Technological advances have ushered in a wave of new products and services, bringing online distribution of video to consumers. Federal laws and regulations have sought to foster competition in the video programming and distribution marketplace, but many such laws were adopted prior to the emergence of these advances.
Video Marketplace: Competition Is Evolving, and Government Reporting Should Be Reevaluated
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
US regulations hard on small phone firms, Sen Pryor, panel hear
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
While scattered populations and difficult terrain make it hard to provide phone and Internet access in rural America, government regulatory burdens are an even bigger problem, the vice president of Arkansas-based Ritter Communications told a Senate hearing.
Arming Cable Against the Open Internet
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Cable television companies are distressed about how quickly Internet and mobile viewing are stealing customers. Now, technology firms want to sell them ways to offer the personal choice of mobile, while justifying the goodies that come to someone who pays for a subscription.
AT&T and Google’s plans to give Austin a gigabit is an experiment. Is it a good one?
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
AT&T executives will meet with Austin and Texas officials seeking the same concessions that Google is getting in order to build out its gigabit network. As someone who has followed telecom in Austin, and in Texas, this mostly means the ability to cherry pick where it will deploy its gigabit network. And that points to both the upside and downside of Google’s influence.
Dodgers, Time Warner Cable announce new channel: SportsNet LA
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The name for the Dodgers' new television channel: SportsNet LA. The Dodgers and Time Warner Cable officially announced their television contract, with the team-owned channel starting in 2014. The deal, pending the approval of Major League Baseball, covers 25 years and is believed to be worth between $7 billion and $8 billion to the team.
Online News Viewing Cuts into Cable Viewership
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Cable news shows may be seeing a dip in viewership among digital-savvy US consumers. According to a January survey by AYTM Market Research, 37% of internet users surveyed said they watched less cable TV news than they did five years earlier.
Old Media’s Stalwarts Persevered in 2012
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
Everyone knows that traditional media companies are dead in the water, overwhelmed by ad skipping, cord cutting and audience flight. We know that because Chicken Littles have been saying it for years. Eventually we may be right — the sky will fall and the business will collapse — but for the time being, the sky over traditional media is blue and it’s raining green.
Cable Companies Squeeze More Obscure Channels
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
There are two kinds of cable channels in the United States: those operated by major media companies that have dozens of other channels, and those that are on their own. The outlets in the second group, the independent channels, are feeling threatened these days.
Cable Industry Draws Scrutiny For Putting Internet Users On A Scale
Filed Under: Benton Headlines
The cable industry wants Internet users to go on a diet.