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Tag: Comcast Corp

  • Amazon Prime signs multiyear licensing deal with Comcast’s Universal

    Amazon Prime signs multiyear licensing deal with Comcast’s Universal

    New Delhi: Starting 2022, Universal Pictures’ new live action films will first debut on Comcast’s OTT platform Peacock after their theatrical releases, and then land exclusively on Amazon Prime Video four months later.

    The arrangement is part of a multiyear deal that Amazon has signed with Comcast’s Universal Pictures and Peacock, and applies to all live-action films including Jurassic World: Dominion that are scheduled to be released in theatres in 2022.

    The deal is part of the company’s plan to change the traditional home entertainment release pattern. Generally, new movies go to a cable channel or streaming service about six months or more after they debut in cinemas. These films remain with the outlet for an 18-month window, which is referred to as the ‘Pay-One Window’.

    Under the new arrangement, Universal will send its films to streaming quicker and will break up the 18-month period. So, new movies will go to Peacock four months after their theatrical debut, and four months later, these films will be available on Amazon Prime Video for ten months and then back to Peacock for four months, it said in a statement.

    “We’re thrilled to team up with Amazon to deliver our titles to its customers. This agreement further delivers on our distribution strategy to monetize our unparalleled movie library across multiple services, while offering customers the most choice, control and flexibility in how, when and where they watch films,” said UEFG, vice chairman and chief distribution officer, Peter Levinsohn in a statement.

    As the streaming war rages on, media companies are trying new strategies to bolster their streaming services and challenge the domination of streaming giant Netflix, which currently boasts of 208 million subscribers. 

  • Times Warner Cable FY-2014 operating income up 1.1 per cent

    Times Warner Cable FY-2014 operating income up 1.1 per cent

    BENGALURU: Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC) reported a 1.1 per cent growth in operating income in FY-2014 at $4632 million from $4580 million in FY-2013. For Q4-2014 (quarter ended 31 December, 2014, current quarter), TWC operating income at $1226 million was 4.5 per cent more than the  $1173 million in the corresponding quarter of last year.

     

    TWC revenue for FY-2014 at $22812 million was 3.1 per cent more than the $22120 million in the previous year. Q4-2014 revenue at $5970 million was 3.8 per cent more than the $5577 million in Q4-2013.

     

    Time Warner Cable chairman and CEO Rob Marcus said, “Our fourth quarter marked a strong finish to a really positive year for Time Warner Cable. As a result of record Q4 subscriber net adds and the investments we made all year in our plant, products and customer care, we enter 2015 with tremendous operating momentum.”

     

    Marcus added, “We continue to expect the Comcast merger to close soon; until then, we remain one hundred per cent committed to executing our plan.”

     

    Financial Highlights

     

    FY-2014 revenue grew 3.1 per cent year over year with Business Services revenue up 22.8 per cent, residential high-speed data revenue up 10.4 per cent and advertising revenue up 10.6 per cent.

     

    Fourth-quarter 2014 revenue grew 3.8 per cent year over year with Business Services revenue up 22.6 per cent, residential high-speed data revenue up 7.4 per cent and advertising revenue up 19.4 per cent.

     

    Full-year Adjusted OIBDA was $8.2 billion – up 3.1 per cent year over year. Operating Income of $4.6 billion increased 1.1 per cent y-o-y. Fourth-quarter Adjusted OIBDA was $2.1 billion – up 5.6 per cent year over year. Operating Income of $1.2 billion increased 4.5 per cent y-o-y.

     

    Full-year Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 14.4 per cent to $7.56. Diluted EPS increased 7.0 per cent to $7.17.  Fourth-quarter Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 11.5 per cent to $2.03. Diluted EPS increased 3.2 per cent to $1.95.

     

    Operational Highlights

     

    Fourth-quarter subscriber performance in each category: Total customer relationship net additions of 67,000. Residential high-speed data net additions of 168,000 and revenue from this segment grew 7.4 per cent to $1644 million in Q4-2014 from $1531 million in Q4-2013. FY-2014 revenue from this segment grew 10.4 per cent to $6428 million from $5822 million in the previous year.

     

    Residential voice net reported additions of 295,000, and a revenue decline of 4.7 per cent at $470 million in the current quarter from $493 million in Q4-2013. FY-2014 revenue from this segment declined 4.7 per cent to $1932 million from $2027 million in FY-2013.

     

    Residential video net subscribers declined 38,000, and revenue from this segment fell 2.8 per cent to $2464 million in the current quarter from $2536 million in Q4-2013. FY-2014 revenue from this segment fell 4.6 per cent to $10002 million from $10481 million in FY-2013.

     

    Residential triple play net additions were 273,000 says TWC.

     

    TWC says that full-year capital expenditures of $4.1 billion reflect the company’s accelerated investment in “TWCMaxx,” improved customer experience and network expansion.

     

    The roll out of TWC Maxx, including the “all digital” conversion and Internet speeds of up to 300 Mbps, was completed in New York City and Los Angeles during 2014. The company expects to complete the roll out in Austin, Texas in early 2015 and plans to expand TWC Maxx to Charlotte, Dallas, Hawaii, Kansas City, Raleigh, San Antonio and San Diego in 2015.

     

    TWC says that it deployed more than eight million new set-top boxes, digital-to-analogue converters and advanced modems in customers’ homes during 2014.

     

    It says further that during 2014, TWC added nearly 70,000 commercial buildings to its network, ending the year with connectivity to 930,000 commercial buildings. TWC claims that it achieved record “on-time” performance with technicians arriving at more than 97 per cent of customer appointments within the designated one-hour appointment window during the fourth quarter.

     

    TWC, the second largest US cable TV operator is being bought by the largest US Cable TV operator Comcast Corp in a friendly takeover for $45.3 billion subject to various approvals.

  • AT&T to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion

    AT&T to buy DirecTV for $48.5 billion

    NEW DELHI: The American telecom giant AT&T has decided to take over pay TV brand DirecTV for $48.5 billion, but will sell its 73 million publicly listed shares from America Movil in Latin America considering the strong presence DirecTV has in the video market there.

     

    Combined the company would have roughly 26 million video subscribers, most from the DirecTV side, and a broadband network covering 70 million customer locations. 

     

    “This is an unique opportunity that will redefine the video entertainment industry and create a company that is able to offer new bundles and deliver content to consumers across multiple screens – mobile devices, TVs, laptops, cars and even airplanes,” said AT&T’s chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson in a statement.

     

    Meanwhile, the regulator is examining the three-month old proposal by Comcast Corp for a $45 billion takeover of Time Warner.

     

    AT&T will not pay any fee to DirecTV if they do not get approval from the regulator.

    Following the deal, the telecom giant will expand high-speed broadband to 15 million customer locations, primarily in rural areas, in four years.

     

    AT&T will acquire DirecTV in a stock-and-cash transaction for $95 per share based on last Friday closing price. DirecTV shareholders will own around 14.5 to 15.8 per cent of AT&T shares. AT&T expects cost synergies to exceed $1.6 billion on an annual run rate basis by three years after closing.

     

    DirecTV has 20.3 million American subscribers, while AT&T serves 5.6 million video customers connected to its U-Verse network. But DirecTV’s subscriber growth has slowed in recent months as it does not have a landline network to deliver high-speed internet services to homes, unlike phone and cable TV companies.

     

    The deal will assist DirecTV to take on the combined entity between Comcast and Time Warner Cable. If combined, AT&T-DirecTV would serve roughly 26 million pay-TV customers. That would be less than the 30 million Comcast would have if regulators approve its purchase of Time Warner Cable.

     

    The transaction enables the combined company to offer consumer bundles that include video, high-speed broadband and mobile services using all of its sales channels — AT&T’s 2,300 retail stores and thousands of authorised dealers and agents of both companies, an AT&T spokesperson said.

     

    For customers who only want a broadband service and may choose to use video through an over-the-top (OTT) service like Netflix or Hulu, the combined company will offer stand-alone wireline broadband service at speeds of at least 6 Mbps (where feasible) in areas where AT&T offers wireline IP broadband service at guaranteed prices for three years.

     

    AT&T will continue to offer DirecTV service on a stand-alone basis at nationwide package prices for at least three years after closing.

     

    In 2015, AT&T will bid at least $9 billion provided there is sufficient spectrum available in the auction to provide AT&T a viable path to at least a 2×10 MHz nationwide spectrum footprint. 

     

  • Golden Globe Awards gets best viewership in 10 years

    Golden Globe Awards gets best viewership in 10 years

    MUMBAI: Sunday’s telecast of the 71st annual Golden Globe Awards seems to have exceeded all expectations. If numbers are to be believed the gala drew its best audience in the past decade with 20.9 million people tuning in to watch the Hollywood awards show, Comcast Corp-owned network NBC stated on Monday.

     

    The three-hour awards show, which honors the year’s achievements in film and television, rose six percent in total viewers compared to last year and was up two percent in the 18-49 age group most coveted by advertisers, according to early figures from Nielsen Media Research.

     

    The show hosted for a second consecutive year by comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler was received well once again as the Golden Globe Awards beat other televised ceremonies such as the Emmys and People’s Choice Awards for viewers. The duo have already signed on to host next year’s Golden Globes.

     

    Big film winners at the Golden Globes, which are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, were historical slavery drama 12 Years a Slave and 1970s corruption romp American Hustle.