Multichannel News articles from March 2002

Multichannel News back issues from March 2002:

House OKs Tauzin-Dingell, but senate could dispose.(Reps. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.))(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... WASHINGTON -- The Baby Bells won a victory in the House last week, when the chamber passed a bill that would remove many regulatory constraints on their high-speed-data offerings. The measure (HR 1542), sponsored by Reps. Billy Tauzin (R-La.) and John Dingell (D-Mich.), passed ...

DBS politics is local: Ergen; We would serve 210 markets.(Direct broadcast satellite television industry; EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen)(EchoStar chairman Charlie Ergen)

Mar 04, 2002; ... WASHINGTON -- Hoping to improve their merger-approval odds, EchoStar Communications Corp. and DirecTV Inc. parent Hughes Electronics Corp., are playing the local-TV card. The two direct-broadcast satellite providers said they would retransmit over-the-air TV stations in all 210 ...

Basic nets hear VOD's call.(cable networks hear video-on-demand)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Spurred by the rollout of video-on-demand servers -- and operators interested in improving digital penetration -- nearly every major basic cable network may test VOD or subscription VOD in 2002. Add A&E Network, MTV Networks, ABC Cable Networks and BBC America to the list of ...

@Home's time has finally passed.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Stripped of its Excite.com portal and its Internet traffic, the eight-year-old @Home cable-modem network died March 1 after a prolonged financial illness. There were no services. The life and death of the once high-flying cable-modem venture indeed reads like a telecom obituary ....

Studios want to sink pirates.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Hollywood fears the Internet will crash the movie business unless computers come equipped with low-cost chips that foil the free distribution of movies by Internet pirates. The Walt Disney Co. chairman Michael Eisner and News Corp. president Peter Chernin laid out such a ...

Corzine reviewing comcast-AT&T board . (This Just In).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... WASHINGTON -- The decision by AT&T Broadband and Comcast Corp. to protect the merged company's board members from removal until 2005 will come under closer scrutiny from Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.). Corzine, the former chairman of Goldman Sachs & Co., raised the AT&T-Comcast board ...

AT&T big sky systems return to market. (This Just In).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... ENGLEWOOD, COLO. -- AT&T Broadband has restarted the process of selling non-strategic systems with about 340,000 subscribers in Montana, Wyoming and parts of Colorado, suspended last July, and at least two bidders are vying for the properties. Back in June, three companies made ...

USA networks to take $100M charge. (This Just In).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... NEW YORK -- USA Networks Inc. said that it would incur about $100 million in charges relating to losses and additional expenses at its Home Shopping Network unit. In a March 1 Securities and Exchange Commission filing, USA said the charges are mainly the result of additional ...

Animated MTVN adds four to suite.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Distributors will have yet another all-animation channel from which to choose when MTV Networks launches four additional digital networks this year. Nicktoons TV -- to be filled with Nickelodeon animation -- and the new pop-music offering MTV Hits will debut in April on ...

Sponsorships now on Disney's menu.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Disney Channel is once again checking out the wonderful world of limited sponsorships, but this time is eyeing a long-term commitment, starting with last week's multiyear agreement with McDonald's Corp. But the onetime premium channel claims it is not following in the footsteps ...

Hot hats. (Through the Wire).(berets worn by members of the U.S. Winter Olympics team)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Those stylish little berets worn by members of the U.S. Winter Olympics team proved not only to be a winning fashion statement, but also a windfall for ValueVision International Inc., which operates the ShopNBC.com web site. According to ValueVision chief operating officer and ...

Freebie-Jeebie. (Through the Wire).(AOL free CDs give-back)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... They are mad at America Online's marketing efforts, and they are not going to take it any more. In fact, they are going to give it back A pair of Webmasters has apparently had enough of those free CDs that AOL seemingly presses out by the billions and drops in the mail every ...

Legal Disney world. (Through the Wire).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... The prestigious Washington law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand -- the post-public office home of former Sens. George Mitchell and Bob Dole -- suffered a recent blow when media and telecommunications lawyer Lawrence Sidman jumped ship to join a new firm, Paul, Hastings, ...

Rodgers: Discovery departure 'Amicable'. (Through the wire).(Johnathan Rodgers leaves Discovery Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... The revolving door at Discovery Communications Inc. kept spinning last week, as U.S. president Johnathan Rodgers resigned his post, effective March 31, to explore other "entrepreneurial" programming ventures. While Rodgers called his departure from Discovery "amicable," sources ...

High speed access makes low-key exit.(High Speed Access Corp. sold assets to Charter Communications Inc.)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Compared with the flameout of larger data-over-cable peer At Home Corp. -- and those of countless other telecom providers over the past few years -- High Speed Access Corp. moved into the history books quite quietly last week. HSA, which last September agreed to sell its ...

Ops take 'multi-generational' set-top view.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... NEW YORK -- Operators deploying set-top boxes for interactive TV, home networking and other advanced services seem to have settled on a multi-generational approach. At least that appeared to be the consensus among Charter Communications Inc., Comcast Corp. and Insight ...

Comcast sets stage for multiple ISPs.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Now that it's running its own cable-modem network, Comcast Corp. has wasted no time in diving into a multiple Internet-service provider arrangement. The Philadelphia-based MSO has inked a deal with United Online Inc., which will launch high-speed service in Nashville and ...

ValueVision gets sporty with FanBuzz purchase.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... ValueVision International Inc., which does business as ShopNBC, is buying FanBuzz, presaging a move into sports-merchandise sales. ValueVision did not disclose the purchase price, but said the deal should add about $20 million to the company's revenue this year. Since ...

Networks tap QVC spin-off for E-Commerce.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Several cable networks last week said they would partner with Global QVC Solutions for turnkey assistance with their latest electronic-commerce initiatives. For consumers, that will bring easier access to network-related goods. For programmers like TV Land, The Golf Channel and ...

Mich. senate OKs broadband-bill package.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Michigan's Senate has approved a cluster of bills that should prompt the development of broadband services by centralizing rights-of-way clearances and setting statewide fees. The changes should reduce the regulatory costs for operators that deploy new telephony and data ...

Digital TV waivers arrive at FCC.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... A key milestone in the transition to digital broadcasting is arriving, not with a bang, but a waiver - in fact, with lots of waivers. Commercial TV stations that can't make the May 1 deadline for beaming digital signals have sought extensions from the Federal Communications ...

March brings tide of original programs.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Cable networks have succumbed to "March Madness," debuting a slew of high-profile original movies and series this month. Five networks have slated premieres from March 9 to March 17. Both ESPN and Court TV will screen their first original movies, while FX will unveil its first ...

Noggin to launch tween programming block. (Programming).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Commercial-free digital network Noggin will undergo an April facelift that will effectively split the network into two dayparts, targeting preschoolers and tweens, respectively. Much like Nickelodeon -- which stamps its late-night programming with the Nick at Nite brand -- ...

Knight's tale doesn't score for ESPN. (Review).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... In hoops parlance, ESPN's first original movie -- A Season on the Brink -- gets a good look at the basket, but ultimately, the shot hits the rim. To ESPN's credit, it's not for lack of trying. The sports network tackles an important and controversial subject, college basketball ...

MSGN's post-Yankee plans: Mets games, 24-hour slate. (Programming).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Madison Square Garden Network last week officially confirmed that it would expand to a 24-hour service beginning April 1, and that it would jointly carry New York Mets Major League Baseball games with Fox Sports New York. As part of its programming expansion, the network will ...

People.(Top management changes at Comcast, Charter Communications, others)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... Arbitron RICHARD TUNKLE was appointed manager of new business development for TV, cable and multimedia service for Arbitron Inc. Tunkle will work with TV stations, broadcast and cable networks, interconnects and MSOs in New York and Philadelphia. Charter ...

Court TV sets forensics-themed mall tour. (Marketing & Advertising).(Court TV's marketing drive in Philadelphia)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Court TV's first nationwide grass-roots marketing effort -- the Mobile Investigative Unit tour -- is set to roll into Philadelphia in mid-April. The unit will eventually visit malls in 20 major markets, setting up kiosks that allow parents to collect their children's digital ...

Thurston eves future at comcast. (Marketing & Advertising).(Comcast Corp.'s new president of ad sales)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Charlie Thurston -- who's preparing to take his sales-management acumen national when he starts as president of ad sales for Comcast Corp.'s cable unit this month -- praised his new employer's move to consolidate its key markets. Thurston, the former president and CEO of Los ...

'Free' appeals to charter high-speed customers. (Marketing & Advertising).(New high-speed Internet service)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Charter Communications Corp. customers targeted in a free two-month high-speed Internet trial voiced overwhelming support for the service after their initial tests ran out. "The numbers are so good, they're suspect," Charter corporate vice president of product marketing and ...

GOP's lott isn't catching Powell's drift. (Policy).(Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... WASHINGTON -- After a year in office, Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell is learning that once you start making decisions, you start making enemies -- even within your own political party. Sen. Trent Lott, the upper chamber's top Republican, last week ...

Tauzin blasts networks for Enron Crawls. (Policy).(Broadcast and cable networks criticized)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... WASHINGTON -- Rep. Billy Tauzin (R-La) says corporations that expect political favors in return for funding his campaigns are wasting their money. But the House Commerce Committee chairman is nonetheless upset at broadcast and cable networks for coverage that he said has planted ...

German deals dashed, Malone eyes U.K. (Finance).(Liberty Media Corp., Deutsche Telekom AG cable TV deal)(Government Activity)(International Pages)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Liberty Media Corp.'s planned push into the German cable market is off, as regulators have rejected the Englewood, Colo.-based programming giant's $4.8 billion deal to purchase cable systems in six states from Deutsche Telekom AG. In a statement issued last Tuesday, the Federal ...

Janus shifts holdings in MSOs, programmers. (Finance).(Janus Capital Corp. buying programming companies' stock)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Janus Capital Corp., the huge mutual fund and longtime cable investor, has been rejiggering its cable portfolio by shedding shares of MSOs like Adelphia Communications Corp., Cox Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp., and snapping up stock in programming companies. Janus sold ...

Cox subsidiary looks to link Ocean Staters. (Competitive Local Access).(Rhode Island Internet education and research )(Government Activity)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Under a deal that has implications beyond the classroom, Cox Business Services LLC is now providing the new school of local-access connections to a Rhode Island Internet education and research consortium. The arrangement will not only introduce competitive local access services ...

Cable ops touting VOD as anti-churn weapon. (Broadband Week[TM]).(Video-on-demand sales)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 04, 2002; ... A few years ago -- when it became evident that video-on-demand would be a natural adjunct to the digital set-top business -- cable accountants took out their spreadsheets and calculators and began plugging in revenue numbers based on buy-rates, penetration and other factors. ...

Photonami writes SONET to operators. (Network Management).(Cable TV operators confront video-on-demand)(International Pages)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... As video-on-demand forces cable operators to adopt more complex scaling and deployment strategies, they're also paying more attention to increasing the throughput of the cable plant. And a handful of dense wave-division multiplexing players have cast their attention beyond the ...

Part 2: What's in the last mile? (Translation Please).(cable technology )(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Last time, we reviewed the ample amount of stuff needed to build what's commonly known as "the last mile" of the cable network -- the section of plant that starts where the fiber part of hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) adjoins to the coaxial part, and ends a few hundred feet later at ...

Broadband & VOD come of age: Sony exerts it's enormous influence. (Special Report Digital & VOD/SVOD).(Sony Corp. expands role in broadband revolution)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Few companies in the world have the breadth and scope of content to take advantage of the unfolding broadband revolution as Sony Corp. First there's the content: Its Sony Pictures Entertainment unit produces movies like Black Hawk Dawn, and TV shows that include Dawson's Creek, Wheel of ...

Digital set-top boxes: Take your pick. (Special Report Digital & VOD/SVOD).(Comcast Corp. deal with Motorola Inc.)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Until recently, the market for digital-cable boxes has hearkened back to the old joke about early Ford automobiles: You can have any color you want, as long as it's black. Early digital deployments were focused on video delivery, so there wasn't much variety in box design or ...

SVOD Rollouts: So far, so good. (Special Report Digital & VOD/SVOD).

Mar 04, 2002; ... Pay TV programmers who've had their subscription video-on-demand products out on the market for several months are liking what they've seen. "We have found that customers really do value HBO On Demand and they are willing to pay for it," said HBO Interactive Ventures senior ...

Levin's last lesson for cable. (The Big Picture).(Gerry Levin, the outgoing CEO of AOL Time Warner Inc.)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... It was an impassioned defense of a video future without borders. It was delivered by Gerry Levin, the outgoing CEO of AOL Time Warner Inc., during the company's fourth-quarter earnings call some five weeks ago -- and it was largely lost among the dour financial results and the sober ...

In demand's name game for VOD viewers. (The Big Picture).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... In Demand L.L.C. and its cable system affiliates plan to use the moniker "iControl" as a marketing, educational and promotional phrase for rolling out video-on-demand. Already in use in a handful of Time Warner Cable markets, in Demand president and CEO Stephen Brenner expects ...

Cox leverages web to boost digital and HBO. (Operator).(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 04, 2002 ... EACH YEAR, COX COMMUNICATIONS INC.'S LAS Vegas system partners with Home Box Office on a Cox-branded free preview weekend. Broadcast spots usually feature on-air talent talking about the benefits of HBO and Cox. But Cox faced few new challenges as it planned its May 4-6, 2001 ...

Time Warner's 'video door hanger' produces results. (Supplier).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... TIME WARNER CABLE'S NATIONAL DIVISION CHOSE A different tack to generate digital cable sales: a "video door hanger" marketing program developed by CTSi, a creative agency, and Renegade Productions Inc., a multimedia production house. The video door hanger delivered to consumers ...

Multi-Tier promo stems PPV erosion. (Operator).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... WHILE THE LAUNCH OF NEW SERVICES, SUCH as video-on-demand, generates considerable excitement, there are still business and revenue goals to reach. Pay-per-view, which is being overshadowed by VOD, is no exception. Like other cable operators, Cablevision Systems Corp. has ...

Universal's incentive program increases PPV revenues. (Supplier).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... UNIVERSAL STUDIOS FACED AN EMBARRASSMENT OF unlinked riches when it set out to promote five different pay-per-view movies--Meet the Parents, Bring It On, The Watcher, Nurse Betty and Rocky & Bullwinkle--in April 2001. With varying genres, ratings and box office revenue, creating ...

Cox marketing blitz caps conversion campaign. (Operator).(In the Washington DC suburbs)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... COX COMMUNICATIONS INC. IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA converted to digital in December 2000, but it faced more than just the typical analog to digital conversion. That system operates in a high-end demographic in suburban Washington, D.C. Subscribers in that technologically savvy area ...

Time Warner offerings result in VOD deployment. (Supplier).(video-on-demand servicesdesigned, built and launched in Oahu, Hawaii)(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002 ... "FROM TECHNOLOGY TO CASH" WAS THE MULTIYEAR marketing campaign undertaken by Concurrent Computer Corp. to help Time Warner Cable in Oahu, Hawaii, design, build and launch video-on-demand services. Started in April 1999, the system is now one of the largest deployments in the U.S., covering ...

S-A: SVOD outings shorter, more frequent. (Special Report -- Digital & VOD/SVOD).(Early statistics generated by Scientific-Atlanta Inc.on subscription video-on -demand)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Subscription video-on-demand users are watching such fare from 10 to 11 hours per month, according to early statistics generated by Scientific-Atlanta Inc. Users of SVOD also average 30 minutes per session and from 0.6 to 0.8 sessions per day, according to the set-top box ...

John Sie: SVOD's impatient architect. (Special Report Digital & VOD/SVOD).(Subscrition video-on-demand)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 04, 2002 ... Starz Encore Group LLC chairman John Sie is an impatient man. It's been nearly three years since he introduced the concept of subscription video-on-demand that's since caught fire among programmers and some operators. But in true Sie form, he sees cable operators "diddling" around with ...

Video-on-Demand advantage: Cable. (Special Report Digital & VOD/SVOD).

Mar 04, 2002; ... As cable marketers converge in Los Angeles this week for the annual Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing Digital Conference, we will have an opportunity once again to discuss some of the industry's best marketing ideas and practices. Everyone can benefit from ...

IBM computes a stake in digital media. (Broadband Week).(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Venerable computer giant IBM Corp. has set its sights set squarely on digital media, with a major new initiative aimed at giving Big Blue an early claim in the grab for market share. The White Plains, N.Y.-based computer software and hardware provider has unveiled Digital Media ...

Comedy, A&E nab repurposing deals.(Brief Article)

Mar 04, 2002; ... The cable repurposing bandwagon continued to pick up passengers last week, as A&E and Comedy Central announced agreements to offer immediate repeats of broadcast shows. Meanwhile, sources said Comedy Central is also trying to land next-day airings of NBC's Late Night with Conan ...

Does Greenspan watch TV? (Backtalk).(Television and the "economic recovery")(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 04, 2002; ... Once again, Federal Reserve Board chairman Alan Greenspan has reassured us all that the country is in the midst of an economic recovery. All I can say is from his lips to God's ears, as far as the television industry is concerned. Judging from the way folks in the entertainment ...

Letter.

Mar 04, 2002 ... Operator's Advice to Nets: Consult Us More To the Editor: R Thomas Umstead's article "TNT: Pay New, 'Fair' Rates Or Lose Some Programming" [Feb. 18] has motivated me to publicly encourage cable program networks to create something I have been privately requesting for ...

Correction.

Mar 04, 2002 ... The move of San Jose, Calif.'s KNTV-TV (Channel 10) to Channel 3 on San Francisco-area cable systems was accomplished by station owner Granite Broadcasting ...

Comcast's VOD approach: keep the packages simple.(Video-on-demand marketing strategy)

Mar 11, 2002; ... LOS ANGELES -- Comcast Corp. executives opened their on-demand marketing and pricing kimono last week, unveiling a marketing approach meant to drive digital penetration in basic-only households through simple, low-cost, on demand programming tiers. The strategy, laid out at the ...

Dish's supreme appeal: EchoStar pushes must-carry case.(U.S. Supreme Court to rule on DBS carriers, local TV stations case)(Government Activity)(Legal Beat)

Mar 11, 2002; ... WASHINGTON -- One week after vowing to carry every local TV station in the country, EchoStar Communications Corp. made a legal move that has the potential to fundamentally alter the substance of that promise. Last Thursday, EchoStar asked the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a ...

Time for hardball? YES says yes.(Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network distribution deals)(Brief Article)

Mar 11, 2002; ... Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network added another MSO to its roster last week, and then tried a public squeeze play to fill the big hole left in its distribution lineup. Last week, the fledgling sports channel -- which will carry 130 New York Yankees games this season -- ...

'Tooning' up the hids' upfront.(2002-03 children's television market)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Mar 11, 2002; ... Children's television remains big business, just not quite as big as it used to be. Still, the 2002-03 kids' upfront market outlook strikes some sellers as more promising than a year ago. "We think [the upfront] is going to be up," said Nickelodeon executive vice president and ...

E! snags 'SNL' from Comedy.(Saturday Night Live moving to E! Entertainment Television)(Brief Article)

Mar 11, 2002; ... The legendary series Saturday Night Live will be making the transition from Comedy Central to El Entertainment Television. Through a trio of deals with an estimated value of $40 million to $50 million, E! will gain access to all of the Saturday Night Live library in January ...

WOW suspends Denver overbuild. (This Just In).(To focus on current customers in Lakewood, Colo.)(Brief Article)

Mar 11, 2002 ... DENVER -- WideOpenWest LLC has suspended its cable overbuild in the Denver area, an executive confirmed Friday. The company will focus on serving its current customers in Lakewood, Cob. Vice president of consumer ...

FCC consolidates TV Bureaus. (This Just In).(Federal Communications Commission expands regulatory role)(Government Activity)(Brief Article)

Mar 11, 2002 ... WASHINGTON -- A single Federal Communications Commission bureau will regulate the cable, broadcast and direct-broadcast satellite industries, starting March 25. Currently, the three industries fall under different ...

Dressler: Cable will get NFL PPV Games. (This Just In).(Time Warner Cable seeks deal with National Football League)(Brief Article)

Mar 11, 2002 ... Los ANGELES -- Time Warner Cable executive vice president of programming Fred Dressler said "we have high hopes to have" the National Football League's NFL Sunday Ticket out-of-market, pay-per-view package "by the 2003 season" during The Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing ...

ITAA forms ITV Council. (This Just In).(Interactive Television Council)(Brief Article)

Mar 11, 2002 ... ARLINGTON, VA. -- The Information Technology Association of America said Friday that a group of interactive television companies have joined together to create a new Interactive Television Council. ...