Tough new rules proposed at the Department of Transportation for shipping lithium batteries on airplanes would seriously threaten distribution of the cells and the devices they power at a time when industry is trying to recover from the worst economic decline since the Great Depression, 34 companies and trade groups told the department by letter Thursday.
DirecTV will take a three-pronged approach when it launches its 3D channels in June, company executives said in recent conference calls and investor conferences, apparently with little fanfare. The satellite operator will dedicate one 3D channel to documentaries, movies and concerts, and a second to live sports and concerts, the executives said. A third channel will be devoted to video-on-demand, they said. A highlight will be DirecTV’s 3D airing of Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game in July, CEO Michael White said on an earnings call. We were awaiting word from DirecTV at our Friday deadline whether the game will be aired live in 3D.
Cablevision is planning by year-end to stop buying DVRs to lease to its customers and phase out the in-home boxes in favor of its remote-storage system, Chief Operating Officer Thomas Rutledge told investors Thursday.
Whether Blockbuster becomes “a bit more aggressive” in closing stores this year depends on whether other studios join Warner in adopting new DVD release windows, Blockbuster CEO James Keyes said in a conference call.
House Democrats voiced skepticism that no jobs would be lost as a result of the Comcast-NBC Universal deal, during a wide-ranging hearing Thursday before the Judiciary Committee. Members also grilled the companies’ executives on independent programming and diversity in programming and corporate leadership. Republicans seemed more amenable to the deal, though some sought assurances that Comcast would more forcefully address intellectual property issues.
TiVo is expected next week to introduce a DVR platform to search for shows on YouTube and other sites, an analyst said. TiVo executives, expected to demonstrate the new platform at a news conference March 2 in New York, weren’t available Thursday to comment. The technology probably will provide users with Web search results alongside broadcast, cable TV and pay-per-view listings, said Tony Wible, an analyst at Janney Montgomery Scott.
Sirius XM probably won’t pursue a reverse stock split to get back into compliance with NASDAQ’s listing requirements, executives said on an earnings call Thursday. NASDAQ had warned the company in September that its stock must trade above $1 for 10 straight business days by March 15 or risk delisting.
Philips disputed Panasonic’s assertion that plasma is superior to LCD for 3D display (CED Feb 22 p1). Like Sony, Philips defended its choice of active-shuttering LCD for 3D, telling us Wednesday that LCD and plasma have equal merit. On Tuesday, Philips announced a line of eight “3D-Ready” LCD TVs that go on sale this summer in Europe.
SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple will be at the high end of its annual range of 25-50 store openings this year, reflecting a winning bet on real estate prices, its second-in-command said Tuesday at the Goldman Sachs conference.
With the departure of Circuit City and several other big-box chains, the Mid-Atlantic region is shaping up as a battleground for expansion-minded regional retailers.