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BigBand's 'Supergroup' Multichannel News BigBand Networks claims tohave devised a way to break down the walls between linear TV, video-on-demand and IP video on a cable network — allowing bandwidth to be used more efficiently. The vendor's new Converged Video Exchange (“CVEx” for short) is designed to let operators create a single pool of quadrature amplitude modulation channels. The system then manage..... Terrestrial, But No Loophole Multichannel News To the Editor: We disagree with Kent Gibbons’ expressed view that federal law should be changed, and several other points he makes in his recent “Viewpoint” column. (“High [Definition] Time for Change,” July 20, 2009, page 36.) The so-called “terrestrial loophole” Mr. Gibbons references is not a loophole. Under normal marketplace rules..... Investing in Channel Real Estate Multichannel News In New York City real estate, it’s always about location and dollars. Even on the cable system. Just when we thought the multi-hundred-channel universe of electronic guides and digital video recorders made channel numbers superfluous, comes a rearrangement of several channels under 30 on Time Warner Cable in New York that has a few networks crowing and a few declining co..... Advice — Helpful or Not — Comes to FCC FCC’s Broadband Czar Unmoved by First Comment Round to Agency Multichannel NewsWashington— The cable industry last week continued to prescribe its version of the Hippocratic Oath for the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband plan: First, do no harm to private investment. The agency’s broadband czar, Blair Levin, meanwhile, had his own message for industry and others weighing on the plan: First, give us something we can work wit..... the problem of units Multichannel News At a meeting of cable people in Oregon last week, we got to talking about broadband and “heavy users.” A question was raised: Does the average person have any clue how to know if their usage is light, normal, or heavy? It reminded me of a technical session I attended earlier this year, at the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers’ first annual Canadian Summit..... Bullish on IPTV Over Cable Genovation's Jeff Binder Looks to Fund Tech Startups Multichannel News The next Big Thing for cable technology? Jeff Binder has put Internet-protocol television products aimed at cable operators on his short list. Binder founded Broadbus Technologies, the video-on-demand startup Motorola acquired for $181 million in 2006. Now, he's looking to fund other startups as a general partner with venture-capital firm Genovation Capital. You're..... Cox's MyPrimetime Boosts Viewing: Turner Multichannel News Turner Broadcasting System,in a test with Cox Communications' MyPrimetime, found the operator's video-on-demand service increased views of eight top shows from TNT, TBS and Cartoon Network by almost 10% within three days of air. Turner and Cox began testing customer response to the VOD service in December 2008. Through the trial, Turner confirmed that time-shifted VOD viewin..... Disney Ponders Pay Web Plan Subscription Site Would Offer Shows, Movies, Games Multichannel News The Walt Disney Co. is developing a subscription-based Web site that would provide TV shows, movies, games and other content, CEO Robert Iger said at an industry conference last week. Iger also suggested that Internet-TV site Hulu — in which Disney recently took a reported 27.5% stake — could at some point charge a subscription fee for accessing some content. ..... Could Cable's Phone Ride Be Over? Multichannel News Pali Research media analyst Richard Greenfield wondered aloud last week whether the bloom may be off the cable-telephony rose, as voice customer additions have shrunk in the past year and are expected to continue to be sluggish for the foreseeable future. In a research note, Greenfield noted that industry-penetration leader Cablevision Systems, which has telephony in 40% of its homes ..... On Demand Gets Diverse Operators Use Platform to Reach Ethnic Viewers Multichannel News While most cable operators offer some form of ethnically-targeted tier of linear networks and content, they are increasingly turning to video on demand to attract and retain multicultural subscribers. Using a mix of fee-based and free on-demand content, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable are targeting language-specific and ethically tinged VOD packages to a growing ba..... The State of TV News: That's the Way It Is Broadcasting & Cable I caught a great arm-wrestling match on the tube last week. No, summer television has not gotten so bad that I am really watching arm wrestling, unless of course it's the unparalleled cinematic masterpiece that is Sly Stallone's Over the Top. Actually, this match was between Jon Stewart and Brian Williams, part of a spirited Daily Show segment featuring the duo..... Stations Set to Tackle ESPN Affils in NYC, L.A. and Dallas prep to battle Bristol behemoth's local push Broadcasting & Cable With ESPN poised to launch local sites in New York, Los Angeles and Dallas, station executives in those markets are inverting an old adage: If you can't join 'em, beat 'em. “I see it two ways: either they're formidable competition or we discuss the possibilities for partnership,” says WFAA Dallas President/General Manager Mike Devlin. “We certai..... CTD Goes Viral With 'Smash Cuts' Weekly Web vid-clip show cleared for September launch Broadcasting & Cable CBS Television Distribution is the latest player to try its hand at spinning viral videos into TV gold with its new weekly hour, Smash Cuts. Tribune, the CBS TV stations and The CW 100+ are the first groups to acquire the show. It's cleared in the top 30 markets—including WPIX New York, KTLA Los Angeles and WGN Chicago—and in 95% of the country, says John Nogawski, p..... Cronkite's Passion Commitment to craft inspired journalists Broadcasting & Cable Keith Kay had been a producer in the CBS News bureau in Hong Kong for all of about two weeks in 1973 when he was assigned to produce a piece by Walter Cronkite. Cronkite had been to North Vietnam to report on U.S. POWs being released from Hanoi. Kay screened the footage and read the vaunted anchor's script, and decided that the open didn't quite work with the film. McDowell to FCC: Commission, Heal Thyself Genachowski hears Republican's push for internal reforms Broadcasting & Cable The FCC is in the midst of an internal reform-minded review so ambitious that even the public will be able to get in on the act. That's one part of a house-ordering agenda announced last week by the commission, prompted by an exchange of letters between new Democratic Chairman Julius Genachowski and Robert McDowell, currently the commission's lone Republican. Genachowski a..... Remodeling Master Control Stations seek new efficiencies through automation Broadcasting & Cable With broadcasters facing one of the worst economic environments in the industry's history, both large station groups and individual stations are analyzing how they can streamline operations and cut costs to survive now and be better positioned for what they hope is a brighter future. After a wave of cuts in news departments in recent years through automating newscasts, pooling ..... Invest Northwest Spokane stations fund local fare Broadcasting & Cable Spokane has been hit hard by the recession, with the major advertising categories down at least 20% this year. But some in the No. 75 DMA say it's a bad time for stations to slash costs. KAYU sent a reporter to cover the American Idol finale in May—a substantial expense, but one that General Manager Jon Rand says scores major points with viewers and pays off in the..... Kaplan Let the Dogs Out Animal Planet boss revs ratings by giving 'teeth' to Discovery brand Broadcasting & Cable Rarely does a CEO hire a new network general manager with instructions to risk throwing out the baby (animals) with the bathwater. But that's exactly what Discovery boss David Zaslav did when he put former Discovery Kids head Marjorie Kaplan in charge of the company's Animal Planet. “David's challenge to me was to take big swings and be willing to risk big failu..... SAG Board Recommends 'Basic Cable Live' Agreement Tentative Agreement Would Run Concurrent TO TV/Theatrical Agreement Multichannel News
The Screen Actors Guild national board of directors today voted overwhelmingly to recommend a successor agreement to the 2006 "Basic Cable Live Action Agreement."
The board, by a 95% to 5% count, recommends an agreement, covering dramatic television motion pictures, excluding animated television motion pictures, produced for initial exhibition on a basic-cable service, whic..... Sundance Proffers Asia Extreme On Demand Sunday-Night Block Gets One Month VOD Run In August Prior To Linear Launch Multichannel News
Sundance Channel will go to the extreme with a free video-on-demand package next week.The Rainbow Media service is making an exclusive preview of the new season of its late-night Sunday destination Asia Extreme available to the on-demand platforms of its cable affiliates.From Aug. 1 through Aug. 31, Sundance will present its entire 13-film lineup, including 10 U.S. TV premieres, in a .....
Daily
newsletter for Broadcast industry specialists and professionals. Keeps
you up to date on the latest breaking news about products, technologies,
companies, events, regulations, people and projects in the Broadcast Industry.
