Multichannel News back issues from October 2008:
FiOS Takes HD to Extremes.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Todd Spangler Verizon Rolls Out A Higher-Priced Tier Verizon Communications is widening the rollout of a new flagship TV-programming package that is $10 higher than its previous offering in most markets, while simultaneously stuffing in more than two dozen new ...
Turner, NBA Campaign Has 'Game'.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by R. Thomas Umstead League Rebrands TV, Web Properties Turner Sports will put its sneaker print on its National Basketball Association digital content assets with a new, multimillion-dollar multimedia branding and marketing campaign launching this week. ...
Time Warner Bid: Deregulate NYC.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Ted Hearn Noting 160-channel competition from Verizon Communications, Time Warner Cable is seeking to obtain total price deregulation in Manhattan from the Federal Communications Commission. In 1992, Congress slapped price controls on cable operators until they ...
Retrans Wars Start Early.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Linda Moss Time Warner Loses LIN Outlets; Cable Disputes Could Escalate Warner Cable and LIN TV went to war last week over retransmission consent and cash compensation, as more than a dozen TV stations went dark in a dispute that may be a bellwether of battles to ...
TV Guide Network Faces a Tough Sell.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Mike Farrell Macrovision has officially put the TV Guide Network and smaller TVG Network on the block, about five months after buying parent firm Gemstar-TV Guide and in the teeth of a financial-market meltdown that seems likely to depress the sale price, according to ...
Panel Wants PEG Moves Probed.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Linda Haugsted The House Appropriations Financial Services and General Services subcommittee this week asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the treatment of public, educational and government channels by both incumbent and new providers, especially AT&T ...
AT&T Lays Bad News on Dish.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Linda Moss Wall Street's outlook for Dish Network became even gloomier last week on the news that Charlie Ergen's satellite company had lost its reselling deal with AT&T, with rival DirecTV taking that prize. AT&T's announcement Sept. 26 that it was switching from ...
Cable Slips But Wins 3rd Quarter.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by R. Thomas Umstead Ad-supported cable took home the gold in its race for viewers with the broadcast networks during third quarter 2008, although it stumbled somewhat across the finish line. Cable posted a 67 household share during for the quarter (June 30 to Sept ....
AT&T Wants To Bundle in Wireless.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Todd Spangler AT&T, facing tough cable competition and economic uncertainty, has rejiggered its business units in an attempt to inject wireless services into its triple-play bundle of wireline voice, broadband and TV. The telco last week disclosed that it is ...
Coda.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Staff Call for SAG Strike Vote Linda Haugsted Los Angeles -- Following a rebuff of their entreaty for more talks with producers, negotiators for the Screen Actors Guild have recommended that the union's national board seek a strike authorization from ...
AMC Makes News.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Mike Reynolds Network Launches Interstitial Series on Movie Biz AMC is making news about entering the entertainment-news business. The Rainbow Media Holdings-owned service will launch a newly created short-form programming strand that will appear on the ...
Reviews.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by R. Thomas Umstead and Mike Reynolds Testees (FX, Thursday, Oct. 9, 10:30 p.m.) FX has a reputation for delivering quality, entertaining, ground-breaking shows like The Shield , Rescue Me and Damages . That's why Testees , its latest attempt at a comedy ...
9 Things You Need To Know About the Market Meltdown.
Oct 06, 2008 ... By Mike Farrell, Linda Moss and Linda Haugsted Premium Services Should Stay Steady, and Cap Ex Is Covered -- But a Housing Downturn Would Hurt No matter what you call it -- meltdown, bloodbath, downturn, carnage, bloody carnage or, as one trader put it, a "negative ...
CTAM Readies Confab.
Oct 06, 2008 ... By Kent Gibbons 'Meaty' Agenda Will Give Attendees Something To Act On As its annual national convention approaches, the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing expects attendees will come away from this year's gathering feeling they've learned much. ...
Surveys: Satisfaction Slides.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Linda Haugsted It was a bad week for incumbent providers as two research firms released reports that said cable is falling behind in the customer-service wars. In a consumer poll by Michigan-based CFI Group, cable scored an "abysmal" 60 on a 100-point scale, a ...
Stressed Over Meltdown? Go Fish.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Mark Robichaux, Editor in Chief Last week, somewhere between the time the stock market took its biggest one-day plunge and Warren Buffett described the current financial crisis as "economic Pearl Harbor," I knew we were in trouble. When I summed the courage to peek at my own ...
Talkback.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Staff Fox Takes Care Of Business Despite the fact that I don't know the difference between a short seller and a short stack, I am still intrigued by the current Wall Street crisis. I guess mother loves watching a good train wreck and this -- is a 100-car pile up ....
People.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Staff Bravo Karen Seminara was named chief financial officer at Bravo Media. She comes from NBC Universal sibling WNBC in New York, where she was the owned-and-operated station's VP, finance. Also, Aimee Viles was named vice president of new media at ...
WiMax Pushed Out of the Nest.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Todd Spangler Sprint Starts Selling Broadband Wireless Service in Baltimore In the commercial U.S. debut of a technology central to the wireless strategies of Comcast and Time Warner Cable, Sprint Nextel last week launched WiMax broadband wireless service in its ...
Netflix Sees Starz.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Todd Spangler Netflix inked a three-year agreement with Starz Entertainment to offer about 2,500 additional movies -- bundled into Netflix's unlimited monthly subscription plans -- through the Starz Play broadband service. Covered in the deal are films from Walt ...
Bush Aide Is Against Delay.
Oct 06, 2008 ... By Ted Hearn Deferring DTV Shift Could Confuse Consumers, Says NTIA's Baker Washington-- A senior Bush administration official last Tuesday opposed a House bill that would delay recovery of old analog TV spectrum for two weeks to ensure that no one lost access to ...
FCC's Martin Still 'Quiet' on Vote.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Ted Hearn Washington-- Every member of the Federal Communications Commission except Chairman Kevin Martin has voted to seek public comment on the cable industry's retransmission-consent quiet period, according to an FCC official and industry officials. "We ...
Through the Wire.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Kent Gibbons and Linda Haugsted Jewelry TV Turns to HD Tough economic times can make consumers hunker down and even cut back on the essentials of life. Like buying fine jewelry. A September survey of affluent households released last week, by ...
Charter Moves on Digital Fronts.
Oct 06, 2008 ... by Todd Spangler Marwan Fawaz already has a lengthy to-do list for 2009. The Charter Communications chief technology officer, among other things, expects the company to launch "wideband" cable-modem service and expand switched digital video deployments -- while also managing the ...
LIN TV, TWC Fight It Out.(Time Warner Cable Inc.)(KSAT-TV)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Linda Moss Battle Is Also Brewing Over ABC Affiliate in San Antonio The retransmission-consent standoff between Time Warner Cable and LIN TV entered its second week, and a new one is looming for the cable operator and a Post-Newsweek TV station in San Antonio, ...
Cable Feels Stock Shock.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Selloff Slams Sector The stock market continued its downward spiral last week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping to its lowest point in five years, as credit uncertainties and forecasts of a prolonged and deep economic recession spooked ...
Versus' Davis On a Roll.(Jamie Davis)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Mike Reynolds New Chief Keeps the Momentum Going at Sports Channel Jamie Davis says he arrived at Versus at the right time. Davis, who succeeded Gavin Harvey as president, has been at the helm of the Comcast Corp.-owned service since the Tuesday after ...
Mojo Closing; 'Skools' Sold.
Oct 13, 2008 ... by Kent Gibbons and R. Thomas Umstead Mojo HD, the male-targeted, ad-supported programming outlet intended to provide high-definition programming to its cable-operator owners, is being shut down by In Demand Networks, the distributor confirmed last week. The news ...
Bearish Birthday for FBN.
Oct 13, 2008 ... by Mike Reynolds But Financial-News Outlet Still Sees Positive Outlook for Growth The bear market overwhelming the financial sector -- roiled by the economic crisis of the past few weeks -- couldn't be happening at a better time for the Fox Business Network. ...
Cavuto on the Economy.
Oct 13, 2008 ... Staff With the financial world in disarray, the economy has been at the forefront of national consciousness in recent weeks. Neil Cavuto, anchor and managing editor of Fox News Channel, as well as senior vice president and managing editor of Fox Business Network, has seen his ...
Cable Upfront Estimate: $7.65 Billion, Up 9.3%.
Oct 13, 2008 ... by Mike Reynolds The Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau estimates that ad-supported cable networks tallied some $7.65 million in upfront revenue for the 2008-09 season. That figure represents a 9.3% increase from $7 billion for the 2007-08 Madison Avenue bazaar, ...
Patent Parries: Cox Beats Verizon; Comcast Inks No-Sue Pact.
Oct 13, 2008 ... by Todd Spangler Cox Communications beat back Verizon Communications' patent-infringement claims with a key courtroom victory last week, while Comcast landed a deal with the telco giant to avoid patent litigation. In the Cox case, a federal jury returned a verdict ...
Coda.
Oct 13, 2008 ... Staff Cable's All-Time 'High' Staff New York -- And cable's most-watched show of all time is -- In a contest that came down to the Nielsen live-plus-seven-day measurement wire, the winner and still champion is Disney Channel's High School ...
Cable Originals Multiply.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by R. Thomas Umstead Networks OK 'Entourage,' 'Sons of Anarchy' and New Pilots Several cable networks have green-lit new seasons for a number of new and returning shows as the industry continues to remain aggressive in the original scripted-series genre. ...
Reviews.
Oct 13, 2008 ... by R. Thomas Umstead CRASH (Starz, Friday, Oct. 17, 10 p.m. ) Starz's first foray into the original scripted series genre hopes to bring the Academy Award-winning movie Crash to the small screen. Unlike the movie, the series pilot does not ...
Monitoring Success.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Craig Kuhl Video Streaming IS Put To The Test The expansion of streaming video across multiple platforms and devices is prompting a growing emphasis on measuring online performance and quality. Users are increasing their expectations, advertising models ...
Tales From the Trenches.
Oct 13, 2008; ... By Todd Spangler and Linda Haugsted Iguanas, Triple Plays and Screaming Homeowners Can Keep Cable Installers on Their Toes Several years ago, a customer in Englewood, Colo., called her cable company with a complaint: Her TV had become "possessed" after cable was ...
Economy Spares Payrolls -- for Now.(Survey)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel Operator, programmer employees saw salaries rise roughly 5.5% for '08 Cable-industry employees generally fared well when it came to pay increases between March 2007 and March 2008, with the cable-operator workforce receiving an average 5.5% lift in total ...
Core Benefits on the Rise.(Survey)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel Wellness programs, elder care among new categories offered Most cable-company employees not only saw a rise in their salaries between March 2007 and March 2008, but the number of core benefits offered by companies participating in the Cable Television ...
Leveraging Talent, Maximizing Results.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel Cable sector keeps an eye on revenue per full-time employee As the cable industry matures and profit growth slows, operators and programmers are closely monitoring and trimming the cost of doing business, according to the latest study by Pricewaterhouse ...
Reelz's VOD Guarantee.(Video-on-demand)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Network Offers Movie Picks -- and Reimburses Unsatified Viewers ReelzChannel has comeup with an innovative way to entice its viewers to sample pay-per-view and video-on-demand content: it will recommend a current title with a money-back guarantee, to ...
Comcast Eyes 3.7% Rate Hike.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Comcast systems acrossthe country will raise cable rates an average of 3.7% this year, the cable operator said after reports began to appear in local media about the increases. Notices about the Nov. 1 rate hikes are now in the mail. Consumers in ...
Charter Giveaways Boost Web.(Charter Communications Inc.)(Brief article)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Linda Haugsted Charter Communications' use of giveaways, such as September's laptop-a-day offering, has increased Web traffic 87% when compared year over year, officials said. Charter's Web site commonly experienced 3 million to 3.5 million visitors a month; the ...
Looking for Overseas Growth.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Foreign Countries Hit By U.S. Malaise, But There's Still Opportunity for Programmers Cable networks, faced with the uncertainty of the U.S. economy and the shrinking advertising market, are looking to expand their presence internationally to help ...
You Say Potato --.(Brief article)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Mike Farrell Pali Research media analyst Richard Greenfield continued his dissection of Time Warner Cable last week -- he has had a "sell" rating on the stock since July -- issuing a cautious report on the ongoing battle for Manhattan customers with Verizon Communications' ...
Honoring the Past, Looking Ahead.(Cable Center)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel When the Cable Center broke ground on its shiny new headquarters on the University of Denver campus in 2001 as an independent and non-profit institution, it was determined that the Center be more than just a dusty, old monument to the past. The Cable ...
A Man of Many Hats.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel George Bodenheimer wears a lot of hats -- any one of which would keep most executives busy enough. But Bodenheimer seems to thrive on all the activity. He's president of ESPN and ABC Sports and he also serves as co-chairman of Disney Media Network, sharing that role ...
Having Fun Being First.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel Richard Green is loath to take credit for making sure the cable industry is on the cutting edge of the technology curve. But industry executives believe his skills, curiosity and personality are why CableLabs has been so successful since it inception 20 years ago ...
An Entrepreneur at Heart.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel The first thing Ray Joslin did when he was hired by Hearst Corp. in 1981 to launch a cable-network division was introduce himself to his fellow executives and get a feel for the company. The first person he met was the general counsel, who told him he ...
Taking Risks That Pay Off.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel When Ken Lowe wanted to start Home & Garden TV, he went to the top managers of the cable systems Scripps Howard owned at the time and asked them to name the one programming executive they respected most. Hands down and without hesitation, every one of ...
Engineering a Revolution.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel If it hadn't been for Hub Schlafly, the cable industry might not have been in the position it is today as a leading deliverer of video to millions of consumers around the country. As early as the late 1960s, Schlafly was convinced that geostationary satellite relay ...
The Consensus Builder.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by K.C. Neel Michael Willner hung around broadcast studios when he was a kid and even studied broadcast TV in college, but he knew he wanted to get into the cable business. "I knew that cable was the future and I decided early on that I wanted to get into a business ...
Fuzzy Math: HD Viewing Patterns.(high definition)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by George Winslow Researchers look behind the numbers to explain how ops, programmers are missing out The transition to high-definition may be one of the medium's biggest events since the advent of color television. But, as programmers and multichannel operators ...
The ABC's of HD Promotion.(American Broadcasting Companies Inc.)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by George Winslow Programmers tread fine line promoting originals in high-def As big basic cable networks battle for rating points in an increasingly difficult ad market, most of them can now point to the fact that many of the highest profile original shows are in ...
Comcast's Big Bang.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by George Winslow After years of preparation, Comcast nets go live with five new HD feeds For five of Comcast's entertainment and sports networks, the big bang for HD programming will arrive on Dec. 8, 2008. That's when the Comcast Programming Group will flip the ...
Taking HD Global.(high definition)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by George Winslow MTVN Launches New Channels Around the World If MTV Networks has its way, there will be few places around the world where it hasn't gone high definition. Besides launching simulcast HD feeds for MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, CMT and Spike in ...
Still 'Stupid' After All These Years.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Kent Gibbons, Executive Editor New York -- The War Room , the 1993 documentary about the rapid-response communications team behind presidential candidate Bill Clinton, spawned the campaign message that's become a cliche because it's so true in every presidential race: "The ...
Talkback.(briefs)
Oct 13, 2008 ... by Staff A Station by Any Other Name The article ("Comcast Fighting Must-Carry for Class A," Multichannel.com, Oct. 6 ) is improperly labeled "Must-Carry For Class-A." What is proposed is a process for Class-A operators who can serve their respective DMAs to migrate ...
People.(briefs)(72andSunny)(A. Smith & Co. Productions)
Oct 13, 2008 ... by Staff 72andSunny Brand strategy, design and advertising firm 72andSunny has added Matt Jarvis as managing director and chief strategy officer. He comes from Deutsch/LA, where he was executive VP and director of account planning. A. Smith ...
Ad Target: Baltimore.(advertising)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler Comcast Readies Adressable-Ad Market Trial Comcast in November willkick off a six-month limited trial of a targeted-ad system with 70,000 digital-cable households in the Baltimore area, testing a technology that delivers separate ads to set-top boxes ...
What does it take to launch docsis 3.0?(Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification )
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Leslie Ellis Many moons ago, when cable providers discussed what new technologies they'd roll out this year, one in particular ranked high on the list: The newest chapter in the cable modem chronicle, known as DOCSIS 3.0. (Note: Some people now shorten the term to "D3.") ...
Vidiom's Founders Peel Off from ADB.(Vidiom Systems)(Tim Wahlers)(Walden Miller)(Advanced Digital Broadcast)( EnableTV )
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Todd Spangler The founders of interactive-TV software vendor Vidiom Systems are back in the swing of things with a new venture, dubbed enableTV. Tim Wahlers and Walden Miller formed Boulder, Colo.-based enableTV last month after purchasing key assets from Vidiom ...
Comcast Bucks the Plan.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn Largest MSO Challenges Martin's Scheme for Class-A Must-Carry Washington-- Comcast, the country's largest cable operator, is challenging a plan by Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin that could allow hundreds of TV stations to demand ...
House OKs Pryor Bill.(Mark Pryor)
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn Washington-- The House on Oct. 3 passed a bill requiring the Federal Communications Commission to study parents' access to advanced technologies that are capable of blocking content on television and the Internet. The House, however, did not pass an ...
Through the Wire.
Oct 13, 2008; ... by Ted Hearn, Kent Gibbons and Linda Haugsted Dark-Rumped Threat to Hawaii Digital Transition TV stations in Hawaii are in serious discussions to make the digital TV transition on Jan. 15 -- more than a month before the rest of the country -- partly to avoid ...