ENTERTAINMENT
April 17, 2013 | By Dawn C. Chmielewski
MovieLabs, a studio-backed research and development venture, has appointed a cable-industry veteran with Silicon Valley ties as its new president and chief executive. John Carney, senior vice president of engineering at Comcast Corp., will run the nonprofit organization, which was created in 2005 by the six major studios to research new forms of movie distribution and protection. Although MovieLabs' initial emphasis was on thwarting movie piracy, its focus has expanded to include the digital distribution of movies and television shows.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 16, 2013 | By Joe Flint
Time Warner Cable subscribers can now take a lot of their television lineup with them on the road. The cable company, which has more than 2 million subscribers in Southern California, is now offering its customers the ability to access content from popular cable channels such as MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon via Apple's tablet devices and mobile phones. The agreement is unique because it will allow Time Warner Cable subscribers to view content even if they are not in an area serviced by the cable company.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 16, 2013 | By Gerrick D. Kennedy
“The revolution will be televised.” That's what Sean “Diddy” Combs promises for his lifestyle cable network, Revolt, set to launch in July. Ahead of the launch, the hip-hop mogul has rolled out a social media campaign to tease the network, including video vignettes that feature Mac Miller and the Game and a handful of cryptic trailers promising Revolt's aim to be a game changer. The channel will focus on art, music, fashion, culture and film -- all things Combs knows quite well.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 9, 2013 | By Joe Flint
After the coffee. Before seeing if a palm tree hit my car last night. The Skinny: Driving during that windstorm Monday night was pretty scary. While the palm trees looked cool swaying in the wind, I didn't need any hitting me. Also, traffic lights were out all over my neighborhood. Tuesday's stories include Fox's threat to take its broadcast signal to cable, and the latest luxury for the rich film buff. Also a look at the effects Annette Funicello and Margaret Thatcher had on redefining women.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 9, 2013 | By Joe Flint
News Corp. Chief Operating Officer Chase Carey made big headlines Monday for suggesting that Fox could go from a broadcast network to cable channel to make ends meet. The implication is that consumers would have to pay to watch Bart Simpson or catch some NFL football on Sunday afternoons. But for all intents and purpose, Fox is already a cable channel and has been for a long time. Yes, about 10% to 15% of the country's TV consumers still get Fox via antennas, but everyone else receives its signals from a pay-TV provider such as Time Warner Cable or DirecTV.
ENTERTAINMENT
April 8, 2013 | By Joe Flint
Is Bart Simpson heading to cable? It could happen, warned Chase Carey, the president of News Corp., which owns Fox Broadcasting, home to such popular shows as "The Simpsons," "Glee" and "The Following" as well as National Football League games. Most consumers already pay to get Fox through their pay-TV provider. A cable or satellite company typically pays Fox a fee to carry its signals, and those costs get passed on to their customers. This so-called retransmission consent fee has become a key revenue stream for broadcast networks, which previously made most of their money from selling advertising.