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Comcast Corp. on Thursday named several executives who will hold top jobs at NBC Universal after the cable company takes control of the broadcaster and movie studio.
Former Showtime President Bob Greenblatt will be chairman of NBC Entertainment, responsible for prime time and late night programming, business affairs and NBC Universal Media studios. Get the full story »
Comcast Corp. has unveiled an application for Apple Inc.’s iPad that allows its customers to watch videos, program their digital video recorders and more, as pay-television providers look to keep eyeballs on their offerings, whether in the home or not.
The cable- and satellite-TV business appears to have suffered its second consecutive quarterly subscriber decline during the summer, fueling concerns about the prospect of online video disrupting the media and entertainment industry’s most lucrative and dependable revenue model.
With its iPad application, Comcast joins a growing list of video streaming products from big-name media companies, including Dish Network Corp., Netflix Inc., Hulu and ABC, trying to catch the attention of a new generation of consumers, looking for content they can stream from the Internet to their new portable media devices. Get the full story »
From the Chicago Sun-Times | SMG, which runs Soldier Field, and Global Spectrum, a unit of Comcast Corp., have filed applied to manage operations at McCormick Place. Merchandise Mart Properties Inc., run by Christopher Kennedy, and International Facilities Group LLC, whose leadership includes Michael Reinsdorf, expressed interest earlier but did not apply by the Tuesday deadline. The Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority plans to make a decision by May 27.
Cable companies have been losing TV subscribers at an ever faster rate in the last few months, and satellite TV isn’t picking up the slack. That could be a sign that Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu are finally starting to entice people to cancel cable, though company executives are pointing to the weak economy and housing market for now.
Third-quarter results reported by major cable TV companies show major losses, but don’t settle the question of what’s causing them. Get the full story »
Jen Patterson, a contributor to Comcast SportsNet Chicago and its Web site, is out at the local cable sports channel.
The Federal Communications Commission is requesting more information from Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal. Regulators are reviewing the cable operator’s plan to acquire a controlling stake in the media company. Get the full story »
NBC Universal Chief Executive Jeff Zucker said on Wednesday his company is not likely to follow rivals to make its TV shows available for Apple Inc.’s new 99-cent rental service unveiled earlier this month. Get the full story »
Clearwire Corp. launched Monday a new pay-as-you-go 4G mobile Internet service aimed at a young urban consumers in Chicago and 48 other markets.
Clearwire launched 4G service in Chicago late last year, offering broadband speeds that top those of 3G networks and allow for bandwidth-intensive activities such as streaming high-definition video. Sprint and Comcast also offer 4G products and services, which run on Clearwire’s network.
The new pay-as-you-go service is called Rover and will be branded separately from Clearwire’s other 4G offerings. Mike Sievert, Clearwire’s chief commercial officer, said in a conference call that Rover is geared toward city-dwelling youth between the ages of 18 and 24. Get the full story »
If you’ve never time-shifted a prime-time television series — watched it later on a DVR, over the Internet or ordered it on demand — you’re now in the minority.
A survey of viewers conducted on the eve of the new fall season quantifies what has become commonplace in millions of American homes: People are putting themselves in charge of their own TV schedule. Sixty-two percent of viewers across the country interviewed in a poll conducted for the nation’s largest cable company, Comcast Corp., said they have used time-shifting technology. Six in 10 people said they owned a digital video recorder. Get the full story »
Goodbye, Comcast Twitter guy.
Frank Eliason, the social-media apostle who responded to tens of thousands of online Comcast Corp. customer complaints in the last two years, is leaving the cable company to help banking giant Citigroup Inc. connect with customers online. Get the full story »
Comcast Corp., the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, reported a nearly 9 percent decline in quarterly profit as it absorbed expenses related to its highly anticipated acquisition of NBC Universal.
While costs associated with the deal, including professional fees, undercut the cable company’s overall profit, its revenue rose a higher-than-expected 6 percent as it continued to add Internet and telephone customers. Get the full story »
From Broadcasting & Cable | In public hearing Tuesday in Chicago, rival cable operators, an independent programmer and a former FCC commissioner lined up to oppose the proposed merger of Comcast and NBC Universal.
The Federal Communications Commission has restarted its review of Comcast’s plan to take control of NBC Universal after the companies provided additional details about their businesses.
Comcast Corp. is seeking FCC and Justice Department approval to acquire a 51 percent stake in NBC Universal from General Electric Co. Federal regulators are expected to approve the deal with conditions. Get the full story »
Comcast Corp. and NBC Universal has reached an agreement with the Independent Film & Television Alliance over their proposed merger, which is being reviewed by the Federal Communications Commission and Justice Department.
The alliance reversed its opposition to the merger on the grounds it would stifle creativity in exchange for a promise that Comcast and NBC would allocate $6 million over four years to a development fund for independent productions.
