Time Warner - Top Stocks
 
Search Top Stocks:

Browse by Tags

  • $9 to rent an HD movie on demand?

    Posted May 16 2008, 10:56 AM by Kim Peterson
    Filed under: ,
    Rating:

    People will pay between $7 and $9 to rent HD movies-on-demand that come out the same day as DVDs, according to consulting firm Oliver Wyman. Right now, movies generally hit DVD first before releasing on-demand. Changing that formula would lead consumers to pay for three more movies a year, the firm said, adding $5 billion to the $50 billion spent on movies annually in the U.S.

    Even a $7 rental seems too pricey to me, unless you're talking about some jaw-droppingly amazing movie that absolutely must be watched in high-definition. Despite its slightly outrageous numbers, the report touches on a fact that movie studios have clued into for a while now: video-on-demand is smoking hot, and doesn't deserve its second-tier status.   Read More...

    Discuss ( 187 comments) 37,821 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

  • Cable companies eyeing nationwide wireless network

    Posted Mar 26 2008, 12:10 PM by Kim Peterson
    Filed under: , , , , , , , , , ,
    Rating:

    Lots of big numbers are being tossed around today in support of WiMax, a wireless technology that can deliver high-speed Internet access over several miles. Clearwire is a leader in developing WiMax, and has been trying to hammer out a partnership with Sprint for months. But working out a deal hasn't been easy, partly because building out WiMax is so expensive and partly because both companies have their own struggles to deal with.

    Now, the two biggest U.S. cable companies are stepping in with loads of cash. According to the Wall Street Journal, Comcast and Time Warner are talking about funding a new WiMax company, one that would be run by Sprint and Clearwire. The company would operate a nationwide WiMax network. Comcast is reportedly offering $1 billion and Time Warner is adding $500 million. Bright House Networks, a small cable company, might pony up between $100 million and $200 million.   Read More...

    Discuss ( 15 comments) 8,822 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

  • Time Warner separating AOL's dialup business

    Posted Feb 06 2008, 12:12 PM by Kim Peterson
    Filed under: , ,
    Rating:

    Time Warner is separating AOL's Internet dialup business from the rest of the division -- and it's about time. AOL has been trying to reinvent itself as a serious advertising company, and it couldn't do that with the dialup albatross around its neck.

    The growth of high-speed Internet access has made the dialup business a loser for years now. AOL had 9.3 million U.S. dialup subscribers at the end of 2007, a 29% decrease from a year earlier. There are an estimated 60 million high-speed Internet subscribers in the country.

    Still, that doesn't make AOL's industry position any better. There is no way the division can compete with two giants, Google and Microsoft-Yahoo (if that merger goes through), in the online advertising game. Sloughing off the dialup business "will significantly increase AOL's strategic options," CEO Jeff Bewkes said today in a conference call. Ding! The "for sale" sign has been hung.   Read More...

    Discuss ( 3 comments) 6,107 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this

  • Cutting 2,000 jobs at AOL is a good start

    Posted Oct 15 2007, 11:23 AM by Kim Peterson
    Filed under: , , , ,

    It's been a long time since AOL was considered a serious competitor to Microsoft or Yahoo. The company has never been a threat to Google. I would say today's announcement of 2,000 staff cuts marks the end of an era, but I think that already happened. 

    Paring 2,000 from a workforce of 10,000 is significant, but it isn't enough. According to a staff memo by CEO Randy Falco, the layoffs will help the company continue its massive push into online advertising. AOL changed its strategy in August 2006 to focus on advertising and move away from the subscription Internet access business. The company has been slashing jobs since 2001, when it had 18,000 employees.

    Certainly the cuts were necessary. In August, Time Warner pulled back its ad growth forecasts for the year. Its Q2 ad sales grew by only 16%, down from 40% for four previous quarters. And on the Internet access side, AOL lost 1.1 million paying subscribers. A lot of lines are trending down at AOL, and a massive layoff will help reverse that   Read More...

    Discuss (no comments) 654 Views Digg this | Email this | Link to this