Browse by Tags
-
Posted
Sep 03 2009, 03:47 AM
by
Douglas McIntyre
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
 Google’s (GOOG) YouTube may finally come up with a way to raise revenue. It streamed nine billion videos last month, but, by some estimates loses $300 million a year.
The quality of the video on YouTube is usually so low that advertisers don’t want to put their high-quality TV messages on the service. That leaves YouTube with limited options to make money. Bing: The best movies of all time
The video-sharing service is in the final stage of a process to set up a movie rental business with most of the largest studios, including Lions Gate and MGM. Many other companies in the industry will probably join if the program works well. YouTube would offer films for streaming at a price of $3.99. Its audience is large enough that the program could actually work.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jul 06 2009, 03:59 PM
by
Tobin Smith
Rating:
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...
-
Posted
Mar 06 2009, 07:30 PM
by
Charley Blaine
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
The first week of March was not a good week for CNBC's Jim Cramer.
He spent a good deal of time ranting about the Obama administration's clumsiness in dealing with the economy and its sour effect on the financial markets. And the markets didn't -- or couldn't -- turn around.
Then, he was part of a nasty diss on CNBC from Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show." Being on the receiving end of that kind of a smack probably wasn't something Cramer really wanted.
So, you could understand why Cramer was a bit more over-the-top -- and angry -- than usual.
But there's more to Cramer's anger than simple unhappiness with the market. Fact is, he's taken a terrible beating in the market crash
Read More...
-
Posted
Feb 12 2009, 10:46 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
Money Blog: Top Stocks Blog - MSN Money
Cable company Charter Communications (CHTR) will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, unable to deal with its crushing load of debt. It missed $74 million in interest payments due last month. Shares of the company fell 55% to 3 cents Thursday, but they're worth nothing. Shareholders' stake in the company will be canceled, according to the Associated Press. But debt holders will be paid in full, and Paul Allen still gets the biggest voting block in the company. Charter expects its cable, Internet and phone service to continue with no problems. Behind the scenes, its debt is getting restructured and will be reduced by about $8 million. We'll be seeing many more Chapter 11 bankruptcies in the coming months as companies struggle to manage their debt.
Read More...
-
Posted
Jan 12 2009, 11:00 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
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...
-
Posted
May 27 2008, 11:40 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
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...
-
Posted
Dec 12 2007, 04:13 AM
by
Kim Peterson
Rating:
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...
|
