ITV

Tag: Time Warner Cable

  • Time Warner Cable launches TWC TV on Roku

    Time Warner Cable launches TWC TV on Roku

    MUMBAI: Time Warner Cable has launched TWC TV channel on Roku players. Customers will be able to stream up to 300 channels of live programming in their homes through the Roku device at no additional cost.

    “This fourth platform launch for TWC TV represents a new viewing experience for our customers. It’s a great complimentary service in the home, offering thousands of programs at their fingertips. We’re proud to add TWC TV for Roku to the growing collection of devices our customers use to watch content in the home,” said Time Warner Cable SVP and GM, Video Mike Angus.

    Key features on TWC TV for Roku include: access to up to 300 channels of live programming, ability to browse carousels of genre-grouped titles, option to view recently viewed channels and create favorite channel list, and parental control channel blocking.

    Time Warner Cable plans to add On Demand content to the offering later this year. TWC TV for Roku is available to Time Warner Cable video subscribers with a TWC authorized modem and a Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku HD, Roku LT player or Roku Streaming Stick.

    Customers also need their TWC ID and password. Channel line-ups vary per market and depend on which video subscription package a customer subscribes to. TWC TV is also available on Apple iOS, Android devices and PCs and Macs via TWC website.

  • SnagFilms releases Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist in US

    SnagFilms releases Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist in US

    MUMBAI: SnagFilms, one of the world‘s leading distributors of independent films for digital platforms, has released its groundbreaking feature documentary Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist on the US pay-on-demand platform on 22 April.

    Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist takes viewers on an action-packed voyage with the world‘s most wanted environmentalist heroes, Captain Paul Watson and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society – the stars of Animal Planet‘s Emmy-nominated hit series Whale Wars.

    Seen through the eyes of director, activist and longest serving Sea Shepherd crew member, Peter Jay Brown, the film features 30 years of never-before-seen insider footage of the most exciting, despairing and triumphant eco-campaigns in the world. During their voyages they‘ve been engaged in dramatic conflict including the boarding of ships, arrests, being fired upon by the Norwegian Navy and successfully ramming and/or sinking illegal whaling and fishing vessels worldwide. The group is also credited with stopping drift-netting worldwide and saving the lives of millions of marine wildlife.

    "We are extremely excited for audiences in the U.S. to be able to experience Confessions Of An Eco-Terrorist and its unmistakable environmental message," stated SnagFilms COO Stephanie Sharis. "Earth Day is the perfect time to premiere this truly revolutionary documentary," he observed.

    The film will be available on video on demand on Comcast, FiOS and iNDemand affiliates including Time Warner Cable, Cox and Bright House Networks, as well as digital platforms, including iTunes, VUDU, Amazon and Xbox Live.

  • Fox News seeking better subscription value for its content

    Fox News seeking better subscription value for its content

    MUMBAI: News Corp will look for higher programming fees in the upcoming negotiations with pay TV contributors for its Fox News channel.

    News Corp COO Chase Carey said that the conglomerate‘s content will be available to new clients only if it gets paid a “fair value”. He was speaking at the 38th Annual UBS Global Media and Communications Conference on Wednesday.

    Chase asserted that though both the channels are equally important, Fox News gets a very small percentage when compared to the fees that ESPN reaps.

    “[Fox News] in the cable world is right there with ESPN, as important a channel as exists out there,” said Carey.

    He averred that his team‘s motto will be: “If we don‘t get fair value, we shouldn‘t be selling it.”

    Priced at $4 per subscriber per month, currently ESPN is one of the highest priced cable channels in the US. Fox News is priced at $1 per subscriber per month; however this was negotiated in 2006.   
         
      Although Chase declined to discuss about the terms of deals News Corp reached with Cablevision Systems and Time Warner Cable, however he did mention that “we were looking to what we thought was fair and we stuck to our guns. It takes two to make a deal… we achieved what we set out to achieve.”

    He added that Fox “should be our most important channel. It should be our most profitable channel. That‘s what we‘re looking to achieve.”

    Carey said that Fox believes it has rejuvenated its most important franchise ‘American Idol‘.

    “It‘s a dominant franchise. We can take advantage of a new, fresh and different panel [of judges]” he said.

    This time the panel won‘t include Simon Cowell, but Cowell will be bringing his new show, ‘X Factor‘, to Fox next season.

    “We will have year-round franchises with Idol and ‘X Factor‘ in the fall with Simon,” he said.

    According to Chase, News Corp‘s other cable channels also have opportunities to increase their subscription fees when compared with their competitors.

    He said, “Our channels are pretty new compared to a lot of their peers,” and that “If we make every channel a leader in its category, we‘ve got a lot of room to grow.”

  • Adelphia closes asset sale to Time Warner Cable & Comcast

    Adelphia closes asset sale to Time Warner Cable & Comcast

    MUMBAI: US cable television company Adelphia Communications Corporation has completed the sale of all of its assets to Time Warner Cable and Comcast Corporation for the aggregate consideration of approximately $12.5 billion in cash and approximately 16 percent of the equity of Time Warner’s cable subsidiary.

    As a result of the sale, Adelphia will no longer operate as a U.S. cable company. Its approximately 4.8 million customers will be distributed between Time Warner Cable and Comcast.

    Teams from the buyers and Adelphia have worked together for months to ensure an orderly transition for customers, communities and the almost 13,000 Adelphia employees who will transfer to Time Warner Cable and Comcast, states an official release.

    Concurrent with the closing of the sale, Adelphia also consummated a plan of reorganization for the former joint ventures with Comcast (Century-TCI and Parnassos), resulting in the repayment in full of approximately $1.7 billion of indebtedness. Adelphia will hold the remaining sale proceeds for distribution to its creditors through a Plan of Reorganization as it seeks to resolve its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

    On 24 July 2006 Adelphia announced an agreement on a framework for a Plan of Reorganization intended to result in a fourth quarter 2006 emergence from Chapter 11. The agreement enjoys widespread support among Adelphia’s major unsecured creditors, including the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors, though several constituencies do not support it. Adelphia’s obligations under the agreement and the reorganization plan envisioned by it are subject to approval by the Bankruptcy Court.

    UBS Investment Bank and Allen & Company LLC served as Adelphia’s financial advisors for the sale transaction. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP served as Adelphia’s legal advisor for the sale. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP continues to serve as Adelphia’s legal counsel for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy process.

  • OpenTV to offer advanced digital television solutions to Time Warner Cable

    OpenTV to offer advanced digital television solutions to Time Warner Cable

    MUMBAI: OpenTV Corp. a provider of enabling technologies for advanced digital television services has announced a multi-year license agreement with Time Warner Cable to deploy the cable operator’s digital navigator on the Open TV platform.

    The Time Warner Cable digital navigator will enhance existing programme guides, facilitate cross platform integrated services and speed to market new product introductions on the company’s Motorola set-top boxes.

    Additionally, OpenTV’s Core 2.0 software and related interactive television services will be available to Time Warner Cable divisions running Motorola equipment for deployment.

    This licensing agreement represents the first US cable deployment of OpenTV’s advanced digital solutions and applications, informs an official release.

    Initial launch of OpenTV’s solutions is expected in late 2006 on Time Warner Cable’s Motorola set-top boxes, ranging from the DCT-2000 to more full-featured Motorola set-top boxes. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

    OpenTV will provide its Core 2.0 set-top software, interactive applications, and infrastructure systems for application delivery, set-top messaging, and advanced two-way communications.

    As part of the deal, OpenTV has agreed to make available a variety of interactive applications for Time Warner Cable’s use, and expects to write additional applications for the OpenTV platform, OCAP, and other platforms that Time Warner Cable introduces within its Divisions.

    “This deal marks a historic milestone for OpenTV and the culmination of many years of work,” said OpenTV CEO James A.Chiddix. “Gaining a strong foothold in the U.S. cable market has long been a goal of OpenTV, and with an anchor customer like Time Warner Cable we now have a firm foundation from which to continue extending and enhancing our solutions and services as digital television moves ahead in the market. We look forward to fostering this new relationship with Time Warner Cable and furthering its commitment in delivering choice, quality, and value to its subscribers with the most advanced digital television services.”

  • DirecTV signs deal for Viacom’s new jazz channel

    DirecTV signs deal for Viacom’s new jazz channel

    MUMBAI: US media conglomerate Viacom’s subsidiary Bet is launching a jazz channel Bet J.

    Bet has signed a deal with US pay-TV platform DirecTV for carriage. The broadcaster says that jazz, the purest and oldest form of American music, has both chronicled and celebrated the African-American journey. Today jazz is seen, heard and felt in a number of related genres including blues, soul, R&B, Caribbean and neo-soul music.

    Bet chairman and CEO Debra L. Lee says, The African-American community looks to Bet to reflect the culture, and in doing so they have come to expect innovation and diversity in programming under our Bet Networks brand. We are happy to respond and to evolve to meet their needs.

    Bet Digital Networks executive VP and GM Paxton Baker says, Our new chapter under Bet J will be even more exciting, enticing and multicultural. In fact, the J in our new network name is now more indicative of the complete musical and cultural Journey rather than only jazz.

    DirecTV is launching Bet J to continue its tradition of providing the most exciting and unique programming for its customers. Bet J is available on Channel 330 on DirecTVs Total Choice Plus programming package. MTV Networks negotiated this carriage agreement as part of its affiliate sales and marketing representation of Bet Networks.

    With the DirecTV launch, Bet J has built a total distribution platform that reaches approximately 21 million homes. In addition to DirecTV, other distributors already carrying Bet J, will now offer the revamped channel for viewers include Charter Communications, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable.

  • NBC Universal unveils new division to boost digital media

    NBC Universal unveils new division to boost digital media

    MUMBAI: NBC Universal has formed a new business unit, the Technology Growth Center (TGC), within the media giant to focus on new business opportunities in digital media. NBC Universal has tapped Darren Feher, the company’s chief technology officer, to run the group.

    Feher will be reporting to NBC Universal’s technology and operations division president and chief information officer of Media Works John Eck.

    “Today, consumers want to enjoy media any time and any where,” Eck said. “The TGC will help fulfill this demand by providing the necessary technology to foster a greater variety of distribution methods.”
    The new division will coordinate NBCU’s approach to technology across the company’s various distribution channels.

    TGC is organized into four divisions: Technical Product Development, developing technology in the areas of broadband, iTV, electronic-sell-through, mobile and wireless, DVRs and gaming; Policy, Strategy and Standards, focusing on increasing the influence of NBC Universal’s industry positions among standards consortia and in Washington; Emerging Technology and Research, working with GE’s Global Research Center and universities; and Anti-Piracy Technical Operations, with an emphasis on forensic watermarking, cracking down on Internet piracy, and raids and investigations, stated a media report.

    The division has already developed the technology that allowed NBC Universal to digitally send its TV content to Apple for distribution on iTunes, eliminating the need for digital beta tapes. Other TGC projects underway include DVD point-of sale activation, forensic watermarking, new peer based distribution technologies, download-to-own technology, DRM standards and automatic closed captioning.

    The TGC has also launched several interactive television projects, including a service that enabled DirecTV, EchoStar and Time Warner Cable subscribers to access medal counts, athlete biographies and news during broadcasts of the Winter Olympics in February. More recently, the TGC has facilitated online voting in several NBC shows, including Deal or No Deal.