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Daily news and top headlines for broadband communications engineering and design professionals
Dish's Q1 disappoints; lowest sub adds in years
May 9, 2013 2:11 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsDish Network fell short of Wall Street expectations. Earnings were down 41 percent, and the company added only 36,000 TV subscribers in its first quarter, the fewest since 2009 when the recession and a dismal housing market hammered consumers.
Starz extends app to Android devices
May 9, 2013 2:06 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsStarz has made its TV everywhere app available on Android handsets and tablets, including Nook HD, Nook HD+, and the Nexus 4, Nexus 7, and Nexus 10. Also, 3G/4G cellular access has been added to the service feature, giving Play users an additional connectivity option in addition to Wi-Fi.
Cablevision swings to loss; spending up on CPE
May 9, 2013 1:52 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsCablevision Systems swung to a first quarter loss, due in part to declining revenues in its cable TV unit. The company added a modest number of revenue generating units (RGUs), and increased average revenue per user (ARPU) by a little more than 1 percent, to $156.34.
Entropic files patent infringement lawsuit against ViXS
May 9, 2013 12:49 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsSemiconductor vendor Entropic has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ViXS that relates to its use of MoCA technology. ViXS responded by saying that Entropic’s patent infringement claim was entirely without merit and that it planned to defend itself.
CFO Bornak departs from SeaChange
May 9, 2013 12:38 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsSeaChange International announced that Michael Bornak has resigned from his role as chief financial officer to take a job at another publicly traded company. Anthony Dias, SeaChange’s chief accounting officer, will be promoted to senior vice president and will serve as interim chief financial officer while SeaChange searches for a permanent CFO.
Comcast’s Pick joins ValueVision board
May 9, 2013 12:34 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsComcast’s Robert Pick, senior vice president of corporate development, joined ValueVision Media’s board of directors. ValueVision, which Comcast owns a stake in, is a multi-channel retailer that operates under the ShopNBC name.
Amino names Wilks director of engineering
May 9, 2013 12:28 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsAmino Communications announced this morning that Martin Wilks has joined the company as its director of Engineering. With over 10 years’ experience in the set-top box market, Martin joined the company’s executive team with responsibility for both software and hardware development.
TiVo ups the ante on viewer data mining
May 8, 2013 1:32 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsTaking TV advertising metrics to yet another new level, TiVo’s research subsidiary has signed up 48K TiVo users who have agreed to provide far more information about their individual viewing and buying habits. The service can give advertisers an even more detailed view correlating ad spending and buying behavior.
TWC updates app for Android devices to include out-of-home viewing
May 8, 2013 12:38 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTime Warner Cable has upgraded its TWC TV app for Android devices, which includes access to some content out of subscribers’ homes. Last month Time Warner Cable announced some of its VOD content and live programming were available to customers outside of their homes on Apple’s iOS devices.
Liberty Global appoints Mockridge as CEO of Virgin Media
May 8, 2013 12:33 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsJohn Malone’s Liberty Global announced that it has picked former News Corp. executive Tom Mockridge as Virgin Media’s new CEO. Mockridge will take over for current Virgin Media CEO Neil Berkett once the $23 billion deal, which is subject to shareholder approvals, closes
Technicolor picks MaxLinear’s chipset to power hybrid box
May 8, 2013 12:25 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsTechnicolor is going with Max Linear’s chips to power its new hybrid satellite / terrestrial (ISDB-T) HD set-top boxes for the Latin America market. Specifically, Technicolor will be using MaxLinear’s MxL683 chip in the box that was designed for direct-to-home satellite operators in Latin America.
YouTube reportedly set to carry pay channels
May 7, 2013 2:09 pm | by The Associated Press | CommentsYouTube is reportedly set to announce within a few weeks a series of channels that will require payment. The content on the new pay channels will be in addition to the millions of videos viewers watch for free on YouTube. It's not clear whether the paid videos will come with advertising.
Suddenlink attracts subscribers; sets telephony project
May 7, 2013 1:52 pm | by Brian Santo | CommentsSuddenlink’s Q1 2013 revenue was up 6.4 percent compared to the company’s earnings in its first quarter last year. The company noted that its capex spending would increase with the adoption of its own telephony platform, a process that began in March and is planned to be implemented largely in 2014.
Charter moves ahead with cloud-based UI
May 7, 2013 12:58 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsWith over a year at the helm of Charter Communications, Tom Rutledge’s vision for the nation’s fourth-largest cable operators is firming up across multiple fronts. Rutledge said on this morning’s first quarter earnings call that Charter’s all-digital conversion project and cloud-based user interface (UI) were two of the company’s biggest objectives this year.
Mediacom’s revenues increase in first quarter
May 6, 2013 12:49 pm | by Mike Robuck | CommentsThis morning privately held Mediacom Communications released unaudited financial results for the first quarter, which included revenue increases from the same period a year ago. The nation’s eighth-largest cable operator reported basic video subscriber losses, but continued the trend of adding data customers into the fold.
