Telecommunications
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Genius Brands Acquiring WOW! Unlimited Media
Genius Brands International is acquiring WOW! Unlimited Media for approximately $53 million in cash and stock, according to the companies. WOW! Unlimited Media, based in Toronto, Vancouver, New York and Los Angeles, is an animation production company producing for the top broadcasters and IP holders including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Sony, Hulu, Dreamworks, Moonbug, Peacock and … Continue reading “Genius Brands Acquiring WOW! Unlimited Media”
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‘Hard Luck Love Song’ Headed to PVOD Nov. 9, Digital and On Demand Dec. 21
The noir crime thriller Hard Luck Love Song arrives on premium VOD Nov. 9 and on digital and on demand Dec. 21 from Lionsgate. Based on the song “Just Like Old Times” by singer-songwriter Todd Snider, the film stars Michael Dorman (“For All Mankind,” “Patriot,” The Invisible Man), Sophia Bush (John Tucker Must Die, “One … Continue reading “‘Hard Luck Love Song’ Headed to PVOD Nov. 9, Digital and On Demand Dec. 21”
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Data: U.S. Pay-TV Households Still Top 70%
Who said pay-TV is dead? New data from Leichtman Research Group suggests 71% of domestic TV households nationwide have some form of pay-TV service. The percentage homes with either cable, satellite, telecom, or online TV is down from 82% in 2016, 87% in 2011, and 86% in 2006. Not surprisingly, pay-TV household penetration rises with … Continue reading “Data: U.S. Pay-TV Households Still Top 70%”
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South Korean ISP Wants Netflix to Pay More for Broadband
On the heels of Netflix’s global hit “Squid Game,” a legal battle between the world’s largest subscription streaming operator and a South Korean ISP has reignited the debate over net neutrality laws in the country. Specifically, SK Broadband, the high-speed internet distributor of SK Telecom in South Korea, recently filed a countersuit against Netflix demanding … Continue reading “South Korean ISP Wants Netflix to Pay More for Broadband”
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Study: Black Audiences Increasingly Cutting the Cord
Black audiences are increasingly opting to cut the cord, a new Horowitz study finds. Though Black households were shedding cable at a slower rate as compared to the overall market, Horowitz data shows that over the past four years, MVPD penetration among Black households has declined from 88% in 2017 to 61% in 2021 — a 25% … Continue reading “Study: Black Audiences Increasingly Cutting the Cord”
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Verizon Adds Q3 Broadband Subs, Loses Video
Verizon Oct. 20 revealed it lost 68,000 video subscribers in the third quarter, ended Sept. 30, to finish the period with 3.6 million Fios TV subs. That compared with a loss of 61,000 video subs in the previous-year period. Over the past nine months, Verizon has lost 212,000 pay-TV subs, down from 226,000 subs during … Continue reading “Verizon Adds Q3 Broadband Subs, Loses Video”
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Merchandising: Phoning in ‘Free Guy’ Exclusives
Best Buy and Target each offered exclusive editions of Disney-owned 20th Century Studios’ Free Guy Oct. 12. The film stars Ryan Reynolds as a bank teller who realizes he’s a video game character. Target offered the 4K combo pack in an exclusive “Art Edition” with unique box art and two foil-etched prints for $34.99. Best … Continue reading “Merchandising: Phoning in ‘Free Guy’ Exclusives”
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Kagan: Cord-Cutting to Cost U.S. Pay-TV Biz $33.6 Billion in Annual Revenue by 2025
Cord-cutting among pay-TV subscribers is no longer a niche activity. The practice of giving up the traditional cable/satellite/telecom channel bundle for over-the-top video is now expected to strip nearly $33.6 billion in annual revenue from U.S. operators through 2025, according to new data from Kagan. The research firm contends revenue from cable, satellite and telecoms … Continue reading “Kagan: Cord-Cutting to Cost U.S. Pay-TV Biz $33.6 Billion in Annual Revenue by 2025”
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Brian Roberts: Comcast is ‘Really a Broadband Company’
Comcast has quietly become the top provider of high-speed Internet, or broadband connectivity in the United States (and globally), with 33 million customers and 31 million monthly subscribers. Broadband is the lifeline for distribution of over-the-top video into consumer homes, including for SVOD services such as Peacock, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max and Amazon Prime … Continue reading “Brian Roberts: Comcast is ‘Really a Broadband Company’”
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AT&T CFO: WarnerMedia Sale to Discovery Expected to Close First Half of 2022
AT&T’s WarnerMedia minority stake sale to Discovery remains on schedule to close in the first six months of 2022, according to AT&T CFO Pascal Desroches. Speaking at the virtual Bank of America Media, Communications & Entertainment Conference, Desroches said the $43 billion deal affording Discovery operating control of Warner Bros. Pictures, HBO and Turner is … Continue reading “AT&T CFO: WarnerMedia Sale to Discovery Expected to Close First Half of 2022”
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T-Mobile Offering 12 Months of Free Apple TV+ Streaming Service
T-Mobile Aug. 23 announced that select subscribers now get a full year of Apple TV+ streaming video service for free starting Aug. 25. All new and existing T-Mobile customers on the telecom’s most-expensive unlimited data plans (Magenta and Magenta Max) score this deal, in addition to Sprint Unlimited Plus and Sprint Premium customers. The marketing … Continue reading “T-Mobile Offering 12 Months of Free Apple TV+ Streaming Service”
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DirecTV to Officially Switch to ‘DirecTV Stream’ Aug. 26 as Dish Merger Scuttlebutt Grows
Satellite TV operator DirecTV beginning Aug. 26 will officially switch its brand name to DirecTV Stream. The distributor, which AT&T sold a controlling minority stake of to private equity group TPG Capital earlier this year, is looking to capitalize on the streaming video phenomena birthed by Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu, and now driven … Continue reading “DirecTV to Officially Switch to ‘DirecTV Stream’ Aug. 26 as Dish Merger Scuttlebutt Grows”