| March 13, 2009 | News for the cable and broadband industry |
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- Comcast's Burke: Cable model remains strong
Despite the ailing economy, cable TV remains a necessity for most people, which, according to Comcast Chief Operating Officer Steve Burke, cannot be said for some of the industry's rivals. "As the economy has gotten worse and worse, very few people are disconnecting their cable television service," he said. "Far more people are cutting the cord on their phone service. The telephone companies are losing about 10% of their phone customers every year, and about half of those go to the cable companies ... ." TechFlash
(3/12)      
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Comcast will challenge 30% cap on April 24: The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has scheduled a hearing for April 24 on Comcast's challenge of the FCC's decision to reinstate a 30% cap on cable's national reach. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association and some individual cable providers such as Time Warner Cable have filed briefs in support of Comcast's challenge. Multichannel News
(3/12)
- Time Warner Cable spinoff now official
At 8 p.m. Thursday, Time Warner Cable's spinoff from Time Warner became official. The transaction, first announced last May, received regulatory approval last month. The cable company's stock closed 61 cents higher Thursday at $8.33. Multichannel News
(3/12)
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- Recession coverage leads to anchors away
CNN's Anderson Cooper will file recession-related reports from five U.S. cities in an upcoming special package dubbed "Road to the Rescue: A CNN Survival Guide." Separately, Tom Brokaw will file similar dispatches for NBC Universal properties USA, MSNBC and NBC. Variety (subscription required)
(3/12)
| Eye on Video | | |
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- Canoe prepares EBIF TV campaign
In the second half of this year, Canoe Ventures will launch an interactive ad campaign, and viewers, by using their remote controls, will be able to request more information about the product, according to Arthur Orduna, Canoe's chief technology officer. The spot will employ the Enhanced TV Binary Interchange Format, which is compatible with all digital-cable set-top boxes. Light Reading
(3/12)
- YouTube remains on top of the online-video heap
YouTube remained, by far, the top online video destination in February, with 5.2 billion total streams, according to the latest data from Nielsen Online. Also making it into the Top 10, albeit quite a bit behind YouTube, were Nickelodeon Kids and Family Network, Turner Sports and Entertainment Digital Network, MTV Networks Music and CNN Digital Network. TVWeek.com
(3/12)
| Marketing Trends | | |
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| Advanced Products | | |
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- Tru2way to be featured at Cable Show
Tru2way technologies are expected to be the stars at the CableNET pavilion at this year's Cable Show. Those putting their latest and greatest tru2way developments on display, according to this report, will include Amdocs, NDS, Samsung, UniSoft and Zodiac Interactive. CableFAX.com
(3/12)
| Competitive Watch | | |
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- Web-TV enhancements coming to Verizon FiOS
Widgets integrated into Verizon's FiOS service in the U.S. will allow viewers to update their Facebook status to reflect what they're watching and check out Twitter feeds keyed to programming as well as popular Twitter topics. Also on tap are the ability to use a DVR to record clips from YouTube and other video sites, and the inclusion of this Web content on Verizon's on-screen guide. ReadWriteWeb.com
(3/11)
| Association News | | |
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Calling all field marketers: Yes, you can!
Score one for the little guys. Small companies, regions and divisions are often Mark Award winners. In fact, the competition's highest honor, the Top of the Mark award, has gone to campaigns developed "in the field" three times! Submit your entries by 6 p.m. Eastern time on March 24.
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Join Texas cable leaders at TexTAM
See Jamey Cootes, Houston Texans; Jerry Dow, Suddenlink; Jon Gary Herrera, Time Warner Cable; Tony Speller, Comcast; plus moderator Frank Guerra, formerly of CBS and an expert strategist, at TexTAM in San Antonio, March 26. Hear how to stay ahead of the competition despite the challenges of today. Last chance to register!
| People & Personalities | | |
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- Engler rises in Sci Fi universe
Craig Engler, the senior vice president at the Sci Fi Channel's Scifi.com portal, has been upped to senior vice president of digital for the whole network. His new duties will include managing Scifi.com, Dvice.com, Scifiwire.com, Fidgit.com and Chillertv.com as well as putting Sci Fi's TV shows online. Variety (subscription required)
(3/12)
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