Telecommunications
-
Talent Talk: Horror and Politics Meld in Turkish Filmmaker Orçun Behram’s ‘The Antenna’
Orçun Behram’s dystopian The Antenna is set in a bleak and run-down apartment complex where its superintendent is confronted with oozing and faceless entities that terrorize its tenants. The trouble begins when the government installs new satellite dishes in its bid to control information and monitor its citizens. The political horror film bows Oct. 20 on VOD platforms … Continue reading “Talent Talk: Horror and Politics Meld in Turkish Filmmaker Orçun Behram’s ‘The Antenna’”
-
Netflix Cancels Hilary Swank Astronaut Series ‘Away’ After One Season
Netflix’s patience on original programming is wearing thin. The SVOD giant has reportedly pulled the plug on a second season of “Away,” the space exploration drama featuring Hilary Swank as an astronaut juggling family life with a historic mission to Mars. The series has ranked high on Nielsen’s weekly top 10 streaming chart, topping out … Continue reading “Netflix Cancels Hilary Swank Astronaut Series ‘Away’ After One Season”
-
Shout! Studios Strikes First-Look Deal with Quincy Newell’s TwentyOne14 Media
Shout! Studios, the multi-platform filmed entertainment distribution and production arm of Shout! Factory, on Oct. 14 announced a first-look deal with entertainment executive Quincy Newell and his content production company, TwentyOne14 Media. The deal calls for Newell and TwentyOne14 Media to develop and produce multicultural focused entertainment with Shout! Studios. The wide-ranging deal covers all … Continue reading “Shout! Studios Strikes First-Look Deal with Quincy Newell’s TwentyOne14 Media”
-
Ampere: Pay-TV Added 3.1 Million Subs Globally in Q2
The pay-TV market may be in decline — especially in the United States — but globally, the industry saw an addition of 3.1 million subscribers in the second quarter (ended June 30), according to new data from Ampere Analysis. The London-based research firm said that despite the loss of live sports due to the coronavirus … Continue reading “Ampere: Pay-TV Added 3.1 Million Subs Globally in Q2”
-
CEO: AT&T Turning the Page on Pay-TV; Embracing Streaming Video, Broadband
AT&T, like Comcast Cable, has been hemorrhaging pay-TV subscribers in recent years. The corporate owner of DirecTV and AT&T U-verse lost about 4 million combined subscribers in 2019, which included former online TV service DirecTV Now as consumers increasingly cut the cord in search of cheaper over-the-top video alternatives. In response, subsidiary WarnerMedia rolled out … Continue reading “CEO: AT&T Turning the Page on Pay-TV; Embracing Streaming Video, Broadband”
-
T-Mobile Streaming Original Major League Baseball Content
Wireless carrier T-Mobile Sept. 14 announced it would begin streaming an original Q&A video series featuring Major League Baseball players. Called “Beyond the Bases,” the series is hosted by Bleacher Report’s Taylor Rooks, who will be joined by New York Mets All-Star first baseman Pete Alonso, on Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. PT on T-MobileBeyondtheBases.com … Continue reading “T-Mobile Streaming Original Major League Baseball Content”
-
AT&T Ups Effort to Sell DirecTV, Xandr and Crunchyroll
After years of acquisitions, AT&T is on a sales mode. The telecom’s on-again, off-again love affair with satellite pay-TV distribution appears to be off again. The company has reportedly hired a major investment banker to help unload DirecTV, which it acquired in 2015 for $48.5 billion just as online TV and subscription streaming video-on-demand was … Continue reading “AT&T Ups Effort to Sell DirecTV, Xandr and Crunchyroll”
-
Broadband Added 1.25 Million U.S. Households in Q2; Largest Gain in Eight Years
If there’s a silver lining for pay-TV distributors hemorrhaging video subscribers, it’s high-speed Internet. Linear TV subs dropping service are doing so for alternative home entertainment channels delivered over the Web. To get that distribution requires broadband, which most pay-TV operators deliver. New data from Leichtman Research Group found that the largest cable and telephone … Continue reading “Broadband Added 1.25 Million U.S. Households in Q2; Largest Gain in Eight Years”
-
Report: U.S. Pay-TV Sub Loss Increased 18% in Q2
With the migration of pay-TV subscribers to alternative (i.e. streaming) home entertainment channels ongoing, the number of U.S. linear TV subscribers dropping service increased 18% to 1.57 million in the second quarter, ended June 30, according to new data from Leichtman Research Group. The Durham, N.H.-based firm found that while the Q2 sub loss was … Continue reading “Report: U.S. Pay-TV Sub Loss Increased 18% in Q2”
-
Dish Loses 96,000 Pay-TV Subs in Q2, Including 56,000 Sling TV Accounts
Dish Network Aug. 7 said it lost 96,000 pay-TV subscribers in the second quarter (ended June 30), including 56,000 Sling TV paid members. That compared with a loss of 79,000 pay-TV subs during the previous-year period, in addition to a gain of 48,000 Sling TV customers. The company closed the quarter with 11.27 million pay-TV … Continue reading “Dish Loses 96,000 Pay-TV Subs in Q2, Including 56,000 Sling TV Accounts”
-
In a Switch: Charter Adds 102,000 Spectrum Video Subs in Q2
In a switch, Charter Communications July 31 announced it added 102,000 Spectrum video subscribers in the second quarter, ended June 30. That compared with a loss of 150,000 video subs in the previous-year period. Charter ended the period with 15.6 million video subs — down 150,000 subs from 15.8 million subs a year ago. The … Continue reading “In a Switch: Charter Adds 102,000 Spectrum Video Subs in Q2”
-
Comcast Loses Record 477,000 Pay-TV Subs in Q2, Adds Most Broadband Subs in 13 Years
As expected, Comcast legacy cable pay-TV business represents a widening economic fissure, losing 477,000 pay-TV subscribers in the second quarter, ended June 30. That was more than double the 224,000 video subs lost in the previous-year period. The cable giant has lost more than 1.2 million video subs in the past 12 months as consumers … Continue reading “Comcast Loses Record 477,000 Pay-TV Subs in Q2, Adds Most Broadband Subs in 13 Years”