"pay TV" articles
The dust has settled after a three-month carriage dispute. The Weather Channel will resume programming on DirecTV , but at a considerable cost—this time, it isn't the TV operator but the network making concessions. The Weather Channel has agreed to reduce its reality program offerings as a result of its new carriage agreement with DirecTV. This change affects not only DirecTV viewers, but all viewers of the Weather Channel, no matter their TV provider.
A TV operator exercising...
It is apparent that broadcasters realize they have a lot to lose in the event of a retransmission overhaul resulting from the Aereo case. Allowing Aereo to present content and provide the means to digitally record content without compensation could provide pay-TV operators a compelling argument to avoid retransmission fees. While this could damage the financial situation for entertainment companies that own and operate local stations, loss of retransmission fees would be dire for...
A user interface is the main way a provider can communicate with a user. For video services, this means helping a user to discover the video content they are interested in.
In a recent Parks Associates digital media report , the research firm found that nearly 60% of OTT service customers use personalized video recommendations when searching for video content online. Following closely behind in frequency is searching for TV listings on the Internet or through a smartphone/tablet...
Parks Associates will be presenting new insights into the OTT video market in an upcoming complimentary webcast, " OTT Services: Moving from Sideline to Primetime ." The webcast will take place on Thursday, March 27, at 11 a.m. (PST).
While OTT video services are considered disruptors to the TV industry, they are now more increasingly disrupting the traditional video market. Parks Associates research shows that U.S. broadband households are more frequently turning to...
As in any major event in the communications industry, there are always winners and losers. Here are a few thoughts on the Comcast-Time Warner Cable merger and how some of the parties involved view the outcome.
Comcast (the cable-side of the business): While the deal will have to be approved by regulators and some markets will be sold off to competitors to allow the deal to go through, Comcast clearly enjoys many benefits from the deal. With the combined company serving...
This morning, Comcast Corporation and Time Warner Cable, Inc. announced a deal wherein Comcast would acquire Time Warner Cable for north of $45 billion. Naturally, a few regulatory hurdles remain, but the potential impact of the purchase is palpable. The acquisition would make Comcast by far the largest pay-TV provider in the United States; according to the National Cable and Telecommunications Association the two companies combine to serve approximately 30 million customers, which would...
Perhaps that headline is a bit dramatic, and I should tone it down. Let's put it another way: will the massive audiences for live online video prevent network service providers from providing high-quality experiences to their viewers without creating overwhelming traffic congestion?
To paint an even more stark picture, will online viewing of Super Bowl XVIII (Sunday, February 2), the Winter Olympics (beginning February 6), and the 2014 FIFA World Cup (kicking off on June 12) make...
Online video services originally provided access to user generated videos, and commercially-produced content. These types of videos continue to be popular, but services are now specializing in premium, full-length content, such as TV shows and movies. “OTT in a Pay-TV World,” the newest report from Parks Associates, addresses why the user experience of OTT services is critical.
This report analyzes trends and market dynamics for OTT services and the implications for the...
