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Verizon A Happy Camper On Wall Street
28 Jan 2009 - 21:14 by soullezz    Industry News |

Tuesday was a good day for Verizon with the rapidly diversifying telco announcing solid gains for both the fourth quarter and full year 2008.

The company reported a 3.4 percent increase in revenues for the quarter to $24.6 billion and a 4.2 percent increase for the year to reach $97.4 billion. Solid growth in the wireless segment -- led by 1.4 million new subs in Q4 -- as well as "record growth" for FiOS drove the revenue gains.

And just what did those "record" gains look like? According to Verizon, FiOS TV added 303,000 net new subscribers in the fourth quarter to reach 1.9 million users by the end of 2008 (up nearly a million from the end of 2007). FiOS Internet didn't have a bad quarter either, adding 282,000 net new subs in Q4.

INDUSTRY: Comcast Strikes Ad Deal With DISH, Hughes Signs Broad Sky, BigBand Upgrades QAM Platform
28 Jan 2009 - 21:13 by soullezz    Industry News |

Comcast's advertising sales division Comcast Spotlight and DISH Network announced a new agreement under which Comcast Spotlight will sell ads on DISH's 10 regional sports networks in seven U.S. markets. The markets involved include Boston, Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, Denver, Atlanta and Houston --- Broad Sky Networks will begin selling HughesNet satellite broadband service as part of a new reseller agreement with Hughes Network Systems, announced Tuesday --- BigBand Networks announced new capabilities for its BEQ 6000 Edge QAM platform, enabling providers to deliver switched digital video, video on demand and broadcast services in virtually any network frequency range.


Arianespace Moves Closer To First 2009 Launch
28 Jan 2009 - 21:12 by soullezz    Industry News |

Arianespace on Tuesday said that its first scheduled liftoff of the year is on track to take place Feb. 12 after the Ariane 5 launch vehicle was moved to the Final Assembly Building at Europe's Spaceport this week.

With the move, control of Ariane 5 was formally transferred from EADS Astrium Space Transportation to Arianespace, which will handle all of the preparations for launch.

The Feb. 12 mission will carry two primary telecommunications satellites -- including SES NEW SKIES' NSS-9 relay platform and Eutelsat's HOT BIRD 10 -- as well as two small Spirale satellites for France's early warning defense system. NSS-9 carries 44 active C-band transponders and will be positioned at 183 degrees East, while HOT BIRD 10 will operate from Eutelsat's orbital location of 13 degrees East for cable and satellite broadcasting.



Price Changes for Sirius?
21 Jan 2009 - 13:17 by soullezz    Industry News |

Web-based rumors abound as to potential price increase for certain services delivered by Sirius XM.

Of course, the satellite radio juggernaut must be careful in what it can and cannot do in terms of raising its rates. Part of the concessions struck with regulators for clearance of the Sirius/XM merger last year state that the combined company cannot increase pricing for items like a la carte offerings as well as 50-channel and 100-channel packages.

According to the rumors surfacing earlier this week, Sirius XM is reportedly eyeing increases for online listening ($2.99 additional) and for multiple radios (which will increase to $8.99 a month from $6.99 a month).

As of press time, there was no comment from the company.


Gain One, Lose One for SES
21 Jan 2009 - 13:14 by soullezz    Industry News |

On Wednesday, SES Astra, the European satellite unit for SES, said its new Astra 1M satellite was successfully deployed at its final orbital position at 19.2 degrees East and is ready for commercial operations.

The satellite, which launched from Kazakhstan in November, will deliver direct-to-home and HDTV services throughout continental Europe. SES said the platform will offer important replacement capacity and support its HDTV platform serving the continent.

While that was good news for the satellite services provider, SES recently reported that its Astra 5A satellite, operating at 31.5 degrees East, experienced a technical anomaly leading to the end of the spacecraft's mission.

SES Astra said it has informed impacted customers and switched a substantial part of the affected traffic to another Astra satellite at 23.5 degrees East. German cable operators getting service from the satellite were among the transferred customers, the company said.

The satellite, originally known as Sirius 2, was launched in November 1997.


DTV Delay Debate Takes Place on Hill
21 Jan 2009 - 13:14 by soullezz    Industry News |

Lawmakers continue to scrutinize legislation that would delay the nation's transition to digital TV, which for the moment is scheduled for Feb. 17. That effort continues today as the House Energy and Commerce Committee takes up a bill that would postpone the digital TV switch until June 12.

A draft discussion bill provided by the committee has that proposed new date for the digital TV switch along with other provisions tied to the coming transition. For example, the bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to postpone the delivery of licenses to companies seeking to use recovered analog broadcast spectrum - known as the 700 MHz band - for up to 116 days.

Last year, the FCC auctioned off the coveted 700 MHz spectrum, bringing in nearly $20 billion from the sale. The spectrum is expected to be utilized for advanced wireless broadband services, and it attracted companies like AT&T, Verizon and DISH Network.

The House legislation also would extend the federal government's digital TV converter box coupon program through Sept. 15.

Lawmakers will eventually need to discuss further funding of that DTV coupon program, which is administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The program ran out of money earlier in the month, and that compelled lawmakers and others to seek a delay in the digital TV transition until the program can get more funds.

In the Senate, a similar bill from Sen. Jay Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat and chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, also proposes a June 12 date for the digital TV switch.


With Genachowski Pick, What to Expect at FCC
14 Jan 2009 - 12:48 by soullezz    Industry News |

While President Elect Barack Obama plans to nominate fellow Harvard Law School classmate Julius Genachowski as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, the process to install the next leader of the Portals could take time.

The Senate still must confirm Genachowski, who on Tuesday was named in press reports as the next FCC chairman. And that process could take several weeks or months. Until then, Obama is expected to name one of two current FCC Democratic commissioners, Michael Copps or Jonathan Adelstein, as interim chairman, possibly as early as next week.

Also, it remains to be seen how Genachowski's FCC agenda would work out. Of course, the presumptive chairman would probably deal with issues tied to the digital TV transition.

Blair Levin of Stifel Nicolaus said he would not expect Genachowski "to be the particular thorn for cable operators that current FCC Chairman Kevin Martin often has been." As for broadcasters, "we expect he would seek to spell out digital public interest duties and be skeptical of industry requests for relaxation of ownership limits," Levin said.

A Patent Twist in TiVo/DISH Matter
14 Jan 2009 - 12:46 by soullezz    Industry News |

On DISH Network's other legal front, the company reacted to news tied to its ongoing litigation with TiVo.

DISH said the Patent and Trademark Office granted the satellite TV company's petition for re-examination of software claims contained in the DVR pioneer's so-called ‘389 patent, which are the subject of TiVo's current motion for contempt in an ongoing case in federal court. The office, DISH said, questioned the software claims in light of prior patents that appear to render TiVo's patent invalid.

In response, TiVo said in a statement that DISH filed its latest request for reexamination after TiVo asked a federal court to hold the satellite TV company in contempt of the court's injunction requiring DISH to disable its DVR functionality. DISH's "latest tactic follows numerous failed attempts to invalidate TiVo's groundbreaking Time Warp patent," TiVo said.

TiVo added that DISH's latest request for re-examination is based on a combination of two prior references that were both already submitted to the Patent and Trademark Office in connection with the earlier reexamination. The office "grants most patent reexamination requests. Contrary to DISH's statement, the USPTO made no substantive findings. We are confident that the USPTO will once again confirm the validity of all of the claims of the Time Warp patent," TiVo said.

DISH and TiVo, which have been through the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and at the Supreme Court on the patent infringement matter, are preparing to face off in federal court in Texas next month. At issue is a software design-around from DISH that attempts to address TiVo's infringement claims.


DISH Reacts to Case Involving NFL Network
14 Jan 2009 - 12:44 by soullezz    Industry News |

Some key legal developments took place for DISH Network on Tuesday, and one involved its carriage of NFL Network.

DISH said a court denied the all-football programmer's motion for summary judgment to enforce a 2006 agreement between the parties. As a result of the ruling, NFL Network will continue to be offered to DISH customers in the service's AT-200 and AT-250 packaging tiers.

The court action, DISH said, "will give our customers a choice of programming packages and will not burden all our customers with the cost of the NFL Network."

The move could be a challenge for NFL Network and the NFL, given that cable operators also have taken on the league and the channel concerning carriage of the network on bigger penetrated tiers.

PLATFORMS: DIRECTV Retrans Spats, New DISH HD?, Group Urges DTV Delay
8 Jan 2009 - 13:14 by soullezz    Industry News |

KXJB, the CBS affiliate in Fargo, N.D., said DIRECTV customers in its viewing area may lose the local station if the two sides cannot reach a retransmission consent deal before 5 p.m. Central today. In a statement, DIRECTV said it is in discussions with KXJB in an attempt to negotiate a fair deal, and is willing to keep the station in its lineup while negotiations continue

According to reports, DISH Network could announce a slate of new high-def channels today at CES. Rumored additions include BET, Comedy Central, CMT, FX, Nickelodeon, some Showtime channels, Speed, Spike TV and VH1

Consumers Union urged Congress to consider delaying the Feb. 17 transition from analog to digital TV. In a letter to lawmakers, the group pointed out the government program that subsidizes TV converter boxes has run out of money, and consumers are now on waiting lists for coupons.

CES: DISH/EchoStar to Unveil "SlingLoaded" DVR
8 Jan 2009 - 13:12 by soullezz    Industry News |

The satellite side of CES gets under way today in Las Vegas.

At the big gig, DISH Network is set to unveil what's being called a "SlingLoaded" HD DuoDVR, the VIP 922. The ViP 922 is a high-def digital video recorder that incorporates place-shifting technology. The box is being built by EchoStar Technologies.

EchoStar said it developed the DVR for DISH Network. The DBS company plans to introduce the ViP 922 to customers in Spring 2009.


DIRECTV Seeks Arbitration in Comcast RSN Dispute
8 Jan 2009 - 13:11 by soullezz    Industry News |

DIRECTV has apparently informed Comcast that it plans to file for arbitration in a dispute concerning rate increases to carry the cable giant's sports networks in the New England and San Francisco areas.

The small dish company has sent a notice of its intention to seek an independent arbitrator under a process at the Federal Communications Commission concerning the skirmish. During the arbitration process, and for about two weeks before the effort takes place, the networks would remain on DIRECTV. The channels are still available through the DBS company.

The original contract to carry the regional sports networks expired on Dec. 31. The channels in question are Comcast SportsNet New England and Comcast SportsNet Bay Area.

According to press reports, Comcast is apparently asking for increases of 25 percent to 40 percent to deliver the networks. The dispute could impact nearly 2 million DIRECTV subscribers, stated the news sources.


WealthTV's Choice Words for Comcast
5 Jan 2009 - 17:52 by soullezz    Industry News |

An independent programmer that's tangled in a carriage spat with the nation's biggest cable operator had choice words for the giant late last week.

Robert Herring, CEO of WealthTV, complained about Comcast's recent moves concerning program carriage issues, including those before the Federal Communications Commission. In a statement, Herring said that for Comcast to "hide behind the digital TV transition and use it as an excuse to further delay justice for its discriminatory behavior towards an emerging small business programmer is nothing short of appalling.

"No matter how hard Comcast wishes to spin the facts, Congress did not intend for the FCC to turn its back on discriminatory behavior while ensuring a smooth DTV transition," he added.

Herring further stated that, according to estimates from the programmer, consumers have over paid by more than $100 million dollars to "greedy cable operators when similar unaffiliated programming was available for free.

"Contrary to Comcast's assertions, enforcing discriminatory behavior in a timely fashion is in the best interest of the public and their pocketbooks," Herring said.


PROGRAMMING: DISH Expands HD Flicks, News from Outdoor Channel
5 Jan 2009 - 17:52 by soullezz    Industry News |

DISH Network expanded its list of 1080p high-def programming options to include "The Dark Knight," available for $6.99 per purchase via DISH-on-Demand. The movie expansion was part of the company's push to promote its TurboHD programming packages --- Outdoor Channel said it is launching 10 new programming series and returning favorites for the New Year. New shows include "The Best Defense" with outdoor industry expert and author Michael Bane, "Impossible Shots," a series expanding upon popular segments from Shooting USA, and "Monster Fish."


Still No Utah Retrans Deal for DIRECTV
5 Jan 2009 - 17:51 by soullezz    Industry News |

As of press time, DIRECTV still didn't have a deal to carry Salt Lake City station KJZZ, known for its carriage of Utah Jazz games, in its local channel lineup for the market.

In a statement released Friday, DIRECTV said it continues to be interested in reaching an agreement with the station, "but to date, KJZZ's economic demands have been outrageous."

DIRECTV said that historically the station made its signal available to the DBS service at no charge and is also free over the air. "Now KJZZ is requesting a significant fee for its programming and in this extremely difficult economic climate, these demands represent a potential burden on our customers," the satellite TV company said.

"Though we did not want to take the station down, DIRECTV was notified by KJZZ that it would have to stop broadcasting its signal imminently if we did not give in to their demands. We remain willing to carry the channel while both parties negotiate in good faith," DIRECTV added.


A Few Retrans Battles for Satellite TV
2 Jan 2009 - 14:56 by soullezz    Industry News |

Both small dish platforms couldn't escape year-end retransmission consent skirmishes, but the fights with broadcasters for carriage of their local channels were limited to only a few notable battles.

In Salt Lake City, DIRECTV got entangled in a retrans spat with KJZZ, known for its coverage of the Utah Jazz basketball franchise. In a statement, DIRECTV called the station's demands for carriage unreasonable.

"DIRECTV customers have access to the vast majority of Utah Jazz games on the (local) regional sports net. We're open to further discussions, but without an agreement, we have no legal right to carry the station as of Jan. 1," the satellite TV company said.

Meanwhile, DISH Network said it removed KTKA, the ABC affiliate in Topeka, Kan., from its lineup.

In a statement, DISH said the station's owner, Free State Communications, "is demanding unreasonable contract terms and an excessive rate increase for continued carriage … an increase that DISH Network is unwilling to pass on to customers. To protect customers from unreasonable rate increases and to ensure they pay only a fair amount every month, DISH Network draws the line at such excess and challenges strong-arm tactics."


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