Browse by Tags

Sort by: Date | Rating | Most viewed | Most commented

• What our TV viewing habits mean for media companies

  Posted Jul 06 2009, 03:59 PM by Tobin Smith
  Rating:
  Filed under: Comcast, Time Warner, Facebook, Disney, DirecTV, Cablevision, cable TV, MySpace
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  Back in the '70s and '80s, baby boomers were at the forefront of a new wave of consumer demand. They were also the early adopters of new media technologies. Their TV viewing habits, purchasing habits, likes and dislikes were tracked intensely by the corporate world to help them determine which products, services and technologies were wanted most.

  But fast forward a few decades to the 21st century -- are baby boomers still at the forefront of today's media technology?

  Given the radical changes in media, particularly over the last decade, including the ubiquitous use of the Internet, social networking services and now even video content delivery over the Web, you wouldn't think baby boomers would be leading the charge forward.

  Well, think again. A recent ChangeWave Alliance survey points to a powerful shift occurring among baby boomers from traditional TV to new types of online entertainment.

  But what, if anything, are media companies doing to keep up with changing demand? As it turns out, they're doing plenty. And it could mean a boom for the biggest media firms out there.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 2 comments) 1,871 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Cable companies watch for Supreme Court nod

  Posted Jan 12 2009, 11:00 AM by Kim Peterson
  Rating:
  Filed under: Cablevision, cable TV, Kim Peterson
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  We're allowed to program our home digital video recorder to record TV shows. But if we wanted the cable company to record the programs for us? No way, says Hollywood.

  That's at the heart of an issue that may be headed to the Supreme Court. And the fact that the court is showing an interest in it is a slight negative for cable stocks, particularly Cablevision (CVC), analysts say.

  Those DVR boxes are pricey for cable companies. It would be cheaper to copy a program on a cable company's hard drive. The customer could watch it later, using a remote control and a standard cable box. And that's what Cablevision is proposing to do.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 3 comments) 2,635 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• Cable continues to sucker us

  Posted May 27 2008, 11:40 AM by Kim Peterson
  Rating:
  Filed under: Comcast, Cablevision, cable TV
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  The New York Times examines why we keep paying for cable, even though prices have risen 77% since 1996. Cable customers generally pay at least $60 a month, but only watch 13% of the channels available. Sounds like a rip off, doesn't it? But people accept the charges and continue to subscribe in growing numbers.

  The key to cable's success has been bundling channels together instead of letting people pay just for the ones they watch, according to the Times. Cable companies say that unbundling those channels would give lots of cash to the most popular ones while the rest suffer.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 685 comments) 217,538 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• DirecTV finally offering video-on-demand

  Posted Mar 13 2008, 12:18 PM by Kim Peterson
  Rating:
  Filed under: Comcast, DirecTV, Cablevision
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  DirecTV is finally going to offer a video-on-demand service. About time, too. Comcast and other companies are light-years ahead in this area, and on-demand is becoming a required feature for some consumers these days.

  It's taken DirecTV this long because, as a satellite provider, it broadcasts a one-way signal. The technology doesn't allow for the two-way conversation that an interactive service like on-demand uses. DirecTV is going to work around this using broadband connections and digital video recorder (DVR) technology, according to the WSJ.

  DirecTV shares are up nearly 1% on the news today to $25.21. The project is expected to launch in the second quarter.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 130 comments) 140,865 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

• AT&T goes after Comcast with digital TV service

  Posted Dec 12 2007, 04:13 AM by Kim Peterson
  Rating:
  Filed under: Comcast, AT&T, Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, cable TV
  Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money

  

  After years of paying Comcast at least $100 a month for cable and Internet, I can't help but cheer AT&T on these days. The company is going after cable in a big way by aggressively expanding its U-verse digital television service. AT&T said yesterday it wants to have signed up 1 million video customers by the end of next year. And by 2010, the company said, the service will be available to 30 million customers.

  Getting there isn't cheap: AT&T is planning to spend about $5 billion this year and next to deploy U-verse, which could cut into 2008 earnings by as much as 14 cents a share. It wants to up its weekly installs from 10,000 to 40,000 by next year.

  U-verse's TV signal comes over Internet Protocol through broadband, and you don't need a traditional voice line to use it. The service's advantages include fast channel changing, the ability to record four shows at the same time on a DVR, and a picture-in-picture tool that lets you watch one channel and browse another. You can only watch one HD channel at a time, but AT&T said it will change that in the future.   Read More...

  Discuss ( 66 comments) 27,541 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this