Want to get rid of your big and expensive cable bundle? So does your cable company. And in that quest, it is joined by some unlikely frenemies. Read more at paidContent »
Cablevision has sued Viacom over requirements to carry channels no one watches. The lawsuit could be a serious challenge to the cable bundle. That’s why it will likely be settled out of court. Read more at paidContent »
The cable industry has tweaked its justification for capping broadband, but a report from the Open Technology Institute is having none of it. Read more »
The purpose of the on-screen guide has shifted. By connecting the guide to content-recommendation engines and advertising platforms, service providers and connected-TV device manufacturers are using the EPG as an access point for understanding consumers and reaching out to them to own the living room. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
New York startups can apply to be part of a new Fiber Challenge, which will award 240 business with a fiber hook up to their building. The competition is being done in partnership with Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, which will be wiring up the winners. Read more »
More than 64 percent of broadband subscribers in the U.S. have a cap on their usage. Are you one of them? This story shows which ISPs are capping your broadband, the structure of those plans and explains why caps are a big business. Read more »
While the broader TV Everywhere initiative has been hindered by all the deals that need to happen between programmers and pay TV operators, watch-anywhere-in-the-home apps provided by multichannel operators are gaining traction. Cablevision says Optimum, for example, is now used by a third of its subscribers. Read more at paidContent »
When it comes to speeds Cablevision and Verizon FiOS are the most likely to deliver better than advertised download speeds while any provider offering DSL — AT&T, Frontier, Windstream and CenturyLink– struggle to deliver on their promises. A new FCC report looks at how well ISPs perform. Read more »
The DoJ seems to be the only thing standing between the $4 billion sale of spectrum from the cable companies’ Spectrum Co. to Verizon Wireless, according to multiple news reports. Read more »
The adoption of tablets, social media and new interfaces and the changing nature of the TV itself mean the digital living room will continue on its path of rapid change, thanks to new ways of creating, viewing, bundling, distributing and selling content. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With chief James Dolan mentioning unspecified software investments during Cablevision’s first-quarter earnings report Thursday morning, BTIG Research analyst Richard Greenfield believes the company is on the cusp of announcing a subscription video-on-demand service similar to Comcast’s Streampix. Read more at paidContent »
In the first quarter of 2012 all eyes were on the screen, both big and small. Apple’s new Retina display pushed video streaming, and broadcast-TV streaming service Aereo’s launch was quickly followed with litigation. These events and more are discussed in a new quarterly report. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
With HBO’s new video teaser for the April 1 launch of its HBO Go service on Xbox Live, the big question is: Which of the top cable, satellit… Read more at paidContent »
HBO’s luck may have run out Wednesday on its big Dustin Hoffman-led horse-racing drama, but it remains full speed ahead for the pay cable ne… Read more at paidContent »
An ambitious effort by the cable industry to create unified standards for targeted and interactive television advertising has failed, the vi… Read more at paidContent »
Broadcasters have a history of squashing disruptive technologies in court — and the new cord-cutting service Aereo could well be their next… Read more at paidContent »
An alternate wireless network has been emerging in the U.S., one not built by the mobile operators but by cable providers. Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, and Comcast have all launched reams of Wi-Fi hotspots in their MSO footprints, and last week Bright House joined the club. Read more »
The evolution of premium cable TV beyond the living room took another step this week, with Showtime introducing a streaming app to rival HBO… Read more at paidContent »
This is the last in a series of posts that highlighted key people, companies and trends to watch in 2012 in the sectors we cover most, from… Read more at paidContent »
It’s trite but in this case quite true: Cablevision’s loss is Charter’s gain. Tom Rutledge, the deft cable operator who abruptly left Cablev… Read more at paidContent »
Charter Communications picked up one of the hardest-working men in the cable business when it named Tom Rutledge as its CEO. And it couldn’t have come at a more critical time, as Charter faces consumer demand for TV Everywhere and increasing competition from streaming services. Read more »
Almost two years after HBO launched its on-demand streaming service HBO Go, the premium cable network has finally gotten the last two major holdouts to agree to offer it to their subscribers. The service will soon be available to 98 percent of all HBO subscribers. Read more »
Cox Communications is making live TV available on the iPad, with the release of a new app that lets subscribers watch shows in their homes. The Cox TV Connect app makes it the latest pay TV operator to extend its service to new devices. Read more »
Eighteen of the largest cable and telecom companies added about 635,000 net new subscribers during the third quarter of 2011, with a majority of the subscribers – 83 percent or 525,000 – coming from cable companies. This brings the total for the US to about 77.8 million subscribers. Read more »
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» Bets on Spotify’s news – radio… Read more at paidContent »
Digital editions of the top 25 newspapers rose 63 percent to 2,169,843 for the six months ending in September, according to Audit Bureau of… Read more at paidContent »
There seems to be no escaping the cable industry’s continuing decline in basic video subscribers, and Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) was no excepti… Read more at paidContent »
The cable industry is pulling an about-face on the issue of a la carte programming, due to expensive content rights and a weakening economy making bundles of network programming unaffordable. As a result, they’re trying to create smaller and more affordable bundles of programming. Read more »
Comcast has long promised subscribers it would introduce an iPad application allowing them to stream live TV feeds in the home. It looks like it might finally be ready to introduce the capability through a new service called AnyPlay, according to promotional materials posted by MacRumors. Read more »
The fight for the TV audience is quickly moving online and to a growing number of mobile applications, with Apple’s iPad as the latest battleground. Over the last 18 months, a number of broadcasters and pay-TV operators have launched iPad apps that provide access to streaming ... Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Cablevision is the latest cable company to see a future in broadband rather than TV. Rutledge said at an investor conference yesterday that streaming services from companies like Netflix and Hulu could help defray the ever-rising content costs that cable companies are forced to pay. Read more »
Google rocked the mobile world on Monday, August 15, with the news that it will buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, marking a 63-percent premium for the handset manufacturer. It’s a move that ushers Google into the exclusive club of companies that control both the hardware and software elements of their smartphone offerings, and it will enable Google to design handsets that are more closely integrated with Android. However, the deal doesn’t come without its risks, and it remains to be seen just how it will affect other handset makers, competition from Microsoft and the crucial patent issues currently surrounding Google. Companies mentioned in this report include Apple, Research In Motion and Samsung. For a full list of companies, and to read the full report, sign up for a free trial. Read more at GigaOM Pro »
Time Warner Cable plans to buy Insight Communications, the nation’s ninth-largest cable company, in a deal worth $3 billion as the industry realizes it needs to streamline. The deal offers TWC greater scale as well as about $100 million in annual cost efficiencies. Read more »
After months of legal wrangling, Cablevision and Viacom announced Wednesday they are putting their differences aside. The two companies have reached an agreement to resolve their litigation regarding Cablevision’s Optimum App iPad application. No financial terms of the settlement have been disclosed. Read more »
The pay TV industry shed at least 193,000 subscribers last quarter, based on public earnings results. While most were low-end subscribers that didn’t pay for HD, DVR or other value-added services, the industry faces a tipping point if it keeps focusing on ARPU above all else. Read more »
Cablevision subscribers can now watch cable TV on their iPhone or iPod touch, thanks to the company extending the functionality of its iPad app to all iOS devices. However, viewing is restricted to a subscriber’s home, and some cable channels still don’t like the functionality. Read more »
Does your Cablevision Internet connection feel a little slow in the evening hours? Turns out you are not alone: The FCC’s new broadband report shows that Cablevision delivers less than 60 percent of its advertised speed during peak hours. Most other ISPs fared significantly better. Read more »
Viacom called a truce in its legal fight over Time Warner Cable’s iPad app, but now it’s going after Cablevision for streaming its channels to the device. Cablevision has shown it’s not afraid of these types of fights, which could mean a long legal battle ahead. Read more »
Viacom and Time Warner Cable have called a truce in their fight over streams of live TV on the iPad. With a standstill agreement approved by a New York federal court, they will be able to negotiate without having to worry about court deadlines or proceedings. Read more »
Zediva launched a service to stream DVDs to users’ web browsers. That raised the ire of Hollywood studios, which sued it for copyright infringement. Now Zediva has filed its response, claiming that it is no different than other DVD rental services from Netflix or Blockbuster. Read more »
