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 »
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Netflix launches streaming video in Canada
Netflix launched an online video-streaming service in Canada for films and television Wednesday, its first foray outside the United States and a direct threat to established cable companies. Get the full story »
New York Times expects 3Q loss, lower revenue
The New York Times Co. said Wednesday it expects to show a loss for the third quarter, with newspaper advertising still in decline.
Unlike the prior quarter, the Times Co. said that growth in digital ad sales will not make up for declines on the print side. Making matters worse, the company expects a drop in revenue from subscription and newsstand sales. Get the full story »
Blockbuster nears awaited bankruptcy
Blockbuster Inc. is in the final stages of preparing a long-awaited bankruptcy filing, marking a milestone in consumers’ shift away from brick-and-mortar video stores to films delivered by mail and the Internet.
Blockbuster, struggling amid more than $900 million in debt, could file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the next few days, said people familiar with the matter. The filing could come as soon as Wednesday, they said, and is likely to come by Friday or sometime next week. Get the full story »
Sun-Times shifts last of delivery services to Tribune
From Crain’s Chicago Business | Tribune Co. will start delivering the Chicago Sun-Times to retail outlets in the city under an expanded distribution agreement.
Sep. 17, 2010 at 5:38 p.m.
Filed under: Bankruptcy, Litigation, Media, Newspapers, Radio, TV, Updated Two Tribune creditors file own reorganization plan
Two of the largest senior creditors in Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy case filed a plan of reorganization in Delaware bankruptcy court Friday, providing an alternative solution to the management plan that has been in place since earlier this year.
The move makes allies out of two distressed debt hedge funds, Angelo, Gordon & Co. and Oaktree Capital Management, that had until recently been at odds with each other. And it comes in advance of a court-ordered mediation that is scheduled to begin Sept. 26. Get the full story »
Sep. 16, 2010 at 6:19 a.m.
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Filed under: Consumer electronics, Consumer news, Media, TV, Technology Playstation 3 to play 3-D movies, games
Sony’s PlayStation 3 game console will work as a Blu-ray disc player for 3-D movies and music videos, not just 3-D games, with a software update download starting Sept. 21.
The free-of-charge update for movies and other content had been promised for later this year. But the date is being moved up to ride on the momentum of 3-D popularity, Sony executive Hiroshi Kawano said at the Tokyo Game Show Thursday.
Sony bets Walkman showing lyrics can rival iPods
Sony's new Walkman series are unveiled in Tokyo, zeroing in on sound quality and karaoke-like lyrics. (AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa)
Sony is zeroing in on sound quality and karaoke-like lyric displays to woo Japan, its stronghold in digital music players, amid a battering elsewhere from U.S. rival Apple Inc.’s iPod.
Hisatsugu Nakamuta, the Sony Corp. general manager overseeing marketing, said Wednesday that the Japanese electronics and entertainment company is hoping to grab as much as half of Japan’s annual 6.5 million unit portable audio-player market with its new Walkman models. Get the full story »
Eisner downplays rumors of Tribune Co. role
Former Disney Chief Executive Michael Eisner is downplaying reports he is being considered to head Tribune Co. after it exits bankruptcy protection.
The 68-year-old told a St. Louis radio station Tuesday that “somebody in the media” read more into his association with Tribune than was real. Get the full story »
Creditor seeks Ch. 11 trustee in Tribune Co. case
A large junior creditor in Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy case asked the judge to appoint a Chapter 11 trustee to administer potential legal claims surrounding the company’s ill-fated 2007 leveraged buyout.
Contending that the debtor, its management and lawyers for the committee of unsecured creditors face too many conflicts of interest, Aurelius Capital Management said appointing an independent third party would be the only way to make sure potential claims get a fair hearing. Get the full story »
8 Illinois companies named best for working moms
Eight Illinois companies were among the 100 companies nationwide deemed best by Working Mother magazine, whose 2010 list opens a window onto a widening array of corporate assistance programs.
Tuition assistance, a concierge service to help with errands, leadership training for women, assistance for employees with special-needs children, paid maternity and paternity leave, and extensive flexible work arrangements were among the benefits at the top 10 firms. Get the full story »
Tribune Co. creditors seek to sue Zell over LBO
The unsecured creditor’s committee in Tribune Co.’s bankruptcy case asked a Delaware judge Monday for the right to sue Chicago real estate magnate Sam Zell, company officials and others who participated in the company’s ill-fated 2007 leveraged buyout. Get the full story »
FCC: ‘Super Wi-Fi’ could be a year away
A new flavor of Wi-Fi, with longer range and wall-piercing power, could show up in wireless gadgets a year from now if the Federal Communications Commission works out the last details of new spectrum rules that have been long in the making.
Nearly two years ago, the FCC voted to open up the airwaves between broadcast TV channels — so-called “white spaces” — for wireless broadband connections that would work like Wi-Fi on steroids. But wrangling over key technical details, including concerns about interference with TV signals and wireless microphones, has prevented exploitation of these spaces. Get the full story »
