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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
EU signs off on Liberty Global’s deal to buy Virgin Media
April 15, 2013 12:28 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsThe European Commission announced this morning that it had put its stamp of approval on Liberty Global’s $23 billion purchase of Virgin Media. The European Commission found that the deal, which was announced earlier this year, didn’t raise any competitive concerns.
From NAB: Broadcasters wary of spectrum plans
April 12, 2013 2:13 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsBroadcasters lost access to spectrum in the transition to digital TV in 2009, and are worried they'll lose more under in a complicated reverse auction. The U.S. wants to clear 500 megaHertz of spectrum by 2020, with 120 mHz coming from TV stations.
Starz pushes 2nd-screen technology
April 12, 2013 2:03 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsThe programmer is getting ambitious with second-screen technology in the form of a new companion app for the network’s new show “Da Vinci’s Demons: Citizens of Florence.” The second-screen app, called “Citizens of Florence,” relies on cues from the show's audio track to dynamically unlock interactive content as the show is being broadcast.
NBC Sports democratizes streaming
April 12, 2013 1:51 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsCablevision, Comcast Xfinity TV, Suddenlink and Verizon FiOS customers are the first to receive NBC Sports Network content, with more to come. NBC, NBC Sports Network and Golf Channel plan to stream more than 4,000 hours and 1,000 events and programs in 2013.
DoJ signs off on Moto/Arris deal
April 12, 2013 12:29 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsArris announced this morning that the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) had signed off on its $2.235 billion deal to buy Motorola Mobility’s Home division from Google.With the DoJ stamp of approval in hand, Arris has cleared all of the regulatory hurdles and expects the transaction to close “on or about April 17.”
Aereo: Cable’s retrans friend
April 12, 2013 12:14 pm | by Mike Robuck | Blogs | CommentsIt was a busy week for Aereo, including comments that emerged from broadcasters at the NAB conference in Las Vegas. Aereo’s business model is a direct threat to broadcasters, but if it emerges victorious in court it could be beneficial to some cable operators. One cable operator executive said that Aereo’s use case was “more of an opportunity than a threat for the MSOs.”
Broadcasters counter Aereo with aerial dongles
April 11, 2013 1:55 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe miniature TV antenna picks up free, mobile broadcast signals. It attaches to iPhone and iPad power ports and extends about 7 inches, allowing users to view live local TV channels at not-quite-high-definition quality. The antenna doesn't sap a user's data plan or rely on Wi-Fi signals, but it does need to be recharged.
Midcontinent authenticating via social media
April 11, 2013 1:49 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsMidcontinent is among the first service providers to offer their subscribers the Social Login feature from Synacor as a means to simultaneously authenticate for TV Everywhere content when their customers log in to their Facebook, Twitter or Google accounts.
United Fiber goes with Entone for hybrid TV
April 11, 2013 1:43 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsThe subsidiary of the United Electric Cooperative is using Entone’s FusionTV to deliver both linear and over-the-top content on the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) network it is building in rural Missouri, using money from the Broadband Stimulus.
Cogeco’s Q2 buoyed by ABB acquisition
April 11, 2013 1:37 pm | by Brian Santo | News | CommentsThe MSO reported finishing the quarter with a total of 2.48 million, with 1.9 million Canadian customers and half a million U.S. customers (ABB). In the American cable services segment, PSU increased by 7K in the quarter, with growth in both television and internet subscribership.
Storey takes the helm as CEO of Level 3
April 11, 2013 1:09 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsLevel 3 announced this morning that its board of directors had promoted chief operating officer Jim Storey to CEO. Storey takes over the tiller from longtime CEO Jim Crowe, who announced last month that he was stepping down by year’s end.
Report: NTT top telecom service provider for spending, revenue
April 11, 2013 1:04 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsWhen it comes to revenue and capital expenditures, NTT still ruled the telecom service provider roost worldwide last year, according a recent study. Infonetics Research’s report said the world’s top-three service providers in 2012 by revenue were, in order, NTT, AT&T and Verizon.
TWBC expands fiber reach in Staten Island
April 11, 2013 12:54 pm | by Mike Robuck | News | CommentsIn order to better serve businesses, Time Warner Cable Business Class (TWCBC) has expanded its fiber-optic build out in the New York City area to the West Shore of Staten Island. TWCBC partnered with the Staten Island Economic Development Corp. (SIEDC) to bring faster data speeds into the West Shore area.
Aereo: Fox affiliates 'on board' with pay TV plan
April 10, 2013 12:59 pm | by Associated Press | News | CommentsTelevision stations that relay Fox programming are "on board" with a threat to transition the over-the-air network to cable and satellite TV if Internet startup Aereo keeps reselling Fox's signal without paying for rights, the chairman of a Fox group said Tuesday. Chase Carey, the chief operating officer of News Corp., raised the threat Monday amid a legal battle with Aereo.
Deutsche Telekom could delay final tally in T-Mobile, Metro Vote
April 10, 2013 12:55 pm | by Ben Munson | News | CommentsDeutsche Telekom (DT) could potentially halt the final tally of the shareholder vote to approve the T-Mobile-MetroPCS merger if things don’t appear to be swinging in its favor. A Bloomberg report is citing people familiar with the matter as saying the delay could provide DT a chance to sweeten its bid.
