A day after Charlie Ergen and Dish said they're getting along just fine without AMC's Emmy beloved shows, the channel operator admits it's going to take a big hit during its next earnings report.…
Read MoreDaniel Frankel
Katalyst rolls out its primary weapon to support new channel: Ashton Kutcher
In the battle to get its new youth-targeted YouTube channel filled with cable-esque reality shows heard over myriad other channels offering similarly targeted content, having the resident celebrity co-founder do a little on-camera work probably doesn't hurt uniques. But Katalyst insists it won't over-use its boss.…
Read MorePay TV should be “afraid, very afraid” of Google Fiber, SNL Kagan says
The research group notes that even with $45 billion in cash on hand, Google probably doesn't have the money to blanket the nation in its fiber. But it can cover enough ground to severely disrupt the pay TV business with a superior ISP/video solution.…
Read MoreLiberty spins off Starz: Who will buy it?
America's No. 3 pay network faces a tough future alone, with studio deals that will require renewing, expensive original series production needs, and a challenging pay TV market that necessitates leverage in order to get carried. But Starz could be a jewel for the right buyer.…
Read MoreOMG! AwesomenessTV closes $3.5M Series A round
With the L.A.-based video production company's millennial-targeted YouTube channel already delivering 10 million video views since launching in mid-June, investors including MK Capital make a commitment.…
Read MoreDisney profits spike 24% off parks, cable, Avengers tchotchkes
Profits were up across the board in the second quarter, with ESPN, ABC, Disneyland and The Avengers all making money for the conglomerate.…
Read MoreCablevision rolls out Optimum app for Kindle Fire
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 MoreAmazon launches social gaming studio, kicks Zynga when it’s down
Amazon enters the social gaming market with its key incumbent in Nasdaq free-fall. Does it really want to compete in a business with unproven monetization, or does it just want to make some games for Kindle owners to play? The unit's first game launched Monday.…
Read MoreAre the Olympics a bigger media draw than the Super Bowl?
Pew Research study claims 8 out of 10 Americans are following the London Games via TV, internet streaming or social media. The traditional tube, of course, remains the dominant viewing platform, but over 20 percent of 18-49-year-olds are watching online.…
Read MorePay TV subscriber losses just “seasonal,” analyst says
The multichannel business has incurred net subscriber losses in the second quarter for three years in a row -- after never finishing a three-month period in the red before 2010. Bernstein Research's Craig Moffett says this is simply a normal cyclical state for a maturing business.…
Read MoreViacom overhauls Nick – So it wasn’t Netflix, it was the shows?
Reporting double-digit drops in both revenue and profit for its fiscal third quarter, Viacom announces a major overhaul to its most popular channel. Pundits suspected SVOD viewing of Nick shows had sapped ratings, but the conglomerate seems to be conceding that the shows just got old.…
Read MoreLes Moonves on Aereo: “It’s not something I lose sleep over”
With his company reporting an 8 percent spike in second-quarter revenue, the CBS chief says the kerfuffle over Barry Diller's new streaming broadcast-network service has been "really exaggerated greatly." Moonves also told investors Thursday that a renewal of CBS' Neflix deal is "preordained."…
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