ANALYST: TIME WARNER WILL WIN BATTLE WITH CBS

The CBS eye will go blind over Time Warner cable systems today (Monday) barring a last-minute breakthrough in negotiations between the television network and the cable system. While broadcasters have traditionally had the upper hand in dealing with cable providers over retransmission consent agreements, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield said in a note to clients on […]

INTERNET TRANSFORMING TELEVISION

TV is rapidly undergoing a fundamental change from a shared experience to a more personal one as a consequence of the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield observed in a letter to clients on Tuesday. “While there may be still be several people gathered around the living room TV, each is likely […]

DISH USING ADS FOR HOPPER DVR — WHICH SKIPS ADS

DISH Network is using advertisements to tout its anti-advertisement technology, Auto Hop. The campaign features a demonstration of the new Hopper DVR with Sling that allows DISH’s subscribers not only to watch programs they have recorded without commercials on their TV sets but also on their smartphones, tablets, and personal computers. One spot begins with […]

APPLE CEO APPEARS TO CONFIRM: AN APPLE TV SET IS COMING

Apple chief Tim Cook has left little doubt that the company plans to introduce a cutting-edge television set in the near future. In an interview Thursday night on NBC’s Rock Center, Cook said, “When I go into my living room and turn on the TV, I feel like I have gone backwards in time by […]

TOP ANALYST PRAISES GOOGLE FIBER

BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield has enthusiastically praised Google Fiber’s roll-out test in the two Kansas Cities, predicting that the super high-speed service will “accelerate rapidly, changing consumer habits.” In a message to clients, Greenfield wrote today (Wednesday) that the downside for the broadcast networks is that it will also result in splintering the traditional audience […]

SUPER BOWL’S AUDIENCE PUNY VERSUS GANGNAM’S

While this year’s Super Bowl attracted 168 million viewers and set a record for the most-watched telecast in U.S. history, that figure pales in comparison with the 429 million views that PSY’s “Gangnam Style” video has counted, most within the last 6-7 weeks, BTIG analyst Richard Greenfield noted today (Thursday). The key takeaway is that […]

NETFLIX SHARES PLUNGE

Shares of Netflix were down 25 percent on the Nasdaq near the close of trading today (Wednesday) following the company’s after-hours report on Tuesday that its net income for the second quarter was down 91 percent from the same quarter a year ago. The company said that it added 530,000 subscribers to its streaming service […]

NETFLIX RETURNING TO ITS DVD-BY-MAIL ROOTS?

Netflix, which has relegated its DVD/Blu-ray disc-by-mail service to an unloved-stepchild status and has focused on its streaming service, may be rethinking its approach, analysts have noted. The company apparently now feels threatened by the joint venture about to be launched between Redbox and Verizon that will combine Redbox’s kiosk operations with Verizon’s digital distribution. […]

NETFLIX GIVING AWAY ALMOST-FREE MOVIE TICKETS

Netflix apparently believes the best way to entice potential customers to subscribe to its movie streaming service is to give them tickets to a real movie theater for doing so. The company has launched a promotion via Google Offers offering nonsubscribers two movie ticket vouchers worth $13 each for signing up for a free one-month […]

CORD CUTTERS? CABLE COMPANIES WIN EITHER WAY

Cable companies’ worries about subscribers who “cut the cord” (replacing traditional broadcast and cable stations with online video) may be misplaced. New studies indicate that the best online video experience is provided by cable companies, which, by and large, deliver faster download speeds than telephone companies’ DSL service or mobile broadband service. BTIG analyst Richard […]

Next Page »