Cablevision can’t introduce a remote PVR service -- which would give subscribers full PVR functionality without delivering a set-top box to their homes -- unless it has licenses from the programmers it carries, U.S. Dist. Judge Denny Chin, N.Y., said late Thurs. Programmers including Time Warner’s Cartoon Network and Fox sought an injunction against the service after Cablevision announced its plans last year. The ruling not only puts the kibosh on Cablevision’s plans but will give pause to other digital media innovators including online, said industry and consumer advocate lawyers. Cablevision will continue to market its set-top box PVR service while it considers appealing Chin’s ruling, it said: “We are disappointed by the judge’s decision, and continue to believe that remote-storage DVRs are consistent with copyright law.”
Cablevision can’t introduce a remote PVR service -- which would give subscribers full PVR functionality without delivering a set-top box to their homes -- unless it has licenses from the programmers it carries, U.S. Dist. Judge Denny Chin, N.Y., said late Thurs.
Amateur writers on the Internet might get reimbursed for the costs of Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests under a bill introduced by Senate Judiciary Chmn. Leahy (D-Vt.) and committee member Cornyn (R-Tex.) Tues. The OPEN Govt. Act (S-849) would also limit exemptions for agencies that don’t respond to a FOIA request within 20 days, and create a tracking system for requests with a phone or Web interface for requesters. It appears identical to a House bill of the same name introduced last week (HR-1326) by House Judiciary Ranking Member Smith (R-Tex.).
After flooding the market with rebates, TiVo is scaling them back as it shifts focus to advertising and readies a lower priced Series3 PVR, CEO Thomas Rogers told analysts in an earnings conference call.
Cable operators compete on technological advances like faster broadband speeds and VoD, not exclusive programming, industry analysts said. That could inform how the industry approaches an FCC review this year of program access rules (CD Feb 22 p5), said industry lawyers. Cable operators are focusing on offering more services such as broadband and VoIP, Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said: “Broadband is emerging as the cornerstone of the consumer bundle.” Some pay-TV lawyers continue to push for access rule changes.
Cable operators compete on technological advances like faster broadband speeds and VoD, not exclusive programming, industry analysts said. That could inform how the industry approaches an FCC review this year of program access rules, said industry lawyers. Cable operators are focusing on offering more services such as broadband and VoIP, Sanford Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said: “Broadband is emerging as the cornerstone of the consumer bundle.”
SANTA CLARA, Cal. -- Next-generation DVD faces a hard road, format war or no format war, a Panasonic executive said Thurs. night in a wide-ranging panel discussion here on opportunities emerging from CES.
If one party in Microsoft v. AT&T had the edge in Supreme Court oral argument Wed., it was probably the software giant, to judge from reactions of cautious observers. Justices gently quizzed Microsoft’s attorney on why foreign-made copies of Windows software -- originating from a U.S.-sourced “golden disk” shipped or transferred via network to foreign manufacturers -- shouldn’t count toward liability for Microsoft’s admitted infringement of an AT&T voice-compression patent. But AT&T’s attorney drew much sharper questions -- and predictions of legal Armageddon -- from 2 justices, who warned that simply reciting a published patent over the phone to a foreign counterpart could be an infringement in AT&T’s view.
ABC TV shows online can be viewed full screen starting in the spring, among other enhancements ABC.com announced Thurs. Viewers soon will start seeing an ad from a show’s sponsor when online programming is paused. Later this year, the website will have more programming, including local and national news. Disney said all major ABC affiliate groups, representing 80% of network affiliates, have agreed to feature the video player on their TV stations’ websites. In other Disney news, the company is changing the name of its TV production business to ABC TV Studio. The company said Buena Vista Games will become Disney Interactive Studios. Disney executives voiced optimism about this quarter’s broadcast scatter market, following the release of Q1 results late Wed., said Prudential analyst Katherine Styponias. Disney’s cable networks face hurdles this quarter, as ESPN will have an $85 million revenue deferral, said A.G. Edwards’ Michael Kupinski. Last quarter, results at ABC and Disney’s cable networks helped the media company’s profit more than double from a year earlier (CD Feb 8 p13).
ABC TV shows online can be viewed full screen starting in the spring, among other enhancements ABC.com announced Thurs. Viewers soon will start seeing an ad from a show’s sponsor when online programming is paused. Later this year, the website will have more programming, including local and national news. Disney said all major ABC affiliate groups, representing 80% of network affiliates, have agreed to feature the video player on their TV stations’ websites.