Aereo vs. Fox, CBS and Univision: The week’s best insights
The first thing I thought of when I heard earlier this week that News Corp. had threatened to make Fox a cable-only outlet if it doesn’t win its suit against Aereo is how much things have changed since Bob Wright…
Veteran media fund manager Hal Vogel worries about stock market collapse
Veteran media-fund manager Hal Vogel has watched, warily, as media and entertainment stocks have mounted a spectacular run-up in the past year, with an average gain of 42% among big conglomerates Time Warner Inc., CBS Corp., Walt Disney Co., Comcast…
Hard to see advantages of Cablevision’s suit against Viacom
Cablevision’s lawsuit this week against Viacom for “illegally” bundling desirable cable networks with channels that have low ratings must offer the cable operator advantages that can only be seen in the sealed court documents, because they don’t otherwise seem very…
Courts could eventually help Netflix, Google and others in cable wars
I’ve argued in this space that Netflix, Amazon Prime and other “over the top” online video providers can only be as successful as the conglomerates who own studios and networks allow them to be, since they decide what content to…
Cable could be headed for a wreck, but studios, networks can (and probably will) prevent it
Michael Wolff has a smart take on the future of the cable business in USA Today, arguing that the industry is foolishly trying to stave off a la carte in the face of its obvious inevitability. “TV Everywhere” is doomed…
Two takeaways from Comcast earnings call
1. The company expects expenses at its cable operations unit to rise by a “low double-digit” percentage in 2013 after a 7% increase in 2012. Chief Financial Officer Michael Angelakis pointed to “continued expansion of rights to multiple platforms, additional…
NBC’s sudden ratings woes and other themes to listen for on Comcast earnings call
After Comcast Corp.’s report Tuesday of better-than-expected fourth-quarter earnings, that it will raise its quarterly dividend by 20% and buy the 49% of NBC Universal it doesn’t already own from GE for $16.7 billion, there are a number of interesting…
Starz shuts door on Netflix with Sony pay-TV deal
Starz Inc. became the latest premium cable entity to solidify its position in the subscription video-on-demand realm on Monday, with news that it has extended its pay-TV deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment through 2021. The agreement leaves Netflix Inc. out…
Entertainment analyst Tuna Amobi talks Disney, TV Everywhere
Over Most Of These Stations chatted with S&P Capital IQ analyst Tuna Amobi Wednesday about Disney’s results, and the company’s earnings call on Tuesday evening. Regarding Chairman Bob Iger’s explanation for choosing Netflix as the company’s pay-TV partner starting in…