July 31st, 2014
These are lonely days for Dish Network, the nation’s third-largest pay-TV provider. A rapid wave of consolidation is transforming the media landscape, leaving Dish without a dance partner.
First, Comcast (ticker: CMCSA) teamed up with Time Warner Cable (TWC), and thenAT&T (T) agreed to buy DirecTV (DTV), long considered Dish’s most obvious suitor. As if rubbing salt in the wound, wireless operator Sprint (S) is finalizing a deal to buy T-Mobile US (TMUS); both had been seen as potential partners for Dish (DISH).
As those deals wind through the regulatory process, investors are left wondering what’s next for the satellite-TV player. Read more
Categories: DISH & TV news
July 28th, 2014
The NFL released its 2014 schedule Wednesday night, confirming the dates and locations of all 256 matchups (and ending your chance to enter the St. Louis Rams’ schedule-guessing contest, even though you had no chance of winning). With the slate solidified, you can probably expect to see more of the standard strength-of-schedule analysis that averages the 2013 winning percentages of a team’s opponents. Unfortunately, those numbers aren’t especially useful, because they assume each team will be exactly as good in 2014 as it was in 2013; in reality, NFL teams vary quite a bit from season to season, and our ability to predict which ones will and won’t be good in a given year is extremely limited. Read more
Categories: Sports Previews, Analysis & Guides
July 27th, 2014
Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox entered a deal Friday to sell all of its stake in Sky Italia and a majority stake in Sky Deutschland to BSkyB, raising more than $8 billion cash to fortress its rebuffed bid for Time Warner.
The well-telegraphed move would give pay-TV provider BSkyB — which is 39% owned by Fox — a dominant position in Europe, bolstering its presence beyond the U.K. and Ireland to Italy and Germany, where pay-TV is still not prevalent. The bigger BSkyB would serve 20 million customers. Read more
Categories: DISH & TV news
July 26th, 2014
DENVER — A new scam that may have already ensnared hundreds of Comcast customers in the Denver area is gaining the attention of security experts.
9NEWS in Denver and Comcast are warning that the offer is not legitimate, and if you fall for it, you’ll never see the money again.
It begins with a call from a very knowledgeable thief, who knows how long you’ve been with Comcast, the services you have with them and how much your monthly bill is. They may not have all the information correct, but they will be close enough to draw you in.
Then, they offer a new promotion, telling you if you pay $600 up front, you will not get a bill at all for the following six months, and then for six months beyond that period, your bill will be only $99 a month. Read more
Categories: DISH & TV news
July 26th, 2014
In a memo sent to Time Warner Cable employees Thursday, C.E.O. Rob Marcus said that a strained F.C.C. could delay approval for the proposed Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger. Read more
Categories: Channels & Shows • DISH & TV news
July 24th, 2014
The SEC Network, set to launch on Aug. 14, and ESPN have reached an agreement with Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks to carry the network, it was announced Thursday.
“We know we have customers who want the SEC-ESPN Network, and are pleased to bring it to them,” said Andrew Rosenberg, Senior Vice President of Content Acquisition for Time Warner Cable. “This deal will help ensure that fans and alumni of SEC universities won’t miss any important games.” Read more
Categories: DISH & TV news • Sports Previews, Analysis & Guides
July 22nd, 2014
Bucking the standard of signing lucrative, long-term contracts, NBA players are now agreeing to shorter deals in the hopes of cashing in on the league’s expected influx of television revenue in 2016.
It’s a recent trend that started at the very top of the league. Four-time league MVP LeBron James agreed to a two-year, $42 million contract in his return with the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this week, and reportedly intends to sign a new, long-term deal with the team in 2016. James could have signed a four-year deal in excess of $80 million, but clearly was looking further down the road. Read more
Categories: DISH & TV news • Sports Previews, Analysis & Guides
July 21st, 2014
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday dealt a potentially fatal blow to Aereo, an Internet service that allows customers to watch broadcast TV programs on mobile devices.
Launched a year ago in New York and then extended to 10 other U.S. cities, it allows customers to watch over-the-air TV programs on a smartphone, tablet, or computer for as little as $8 a month. Selections can be viewed live or recorded for later viewing. Read more
Categories: DISH & TV news
July 20th, 2014
“True Blood” Season 7 is the final season of the hit HBO TV series. While Season 7 is already airing, the cast and crew just wrapped up filming all the episodes just a week ago.
In the Season 6 finale, the fans were abuzz about Eric’s nude sunbathing scene. There was also talk about what Eric’s role would be for Season 7. Read more
Categories: Episode Recaps & Show Reviews
July 19th, 2014
This week, the world was reminded of just how awful Comcast can be, thanks to the recording of one appalling customer service call. But that flare-up was also a reminder of how many people could find themselves trapped in similar situations, with fewer ways out, if Comcast’s merger with Time Warner Cable goes through. Fortunately, all it takes is one state to stop it.
Categories: DISH & TV news