Comcast comes out swinging in defense of merger, blasts Netflix and Discovery
Comcast’s top lawyer is taking a more aggressive tone at a time when attention is shifting to the internet implications of its proposed merger with Time Warner Cable.
Comcast to test its YouTube competitor by the end of the year
Comcast wants to give niche audiences access to a wider variety of content trough its set-top boxes, and is looking to test a streaming service later this year.
Comcast closes in on Freewheel as it reportedly eyes online video programming
Comcast is about to buy online video advertising company FreeWheel for a reported $320 million. The move comes as the company may be looking to strike partnerships with online video makers to distribute their programming.
Comcast-Time Warner Cable Merger: 7 (follow up) stories to read
Here are some stories and opinions from around the web about the deal that will impact how we access our broadband and how it affects the future of the Internet.
Comcast doesn’t want to hook up with Netflix any time soon
Don’t hold your breath for a Netflix (S NFLX) app on your Comcast (S CMCSK) set-top box: Netflix has started to strike deals with pay TV operators abroad to run its app on their devices, and CEO Reed Hastings recently told investors that he would love to be on Comcast’s gear as well — but Comcast cable operations CEO Neil Smit said during the company’s earnings call that this is “not really a high priority” for Comcast, according to Home Media Magazine. On the same call, Comcast also announced that it lost 129,000 video subscribers in its most recent quarter, 12,000 more than during the same time period last year.
Comcast gives subscribers one more reason to quit Netflix
Comcast is rolling out a new streaming on-demand offering called Xfinity Streampix, which will bring more library content to subscribers that pay for its high-end double- and triple-play packages. That could give subscribers less of a reason to also pay for Netflix or Hulu Plus.
When does sharing become stealing?
TV Everywhere is giving people access to content they are not actually paying for. I know, because I’m one of them. The question is whether that is stealing — and if it is, is there anything that cable companies can actually do about it?
Verizon, Comcast double team AT&T in Bay Area battle
The country’s largest mobile operator and largest cable provider bringing their “quadruple play” service to San Francisco and the Bay Area, jointly marketing Comcast residential TV and broadband and Verizon mobile service. In the process, they’re poking a needle in the eye of mutual enemy AT&T.
Apple to buy Hollywood? Not a chance.
Could Apple spend its $100 billion in cash to create a virtual cable operator to compete with Comcast and the like? Sure. But it would have a really hard time offering a competitively priced service and building a profitable business out of it.
The continued decline of DSL
From 1990s through 2011, DSL, a broadband technology, had a strong run at large phone companies in America. Now it is falling behind cable broadband and fiber. The latest data from Verizon, AT&T and Time Warner Cable points to its declining fortunes.