Advanced Television

Broadband

Virgin content on block again?

Virgin Media is expected to begin the sale of its content division within weeks hoping to raise £500m (E567m). The sale would include Virgin’s 50% stake in UKTV the JV with the BBC. Analysts have speculated Virgin will try again to sell non-core assets as it seeks to pay down debt. Interested parties are thought […]

February 25, 2009

Losses grow at Liberty Global

Liberty Global posted a fourth quarter net loss of $752.6 million compared to a net loss of $197.2 million for the same period last year. The company's losses grew despite adding subscribers, increasing revenue and generating more money from operations at its cable systems in 15 countries in Europe, Asia and South America. For the […]

February 25, 2009

80% of broadband users prefer traditional video viewing

Broadband has transformed video viewing habits in Western Europe, where over 20 per cent of broadband households have watched a film or TV programme online in the past six months, according to international research firm Parks Associates, whose The Impact of Online Video in Europe , addresses these changes in viewing habits. European consumers are […]

February 24, 2009

FiOS, U-Verse subs most satisfied

Despite their relatively short market history, Telco IPTV providers are well-positioned, and lead in customer satisfaction and brand loyalty, according to a survey just published by analyst firm Strategy Analytics. Over 80 per cent of Verizon FiOS and AT&T U-Verse television customers reported to be "very" or "extremely" satisfied with their provider. Cable customers, on […]

February 24, 2009

Sogecable, revenues up, subscribers down

From David Del Valle in Madrid Spain’s largest pay-TV group, Sogecable, hit a record E1.87 billion in revenues for 2008, but failed to stop the fall in subscribers as the company lost 30,000 pay-TV clients in its up-for-sale digital DTH platform Digital Plus on the year. Sogecable’s free-to-air channel Cuatro increased by 13.7 per cent […]

February 24, 2009

SCTE assessing 3D standardisation

The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has confirmed that its American National Standards Institute (ANSI)-accredited SCTE Standards Program has begun to investigate the standardisation required for the carriage of next generation 3D content on cable networks. The SCTE Engineering Committee, which oversees the Society's development of technical standards covering all aspects of cable networks, […]

February 24, 2009

Comcast sinks 32%

Comcast Corporation, America's largest cable TV provider, said that its fourth-quarter earnings fell 32 percent, hit by a $600 million write-down of its investment in the Clearwire Corporation, the wireless technology provider. Comcast's revenue and adjusted earnings were ahead of estimates, however, helped by growth in Comcast's video segment. In the fourth quarter Comcast earned […]

February 19, 2009

TW Cable shuffles management

Time Warner Cable shifted some key management positions in anticipation of its planned split with parent Time Warner Inc., naming CEO Glenn Britt to the additional position of chairman. The company received the necessary government approvals for the split earlier this month and said it expected to complete the split by the end of the […]

February 19, 2009

Ofcom underlines support for BT NGN profit

The chances of BT spending £1.5bn (E1.7bn) on a superfast broadband network have increased after Ofcom said its rules would not prevent the telecoms operator from securing an adequate return on its investment. Ed Richards, chief executive of Ofcom, told the FT the planned regulatory regime for BT's network would not be an "obstacle". Since […]

February 18, 2009

Charter Chapter 11

Charter Communications said it had reached an agreement in principle with a debt holders committee on terms of a financial restructuring, to be done under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, to reduce Charter's debt by about $8 billion. The cable operator, controlled by Microsoft's co-founder, Paul Allen, said in a statement it would file for Chapter […]

February 18, 2009