated story is broken down quite well at CommLawBlog.
$$$: Social TV startup Bluefin Labs raised $12M is series B financing, led by Time Warner Investments. AdWeek has details. --- SquareTrade, a San Francisco-based company that provides warranties for CE products such as the iPhone, iPad, laptops and e-readers, landed a $238M investment from Bain Capital. --- The News Corp.-backed digital music startup Beyond Oblivian filed for bankruptcy protection after spending millions developing the service that never even launched. Reuters has details.
Research: Driven by digital TVs, satellite STBs and OTT video game consoles, the connected device market will grow from 256.8M installed units in 2011 to 1.34B in 2016. According to NPD In-Stat, smart devices will have a global CAGR of 52.6% during the next 5 years led by 36.7M connected video gaming consoles. --- IHS says with flat-panel TVs installed in nearly every hotel room in North America, growth of HDTV shipments to the hospitality industry will drop off dramatically this year. The firm says HDTV shipments will reach ~1.21M units, a 7% y/y increase as compared to the 28% y/y surge in 2011. IHS projects the growth will plateau from 2013-2015 averaging around 5%.
Tech: CableLabs intro'd an equipment qualification program for its DOCSIS Provisioning of EPON project. Designed to accelerate the development of EPON-supported devices, the new DPoE program enables equipment manufacturers to certify that their products are compliant with CableLabs specs. --- ATIS released a new spec to securely authenticate TVs, tables and other devices for IPTV services. Details here. --- Cisco unveiled a new Linksys homeplug AV powerline adapter that transforms a home's outlets into wired network connections. Simple and cool. --- Local reports suggest Comcast is having some difficulties transferring a few subs to its all-digital service. Read more.
Programming: CBS announced its multiplatform strategy for coverage of this year's college football National Signing Day on Feb. 1. The company is offering massive, in-depth coverage of kids picking schools across CBS Sports Network, CBSSports.com, MAXPreps.com and CBS Sports College Network. --- Wednesday we reported on Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's plans for a new talk show. Quick update seems to point at RT, the Kremlin-funded English language station, as the program's first home. RT says its global footprint reaches 430M HHs. --- ShalomTV is launching ShalomTV Live, its first "PBS-style" cable net featuring daily news from Israel, Jewish studies programming, Jewish celebrities, music/art/film and more. The channel is also available online.
Dist.: Cablevision added the new iO Italian package, which includes Mediaset Italia and Rai Italia. --- Mediacom added 23 new HD channels in Eastern Iowa including CBS Sports HD, Fox Sport Soccer HD, BBC America HD, HBO Latino HD, Showtime Extreme HD and Starz Kids & Family HD. The company says it now offers more than 100 HDs in the area.
Mobile: Deloitte Ubermind is launching an iPad app for Showtime's authentication service Showtime Anytime. --- ADBOWL, the online, real-time poll tracking consumer response to Super Bowl ads, launched a mobile app for both Android and iOS powered tablets.
Deals: Belo renewed its data contract with Rentrak for Dallas/Ft. Worth's WFAA (ABC) and included Houston's KHOU (CBS), Phoenix's KTVK (indie) & KASW (CW) and Seattle's KING (NBC) & KONG (indie).
SkyREPORT: The U.S. Supreme Court rejected DISH's request to overturn an earlier federal appeals court decision on implementing rules that force the satcaster to distribute PBS stations in HD. --- Five international broadcasters are devising an organization to address the problem of intentional interference of satellite transmissions. BroadbandTV News has the story from the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva. --- SiriusXM asked the FCC to devise other uses for wireless spectrum besides mobile data service. The company said the agency imposed several interference conditions on it during Sirius' merger with XM yet has done nothing to quell fears that "satellite radio consumers will experience interference from mobile WCS devices."
Retail: People like buying TVs around Super Bowl time. Consumer Reports just released its ratings report on 142 HDTV models to help them decide. Check it out.
Over, Up & Under There: Alcatel-Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen thinks Asia and Africa are leading the way on digital infrastructure that could leave Europe behind. Bloomberg BusinessWeek has more. --- Bell Aliant launched a Facebook app for its Canadian FibreOP TV customers. --- Chinese PPV/VOD platform YOU On Demand is launching its first music channel, YOU On Demand Karaoke.
People: Comcast named Amy Lynch as area VP in the company's California Southwest Bay region. --- Outdoor Channel Holdings said Tom Hornish has been named President & CEO succeeding Roger Werner, who will remain with the company as co-Chair.
Obit: James Jespersen, 77, co-inventor of closed-captioning, died of a heart-attack in San Miguel, Mexico.
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Satellite : Supreme Court Declines To Hear EchoStar Appeal In NDS Suit |
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Jan 25, 2012 - 9:48 AM - by fatone147
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Supreme Court Declines To Hear EchoStar Appeal In NDS Suit
Satellite TV Operator Had Alleged NDS Hacked Into NagraStar Conditional-Access System
By Todd Spangler -- Multichannel News, 1/23/2012 12:57:41 PM
The U.S. Supreme Court last week denied a petition by EchoStar and Dish Network to review a decision in their litigation alleging NDS hacked into the satellite TV operator's video-encryption system, putting an end to the nearly nine-year-old case.
EchoStar Communications sued NDS in 2003 seeking up to $2 billion, alleging NDS was responsible for compromising the conditional-access system developed by NagraStar, a joint venture between EchoStar and Kudelski Group, by reverse-engineering smartcards and leaking the information on the Internet.
In May 2008, a California jury found that NDS violated piracy laws by hacking the EchoStar conditional-access system but awarded EchoStar only $1,500 in statutory damages.
In August 2010, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals awarded NDS $18 million in the case, ruling that "EchoStar did not succeed 'on any significant issue' or 'achieve any of the benefit it sought in bringing suit' under the Communications Act."
The Supreme Court's Jan. 17 denial of EchoStar and Dish's petition released $4.3 million of NDS's funds held in escrow pending the appeals. NDS said it is seeking an additional $1.7 million in attorney's fees, costs and interest.
"In May 2008 we were overwhelmingly exonerated by the jury following trial and are gratified that the Supreme Court denial can now be recognized as conclusive validation that we were not involved in compromising the EchoStar platform, putting firmly to rest the unsavory insinuations made during this court case which we believe were designed to malign NDS's reputation," NDS executive chairman Abe Peled said in a statement.
Dish and EchoStar, which split into two independent companies in 2008, declined to comment. Kudelski-owned Nagra also declined to comment.
In the 2008 decision, the jury said EchoStar had met its burden of proof that NDS violated an antipiracy section of the Cable Communications Policy Act and California state law against piracy. However, the award represented the cost of a single piece of EchoStar's conditional-access system.
Peled claimed the lawsuit was "an effort to thwart competition and deflect attention from a fundamentally flawed technology and strategy pursued by EchoStar and NagraStar."
NDS, a provider of conditional-access systems and TV middleware based in the U.K., is owned by the Permira Funds and News Corp. The company, which has more than 5,000 employees worldwide, went private in 2008.
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Satellite : Can Low-Cost Packages Save Cable TV? |
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Jan 25, 2012 - 9:44 AM - by fatone147
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Can Low-Cost Packages Save Cable TV?
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 25, 2012) -- Cable operators are scheduled this week to begin releasing their fourth quarter financial reports -- and if past trends continue -- they will likely report that they are still losing video subscribers.
Due to increased competition from telco TV services, the sluggish economy and some company bungling, cable ops from Comcast to Time Warner Cable to Cox have reported significant losses over the last two years. Video subscribers are either fleeing to cable's pay TV rivals such as DIRECTV or Verizon or they are cutting their subscription TV service entirely.
But several cable operators are now striking back with a bold move that could keep more video customers in the fold. They are offering low-cost programming packages designed to appeal to the economically-strapped consumer.
For instance, Cox yesterday unveiled a 20-channel package called 'TV Economy' for $34.99 a month. The package, which is available now in several Cox markets, includes all of the Cox basic channels but does not include ESPN, reports Multichannel News. (Fierce Cable writes that TV Economy is now available in parts of New England, Louisiana, Virginia and San Diego, with more markets expected to be added soon.)
By stripping ESPN from the package, the cable operator is able to offer it for a lower price. ESPN charges one of the industry's highest carriage rates.
The idea behind TV Economy is that many consumers would like to keep a basic cable TV service, particularly one that includes the local channels, but can not afford a sports/basic cable package that might cost around $60. At $34.95, consumers might decide to stay with Cox rather than subscribing exclusively to an online video service such as Netflix.
Time Warner Cable was the first to introduce the low-cost package concept, unveiling its $29.99 a month TV Essentials plan last September. Comcast later offered a $24.95 a month plan. Nether package includes ESPN.
"Cox is now adding TV Economy as one of our standard service offerings as part of our continued effort to provide a variety of options that serve our customers' needs and suit their budgets," a Cox spokesman told Multichannel News.
Commentary:
I think this is a smart move by the cable operators. They have to do something to stop the bleeding and offering an affordable programming package in today's economic scene makes a lot of sense. Plus, if they can keep video subs from leaving, they might decide to upgrade to a more expensive package when the economy starts to improve.
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Satellite : TV Advertiser Onus: Reaching Millennials |
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Jan 25, 2012 - 4:54 AM - by evd
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Those fleeting Millennials... otherwise known as today's media-savvy youth born between 1980 and 2000. They respond differently to advertising - on TV and online - and, at least collectively, they have money to spend.
According to comScore, the U.S. is home to 79M Millennials with an estimated combined purchasing power of more than $170B per year. The firm says the segment's familiarity with technology separates them from older generations and makes the digital medium an ideal platform for reaching these consumers.
"As is typical with younger people when compared to their older counterparts, Millennials are generally more difficult to persuade via advertising," said comScore VP Bert Miklosi. "The importance of creative and messaging optimization (is) driving worthwhile returns from an investment in advertising to this segment."
So what's the key to tapping these elusive Millennials? According to comScore's latest study, understanding the following will help:
• The defining characteristics of Millennials include new technology, cultural diversity, being accustomed to on-demand access to entertainment, continual stimulation and extreme multitasking.
• Millennials are less interested and more difficult to connect with, capture attention, impress, convince and entertain. They are more price-sensitive possibly due to lower disposable incomes.
• Digital performs better than TV. •
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/25/2012 |
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Jan 25, 2012 - 4:53 AM - by evd
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Etc.: Apple/Yahoo! Reports - YouTube's Daily Billions - Spectrum Transfer from failed AT&T-Mobile Deal Analyze This: Citi's Jason Bazinet reiterated a 'buy' rating on Disney with a price target of $42 per. --- Guggenheim's Shing Yin said Clearwire's 2012 operating results could be "uninspiring" but maintained a 'buy' rating on the company with a price target of $1.75. The analyst said Clearwire's spectrum assets are undervalued by the market. QRs: Apple reported Q4 revenue of $46.33B and net profit of $13.06B ($13.87 per diluted share.) Reports described the results as "obliterating" expectations ... the period set new records for the company selling more than 37M iPhones (up 128% y/y), 15.4M iPads (up 166% y/y) and 5M Macs. --- Yahoo! reported flat Q4 earnings of $.24 per share (no change from Q410), with quarterly revenues down 3% to $1.17B from $1.2B billion in 2010. Both display ad revenue and search revenue decreased dropping from $567M to $546M, a 4% y/y decrease, and $376M from $388M, a 3% y/y decrease, respectively. --- Meredith reported fiscal 2012 Q2 earnings per share of $.70, a 20% y/y decrease. Revenues also slid to $329M, as compared to $366M from FY Q211. The company recorded $21M million ($.28 per share) less of political ad revenues. Rules & Regs: Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) still isn't backing off his opposition to LightSquared and possibly shady dealings from its main backer Philip Falcone. Bloomberg is reporting the Senator wrote to Falcone about alleged improprieties with trying to get the company's network approved saying "I won't be a part of that." Read more. --- T-Mobile and AT&T filed with the FCC to transfer $1B worth of wireless spectrum (to the former from the latter) as part of the companies' failed merger bid. --- The FCC/NTIA updated its National Broadband Map showing broadband availability across the country on Friday. (The map gets updated twice per year.) --- All spectrum is not created equal. Cable360 examines just how much authority the FCC should have when creating incentive auction rules that could limit eligibility of top wireless carriers Verizon and AT&T. Online: YouTube says it now streams 4B videos a day and still growing. The site saw a 25% increase in views during the past eight months and is generating ~$5B a year in ad revenue. Op/Ed: Check out Josh Friedman's piece at Bleacher Report taking Comcast to task over not only a $5 "window fee" for buying 76ers tickets at the stadium, but the cable co.'s market position that allows it to box satellite out of local sports coverage. A good read. Research: Next-gen hybrid STBs are all the rage these days. NPD In-Stat says the internet-connected smart boxes are a key growth driver for the global STB market and forecasts 100M units to ship by 2015. The firm says more than 23M hybrid STBs will ship in North America this year and satellite hybrids will represent almost 60% of the entire hybrid segment by 2013. --- Nielsen says stations should leverage their websites to increase the reach of content. According to new data from the firm, ABC affiliates in Seattle and Portland received "at least" a 3% bump in viewership when web traffic was calculated into the ratings. Nielsen also said the interwebs helps reach more males. The firm found nightly news casts (in Seattle) skewed 71% female, but 53% of a station's online users were male. Strategy: AT&T said it will boost its wireless coverage in Indianapolis in anticipation of the SuperBowl on Feb. 5. Programming: Reports say rapper-turned-entertainment exec. Sean Combs (aka P-Diddy) is planning to launch a music-based cable network called Revolt. According to B&C, the net - described as old-school MTV for African Americans - will launch on 12/12/12. --- Nickelodeon, together with Televisa, ordered 80 episodes of a U.S. adaptation of the popular Mexican telenovela "Reach for a Star" ("Alcanzar una Estrella") to air on Nick at Nite. Production begins in March. --- HGTV said it will roll out more than a dozen new original series and 20 specials this year in addition to a new season of "Design Star." --- WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to host his own TV show interviewing "key political players, thinkers and revolutionaries" from around the world. WikiLeaks is inviting interested parties to request a license for the series set to launch in March. Over, Up & Under: Apple took another legal hit overseas Tuesday with its second lost bid to have Samsung tablets banned in the Netherlands. A Dutch appeals court upheld an earlier decision that Samsung's tablets are not iPad knock-offs. --- Orange unveiled a partnership with Wikipedia to enable mobile access to the online encyclopedia to 70M Orange customers in Africa and the Middle East. --- The Lionsgate-TISA International (Television Internacional Sur America) joint venture reached an agreement to provide Turner Broadcasting System, Latin America with exclusive Latin American TV rights to the series "Anger Management," "Boss" and "Nail Files" as well as select library feature films. --- Brazilian media company Globosat said it is working with a U.S.-based creative agency to rebrand its SporTV ahead of Brazil's hosting of the World Cup and Summer Olympics. Green: AT&T said it has deployed its 5,000th alternative-fuel fleet vehicle as part of a 10-year/$565M campaign to use 15K environmentally-friendly company vehicles. People: The Weather Channel named David Kenny as new chair & CEO, effective immediately. Kenny replaces Michael Kelly, CEO since 2009, who will become a special adviser via Bain Capital, the private equity firm that co-owns the company with NBCU. --- The Washington Post is reporting that Sharis A. Pozen, the acting head of antitrust at the Justice Department, is leaving the agency to return to practice private law at the end of April.
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Satellite : DirecTV Free Preview of HBO |
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Jan 24, 2012 - 10:37 PM - by fatone147
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DirecTV Free Preview of HBO
Free Preview for: HBO
Available to Subscribers of: DirecTV
Free Preview Begins: January 27, 2012 (Friday)
Free Preview Ends: January 30, 2012 (Monday)
There’s a free preview of HBO on DirecTV January 27-30. There’s also a free preview of HBO and Cinemax on D*sh Network going on at this time.
Channel Lineup:
501-511 – HBO
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0 Replies | 28 Views
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Satellite : Cox Launching Non-ESPN Tier |
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Jan 24, 2012 - 5:46 AM - by evd
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Last month, Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei said the rising costs of ESPN is a "tax on every American household." A few short weeks later, news has leaked that Cox is set to launch an economy subscription package without the "Worldwide Leader in Sports" giving pay-TV customers a choice on the four-letter sports net 'surcharge.'
According to company communication, Cox is launching its TV Economy package for $35 per month at the end of January. The package includes all of the channels in its "starter" package, plus a handful of national cable nets not named ESPN.
The news comes from a letter written by Cox Government Affairs Manager Barrett Stork to a county administrator in Williamsburg, Virginia. The document is Stork notifying the company's local franchise authority in the area that it will offer the limited package at $34.99 per month, which includes the rental fee for one standard def STB. (CableCARD customers will pay $31/month.)
As part of the tier's "expanded" line-up, Cox is offering AMC, BET, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, Discovery, Disney, E!, Food Network, Fox News, History Channel, Lifetime, Nickelodeon, TruTV, TV Land, USA and the Weather Channel. Not only is ESPN notably absent from the line-up, but there is no sports-related equivalent to take its place.
To be clear, Cox did start notifying local authorities late last year that it would roll out the new reduced package. The company said the TV Economy tier was at first a trial run in select markets but now is a "permanent" product among its service packages.
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PayTV Subs on the Rise? |
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Jan 24, 2012 - 5:44 AM - by evd
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Taken as a whole, pay-TV subscribers from cable, satellite and telco may have seen a slight uptick in customer rolls last quarter. According to analysts, the cable business should finally see a slowing of sub loss, stemming the tide of a cord-cutting wave at least a little while longer.
Last week, Miller Tabak's David Joyce forecasted the pay-TV industry to post a net addition of 19K subscribers across all platforms. Cable, he says, could post a net loss of 341K, which is still undesirable but significantly less than the 511K it lost in Q410.
Joyce said the improved results could be tied to "slightly improving unemployment figures."
Other Q4 subscriber projections from the firm include Verizon FiOS: 190K, up from 182K in Q410; AT&T U-verse: 195K, down from 246K in Q410; DISH: -60K, up from Q410's -156K; and DIRECTV: 35K, down from 289K last year. •
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/24/2012 |
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Jan 24, 2012 - 5:39 AM - by evd
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Etc.: TV Everywhere's Billion-Dollar Future - Senators Involved w DIRECTV v. Sunbeam - Dodd Investigation? Fault Lines? OK, who blew it in DC? Did the FOX affiliate ( WTTG) cut into NFL NFC championship action action with Comcast Xfinity ads on purpose? Or was it an equipment failure? Inquiring minds might like to know. Analyze This: TV Everywhere could be big deal. Like, a really big deal. According to Needham & Co.'s Laura Martin, TV Everywhere could create as much as $12B per year in revenue for the pay-TV industry. "These dollars dwarf any near-term revenue streams from digital platforms ( Hulu, YouTube etc)," she said. "Additionally, these are low risk dollars as adding services to the TV bundle suggests additional revenue rather than economic cannibalization." Disputes: Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) sent a letter to FCC Chair Julius Genachoski asking him to personally step in and resolve the retrans dispute between DIRECTV and Sunbeam. DIRECTV said it was hopeful that, since Sunbeam returned its Fox NFL coverage to subs this weekend in Miami, the broadcaster would do the same in Boston for the Patriots' SuperBowl game. Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) also got involved by sending a letter to the presidents of both companies over his fears that constituents in Boston are being used as pawns. --- DISH and broadcaster Grant Group continue to negotiate their retransmission deal while keeping all channels on air. Grant owns Fox-affiliates in Huntsville, AL; Roanoke, VA; La Crosse, WI and Davenport, IA. --- NYP has this story that says Time Warner Cable's carriage dispute with MSG could last all year. --- Comcast is challenging the FCC's Tennis Channel program carriage decision. The company asked the agency to 1) reverse an earlier decision that ruled it had discriminated against the channel in favor of its own sports nets and, 2) that the channel's initial complaint should be thrown out as it was filed after the statute of limitations had expired. In Court: TiVo asked a federal court in Texas to rule on when its patent infringement lawsuit against Verizon can be lifted. The court had issued a stay of the litigation while TiVo's similar suit against AT&T was active. That case was recently settled out of court for ~$215M plus other patent-related fees. --- The U.S. Supreme Court turned down a petition against NDS looking to overturn an earlier ruling in the on-going EchoStar-DISH signal hacking case. The original case, dating back to 2003, centered on EchoStar's accusations that NDS had hacked conditional access technology employed by DISH. The petition denial wraps up the challenge to the Ninth Circuit's ~$22M decision in favor of NDS in August 2010. Strategy: The NYP says Steve Burke's rookie season is over at NBCU and the exec needs start making headway on righting the ship which is the 4th-place broadcast net. Said one "NBC watcher": 'What's working well is still going well. What isn't is getting worse...' Read more. --- For the most part, TV entertainment largely ignores senior citizens. But not John Erickson and RLTV - a station dedicated to the fastest-growing, wealthiest segment of the population. LA Times has the story. --- After more than 50 years of business, Hitatchi said it would halt domestic production of TVs in October. The company had only 1% of the market and joins other once-dominant Japanese TV manufacturers in retreat. Online: CBS.com and Universal Music were the latest sites to be hacked by the group 'Anonymous' this weekend supposedly in response to the federal take-down of file sharing giant MegaUpload. Research: Pew Research says the share of U.S. adults who own a tablet nearly doubled from 10% to 19% between mid-December (2011) and early January. E-reader penetration experienced the same growth during the same time period, the org said. --- Digital music revenues increased 8% last year to $5.2B, but it was not enough to prevent another annual decline in the overall market to $16.2B from $16.7B in 2010. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said there was good news however in that the 2011 decline of ~3% was smaller than the 8-point drop in 2010. Mobile: The MMTC has a problem with Microsoft's new "Pedestrian Route" app as many have taken to calling it a 'ghetto finder.' The group says the app perpetuates the digital divide and could lead to unfair treatment by advertisers in neighborhoods deemed unsafe. Read more. --- LightSquared inked a wholesale deal with Telecom Ventures that will enable two TV subsidiaries Assist Wireless and New-Talk, to deliver branded mobile broadband services. SkyREPORT: SiriusXM signed a deal with Chrysler Group to provide customers who purchase a used vehicle with a factory-installed satellite radio with a 3-month subscription. --- Ericsson signed a subcontractor deal with Globecomm to manage its maritime GSM/VSAT mobile network with up to 400 container vessels worldwide. --- The SBCA created a new online education program for installation professionals about home network called Home Networking Fundamentals. More info can be found here. Over, Up & Under There: HBO Latin America is launching a new channel - HBO Signature - featuring content produced exclusively by and for HBO. --- Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) The Americas will launch Comedy Central Latin America starting Feb. 1. --- Ofcom revoked the license of PressTV, a division of Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, saying the channel's licensee wasn't controlling content. --- French DTT service TNTSat has sold 3.3M STBs as of Q411, a 650K y/y increase. --- Joyent has rasied $85M from Spanish phone company Telefonica's Telefónica Digital division. --- News Corp. is working with Colombian TV broadcaster RCN to create MundoFox, a U.S. Spanish-language broadcast network take to compete with Univision and Comcast's Telemundo. People: SEC dox show Disney CEO Bob Iger banked $31.4M in total compensation last year, a ~12% y/y increase. --- Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis announced that they would both step down as co-chairmen and co-CEOs of BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. --- Tom Curley, president & CEO of The Associated Press since 2003, will step down this year, AP announced today. The search for a successor has been launched by the group's board of directors. Events: CableLabs is hosting a 3DTV interoperability event on Feb. 13-17 designed to bring manufacturers of 3D STBs, TVs and test equipment together to discuss the OpenCable 3DTV requirements. Details here. Uh Oh!: A petition asking the White House to investigate former senator Chris Dodd for allegedly bribing federal lawmakers in the fight to pass the SOPA bill has thousands of signatures so far. The petition arose in response to comments Dodd - who stepped down from his post representing Connecticut in the Senate in January of last year - made regarding his work for the Motion Picture Association as advocate for the legislation. Details here.
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Satellite : Sen. Kerry Punts Another TV Fee Fight |
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Jan 23, 2012 - 8:38 AM - by fatone147
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Sen. Kerry Punts Another TV Fee Fight
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 22, 2012) -- Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., the ball is in your court.
The Massachusetts senator has sent a letter to the Federal Communications Communications asking the agency to intervene in the fee fight between DIRECTV and Sunbeam. For more than a week, Sunbeam has denied the satcaster's Miami subscribers access to their local Fox station and Boston viewers access to their NBC and CW stations.
The two sides have been unable to reach a new programming pact since the old pact expired a week ago Friday at midnight. (Sunbeam has temporarily waived the blackout to allow the Miami station to air today's NFL Championship game.)
In a letter to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, Kerry asks the agency to "immediately and personally" ask DIRECTV and Sunbeam to reach a new agreement. He adds that the FCC should complete work on a new rule that could eliminate future blackouts. (During the last several years, millions of viewers across the nation have lost their favorite channels for a period of time when programmers and pay TV providers could not reach new agreements.)
"No one wants to see this trend continue. But I fear these confrontations will only continue to reach their peaks abound the must see live events that matter so much to consumers," Kerry wrote.
Kerry also noted that he has asked for the FCC's help to end fee fights for three straight years. However, he doesn't note that the FCC hasn't done squat in each of the three years, which is why I have a big problem with the senator.
While I am happy that Kerry finally spoke out about the DIRECTV/Sunbeam dispute, (seriously, where are his colleagues on this issue?), why doesn't he do something about the dispute?!
The Massachusetts senator wields significant power in Congress. Plus, he's the chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, which just happens to oversee...the FCC!
You would think that after writing letters to the FCC for three years, Kerry would say to himself, 'Hey, maybe the FCC isn't going to act on these issues? Maybe as chairman of the subcommittee that can make the FCC commissioners' lives a living Hell, I will order them to act or else. And if they don't act immediately -- and I mean right now -- I will introduce legislation that will end these fee fights once and for all. And I will make it a top priority to get that legislation passed into law."
But will Kerry do that? No, because it might upset some wealthy political donors who happen to own local TV stations which have clearly stated that they do not want the federal government involved in these fights. The local stations believe they will get more bucks from the pay TV operators if the government stays out.
So instead of doing the right thing for his constituents -- and all Americans -- Kerry sends yet another limp-wristed letter to the FCC to make it look like he cares.
But Sen. Kerry, we're on to your act. Cut the crap and do something for once!
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Satellite : Death, Taxes & Cable Rate Hikes |
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Jan 23, 2012 - 8:06 AM - by evd
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Every year for the past nine years, Bernstein Research publishes an annual report on the state of the industry's video rate increases. The firm believes that analyzing rate increases is a fair reflection of a provider's pricing power, customer demand and competitive position.
In its report, Bernstein notes that while the most recent video price increases are in the mid-single digit range, companies across the board have again raised rates "well in excess of inflation." Still, says the firm's Craig Moffett, price hikes remain "significantly smaller than programming cost increases, suggesting continued margin compression" in the video delivery space.
Without further ado, Bernstein estimates video service price increases for the following pay-TV providers are (in order of appearance):
• DIRECTV: Average of ~4.9%
• DISH: Not increasing prices (a commitment made last year to freeze prices on its programming through Jan. 2013).
• Comcast: (So far in 2012) Average ~3.9%.
• Time Warner Cable: Average ~5.4% for video and 4.1% for bundled packages.
• AT&T: Average ~4.6%
• Cablevision and Verizon: No announced price increases so far this year.
"Rising rates speak to the relatively stable competitive dynamics within the Pay TV space," Moffett said. "The risk from higher rates is not cross elasticity (i.e. share shifts; after all, the players are by and large raising prices in unison) but instead affordability for the category overall." •
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/23/2012 |
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Jan 23, 2012 - 8:05 AM - by evd
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Rules & Regs: Consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge, along with DIRECTV, Sprint and T-Mobile, filed comments with the FCC saying the agency needs to take a closer look at the broader implications of Spectrum Co.'s deal with Verizon Wireless. In their comments, the coalition of unlikely allies said "without the ability to review the larger transaction in its entirety, it is impossible to assess whether there will be public interest harms associated with the proposed transfer." At issue are confidential details about the deal - largely the two sides' mutual agreement to sell and promote each others' products and services. Verizon and the cable interests (who initially refused to turn over more documents) said they would allow the gov't to analyze the arrangement but not the coalition seeking access to confidential information.
Rules & Regs (Part II): Lots of SOPA/PIPA news: AdWeek has a couple good pieces 1) quantifying the reach of last Wednesday's internet blackout in opposition of SOPA, and 2) how regulators are abandoning ship quicker than Italian cruise Capt. Francesco Schettino. From a separate report, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) said he would postpone Tuesday's scheduled PIPA vote in the Senate. Said he: "There is no reason that the legitimate issues raised by many about this bill cannot be resolved…"--- The next day, the Feds shut down one of the planet's largest copyright violating, file-sharing websites Megaupload.com and arrested its owner in a New Zealand siege that confiscated an estimated $8M in cash, guns and goods. --- In response to the Feds' response, the infamous hacker group known only as Anonymous hacked the Dept. of Justice and knocked the agency's website offline for an unknown amount of time. --- And finally, GigaOm has this piece purporting the notion that Hollywood is driving consumers to piracy in the first place.
Analyze This: Miller Tabak's David Joyce sees cable reporting fewer Q4 sub losses than expected. In a research note last week, the analyst said he expects a basic video sub loss of 341K from public and private cable ops, a "significant" improvement from 511K loss in Q410. While cable's video sub loss/broadband sub gain trend continues, Joyce said the entire pay-TV industry should see a slight increase in video subs during the period thanks to growth at DIRECTV, Verizon's FiOS and AT&T's U-verse. --- Moody's cut credit ratings on both Sony and Panasonic Friday citing ongoing weakness in the TV market.
$$$: Google shares plummeted by as much as 8% Friday after the search giant reported quarterly profit and sales that badly missed Wall Street expectations. --- Former NBA great (and
TNT basketball analyst) Charles Barkley is reportedly a major investor behind the soon-to-launch African American-centric network KinTV.
Op/Ed: FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn has penned a nice piece on why rural broadband adoption means so much to the country's prosperity and well-being. Read it at Cable360. --- It's been one full year since the FCC approved Comcast's acquisition of NBCU. Still irked by the deal is Bloomberg, whose gov't affairs chief Greg Babyak had this to say on the anniversary last week: "It's time for Comcast to live up to the bargain it accepted to secure its merger… the FCC should immediately require (the company) to … implement the plain language of the order, including the news neighborhooding condition."
Research: Despite an 11% y/y decrease, NPD Group said Redbox is now the nation's leading renter of DVD and Blu-ray discs. The firm says Redbox's market share increased from 25% in 2010 to 37% in 2011. Blockbuster's disc market share sank from 23% in 2010 to 17% last year, while Netflix remained the same at ~30%, NPD said.
Footprint: Local reports say Knology is in talks to take over a municipal cable system in Springfield, Fla. The city said it would invest ~$3M to upgrade the system in return for 33% of Knology's gross revenue from operating the network for eight years.
Tech: LG announced another partnership for its smart TV biz with TouchTV, a Slingbox-type app that slings content from a Touch-enabled LG TV to a user's iPad. In other LG news, the company received a 2012 3D tech award from the International 3D Society for its CINEMA 3D product. --- Check out LightReading's breakdown of Comcast's "rumored" web-slinging STB code-named "Parker."
Programming: Premium cable net EPIX will carry three separate heavyweight boxing matches in three consecutive weeks in February and March. The three fights, all with heavyweight championship belts on the line, are: (Feb. 18) WBC champ Vitali Klitschko v. top-10 contender Dereck Chisora; (Feb. 25) WBA undefeated champ Alexander Povetkin v. cruiserweight champion Marco Huck; and (March 3) WBO & IBF champ Wladimir Klitschko v. two-time cruiserweight champ Jean Marc Mormeck. EpixHD.com will stream the fights live as part of a special free trial and provide a simulcast on the jumbotron in NY's Time Square. Cool.
Mobile: Time Warner Cable released iPhone and iPod version of its live streaming app for the iPad. --- D.C.-based video news org. FedNet is launching VUGUV, a mobile public affairs network with President Obama's State of the Union Address Tuesday, Jan. 24.
SkyREPORT: DIRECTV named John Tracy, a 37-year-old Detroit resident, as the winner to its "Ultimate Displaced NFL Fan" contest. Serving as promo for the Sunday Ticket, the contest awarded Tracy with a pair of tickets to the Super Bowl and a handful of other prizes. Here's his amusing winning video submission. --- The SIA elected new members to its Executive Committee including: Jennifer Warren, Chairwoman (Lockheed Martin); Kalpak Gude, Vice Chair (Intelsat); and Bill Weller, Treasurer (SS/L).
Over, Up & Under: Euro-region digital movie retailer Acetrax is launching a transactional VOD service on Inview Technology's smart-TV platform later this year. --- Swiss service provider Sunrise will launch an IPTV product this month offering ~160 video and music channels, including 29 in HD.
People: FCC Chief of Strategic Planning and Policy Paul de Sa will leave the commission in February. --- Netflix said CMO Leslie Kilgore will join the company's board as non-executive director and appointed Jessie Becker as interim CMO and Jonathan Friedland as CCO. --- Following Lionsgate's acquisition of Summit Entertainment last Friday, the company named Summit co-chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger as co-chairs of Lionsgate's Motion Picture Group.
Uh Oh: News Corp. is facing an FBI investigation into phone hacking in America after its British newspaper unit admitted intercepting the voice mails of actor Jude Law while he was thought to be in the United States. An FBI spokesman said: "We are looking into it."
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Satellite : DIRECTV's Football Fans In Miami Catch a Break |
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Jan 20, 2012 - 1:46 PM - by fatone147
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DIRECTV's Football Fans In Miami Catch a Break
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 20, 2012) -- Sunbeam has agreed to let DIRECTV air this Sunday's NFL Championship Game to its Miami viewers while negotiations for a new agreement to carry the local channel there continue. The Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel estimates that as many as 270,000 DIRECTV subscribers will now be able to see the game.
For the past week, Sunbeam has denied the satcaster's Miami subscribers access to their local Fox station and Boston viewers access to their NBC and CW stations. The two sides have been unable to reach a new programming pact since the old pact expired last Friday at midnight.
The outage has been especially thorny for Sunbeam and DIRECTV with football fans in Miami upset about losing Fox's coverage of the NFL playoffs last weekend. Boston viewers were also angry about losing NBC's broadcast of the Golden Globes awards last Sunday night.
But WSVN-TV, the Miami Fox affiliate owned by Sunbeam, said last night that it would allow DIRECTV to air Sunday's title game between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers. However, if a new agreement is not reached by game's end, the screen will go back to black immediately after the game is over.
"WSVN is still negotiating with DIRECTV, but we care about our viewers and we want them to be able to watch this game," the station said in a statement.
DIRECTV claims that Sunbeam is asking for a 300 percent increase in carriage fees. DIRECTV also said Sunbeam refused its request to continue carrying the channels while negotiations continued.
However, Sunbeam's local stations in Boston and Miami said they are only asking for "fair value" for DIRECTV to carry their signals.
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Satellite : Wealth TV Launches 3D Channel |
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Jan 20, 2012 - 1:40 PM - by fatone147
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Wealth TV Launches 3D Channel
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 19, 2012) -- Wealth TV, the network that offers luxury and lifestyle programming, announced today that it's launched a full-time 3D channel called WealthTV 3D.
Since 2010, the network has offered 3D programs via its Video on Demand service. Wealth TV will use those programs and future productions for the 24-hour edition. Network officials say the 3D channel will feature a variety of programming from travel documentaries to automobile shows to sports.
Wealth says it's working with Don King Productions to deliver boxing matches in 3D.
"With every major TV manufacturer leading its lineup with 3D televisions and consumers clamoring for quality 3D programming, WealthTV is extremely pleased to answer the call by delivering WealthTV 3D. WealthTV 3D allows viewers to travel the world and enjoy the finest experiences, whether it's touring Mayan ruins, strolling the sandy beaches in the Seychelles, or driving behind the wheel of a Bugatti, without leaving the comfort of their living room," stated Robert Herring, CEO of WealthTV.
The company said WealthTV 3D is now available on a 24/7 basis via Roku's 2.5 million connected boxes throughout the United States, with additional launches on connected devices deploying soon.
WealthTV 3D joins a small number of programmers offering full-time channels in 3D ESPN and Discovery are among the few. Programmers have been reluctant to invest in 3D until sales of 3D sets improve.
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Satellite : SkyREPORT: 1/20/2012 |
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Jan 20, 2012 - 5:57 AM - by evd
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Etc.: News Settles 'Phone-Hacking' Scandal - "Game-Changing" TV Tech? - Eutelsat Suspends 'Terrorist' TV
In Court: News Corp. has agreed to settle a handful of legal claims against its British newspaper News International over the highly-publicized phone-hacking and botched cover-up scandal. Individual settlements have ranged in amount; Reuters has details.
Rules & Regs: In the wake of Wednesday's massive internet blackout protesting SOPA (and PIPA), content creators are firing back with a(nother) campaign of their own. AdWeek has a story and video of the new spot. In related news, Google said 4.5M people signed its anti-SOPA petition. --- Last week we touched on a bit of news that FCC Commissioner Roger McDowell suggested Comcast may have violated federal law by squatting on AWS spectrum. (The regulator was responding to a Comcast exec who said the company never intended to build a business on the spectrum it just sold to Verizon Wireless.) Now, Comcast policy chief David Cohen wrote on the company's blog that it indeed planned on developing a wireless network but realized competing with Verizon and AT&T wasn't going to happen. DSLReports has details. --- Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) has joined the growing movement pushing the FCC to abandon its TV blackout rules for sports coverage.
Retrans: DIRECTV's retrans dispute continues with Sunbeam Television. Local reports are starting to fret over the possibility of 200K DIRECTV subs in Boston not having access to the Super Bowl if things don't get worked out soon. (The Baltimore Ravens could alleviate some of that pressure this weekend, we're told…)
Strategy: A group of media-related entities are rebranding HDNet to AXS TV. The joint venture, including AEG, Ryan Seacrest Media and Creative Artists Agency, will maintain HDNet's current stable of shows (HDNet Fights, Inside MMA, Dan Rather Reports…) while shifting focus to more live entertainment and lifestyle programming. --- Comcast opened a new brick-and-mortar Xfinity Customer Service Center in Cromwell, CT for customers to learn about and interact with products and services.
Tech: "We're going to change the way people watch TV," Function(x) President Chris Stephenson tells Ad Age. The company is readying a launch of Viggle - a social "loyalty program for TV" service that rewards viewers for engaging with certain programs via their 2nd-screen experience. The NYP says anything Function(x) owner Rob Sillerman touches turns to gold… and Ad Age says there's merit to the company's bold claim. A must read. --- Interestingly enough, Comcast was issued a U.S. patent for technology that would use interactive, on-screen graphics to recommend programming based on a user's profile or ratings. Chec k it out.
Programming: Tribune Broadcasting will air two new weekend 1/2-hr. series from Bellum Entertainment exploring the mysterious world of the unexplained… "Unsealed: The Alien Files" and "Unsealed: The Conspiracy Files" will run on 13 Trib stations featuring investigative pieces on ancient sacred sites like Stonehenge and Easter Island; and controversies such as the Bilderberg Group, 9/11 and JFK. --- Similarly, Discovery en Español is premiering a new series called "Mundos Extremos" taking viewers into the secret world of Latin America's cults, political associations and spiritual congregations in February. --- WealthTV unveiled plans to launch a linear all-3D channel called WealthTV 3D.
Research: According to Futuresource, connected TVs will represent more than 80% of all TVs shipped by 2015, up from just 27% last year. As demand for the smart TVs continues, the firm says TV manufacturers are integrating IP-connectivity into 60%-80% of their product lines. --- Leichtman Research says 69% of US HHs have at least one HDTV, up from 17% in 2006 with 52% of Americans embracing the tech during that time. The firm also says 48% of HDTV households have more than one HD set. --- New data forecasts from Ovum say global IPTV connections (all platforms: mobile, DBS et al) will increase from 114M in 2011 to 163M in 2016. The firm also says IPTV offerings generated $28.3B in revs during 2011 - 25% of all global TV service coin - and the sector will "only" grow to 60% of worldwide TV revenue by 2016.
Deals: Prepaid wireless provider Jolt Mobile became the latest company to sign a wholesale agreement with LightSquared. --- Rentrak signed a multi-year ratings and data contract with MavTV.
SkyREPORT: Eutelsat said it is suspending broadcasts of RojTV from its satellites after the Court of Copenhagen ruled that the channel is an instrument of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group the EU says is a 'terrorist organization.'
Over, Up & Under There: Chinese PPV/VOD platform YOU On Demand reached an agreement with regional Jilin Cable for a content promotion of Hollywood and Chinese films on Jilin's TVOD (transactional VOD) service reaching ~3M subs. --- LOVEFiLM's Instant movie streaming service will be added to LG's smart-TVs. Users will have access to the services VOD content for €5.98 ($7.74) per month. --- Czech-based Topfun Media is launching a Netflix-like service int he Czech Republic and Slovakia called Live Pay-TV with early support coming from Samsung. --- Local reports say France is ditching plans for a mobile TV service using the DVB-H standard opting instead to use the capacity for a new B2M (Mobile Multimedia Broadcast) service. BroadbandTV News has details. --- Disney is said to be opening its first brick-and-mortar store in China in fall 2012 with plans for 25-40 more during the next three years.
Events: The Minority Media & Telecom Council (MMTC) Broadband & Social Justice Summit will be held on Jan. 26-27 in Washington, D.C. Presenters include White House CTO Aneesh Chopra, FCC Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Robert McDowell, Aspen Institute's Blair Levin and Comcast VP of global public policy Rebecca Arbogast, among many others. Registration info can be found here.
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0 Replies | 40 Views
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Satellite : Trade Groups Rehash USF Debate |
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Jan 20, 2012 - 5:49 AM - by evd
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The ACA came out with "broad but qualified" support for the FCC's policies designed to promote broadband deployment in hard to reach areas where incumbent carriers have neglected to serve. The cable group heralded the FCC's competitive bidding process for Universal Service Fund support to help ensure the so-called digital divide goes the way of the Dodo.
"By adopting several ACA policy recommendations, the FCC will further ensure that funding flows in the most efficient fashion to the low-cost providers meeting minimum performance standards," ACA President & CEO Matt Polka said.
However, a coalition of rural telco interests urged the FCC to reform its reformed USF rules saying they are undermining RLECs ability to deploy broadband in these high-cost areas. The group says the "reforms" implemented last year have "consisted entirely of caps, cuts and phase-outs to cost recovery components… demonstrating that additional support is needed to realize the FCC's broadband goals."
The ACA said it "strongly supports competitive bidding" as the most efficient way to ensure broadband service finds its way to customers in high-cost areas. The telco groups said, "at a minimum," the FCC should provide USF support for standalone broadband offerings, middle mile costs and conversions to IP-enabled switching.
The coalition of telco interests include the NTCA, National Exchange Carrier Association (NECA), the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) and the Western Telecommunications Alliance (WTA). The group's entire comments can be seen here. The ACA's complete remarks can be read here. •
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0 Replies | 37 Views
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Satellite : ACA to FCC: Require Disclosure in Retrans Negotiations |
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Jan 19, 2012 - 5:41 AM - by evd
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In order to better protect consumers and uphold antitrust laws, the ACA is urging the FCC to require public disclosure of retransmission consent negotiations including Shared Services Agreements (SSA). The group said Wednesday that it supports imposing online disclosure requirements that would allow separately-owned TV stations in the same local market to coordinate their retrans deals with pay-TV providers.
ACA President & CEO Matt Polka said "prompt action" was needed by the regulatory agency as full disclosure will coordinate retrans negotiations to serve the public interest by monitoring the competitive effects of such deals. Further, the exec says, disclosure will enable authorities to detect violations of current FCC rules and federal antitrust statutes.
The independent cable group holds that broadcasters have been able to organize behind closed doors to gain an unfair advantage over pay-TV providers, especially small cable companies. "Lopsided (regulations) that favor broadcasters" has allowed these companies to extract huge cash payments from distributors that are far in excess of what the stations could achieve had they negotiated on their own, the ACA said.
"Broadcasters have failed to demonstrate any compelling reason why agreements that facilitate coordinated action in retransmission consent negotiations should not be included in the enhanced online public file," Polka said. "By requiring broadcasters to disclose agreements that impact competition… the FCC can better fulfill its ongoing responsibility to ensure compliance with its existing broadcast ownership limits."
The ACA said requiring online disclosure would be at least consistent with other FCC policies that require broadcasters to disclose their Joint Sales and Time Brokerage Agreements for authorities to vet. •
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0 Replies | 58 Views
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/19/2012 |
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Jan 19, 2012 - 5:38 AM - by evd
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Etc.: LightSquared Alleges Impropriety - Don't Bet on Apple TV? - Tim Tebow Forsakes CBS
Disputes: LightSquared issued a statement this week questioning the validity of recent tests conducted on its 4G LTE network claiming the results were "rigged by GPS industry insiders." The company said the testing was "shrouded in secrecy," "deliberately focused on obsolete and niche market devices" and "does not reflect reality." LightSquared said it has asked NASA's Inspector General to investigate the findings and apparent conflict of interests among those overseeing the tests. --- After Comcast announced a rate hike in Boston last week, Major Thomas Menino is asking the FCC to allow the city to regulate the pricing structure of subscription services the company offers there. The Boston Globe has this story. --- The Tennis Channel is asking the FCC to force terms of a previous ruling that Comcast violated program carriage laws by strategically favoring its own sports networks over the channel.
Research: A new study from NDN says the adoption of 3G wireless networks has created 1.585M new jobs in the U.S. between April 2007 and June 2011. The firm further states that the next transition from 3G to 4G could create more than 230K more jobs within the year. --- NPD In-Stat says OTT video is creating new demand for WiFi devices in the home. The firm projects that next-gen home networks will drive the number of in-home video WLAN-enabled devices to nearly 600M in 2015 including 28M WiFi Blu-ray consoles by next year. --- Research from the CEA says 53% of U.S. adults watch some form of streaming or downloaded video content at home. Further, the CE group says, consumers prefer streaming video to downloading as 51% of streamers average 2 hrs/week watching content while only 15% download content and average 1 hr. of viewing.
Strategy: Clearwire is said to be prepping LTE tests in Virginia and Phoenix, AZ. as China Mobile conducts similar tests in select Chinese cities. The companies said they hope to develop a global ecosystem for the technology between the two. NetworkWorld has this story. --- Local reports detail the plan of a group of municipalities in Massachusetts that wants to build a FTTH network with state funds and connect it to another state-wide open access network. Details here. In related fiber news, MetroNet is one step closer to building its FTTH network in Lafayette, IN after receiving positive recommendations from local authorities. Officials say a feasibility study is coming as early as next month.
Rumor Mill: Samsung has denied earlier reports that it is considering a move on BlackBerry maker RIM.
Op/Ed: Steve Jobs may have revolutionized the music industry (iTunes), music delivery (iPod), cellular (iPhone), tablets (iPad) and digital filmmaking (Pixar), but not everyone thinks his lasting legacy will be to do the same with AppleTV. Why? "Because TV is different." Read Technology Tell's 10 Reasons NOT to bet on iTV.
Service: Comcast is expanding its Xfinity Home Security services in southern New Hampshire. --- Rogers launched Outrank, an online marketing solution for small businesses with such tools as paid search marketing, SEO and a performance dashboard. --- DIRECTV will soon be able to provide real-time ratings to advertisers and broadcasters. The company recently patented technology that will store live data on its STBs and use connected modems to transmit the information back to DIRECTV.
WebTV: Reuters is launching ReutersTV, an in-house news channel, with original programming on YouTube. According to the company, the new channel will feature as many as 10 original shows on investigative and political reporting and financial/media/current event news.
Dist.: After launching on Cox in Arizona (Phoenix & Tucson), the Outdoor Channel is now available in the top 25 markets across the country. --- The Sportsman Channel said it now is distributed to more than 31M HHs across cable, satellite and telco platforms.
SkyREPORT: The Google-backed satellite company O3b Networks will launch a satellite-broadband service sometime next year. Company Chief Steve Collar (formerly of SES) said the operator would offer broadband service comparable to that of a fiber network to remote areas of the globe. GigaOm has details. --- National Latino Broadcasting is rolling out its new political shows Cristina Radio and En Vivo on SiriusXM targeting U.S. Hispanics.
Programming: DIRECTV added BabyfirstTV to all of its programming packages at no additional cost to subs. --- ESPN Deportes Radio will offer live coverage of more than 300 events this year including exclusive broadcasts of the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifiers 2012, Mexican soccer, Copa Santander Libertadores, Euro 2012, Spain’s La Liga, MLB and MLS.
Over, Up & Under: Fox International acquired Finnish FTA channel SuomiTV. --- Sky Deutschland said its DTH platform now reaches 10M viewers.
People: Denver Broncos QB Tim Tebow has reportedly turned down an invitation to be an analyst on CBS' NFL studio Sunday. --- Triage Partners added former Charter/Cox/Jones Intercable/SA exec Chris Bowick to its board of advisors.
D'Oh!: Reports have surfaced of the arrest of L2 Networks President and CEO Kraig Beahn for allegedly tapping into rival Mediacom's network in Albany to sell service to an L2 customer. Beahn said the charges are "frivolous." However, utility workers said they found a Mediacom modem connected to car batteries and wired into the local cable plant. When they asked the customer who was being serviced by such a high-tech system, he responded that his business had contracted with L2. (Hat tip to Fierce Cable for the story.)
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0 Replies | 47 Views
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Satellite : DIRECTV & Sunbeam Are Talking (Finally) |
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Jan 18, 2012 - 8:49 AM - by fatone147
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DIRECTV & Sunbeam Are Talking (Finally)
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 18, 2012) -- There is a sliver of hope today that DIRECTV and Sunbeam might be closer to ending their fee fight which has denied the satcaster's Miami subscribers access to their local Fox station and Boston viewers access to their NBC and CW stations since Friday.
The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel reports that the two sides yesterday negotiated directly for the first time since the blackout began. In addition, Sunbeam's Miami station has made a counter-proposal to DIRECTV, the newspaper reports. It's not clear if the new proposal would cover the Boston stations as well.
The Sun-Sentinel writes that DIRECTV is expected to respond to WSVN, the Fox affiliate in Miami, by today.
The outage has been especially thorny for Sunbeam and DIRECTV with football fans in Miami upset about losing Fox's coverage of the NFL playoffs over the weekend. Boston viewers were also angry about losing NBC's broadcast of the Golden Globes awards on Sunday night.
DIRECTV claims that Sunbeam is asking for a 300 percent increase in carriage fees. DIRECTV also said Sunbeam refused its request to continue carrying the channels while negotiations continued.
However, Sunbeam's local stations in Boston and Miami said they are only asking for "fair value" for DIRECTV to carry their signals.
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0 Replies | 62 Views
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 Satellite : The (Free) Future of Broadband? |
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Jan 18, 2012 - 4:19 AM - by evd
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When Verizon announced its "Turbo" bandwidth-on-steroids service last year (and northern carrier Rogers' similar "SpeedBoost"), few technical details were available. Now, observers have started to wonder whether the technology will help with the so-called bandwidth crunch or is it more a way for providers to skirt net neutrality rules.
According to some, incumbent carriers maintain a "brain dead idea" that bandwidth is a scarce commodity. According to Canadian IT consultant Bill St. Arnaud, last-mile infrastructure has the most impact on a user's experience, not bandwidth congestion.
Arnaud says customers aren't interested in buying bandwidth to enhance their service, they just want it to work when needed. "Just as with electricity, they want and expect that (an) appliance or application will simply work with no need for special speed boosts," he says.
The IT vet says an example of a company that "gets it" is Free.FR, a French firm "redefining" the 21st century carrier. Free offers unlimited mobile services (voice/texting/data) by deploying its own STBs that automatically share a portion of subscribers' broadband connection via WiFi. With more then 5M STBs in the market, Free.FR offers cloud coverage over the entire city of Paris.
"Even when away from home, you can easily get broadband instead of resorting to an expensive 3G network," Arnaud says. "This is the future of broadband. Not silly gimmicks like Turbo or SpeedBoost." •
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0 Replies | 61 Views
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Satellite : DIRECTV's (Lack of) Broadband Options |
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Jan 18, 2012 - 4:17 AM - by evd
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As DISH has made public its plans to offer a broadband product with ViaSat, analysts are left wondering what DIRECTV will do in response. With cable better suited to weather video subscriber losses (thanks to a boom in broadband customers), the nation's largest satellite operator faces the same rising costs for content without ways to balance the equation.
According to Bernstein Research's Craig Moffett, DIRECTV is facing a double-edged sword: "Stay competitive by 'accepting' the inevitable decline in margins… or raise prices to preserve margins, and in the process, become less and less attractive to price conscious consumers."
Moffett said DIRECTV competes more with DISH for subscribers than it does cable and therefore remains "dependent" on DISH's "sustained weakness." The analyst believes now, "more than ever, subscriber growth in the satellite industry is a zero-sum game, where DIRECTV's gains must be DISH Network's loss." •
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1 Reply | 75 Views
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Satellite : SkyREPORT:1/18/2012 |
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Jan 18, 2012 - 4:16 AM - by evd
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In Court: A group of investors have filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against Netflix (and its management) alleging company "insiders" concealed "negative trends" that preceded the stock's massive downward spiral last year. The suit, which claims the stock was "artificially inflated," names CEO Reed Hastings, COO Ted Sarandos and CMO Leslie Kilgore as defendants.
Rules & Regs: The FCC adopted closed-captioning requirements for IP-delivered video owners, providers and distributors under sections of the 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2010. Deadline for compliance is Jan. 1, 2014.
Strategy: While DIRECTV is telling viewers to 'get ,' Comcast and Verizon Wireless have gone a step further in the fight for precious subs. The companies have launched a joint promo in Seattle and Portlandia enticing customers with a $300 prepaid Visa for switching to a bundled service from either provider. The new deal comes just weeks after Verizon inked the major spectrum (and mutual product promotion) agreement with the cable industry. --- And, here's another look at ESPN in Newsweek and on The Daily Beast is headlined "Big, Bigger, Biggest" but is promoted online as "How ESPN Sold Out."
Labor: NYC elected officials and union leaders railed against Cablevision and its CEO James Dolan for what they call anti-union policies. At a heated MLK rally, several leaders voiced concern with CVC's alleged efforts to keep employees from unionizing with the Communications Workers of America (CWA). PolitickerNY has the story.
Carriage: Verizon FiOS TV signed a new multiyear carriage deal with the Tennis Channel, just in time for the net's coverage of the Australian Open. The channel is now available in TX, FL, CA, NY, PA and upstate NY and will be rolled out to FiOS' remaining footprint this week. --- Bright House signed an agreement with IC Places to host IC Places Hollywood, a weekly half-hour show produced exclusively for Bright House Networks' Local On Demand channel, debuting this Friday. --- Comcast expanded its carriage deal with the Outdoor Channel for Xfinity TV subs in Maryland and Virginia.
M&A: Embattled mobile device maker RIM is said to be looking for any options to help right its ship. The latest comes from BGR with a story that suggests the company is hoping a buyout from Samsung will do the trick. Details here. --- On the heels of its deal to acquire "Twilight" studio Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate is now rumored to be prepping a sale of its TV Guide Network. Nielsen data show the net lost 20% of its audience in 2011. NYP has details.
Tech: What if you could watch all your regular, 2D content in 3D without the goofy glasses? StreamTV says its seeCube converter box will do just that. ElectronicHouse has details. --- Word is Microsoft is making Skype available for Windows phones "soon."
Service: Buckeye CableSystem is working with Stingray Digital to add the firm's Galaxie Digital Music Service to the MSO's channel line-up. --- LodgeNet said its HD interactive TV platform now reaches more than 300K hotel/resort rooms. --- The Metro Ethernet Forum (MEF) named Level 3 as "Service Provider of the Year" for ethernet services in the Caribbean and Latin America.
Advertising: AT&T is looking to a new software platform from SeaChange for ad insertion capabilities into on-demand and live video piped not only to STBs, but mobile devices like tablets and smartphones as well. LightReading has this story.
Programming: Sony Pictures Entertainment is launching Animax, an all-anime channel on Crackle, the company's in-house multi-platform video network, in the U.S. and Canada. (Crackle is available online, on mobile devices and via certain OTT consoles.) --- AMC is launching an unscripted series called "Comic Book Men" next month following 'fan boy' comics culture. The net will feature some extra content online in accompaniment to the Feb. 12 launch. --- Univision said it would make a Spanish-language version of "Family Guy" available on TeleFutura.
SkyREPORT: DIRECTV is hosting a crazy pre-Super Bowl party in Indy on Saturday, Feb. 4 that will turn the inside of Victory Park (the city's minor league baseball stadium) into a giant beach blanket bingo bash. Deets here.
Over, Up & Under There: YouTube signed a deal with Chinese web-TV firm Ku6 Media to operate a channel for Ku6's international users to see videos produced in China. --- Pyramid Research says mobile penetration in Brazil will grow from 118% in 2011 to 153% in 2016 while IPTV services will increase from 21K subs last year to 1.5M in 2016. --- An independent report commissioned by UK Culture Minister Ed Vaizey suggests that BSkyB should be making a greater contribution to the British cinema industry. BroadbandTV News has details. --- According to the China Internet Network Information Center, the number of people using the internet in China has seen a 12% y/y increase to 513M, and usage of microblogging services (like Twitter) have quadrupled during the same time to 250M.
People: Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang resigned from the company (and the stock went up). --- Clear Channel hired entertainment industry vet John Sykes to lead its push into TV, digital and live events. CEO Bob Pittman and Sykes helped launch MTV in 1981. --- The SCTE extended its agreement with current President & CEO Mark Dzuban for another 5 years. --- Perseus Telecom appointed Wendell Kadunce as EVP of global sales. --- Univision named Hispanic media veterans Luis Fernández-Rocha as SVP and Carlos Bardasano as VP of programming for TeleFutura.
Wow!: Here's audio from a conversation between Francesco Schettino, the captain of the Costa Concordia, and an Italian Coast Guard official demanding the captain return to the cruise liner he ran aground and abandoned moments later. Warning: Chilling, gripping content. (Hat tip to TVNewser for the link.)
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0 Replies | 26 Views
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Satellite : No MSG, No NBC, No Fox -- Where's the Outrage, DC? |
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Jan 17, 2012 - 10:30 AM - by fatone147
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No MSG, No NBC, No Fox -- Where's the Outrage, DC?
By Swanni
Washington, D.C. (January 17, 2012) -- Time Warner Cable subscribers have been without the two high-def MSG sports channels since the first of the year. DIRECTV subscribers in Miami and Boston have been denied their Fox and NBC stations respectively since last Friday. And Verizon FiOS customers in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania have been unable to watch their CBS affiliate since Friday.
And it's all because the pay TV providers can not reach new programming agreements with the stations' owners. In each case, the two companies negotiated behind closed doors, called each other names in public and then announced that the stations would be removed until further notice.
And the viewers? What did they do to bring about this mess?
Nothing. They are totally innocent; the only guilt they hold is the guilty pleasure of watching their favorite shows and sports on their favorite channels. And not only are they innocent, they are seemingly powerless to do anything about the programming blackouts.
In cases where constituents are powerless and faultless, their elected representatives in Washington are supposed to speak up on their behalf. They are supposed to issue statements, hold hearings, make phone calls, threaten to enact crippling legislation -- do whatever's necessary to bring a quick and satisfying resolution to the impasse. This, after all, is all about their constituents.
But what do we hear from Congress and the Obama administration? Nothing. Nothing at all. Has Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry raised a fuss over the DIRECTV blackout in Boston. Not that I've seen. Has Florida Sen. Marco Rubio urged Sunbeam Television (the owner of the Fox station in Miami) and DIRECTV to end the impasse immediately -- or else. Not that I've seen.
Has any U.S. legislator from Florida, Pennsylvania or Massachusetts done anything to bring these blackouts to an end?
Not that I've seen.
Has the Obama administration said anything about it? No again. Has the Federal Communications Commission, the federal agency responsible for overseeing the communications industry (including television), addressed the controversies. No again.
I must add here that New York's Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman, is trying to set up a meeting between Time Warner Cable and MSG and I applaud him for that. But where are his federal brethren in this matter?
On the sidelines. Apparently nursing cases of laryngitis.
Viewers in Massachusetts, Florida and Pennsylvania, you are not powerless. You should demand that your federal representatives get involved in these discussions and bring them to a swift conclusion. Call them, write them, e-mail them. Do whatever you think is necessary and legal to shame them into action.
Because, folks, if you don't act on your behalf, who will?
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0 Replies | 46 Views
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Satellite : Media Mania: Where to Invest in 2012 |
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Jan 17, 2012 - 8:36 AM - by evd
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Generally speaking, media stocks had a good year in 2011. But with convergence on everyone's mind moving forward, where's the safe bets in manic media markets for 2012?
According to Bernstein Research, there are clear leaders in the cable/satellite/telco and internet spaces for the coming months. Below are some quick highlights from the firm's annual beginning-of-year outlook that point to which companies could be headed for a prosperous new year.
Senior Analyst Craig Moffett said the firm is "cautious" about the large cap telcos AT&T and Verizon. With relative dividend yields still looking "attractive," their safety trade is now "very crowded" and valuations on equity-based metrics are stretched, particularly at Verizon.
As far as the cable/satellite space, Bernstein likes Comcast as its valuation is attractive and its capital allocation "appears poised" for friendly shareholder returns. Moffett said the firm also recommends Time Warner Cable but remains concerned about the Dolan-led Cablevision.
Online, Bernstein says to keep an eye on Google and Amazon. "Search revenue growth and YouTube… will contribute to a beat on expectations for Google (and) Amazon will maintain robust revenue growth (to) improve margins" by the end of the year.
Other notes of worth: the firm 1) likes Leap Wireless, 2) is 'neutral' on satellite, and 3) will "take the under" on a DISH takeout. •
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0 Replies | 50 Views
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Satellite : ACA to FCC: Don't Feed Carriage Monster |
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Jan 17, 2012 - 8:36 AM - by evd
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The ACA wants the FCC (and everyone else) to know that the agency doesn't have the authority to enforce carriage rules on cable operators that are not affiliated with programming vendors. In fact, the group says, the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits expanding these rules beyond MVPDs with such financial interests.
"Nothing in the 1992 Cable Act or its legislative history supports the application of program carriage rules to non-vertically integrated MVPDs," ACA President & CEO Matt Polka said last week. "The few programmers who think otherwise have advanced only weak theories with no basis in law to justify the expansion of the scope of current regulations."
The organization's comments came in response to previous comments filed with the FCC by program vendors about independent MVPDs' incentive to discriminate against programmers with no financial ties to multichannel distributors. In its filing, the ACA's Polka urged the Commission to resist pleas for broadened program carriage laws that would aide "discriminatory conduct" by vertically-integrated cable operators making carriage decisions based on their financial stakes. •
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0 Replies | 38 Views
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TWC, AT&T Make Waves w/ Q4 Reports |
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Jan 27, 2012 - 4:52 AM - by evd
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Time Warner Cable, the nation's 2nd largest cable operator, reported stellar Q4 results this week with a 44% y/y increase in net income of $564M ($1.75 per share) as compared to $393M ($1.09 per share) in Q410. And, despite losing 129K video customers - dropping its total to 11.89M - the company nearly drew even with the addition of 117K broadband subs reaching 10M.
Pleasing investors no doubt was TWC raising its quarterly dividend by 17% (from $.48 to $.56) and announcing a $4B... [Read More]
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0 Replies | 16 Views
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Symantec Tells Customers to Pull the Plug on pcAnywhere Following Code Theft |
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Jan 26, 2012 - 9:11 PM - by Gugi47
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Symantec Tells Customers to Pull the Plug on pcAnywhere Following Code Theft
By Richard Adhikari
TechNewsWorld
01/26/12 12:13 PM PT
The theft of code related to Symantec security products has compelled the vendor to warn customers, urging them to take various measures up to and including disabling the application pcAnywhere. New versions of the application will receive patches,... [Read More]
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0 Replies | 22 Views
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CE manufacturers to pre-empt Apple TV |
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Jan 26, 2012 - 9:08 PM - by Gugi47
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CE manufacturers to pre-empt Apple TV
21.35 Europe/London, December 21, 2011 By Robert Briel
There are plenty of rumours going around about a possible launch of an advanced Apple TV sometime next year, but consumer electronics manufacturers are ready to meet the challenge.
“Given the current economic climate, the major brands clearly intend to make it challenging for Apple to justify their traditional price premium... [Read More]
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0 Replies | 16 Views
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