Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Once dismissed, Verizon is forcing people to take its TV initiatives seriously. The company announced yesterday that its IPTV service FiOS TV had signed up 500,000 subscribers (release), and as the WSJ reports, it’s causing increasing consternation in the cable industry. You can see it in Comcast’s stock price, which has been steadily declining ever since executives acknowledged that telco operators are taking away customers. (The Wall Street Journal (free content) 10/24,
, http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-cable-increasingly-worried-about-fios 10/24 )
During the first six months of 2007, video-on-demand transactions jumped 44%, to 1.44 billion orders, according to a study of orders processed by Rentrak, a company that offers transactional media measurement. The report says VOD orders by year’s end could double the 2.6 billion placed in 2006. (Multichannel News 10/24)
Shareholders of U.S. cable operator Cablevision are rejecting the controlling Dolan family’s $22 billion bid to take the company private, saying the offer is too low. Chief James Dolan is expressing disappointment about the vote but insists he sees it as “a very positive event.” (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/nassau/ny-bzcabl255430620oct25,0,3017014.story 10/25)
Comcast, the largest U.S. cable-television company, added fewer phone and high-speed Internet subscribers than analysts estimated in the third quarter, causing the stock to drop the most in five years. Comcast says it is seeing a “more competitive environment.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aYYIN4z1X3MI 10/25)
A star-studded music roster is on board for the first Movies Rock concert, to be taped Dec. 2 in Los Angeles for broadcast on CBS. A supplemental magazine dubbed “Movies Rock” will be included with 14 Conde Nast titles. Proceeds will benefit the Entertainment Industry Foundation. (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003662265 10/24)
Fox has given a full season pick up to the Kelsey Grammer/Patricia Heaton comedy Back to You, with an order for the back 11 episodes, a total of 24. Back to You has averaged a 2.6/8 A18-49 ratings since its debut.
Over at ABC, Pushing Daisies has received an order for its back nine to bring it to a full 22 episode season. And if that’s not enough … the network has ordered six more scripts of Samantha Who? starring Christina Applegate, and which follows the Monday edition of Dancing with the Stars at 930p; and for Carpoolers, ABC ordered 3 more scripts. No word on Cavemen.
HBO will televise “The Deal,” a telepic about former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair. The pay cable channel will debut the movie Nov. 8, and it will be available on DVD in 2008. (Variety 10/24)
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