Multichannel News back issues from March 2008:
Squeeze Put on Comcast.
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Linda Haugsted and Todd Spangler Faces Second Bandwidth-Throttling Suit; N.Y. Attorney General Probe The way Comcast parcels out bandwidth to file-swapping Internet applications has elicited the scrutiny of New York's attorney general and prompted a second lawsuit ...
DirecTV Is Now Malone's TV.
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Linda Moss Forget the Triple Play. Who Will Be King of All Video? With John Malone's Liberty Media now its largest shareholder, DirecTV last week promised to keep focusing on video, particularly HDTV, as a weapon against cable's bundle of TV, phone and Internet ...
ABC Spells VOD.
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Mike Reynolds Net's Gambit Spurs 'Lots of Interest' David Preschlack says the demand is there for Disney-ABC Television Group's expanded video-on-demand gambit among distributors. According to Preschlack, executive vice president of affiliate sales and ...
Tackling Hollywood Math.
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Linda Haugsted A bill introduced in the California State Senate could prevent a vertically integrated entertainment company from selling content between its own divisions at 'less than market price.' The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Los Angeles) ...
A Change in The Weather.(The Weather Channel Inc.)(Report)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Kent Gibbons 'In this year's upfront, we're switching a little bit,' said Paul Iaffaldano, executive vice president and general manager at TWC Media Solutions, The Weather Channel's TV and new media ad-sales unit. 'We're going to explain why we're a more impactful place to ...
Food Cooks at 360.(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Tom Steinert-Threlkeld Watch it tonight, taste it tomorrow. That's the idea behind a partnership between Food Network and TGI Friday's. Winning recipes on the network's Sunday night cook-off competition Ultimate Recipe Showdown will be served at the chain's ...
Cablevision on Rise.(Report)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Subscribers, Revenue Up In Q4 Cablevision Systems continued to buck the cable-industry trend by reporting a gain of more than 1,000 basic customers despite growing competition from Verizon's FiOS TV and Internet services in its New York City-area ...
Indiana's TV Law Lauded.(Telecommunications-reform bill)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Ball State University researchers said Indiana's 2006 telecommunications-reform bill has advanced the deployment of video and broadband services in the state, a finding disputed by incumbent cable operators. The 106-page report from the university's ...
Coda.(Madison Square Garden Network will be renamed MSG Network on March and its rebrand with Tennis Channel inc. both are Cable television broadcasting industry)
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Staff MSGN's Plus-Sized Sibling R. Thomas Umstead New York - Cablevision Systems' FSN New York regional sports network is getting a facelift. Madison Square Garden Network's sister service will be renamed MSG Plus on March 10 and will ...
Nat Geo Makes It Official.
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Linda Moss Schiffman Gets Nod As the Channel's Permanent GM Steve Schiffman, who has served as National Geographic Channel's interim general manager for almost a year, has been given that post on a permanent basis. And he's looking to bump up the network's digital ...
Monk' Carries USA To Ratings Glory.(Television program review)
Mar 03, 2008 ... by R. Thomas Umstead There may be no country for old men at the movies, but there's certainly a place and an audience for aging original TV series on USA Network. USA's dramedy series Monk finished its sixth season with the most viewers in its history, including a ...
Going Whole Hog For Baseball.
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Service Electric Aligns With Minor-League Club In Pa. Service Electric Cable TV in Lehigh Valley, Pa., has a new pitch executives believe will help prevent erosion to satellite TV and cable overbuilder RCN. The operator will be the ...
ESPN's First-Place Finish.(Cable News Network)(MTV Networks Inc.)(Walt Disney Co. Walt Disney Studios)(Survey)(Company rankings)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted 'Evaluation of Basic Cable Networks' Beta Research Corp., Syosett, N.Y. Feb. 27 http://www.NYbeta.com Cable operators ranked ESPN at the top for its role in helping systems gain and retain customers, while Discovery ...
Face2Face.(Lauren Frasca promoted at Atlas Media)(Grace Killelea appointed at Comcast Corp.)(Necole Merritt appointed at Cox Communications Inc.)
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Staff Atlas Media Nonfiction television programming producer Atlas Media, New York, has promoted Lauren Frasca to vice president, development. Comcast Grace Killelea was elevated to vice president, talent and leadership at Comcast, based in ...
Making a Tween Scene.(Walt Disney Co. Walt Disney Studios)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Stuart Miller Disney, Nick Rivalry Keeps the Hits Coming For younger viewers - especially the increasingly coveted 9-14-year-old tweens - this is a golden age of television, with networks churning out a surfeit of critical and commercial hits. Fueling much of this ...
Cable's Class Act.(cable in the classroom )
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Stuart Miller CIC Boosts Its Profile as Education Leader After nearly two decades, the Cable in the Classroom educational foundation continues to work closely with networks and operators to provide cable technology and programming to schools and libraries ...
Leaving Money On the Table.(Comcast Corp.)(The News Corporation Ltd.)(Viacom Inc.)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Why CEOs Aren't Cashing In Their Stock Options Stock options are supposed to align the interests of top executives with those of the companies they manage. They get rewarded only if the share price of their company goes up over time. ...
Marathon of Woes at Sprint.
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Kent Gibbons, Executive Editor Cable's principal wireless-phone partner, Sprint Nextel, is having a tough time. It's losing subscribers. Lots of them. About 108,000 were lost in the fourth quarter, with an expectation of subtracting another 1.2 million in the ...
Volume Control.(AT&T Inc.)(DIRECTV Inc.)(Liberty Media Corp.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Staff Voices From Everywhere on Malone Sealing the DirecTV Deal With Deal Done, An Urge to Merge? 'John Malone, Liberty Media's chairman, is arguably the industry's leading wheeler-dealer. With DirecTV now officially under control, look for Liberty to ...
Videotron Gets Faster.
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Randy Barrett Quebec Operator Crafts 50 Mbps Internet Service Canadian cable operator Videotron is now delivering speedy broadband Internet to 112,000 cable households in Quebec after a successful year-long test of channel-bonding technology from Cisco Systems. ...
Quick Hits.(Consumer News and Business Channel Partnership)(MSNBC Cable Network)(NBC Universal Inc.)
Mar 03, 2008 ... by Staff SinglePoint Tops Mobile ITV Clicks Staff Bellevue, Wash. - SinglePoint processed 84% of interactive TV transactions initiated by mobile text message users on AT&T , Verizon Wireless , Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile in the second half of 2007, ...
Akimbo To Go White Label.(Company overview)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler Will the third time be the charm for Akimbo? After two attempts at a direct-to-consumer model, the Internet video company is now offering a turnkey system for business customers looking to set up their own Web TV channels. Akimbo, founded ...
Malone's Next Foe: NAB.(National Association of Broadcasters)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn Battle Brews Over Local TV Carriage Washington- Liberty Media chairman John Malone last week got federal approval to buy nearly 40% of DirecTV Group. At the same time, he bought into something else: A big fight with the National Association of ...
Have You Heard? Kevin Martin Dislikes Comcast.
Mar 03, 2008; ... By Ted Hearn Washington- Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin dragged his agency all the way to Harvard Law School last Monday to make the same point he's made in just about every U.S. ZIP code: He dislikes and distrusts Comcast. The Harvard ...
Charter's Mixed Bag.(Charter Communications Inc.)(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Q4 Growth Offset By Sub Losses Charter Communications reported its fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue and cash-flow growth in the fourth quarter of 2007, but rising basic subscriber losses and fears that increased capital expenditures ...
CBS Chief Eyeing Acquisitions.(Financial report)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell CBS CEO Les Moonves is on the acquisitions hunt, telling analysts on a quarterly conference call last week that the broadcasting giant may tap into its healthy cash reserves to fund growth. CBS, which includes the CBS Television Network, premium cable ...
Rocco's Dilemma.(Mediacom Communications Corp.)(Brief article)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell The Setting: Mediacom Communications' fourth-quarter conference call on Feb. 26. The Dilemma: What to do with the growing amount of free cash flow the midsized cable operator is generating. Mediacom expects free cash flow to grow to as much as $18 ...
Through the Wire.(Comcast Corp.)(DIRECTV Inc.)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn, Linda Moss and Linda Haugsted Martin's Witness Mismanagement Where does one file a complaint to object to the discriminatory witness management practices of the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission? At Harvard Law School last ...
The Right Way to 'Sneak Away'.(Christina Norman to resign as president at MTV Networks Inc.)(Interview)
Mar 03, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead After 17 years at MTV Networks - the last three as president of MTV - Christina Norman is leaving the company to pursue other new-media interests. Multichannel News programming editor R. Thomas Umstead recently talked to Norman about her tenure, her ...
NBCU's Olympic Ambitions.(Consumer News and Business Channel Partnership)(MSNBC Cable Network)(National Broadcasting Company Inc.)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Linda Moss Special HDTV, On-Demand Services Promote New Carriage Pacts Even before the 2008 Beijing Olympics begin this summer, NBC Universal is already talking to distributors about carrying the 2010 and 2012 games, apparently offering them a 'super-sized' package ...
Packing It All In.(National Cable and Telecommunications Association)(Conference notes)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted 12 Gatherings Squeezed Into 2 Weeks Cable executives will pack for fewer trips next year, now that the industry's top events are themselves being packed into a week each spring and fall starting in 2009. The consolidation of events, ...
USA's Game Lounge Site Is Playing to Win.
Mar 10, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead USA Network is getting its game on in a big way. The general entertainment network's three-month-old Game Lounge online casual gaming site, featuring Monk Shui and Psych Concentration , is generating 30 million page views a month - half of the ...
Sorry, No Blanket.(Federal Communications Commission)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn Martin Opposes ACA Request Washington- Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin signaled last Tuesday that he remains opposed to blanket waivers for small cable operators from rules that require analog and digital carriage of some local TV ...
Cablevision Grips MSNBC.(Cablevision Systems Corp.)(MSNBC Cable Network)(Verizon Communications Inc.)(Company rankings)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler The competitive race among 2008's Democratic presidential hopefuls has propelled MSNBC to its best ratings ever. Yet, in much of the New York area, subscribers to phone-company television services can't see the news channel. The reason: MSNBC's ...
Adult Fare Grows Up.
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Stuart Miller Market Keeps Pace With Consumer, Tech Changes Adult entertainment is, at its core, a pretty basic proposition. 'At the end of the day, an adult movie is an adult movie; people watch adult entertainment for a very specific purpose,' Ken Boenish, ...
Coda.(CBS Inc. CBS Sports to broadcast basketball tournaments)(Cablevision Systems Corp.)(Crown Media Holdings Inc. and DIRECTV Inc. in deal)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Staff Deep Bench for 'Madness' Mike Reynolds New York - After initially reaching agreements with Comcast and Bresnan Communications, CBS has deepened its distribution bench for its video-on-demand package tied to the NCAA Division I men's college ...
TNT's Big Play.
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Linda Moss Network Raises Ante to Three Nights of Original Rare Building on the success of its signature hit The Closer , TNT is expanding its program lineup to include three solid nights a week of scripted and unscripted original fare by 2010, officials said last ...
TV Land Tunes In New Series.
Mar 10, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead Barney Fife will have to make room for George Foreman in TV Land's programming ring. The 94 million-subscriber network, known mostly for classic TV shows such as The Andy Griffith Show and M*A*S*H , will introduce several new original reality ...
'Capturing' Buys.(Lifetime Movie Network)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Lifetime Movie Sets Miniseries as First Local Promo Lifetime Movie Network has launched its first local ad sales promotion, cranking up the marketing machine behind its first original miniseries, The Capture of the Green River Killer . ...
WWE Saturates The Marketplace.(Cox Communications Inc.)(DIRECTV Inc.)(Time Warner Cable Inc.)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Aerial advertising, TV commercials, video-on-demand snippets, direct mail, bus wraps, in-store toy displays, radio promotions, even a sweepstakes for a customized motorcycle: It will be hard for viewers to ignore the fact that Wrestlemania 24 will be held March ...
Face2Face.(Carla Lewis-Long appointed at AmericanLife TV Network)(Eric Levitan appointed at Argo Systems)(Chris Zanyk promoted at Cedar Point Communications Inc.)
Mar 10, 2008 ... by Staff AmericanLife AmericanLife TV Network in Washington, D.C., named Carla Lewis-Long as senior vice president, affiliate sales. She comes from Oxygen Media, where she was a New York-based vice president, national accounts. Argo Systems ...
The Appeal of Court.
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn The FCC is trying to make cable more competitive by imposing new rules. Now, with a slew of lawsuits, the industry is hitting back. Washington- Normally, competition and regulation are inversely related: A rise in the former yields a decline in the ...
Putting Adson VOD Menu.(Television Food Network G.P.)(Home Box Office Inc.)(Walt Disney Co. Walt Disney Studios)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead, Programming Editor For Cablevision Systems subscribers, last week's introduction of free video on demand from Scripps Networks' Food Network and HGTV looked better than a plate of Paula Dean's southern fried chicken. But one ingredient in the ...
Volume Control.
Mar 10, 2008 ... by Staff Voices From Everywhere On The Upfront Outlook Do Ratings Follow Rules of Engagement? 'As we begin to turn our attention to this year's upfront market, the question we find ourselves asking is, Do TV ratings still stand up as a reliable and usable ...
Song Salvo Suit.(MTV Networks Inc. into patent infringement cases)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler Music Choice Aims Patent Case at Viacom, MTV Networks Music Choice is hauling Viacom and MTV Networks into court, alleging patent infringement by a competing MTV service - which is carried by the two biggest telco TV providers in the United States. ...
Cablers Seed ITV Web Site.(Cox Communications Inc.)(Insight Communications Company Inc.)(Time Warner Cable Inc.)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler Can cable tap the creative energy surrounding the Web and put it to work on interactive TV applications? That's the hope for the OCAP/EBIF Developer Network (OEDN), a community site launched in January with the backing of several major operators, ITV vendors and ...
Why Does A 'DSG' Matter?
Mar 10, 2008; ... By Leslie Ellis If you spend much time around the people responsible for pushing the software behind Tru2way into more and more cable systems, chances are high that you've heard or will hear this one: 'DSG.' The last time this column examined DSG was in March of 2003 ....
Comcast Preps Wideband in Fla.(Brief article)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler Comcast's South Florida system said it is upgrading its network in preparation for a DOCSIS 3.0 rollout in 2009, while a corporate spokeswoman emphasized that the operator hasn't officially identified the markets where it will initially offer 'wideband' ...
Quick Hits.(Cory Factor appointed at Entriq)(Navic Networks to expand Motorola Inc.'s services)(Microsoft Corp. to make use of Move Networks's video streaming technology )
Mar 10, 2008 ... by Staff Microsoft Moves On Streaming Video Staff Las Vegas - Microsoft signed a deal with Move Networks to incorporate Move's video-streaming technology into the next version of its Silverlight multimedia platform. Microsoft Silverlight competes with ...
FCC Power Play.(Federal Communications Commission)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn Insiders: Martin Scuttled Deal to Renew Tate, Adelstein Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin scuttled a deal between the White House and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) designed to award new terms to incumbent FCC ...
NFL May Take Gripes to FCC.(Federal Communications Commission)(National Football League)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn Washington- The National Football League might file a complaint at the Federal Communications Commission to obtain carriage from Time Warner Cable and presumably improved distribution terms from Comcast, commissioner Roger Goodell said last Wednesday on Capitol ...
Revving Up Retrans.(Nexstar Broadcasting Corp.)(Financial report)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Nexstar Reports 29% Boost From Consent Fees in 2007 Nexstar Broadcasting reported a strong increase in retransmission-consent revenue in 2007, and expects that pace to continue through 2008 and 2009 as it strikes deals with telephone companies and ...
Mixed Debut for New Liberty Tracker.(DIRECTV Inc.)(Liberty Media Corp.)(Starz Media L.L.C.)(Financial report)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Almost a year in the making, Liberty Media's new tracking stock - Liberty Entertainment - had a roller-coaster debut on the NASDAQ last Tuesday. The stock, which trades under the symbol 'LMDIA,' opened at $26 per share, rising to a peak of $26.54 each ...
Weather Bidding Heats Up.(Brief article)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell The setting: The much anticipated auction for The Weather Channel The background: Landmark Communications, parent of Weather, hired J.P. Morgan and Lehman Brothers in January to explore strategic opportunities. The network and its associated Web site, ...
Through the Wire.(Industry overview)
Mar 10, 2008; ... by Kent Gibbons Spring Break Goes Out in Style Spring break sprung last week in New York City, leaving cable and other media executives feted, educated, entertained and, at times, maybe touched emotionally. Tuesday's 'Wonder Women' luncheon, held annually ...
Greater Efficiency, Continued Support.(Industry overview)
Mar 10, 2008 ... by Barbara York, NCTA Did you know that cable and telecommunications industry-related conventions, conferences, events, meetings, or fundraisers, can be attended almost 50 of the 52 weeks of the year? Participating in these events takes up a significant part of the work lives ...
Amazin' Gains.(SportsNet New York)
Mar 17, 2008; ... by Mike Reynolds Mets' Net Ahead 30% in Upfronts The trade for Johan Santana was the New York Mets' big off-field acquisition. The addition of the southpaw pitcher has also been good for business at SportsNet New York, the TV home for the ballclub. Brian ...
Breakthrough Seen for BTN.(Big Ten Network deal with Comcast crop.)
Mar 17, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead Comcast might soon hike the ball on a new carriage deal with sports service Big Ten Network, according to executives close to both companies. Executives close to Comcast and BTN - which is co-owned by the Big Ten Conference and Fox National Cable ...
Franchise, Phone Bills Percolate in Penn.
Mar 17, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Pennsylvania lawmakers may consider a state franchising-reform bill, but the industries most affected by that bill, the cable and telephone companies, are teaming up to put their lobbying muscle behind deregulating voice-over-Internet protocol phone service. ...
Nick Sets Tune With Originals.(MTV Networks Inc. with the launch new original movies and its partner with Sony/BMG Music Entertainment)
Mar 17, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead Movies, Series and Animation Are All on Tap For 2008 New York- Nickelodeon is hoping to build on several breakout ratings hits in 2008 with the launch later this year of new original movies, as well as scripted animated and series projects. ...
Screen Test.
Mar 17, 2008; ... by George Vernadakis and R. Thomas Umstead John Adams (HBO, Sunday, March 16, 8 p.m.) The Rundown: HBO's adaptation of David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning John Adams bio spans five decades. Pros: Lavish sets, meticulous costumes and ...
Comedy Wields 'Flaming Sword'.(Comedy Central Inc. development of originals, ordering a new live-action series)(Brief article)
Mar 17, 2008; ... by Mike Reynolds Comedy Central is ramping up its development of originals, ordering a new live-action series and a handful of specials for 2008-09. The MTV Networks outlet said it has ordered Krod Mandoon and The Flaming Sword of Fire , tracking the escapades of a ...
TVG's Olivares Has the Right Pedigree.
Mar 17, 2008 ... by Larry Barrett On an otherwise uneventful Friday afternoon at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., TVG Network reporter Christina Olivares looked 17-year-old jockey-phenom Joe Talamo in the eye, shoved a microphone in his face and asked the question everyone within horse ...
CMT Helps Give Back.(Country Music Television)
Mar 17, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Program Also Gives Volunteers a Chance To Walk the Red Carpet CMT has signed up 700,000 community volunteers for its partner charities as part of its 'CMT One Country' pro-social initiative. The channel hopes to gain even more ...
SureWest Adds Voice To Bundle.(Brief article)
Mar 17, 2008 ... by Staff Roseville, Calif.- Competitive provider SureWest Communications has added voice-over-Internet protocol telephony to the bundle of services it offers Sacramento-area customers, as well as high-definition digital video recorders. The addition of VoIP allows ...