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News Byte

Viacom Says Netflix Isn’t Hurting Nickelodeon Ratings

Peter Kafka in Media on February 2 at 6:28 am PT

Viacom, which has seen ratings decline at its Nickelodeon cable channel, doesn’t think it is losing eyeballs to Netflix, which offers an array of kids programming, including Nickelodeon shows like “Dora the Explorer.” Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman, speaking during the company’s earnings call this morning, continues to argue that the ratings decline stems primarily from a Nielsen miscount. Viacom saw revenue increase 3 percent for Q4, while earnings dropped 5 percent.

What Kind of Web Video Plans Does Sony Have? (Video)

Peter Kafka in Media on January 12 at 5:30 am PT

“We’re certainly talking to lots of different people about some new possibilities,” says exec Tim Schaaff. Hmmm.

Where Did Nine Million Cable Subscribers Go?

Peter Kafka in Media on January 5 at 4:24 am PT

According to a new Deloitte survey, a staggering nine percent of the population say they cut the cord recently. Say what?

Apple Plots Its TV Assault

Jessica E. Vascellaro and Sam Schechner, Reporters, The Wall Street Journal in Voices on December 18, 2011 at 5:06 pm PT

Apple Inc. is moving forward with its assault on television, following up on the ambitions of its late co-founder, Steve Jobs.

HBO Go Is Finally Going to Be on Time Warner Cable

Peter Kafka in Media on December 16, 2011 at 6:02 pm PT

Time Warner and its former cable company figure it out. Finally.

Comcast Net Rises 4.7 Percent; TV Subscriber Losses Slow

Matt Jarzemsky, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal in News on November 2, 2011 at 9:15 am PT

Comcast Corp.’s third-quarter profit rose 4.7 percent as it slowed defections in pay-TV subscribers for the fourth straight quarter.

Hurricane Irene Is Over; Power Still Out for Many

Arik Hesseldahl in News on August 29, 2011 at 6:27 am PT

Hurricane Irene is now a memory, but the mess it left will take days if not weeks to clean up.

QOTD: To Predict Google-Motorola, Review Microsoft-Comcast

Fifteen years after their initial Comcast investment, Microsoft’s vision of a Windows-based gateway to the television still hasn’t materialized. Now it is Google’s turn to storm the fortress. And, like Microsoft before them, they have decided to do it from the inside.

Bernstein Research’s Craig Moffett, in a note (reg. required) savaging the notion that buying Motorola will allow Google to disrupt the TV business. Moffett does see a role for Google in helping cable operators measure and target TV advertising, though. For a less pithy take, read AllThingsD.

Q: Another Q&A Site? A: Yes, Discovery’s Curiosity.

Peter Kafka in Media on June 20, 2011 at 6:23 am PT

Why is a cable-TV powerhouse launching a question-and-answer site? You won’t find out on Curiosity.com. But you will find lots of other answers, some of which come from famous people.