The Federal Communications Commission voted to eliminate its sports blackout rule yesterday. For nearly four decades, the blackout rule has prevented cable and satellite systems from broadcasting certain National Football League games. The unanimous decision will result in the repeal of the blackout rule, which should take about six weeks to be finalized. The NFL opposed the FCC action, arguing that eliminating the rule would impact the availability of games via free, over-the-air television. Continue reading FCC Unanimously Votes to Repeal the Sports Blackout Rule

Digitimes Research projects that global Ultra HD television shipments will experience a compound annual growth rate of 160 percent from 2013 to 2017, jumping from 1.5 million units to 68.2 million. The report estimates that 26.6 percent of all TVs shipped in 2017 will be Ultra HD, and more than 90 percent of LCD TVs will offer UHD resolution or higher. In addition, Digitimes anticipates that Blu-ray support for UHD and increased user-generated content will help push demand. Continue reading Report: Ultra HD TV Shipments to Grow 160 Percent by 2017