Netflix is becoming more and more like HBO: Customers of U.K. telco BT can now pay for the service with their monthly TV bill.…
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TV networks getting that sinking feeling
The networks generally insist that marketers are simply being cautious and that ad spending will ultimately pick up, but investors and analysts are clearly growing skeptical.…
Read MoreWith HBO’s new OTT service, Tony Soprano gets a ‘taste’ of broadband
Like a lot of networks these days, HBO is hungrily eyeing the fat margins cable operators are earning from their broadband business.…
Read MoreThe hardest part about Google Fiber isn’t digging ditches, but buying TV rights
You thought that building out all that physical infrastructure is what has been slowing down Google Fiber’s expansion? Think again: Google Fiber…
Read MoreIf only Comcast’s customer service were as smooth as its lobbying
I was passed on to a supervisor. Then to another supervisor, and another and another. We went round and round for weeks. Weeks turned into months, during which I was still being sent two bills, while I vainly sought someone with enough authority to sell me what I was pleading to buy.…
Read MoreCharter wants to bring cloud-based UI to all of its set-top boxes by 2015
Charter wants to use the cloud to give all of its TV customers a new user interface by next year. Are online video apps next?…
Read MoreComcast is bringing experimental labs features to its X1 set-top box
Gmail has had a labs section to test new features for years. Now your cable box is getting one as well.…
Read MoreSling revamps entry-level place shifting box, adds apps and TV guide to premium model
Sling is back with a new box, and one that got a new name, along with a few internal updates.…
Read MoreAereo suspends service, promises refunds to subscribers
Aereo bowed to the inevitable on Saturday morning, telling subscribers that's pulling the plug at 11:30ET on its revolutionary service that rented consumers mini-antennas and DVR's to watch over-the-air TV.…
Read MoreWhat are Boxee’s upcoming mystery products?
Boxee revealed in a filing with the FCC this week that it's working on additional products that could be used as alternatives to traditional cable set-top boxes. What does the company have up its sleeve? We can only guess — but, hey, that's fun too!…
Read MoreBoxee clashes with cable companies over encryption
Boxee isn't just marketing its live TV tuner as an alternative to cable; it is also fighting with cable companies about having access to their programming. The reason? Cable companies want to encrypt their basic cable tier, which Boxee and other CE makers oppose.…
Read MoreYouTube shows Silicon Valley how it can beat Hollywood
YouTube's announced new viewership milestone today, with more than 4 billion video views daily. That's impressive, and more importantly, shows how YouTube could serve as a blueprint for other technology companies that wish to create an alternative to the existing media industry.…
Read MoreDeloitte: 9% have cut cable, another 11% are considering it
While cable operators and networks continue to downplay the effect of cord cutting, in Deloitte's State of the Media Democracy survey, the firm reports that 9 percent of respondents have already canceled their cable subscriptions, with another 11 percent saying they are considering doing so.…
Read MoreFinally! HBO Go will be available pretty much everywhere
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 MoreWhat tomorrow’s cable box looks like
Comcast customers will soon find a new UI on their cable box that will look much less like Grandma's EPG, and more like an iPad app with social recommendations and universal search. But how open will the cable box of the future be for third-party developers?…
Read MoreBig cable is facing an ‘affordability crisis’
Bernstein Research analyst Craig Moffett issued a research note that paints a damning picture of cable affordability in light of larger macroeconomic trends. Many U.S. households have less money for discretionary spending at the same time that the price of TV entertainment has risen dramatically.…
Read MoreCord cutters not replacing cable TV with online video
People who have cut the cord aren't doing so because they think Netflix provides a good alternative to their local cable TV company. In fact, those that go broadband-only are only slightly more likely to watch online video than those with pay-TV subscriptions, according to LRG.…
Read MoreCurrent bets on Twitter and web video for Olbermann show
Keith Olbermann's return to cable television is aided by a full-blown Twitter campaign, aiming in part to get potential viewers riled up that not every cable provider carries Current. Viewers will also get to see clips of the show on iTunes, Hulu and YouTube.…
Read MoreThe (Cable) Empire Strikes Back
Pay TV is alive and well, and now has more subscribers than ever. There was some consternation following the industry reporting its first-ever declines in the number of pay TV subscribers last year. But now, subscriber numbers are once again looking up.…
Read MoreNetflix Grabs More Streaming Content Ahead of Cable
Netflix is expanding its catalog of exclusive streaming content with a deal that will give its subscribers access to films from Nu Image/Millennium Films during the pay TV window. This is the second time Netflix has scored exclusive access to first-run movies ahead of cable networks.…
Read MoreThe Future of TV Is Not on Cable
The $100 cable bill is dead. The cable industry just doesn't know it yet. What killed it was not just ad-supported online video sites and cheap subscription video services, but the fundamental inability of TV programmers and cable companies to reach the next generation of consumers.…
Read MoreIs Sezmi Set to Shake Up the Cable Industry?
Could Sezmi disrupt the cable industry with a set-top box that blends broadcast and broadband content for a fraction of what people…
Read MoreCable Is Saved?
When you’re drowning, you grasp at straws to try to stay afloat. Sometimes you actually convince yourself that you’re standing on dry land. That seems to be the collective response of the traditional TV industry to a recent survey from Parks Associates.…
Read MoreCord-cutters Are Hulu, Redbox and Netflix Junkies
The threat of cord-cutting is real, but not as big as one might expect, according to new research from Parks Associates. The…
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