Cablevision Systems sued Viacom this week, alleging antitrust violations and representing simmering tensions within the television industry about how TV channels are packaged and priced. The pay TV distributor alleges that Viacom forced it to carry and pay for more than a dozen less popular channels for the right to carry its more popular networks including Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central. Continue reading Will Cablevision Suit Against Viacom Impact TV Bundling?

According to a survey conducted by financial services firm Cowen & Co., about 23 percent of Netflix subscribers say they have canceled their premium TV service after opting to pay for broadband access to stream TV over the Internet — signifying a direct tie to cord-cutting. Among the 1,200 respondents, 46 percent said they have access to Netflix, while 28 percent are paying for the SVOD service. Continue reading Numbers Are In: Survey Says Netflix Leads to Cord-Cutting

Netflix bought the original drama “House of Cards” in 2011, committing to two seasons of the then not-yet-filmed show directed by David Fincher and starring Kevin Spacey. The purchase also earned the streaming company headlines as it placed Netflix into a high profile role typically occupied by the likes of HBO. But while Netflix claims its online programming to be commercial free, it is not without advertising. Continue reading Heavy Product Placement for Commercial-Free Online TV

Speaking at the D:Dive Into Media conference, Erik Huggers, corporate vice president and general manager for Intel Media, confirmed the rumors that Intel will be making moves into the set-top/TV provider business. “We have been working for around a year now to setup Intel Media — it’s a new division that includes a lot of people from outside of the company,” explained Huggers. Continue reading Intel Plans to Offer Internet-Based TV Streaming Product

Charlie Ergen, chairman and co-founder of Dish Network, gave an hour-long keynote interview at this week’s D:Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California. While the discussion addressed Ergen’s take on topics such as the future of wireless and the potential of a la carte programming, host Peter Kafka focused on the Dish Network’s Hopper and the controversy surrounding ad-skipping technology. Continue reading Dish Chairman Discusses Hopper, Programming and Wireless

Worldwide spending on watching movies last year reached $62.4 billion, up from $61.1 billion in 2011 and $60.1 billion in 2010, according to IHS Screen Digest. The numbers include theatrical releases, disc rentals, pay TV VOD and digital retail purchases and rentals. North America accounted for 41 percent of global movie revenue in 2012, although spending on physical media saw a decline. Continue reading Report: Worldwide Spending on Movies Up $1.3 Billion in 2012

According to Variety, 2012 was more about what didn’t happen than what did happen when considering the intersection of TV and digital media. As the multichannel world continues “begging for disruption,” the cost of the “average pay-TV subscription has skyrocketed 68 percent over the past 10 years,” notes the article. It seems something will definitely have to give, “but despite the fragility of their delicate bond, programmers and distributors didn’t face any real challenge in 2012 from any of the expected upstarts hoping to gain rights to live TV and package it in more innovative ways.” Continue reading In a Multichannel World, Pay TV Fought its Future in 2012

The concept of TV Everywhere is simple: it’s “supposed to let you watch whatever you want, wherever you want to watch it, on any device you want — as long as you pay for TV,” writes AllThingsD. But behind the straightforward idea, cable companies have been struggling for three years to get it done — “and they still can’t really deliver,” suggests the article. But startup NimbleTV says it can do the job. Continue reading NimbleTV Launches NYC Trial Run of TV Everywhere

Playcast is a cloud-based gaming service that runs through pay TV, IPTV, or over-the-top TV providers like Google TV and Roku.

“For the end user, the system operates like VOD or an app, while remote servers actually run the games and stream a video feed of the gameplay in real-time,” reports Engadget. “On the back end, one server shelf can serve up to 15 players an HD (read: 720p) feed simultaneously, and graphical artifacting is kept to a minimum because it streams over the operator’s managed network.”

Playcast differentiates itself from OnLive because Playcast can brand its front-end interface to fit specific customers’ desires and does not need additional hardware. Playcast also offers packages of games for subscription use.

The company plans to launch in Q3 of 2013 with 10-15 packages of 20 games each. The packages will likely cost $10-$15 a month. Playcast will alternate 10 percent new games in each month to keep customers engaged.

“It appears that Playcast will provide casual gamers an intriguing option for getting their gaming fix next year,” concludes the post. “But we’re reserving judgment until we see how well the games run on a managed network, what titles are offered, and just how much it’ll cost.”