Multichannel News back issues from April 2006:
Analysts: Dolans Moving Toward Buyback.(Charles Dolan and James Dolan to takeover Cablevision Systems Corp.)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell $3B Cablevision Dividend May Fund Push to Privacy Could Cablevision Systems Corp.'s moves to issue a $3 billion special dividend to shareholders be a way for the ruling Dolan family to launch another bid to take the operator and its cable networks ...
The Dark Side of Network DVRs.(Cablevision Systems Corp.'s plans digital video recorder service)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff Banc of America Securities cable analyst Doug Shapiro warned last week that Cablevision Systems Corp.'s plan for a network digital video recorder could be bad news for broadcast and cable programmers. Cablevision announced plans on March 27 to test a ...
A New Face for Fuse.(building and studio renovation)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Reynolds New Design Has Ticker, Video Features Fuse has put a new face -- er façade -- on its TV production studio. Combining a mix of form, fun and function, Fuse last week unveiled a new façade for its street-level studio at 11 Penn Plaza in ...
TAG Pitches Interactivity.(Turner Media Group conducts presentations for advertising agencies)(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Moss Turner Media Group, which sells interactive advertising and owns a stable of transactional networks, last week for the first time conducted a series of upfront presentations for ad agencies and advertisers. The company's ad sales arm, Turner Advertising ...
MTV2 Takes Animated Aim at Adult Swim.(launching animated shows)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By R. Thomas Umstead Taking a page from Cartoon Network's late-night Adult Swim franchise, MTV2 will launch three animated shows on Friday nights, beginning in June, in an effort to reach more young male viewers. At that point, the 59 million-subscriber MTV: Music ...
Civic Gadfly Steps on 'Astroturf' Groups.(Common Cause issues a report charging think tanks and nonprofits)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Moss Common Cause, the civic-watchdog association, last week issued a report blasting so-called "Astroturf" organizations, which it charges are corporate-funded front groups -- without the public's support -- lobbying on telecom issues. And the Astroturf groups ...
Barton: Bush Will OK National Franchising.(George W. Bush, telecommunications local franchising bill)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Ted Hearn Commerce Chair Says President Likely To Sign Sweeping Measure by Year-End Washington --President Bush will likely sign a bill before the year is out that's designed to allow phone companies to bypass local franchising and sweep into cable-television ...
BBCA Sets Four Co-Productions.(BBC Worldwide Americas Inc. to launch four programs)(Waterloo Road, Low Winter Sun )(Brief article)
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff New York-- Continuing to ramp up its development under general manager Kathryn Mitchell, BBC America is working on four co-productions that will air this year or early in 2007. Bowing in June, the eight-episode Waterloo Road comes from the makers of ...
Court TV Ads Yield Returns.
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Mike Reynolds New York-- Court TV says it has received good returns on its return-on-investment advertising strategy. The network said it made good on virtually all of the ROI guarantee deals it inked with a quartet of major agencies during last year's upfront ...
DirecTV: Broadband to Be Later, Not Sooner.(DirecTV Group Inc. to enhance broadcast satellite video offerings)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell New York-- DirecTV Group Inc. is pressing to find a broadband product to complement its direct-broadcast satellite video offerings. Just don't expect a deal, if DirecTV decides to move forward, until later this year. DirecTV executive vice president ...
Networks Fight to Stay at the Table.(Time Warner Cable plans to reposition GSN and The Outdoor Channel )(DIRECTV Inc. negotiates with Paxson Communications Corp.)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Moss The give-and-take of carriage negotiations between programmers and distributors continued apace last week, with some networks remaining embroiled in disputes as others nailed down contract renewals. There were several new developments in the ongoing ...
Network Recording Gains Supporters.(Cablevision System Corp. to offer network digital video recorder service; Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable plans to offer similiar services)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell Time Warner Cable, Comcast: We're Interested, Too New York -- Cablevision System Corp.'s network digital video recorder product has found at least a couple of fans among the cable industry's two biggest players. Comcast Corp. chief ...
Expiring Deals Could Hit Hallmark Hard.(Hallmark Channel U.S.'s company forecast)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Moss Last week, Hallmark Channel warned it could lose a significant number of subscribers if it is unable to reach new contracts with eight distributors, representing about 83% of the network's carriage base, whose deals expire by the end of 2007. That ...
Michigan Cities Cry Foul.(municipal officials opposes House and Senate's telecommunications and broadcasting franchise-reform bill)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Haugsted Localities Lobby Against State Franchising Bills Municipal officials from across Michigan are stepping up in a very public way to oppose state House and Senate versions of an AT&T Inc.-backed franchise-reform bill that city officials say will wrest ...
MTVN Phones In Mobile Content.(MTV Networks Inc. offering video streams for mobile-phones)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Karen Brown MTV Networks has always taken its programming cues from trends among its youth-oriented audiences -- and these days that is prompting a major drive into the burgeoning world of content aimed at mobile-phone screens. With an average of 2.5 million ...
A Service Station for the Cable Systems.(cable television networks management)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Matt Stump Network Operations Centers Now Monitor Voices, Games, Not Just Hardware The network operations center is not just about monitoring hardware anymore. It's also about services. As cable operators deploy more fiber in their networks and offer ...
Voice of Security: Tight Makes Right.(securing cable television networks from hacking )
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Karen Brown Listen closely in your average cable-system network operations center. The hum is not just that of packets carrying Web pages or video streams. It's now the chatter of Internet protocol voice traffic. Adding voice traffic is inevitable when you're ...
Comcast Sues Oakland Over Union Law.
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Linda Haugsted Comcast has filed suit against Oakland for what the operator believes is overreaching by an activist city council. Attorneys for the operator believe city leaders violated federal labor laws when Oakland enacted an ordinance meant to ease union ...
USA, Disney Head 1st-Quarter Nielsen Pack.(USA Networks Inc., Walt Disney Studios)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Moss Two cable channels that love their characters -- USA Network and Disney Channel -- squeaked ahead of Turner Network Television in the first-quarter primetime ratings. USA ranked No. 1 by posting a 2.2 household ratings average in the first quarter, ...
Setanta Scouts for Cup Sublicensees.(World Cup 2006)(Setanta Sports North America signs license agreement with Infront Sports and Media AG)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Reynolds These days, Simon Green is running as fast as a striker with space on the flank. Green, the CEO of Setanta Sports North America, is in a rush to score sublicensing agreements with programmers and distributors for secondary-language rights in the ...
SoapNet Awash in April Emmy Stunts.(SoapNet L.L.C., television programming and services plans)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Reynolds April isn't the cruelest month to be a SoapNet viewer. The network started flashing the bulbs on its "Daytime Emmy Month" coverage this past weekend, an effort that will encompass Saturday marathons of nominated stars and shows; the debut of its The ...
State Groups Confront Heavy Lobbying.(telecommunications and cable television broadcasting industry regulation)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Linda Haugsted One Lobbyist Per Legislator in Texas Telco TV. If that phrase weren't echoing off the marble halls of state capitals around the country, it might be a quiet year for state cable associations. As it is, cable's lobbyists find themselves ...
This Just In.(Robert McDowell's nomination to Federal Communications Commission blocked)(Cable in the Classroom unveils new logo)(FSN West negotiates for a contract with Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim )
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff 'Red Shoe Diaries' Fit Adult-for-Women Startup Staff Los Angeles -- Adult video-on-demand service 2 Hearts has reached a distribution agreement with the Zalman King Co. to air the company's Red Shoe Diaries series, as well as to develop new ...
Television Is Not a Show, It's a Service.(cable television providers' management of competition with satellite and telephone companies)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Tom Steinert-Threlkeld I drive a burnt-orange pickup truck. Three months ago, the moment I had been waiting three decades for had arrived. The University of Texas Longhorns were on the cusp of winning a national championship in football, behind elastic-armed and ...
Volume Control.(opinions on the rules for entertainment industry)
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff Voices From Everywhere On The Barton Bill "Everyone loses with this language except for the cable and telecom industry." Bill McClellan , Director of Government Affairs for the Electronic Retailing Association ...
Competition, Not Consent.
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Rep. Nathan Deal On July 2, 1928, the first regular television broadcast service was transmitted from a small suburb on the outskirts of Washington, D.C. In less than 80 years since then, television has gone through such a revolution that today's Americans can ...
People.(A and E Television Networks appoints Tana Nugent Jamieson )(Cable Center Inc. appointed Dolly Bonner and Jennifer Kaufling )(Comcast Corp. appointed Michael Brady and Fritz Hohene )
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff A&E Network Tana Nugent Jamieson joined A&E Network as senior vice president, drama programming. Nugent Jamieson had been senior programming executive at The WB Television Network. Bravo Bravo announced several personnel moves to ...
TV Looms for High Court.(media coverage of courtroom proceedings)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Ted Hearn Panel's Action Could Trigger Legal Battle Washington -- A split Senate Judiciary Committee last Thursday voted 12-6 in favor of a bill that would force the U.S. Supreme Court to televise its oral arguments. The nine-member court, which ...
FCC Raises Cable Payments 7%.(Federal Communications Commission)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Ted Hearn Washington -- The Federal Communications Commission last Monday said that it planned to hike cable regulatory fees 7% for fiscal-year 2006, nearly double the rate of inflation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Under the plan, cable ...
A&E Has Eye on HDTV.(A and E Television Networks to launch high definition television services)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By R. Thomas Umstead Labor Day Launch Follows On-Demand, Internet Initiatives In its latest platform push, A&E Network will move toward an enhanced presentation this fall with the debut of a high-definition network that will simulcast the service's programming. ...
TNT's 'Avenger' Lacks Sustained Action.(Turner Network Television, telefilm)(Noggin L.L.C. offers preschool series 'Pinky Dinky Doo ')
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Melanie M. Clarke Turner Network Television's original movie Avenger is a slow-paced thriller that leaves the viewer restless and disinterested. What's most surprising about this telefilm is that the action and adventure fall far below expectations from the "drama" ...
Life in the Almost-Fast Lane.(Les Moonves of CBS Corp.)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell Moonves's CBS Outpaces 'Via-Slow' Expectations When Viacom Inc. split itself into two separate publicly traded units on Dec. 31, longtime company executive Les Moonves -- tapped to head up the newly formed CBS Corp. unit -- supposedly got the short end ...
First-Run Features.(movies in the video-on-demand)
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff The following tables list upcoming first-run and continuing movies in the video-on-demand window from the major studios that supply product to cable operators: Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox, ...
Anytime. Anywhere. Any Chance?(new business mantra of cable television networks)(internet television services forecast)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Matt Stump Content Players' Multiplatform Promises Raise the Expectations of Consumers Aimed at the rising consumer appetite for ubiquitous access to video content, cable operators' new business mantra is: Any content, anytime, anywhere, on any device. It's a ...
Mag Rack 'Walks The Line' With 'Guitar Xpress' Tie-In.(movie promotion )
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Matt Stump Mag Rack is launching a movie promotion this week for the on-demand premiere of the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line , at the same time it launches new programs for its Guitar Xpress instructional music series. The initiatives are another example of ...
Cable Ready: Ops Map Portable Video Plans.(Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications Inc. and Advance/Newhouse Communications joins to offer integrated service for mobile phones)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Matt Stump Joint Venture to Bring Integrated Services to Cell Phones Cable won't be a bystander as consumers begin using cell phones and other portable devices to access video, according to a panel of senior cable executives at a CTAM Texas meeting last month in ...
Premium Programming.(videos on demand offerings from cable networks)(Table)
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff Highlights from March's subscription video-on-demand offerings from Home Box Office, Showtime Networks Inc., Starz Entertainment Group, Here TV!, Playboy TV, Ten on Demand, Uncensored On Demand and WWE 24/7. Note: Numbers equate to the episode number of ...
Sharpening The Moving Picture.(Verizon Wireless Inc., Sprint Nextel Corp. and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. offers broadband mobile-video services)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Karen Brown Big Three Carriers Approach Pricing, Content Differently Mobile video is becoming part of the big picture in the small-screen world. In the past year, the top three U.S. carriers -- Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and Cingular Wireless -- have ...
Ensequence Lands Cox.(contract with Cox Communications Inc.)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Karen Brown Interactive-TV technology provider Ensequence got a major boost this week, announcing a deal with U.S. cable operator Cox Communications Inc. The 6-year-old Portland, Ore.-based firm also released new software for developing TV services. ...
Bringing Pay TV to the PC.(VDC Corp. plans to launch subscription based internet television services)
Apr 03, 2006; ... By Matt Stump Internet Startup's 11 Channels Will Include Cable Networks A new Internet-TV company plans to launch a subscription service later this year that will deliver cable networks and video-on-demand programming to PCs in 50 million U.S. homes. ...
Through the Wire.(Screen Actors Guild signs agreement with Walt Disney Pictures & Television, Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network Studios)(Fox Sports West 2's new name and promotion)(American Conservative Union's services)
Apr 03, 2006 ... By Staff Toon Talent May Get a Big Salary Bump Staff SpongeBob SquarePants, Kim Possible and Space Ghost may be getting a raise. The actors who voice these characters are in line for a 20% increase in their earnings from residuals, according to the ...
Pixar, Disney More Than Mend Fences.
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Mike Farrell Proxy Statement Filed With SEC on $7.4 Billion Deal When Walt Disney Co. CEO Bob Iger told media and investors shortly after assuming that role Oct. 1 that one of his first priorities would be to mend the relationship with Pixar Animation, he wasn't ...
NTL and Virgin Engage In Four Play.
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell NTL Inc., the largest cable operator in the United Kingdom, last week sent a shot across the bow of its largest rival - direct-broadcast satellite giant British Sky Broadcasting Group Ltd. - with its agreement to purchase wireless carrier Virgin Mobile in a deal ...
Pay Drops for Time Warner Execs.(Time Warner Inc.)(Richard Parsons)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell A handful of Time Warner Inc. executives, including chairman and CEO Richard Parsons, took slight pay cuts in 2005, primarily because the media giant had a somewhat tougher year financially. In its annual proxy statement filed April 4 with the ...
WOW Sale Boosts Knology Shares.(WideOpenWest L.L.C. acquired by Avista Capital Partners)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Staff Miller, Tabak & Co. media analyst David Joyce initiated coverage of Knology Inc. last week with a 'buy' rating and an $8 price target, citing controlled debt and growing valuations in the cable overbuilder sector as a plus for the stock. Joyce wrote that ...
Growth In Store for HD.(high definition television)(Brief article)
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Staff New York- Coming off a strong year for enhanced set purchases, high-definition TV is poised for even greater growth in 2006, with viewers relatively satisfied with the programming options to date. Those are among the key findings of a recent study of HDTV, ...
GSN Runs "Lingo" Search.(Game Show Network)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Linda Haugsted Game Show Network hopes to boost interest in the fifth season of original game show Lingo with a five-city contestant search tied to local promotions with Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable affiliates. 'We're giving fans around the country -online ...
Noggin Starts Book Drive.
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Mike Reynolds Programmer, Time Warner On the Same Page With Literacy Campaign for Kids Noggin, working with Time Warner Cable of New York and New Jersey, last Thursday turned the first page on a new literacy campaign. As part of its 'Get Ready to Read' program, ...
Key Win for Franchise Bill.
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Ted Hearn House Subcommittee Vote Bolsters Cable-Ready Bills Washington- A House subcommittee last Wednesday approved a bill that would allow local phone companies to provide cable television anywhere in the country without the approval of thousands of local ...
Ballclubs Set TV Rosters.
Apr 10, 2006; ... By R. Thomas Umstead The 2006 Major League Baseball season is a week old, and several teams, after concluding significant carriage deals, are finally playing ball with just about every major cable and satellite distributor in their respective markets. But ...
Clarification.(Correction notice)
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Staff Paxson Communications Inc. has not yet officially changed its name to ION Media Networks Inc. ('Networks Fight to Stay at ...
TV In Air at Mobile Fest.(CTIA Wireless show)(Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Karen Brown Cable Contingent Works the Room at CTIA Wireless Show There was plenty of evidence of cable DNA at the CTIA Wireless show in Las Vegas last week, ranging from Mickey Mouse helping to introduce The Walt Disney Co.'s Disney Mobile family cell phone ...
Discovery"s Web Efforts Get Big Lift From Google.(Discovery Communications Inc.'s mobile video services)
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Steve Donohue New York- Discovery Communications Inc. was the first cable programmer to develop digital-cable channels and video-on-demand content, but founder John Hendricks and his team have taken a much more cautious approach to supplying video for the Web and cell phones ....
ESPN to Stream World Cup.(2006 FIFA World Cup)(Entertainment and Sports Programming Network)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Matt Stump The worldwide leader in sports believes its coverage of the planet's largest sporting event will provide a carriage assist for its broadband service. All 52 matches of the 2006 FIFA World Cup matches ESPN and ESPN2 will televise from Germany, scheduled ...
Kansas Joins State Franchising Rolls.
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Linda Haugsted In California, Reform Gets a Psychidelic Reception Kansas has joined Texas and Indiana in adopting state regulation of cable franchising. And while a telecommunications-reform bill has moved ahead in Iowa, state proposals in Missouri and Florida both ...
Verizon Wins Franchise in Major New York Market.(Verizon Communications Inc.)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Linda Haugsted Over the protests of Cablevision Systems Corp. and community groups backing the incumbent, Verizon Communications Inc. has obtained a franchise in the heart of the cable operator's Long Island, N.Y., home base. The town of Hempstead - about 20 miles ...
Comcast Taps Horror Vein.(partners with Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Linda Moss Venture With Sony To Offer VOD Movies, TV Shows Comcast Corp., in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment, is scaring up a horror on-demand service that is expected to come to life on Halloween. The unnamed multiplatform service - ...
U.S. Judge: Kentucky Satellite Tax Fair.(DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Communications LLC filed a suit aginst Mark Treesh)(excise tax on satellite-delivered video services )
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Linda Haugsted The issue of whether it's legal for a state to tax satellite-delivered video services was muddied last week, as a federal judge in Kentucky ruled that an excise tax there is fair and nondiscriminatory. U.S. District Court Judge Karen Caldwell of the ...
When a Level Playing Field Isn't.(cable franchising)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Karen Brown How Longstanding Regulations Can Work in Favor Of New Entrants If the telecommunications market were a spectator sport, and its participants were competing in a stadium, the government would watch from the sidelines while communications competitors ...
Time Warner: We"ll Store Shows for Playback.(Start Over recording services)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Matt Stump 'Look Back' Service Would Allow Replays From Last 48 Hours Time Warner Cable is negotiating with cable and broadcast network programmers to expand its Start Over recording service to allow subscribers to replay television programs broadcast in the ...
"MCN" Elevates Gibbons and Vernadakis.(Multichannel News promoted Kent Gibbons and George Vernadakis)
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Staff New York- Multichannel News today announces the promotion of two key editors, in its continuing effort to improve its coverage and presentation of news, analysis and insight on means of delivering video and related services to paying customers across the country. ...
Oxygen Hopes to Breathe Life Into Mentoring.(Oxygen Media Inc. introducing Oxygen Mentors: Bringing Along the Next Generation)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Mike Reynolds Gerry Laybourne wants organizations throughout the country to take steps to help mentor future women's leaders. The Oxygen Media Inc. CEO said the women's-targeted network is launching 'Oxygen Mentors: Bringing Along the Next Generation.' The ...
2006 National Show Schedule.
Apr 10, 2006 ... By Staff (Events at Georgia World Congress Center) Sunday, April 9 11 a.m. - noon Special Session: State and Local Government Officials Town Hall Meeting on Video Franchising Room B308/309 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ...
Birth of a Wireless Venture.(Sprint Nextel Corp. formed a joint venture with Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications Inc. and Bright House Networks )
Apr 10, 2006; ... By Mike Farrell & Matt Stump Phone Partnership Proves Complex Undertaking It took several months to hammer out an agreement among Sprint Nextel Corp. and four major cable operators to jointly develop wireless communications services as the elusive fourth offering in a ...
The Pitch Isn"t Easy for Independent Nets.(independent television networks)
Apr 10, 2006; ... By R. Thomas Umstead Unaffiliated Channels Look For Love, Carriage By Showing Off A number of independent networks have made the trek to Atlanta and the National Show this week, looking to buck the odds and gain vital cable-operator carriage deals in an environment of ...