The owner of the Weather Channel formed a multi-technology division, as that and other independent programmers are said to be facing a tougher time getting pay-TV carriage (see 1504090051). The new Weather Channel Television Group includes programming, distribution, broadcast operations, video technology, and addressable TV advertising platforms, said The Weather Co. in a Tuesday news release. It said the Weather Channel is expanding into "new forms of citizen news gathering such as Periscope and Burst" and using new distribution services including Dish Network's Sling TV and a la carte services. The new division will be led by Dish veteran Dave Shull (see 1504280026).

Cablevision and Hulu signed an agreement to offer Hulu’s subscription streaming service to Cablevision’s Optimum customers, they said in a news release. “Cablevision is the first cable or satellite provider to agree to distribute Hulu’s comprehensive catalog of on-demand content,” it said. “There is a new generation of consumers who access video through the Internet, and whatever their preference, Cablevision will facilitate a great content experience,” said Cablevision Chief Operating Officer Kristin Dolan.

Spectrum sharing is critical to Wi-Fi, NCTA said Monday in a post on its blog. “By increasing the amount of spectrum that Wi-Fi can share, our spectrum supply can keep pace with the tremendous growth in Wi-Fi usage and jump-start a new generation of Wi-Fi that can reach speeds of up to a gigabit per second.” The group sees special promise in sharing the 5.9 GHz band with automakers who plan to use the spectrum for crash avoidance systems (see 1402040029). The spectrum was allocated more than 15 years ago for that use, NCTA said. It said that auto manufacturers haven't developed "a commercial product despite millions in government subsidies, which means that today, while there are neither auto nor Wi-Fi technologies in the band, is the perfect moment to rethink how these frequencies can be best utilized and shared and to develop a true win-win solution.”

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts spoke with FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler last week before the company backed out of the deal to buy Time Warner Cable Friday in the face of regulator opposition, according to an ex parte filing in docket 14-57. April 20, Roberts “emphasized that Comcast, as it has in proven in prior transactions, will live up to the commitments it made in the docket,” the filing said. Industry officials familiar with the proceedings told us that concern about Comcast’s record on prior transaction conditions was one of the factors in FCC opposition to the deal (see 1504230060). Charter Communications, Comcast and TWC formally withdrew their applications for the Comcast/TWC Friday, in an ex parte letter filed in docket 14-57. The Comcast and Charter spinoff that was to be created out of Comcast/TWC, also withdrew its application, the filing said.

Beyond the existing video-centric set-top box software, members of the reference design kit community are working on RDK software for broadband devices, said a news release from RDK. Broadband devices, similar to set-tops, can benefit from a software baseline of commonality and standardization that could be enhanced by an RDK-like structure, RDK said. RDK-B is being developed by key operators, system-on-a-chip companies and original equipment manufacturer companies, it said. RDK Management is making the product available as soon as the software and minimal support aspects are ready for the community, and is targeting the second half of 2015, said its release. It confirmed that the joint venture among Comcast, Liberty Global and Time Warner Cable has more than 5 million RDKs running (see 1504070044).

Charter Communications supports an FCC proposal to make it a rebuttable presumption that cable companies face effective competition throughout the U.S., Charter Senior Vice President-Government Affairs Alex Hoehn-Saric said in a meeting Tuesday with Maria Kirby, aide to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, according to an ex parte filing Thursday. The proposed rule change reflects the state of competition that exists today and satisfies the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act Reauthorization, Charter said.

Cablevision is targeting cord cutters with new Internet-focused Optimum products that let consumers have more choices, the company said Thursday. The cord cutter package provides access to high-speed broadband that facilitates a high-quality over-the-top video experience, a digital antenna and the option to add new digital streaming service HBO Now, Cablevision said. There's also an Optimum Everyday Low Price package, which is designed for highly price-sensitive consumers, it said. That package includes Internet Basics 5 Mbps service, Freewheel phone and a digital antenna, Cablevision said.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit ruled against former wrestler Steve “Wild Thing” Ray's appeal of his lawsuit against ESPN, saying U.S. District Court Judge Scott Wright was correct in dismissing the lawsuit because the Copyright Act “preempts Ray's claims” that ESPN misappropriated his name, invaded his privacy and interfered with his prospective economic advantage by re-telecasting his Universal Wrestling Federation (UWF) performances. Ray claimed that ESPN re-telecast his wrestling performances without his consent, saying the matches had been “filmed for future use to generate revenue.” Wright ruled in 2014 that the Copyright Act pre-empted Ray's claims because his performances were part of copyrighted material “and his likenesses couldn't be detached from the copyrighted performances that were contained in the films.” ESPN and Ray didn't comment. The appeals court is based in St. Louis.

Nickelodeon launched the Nick Jr. app for the Apple Watch, enabling better parental controls for the preschool app on the iPhone, the company said Tuesday. When the Apple Watch is used in tandem with the Nick Jr. app for iPhone, parents will be able to manage screen time via a timer, supervise their child’s activities on the phone and regulate the volume settings, it said. “These watch functions are extensions of the user’s iPhone experience and can be accessed by tapping on the Nick Jr. icon on the watch.” Additional features include the ability of parents to see at a glance what kids are watching in the app at any given moment, it said.

The FCC should extend an exemption for small cable systems from requirements to carry HD broadcast signals, said the American Cable Association, NCTA and WTA in comments in docket 98-120 on an ACA petition requesting the extension. “We agree with the Commission’s tentative conclusion that the public interest would be served” by extending the HD carriage exemption until June 12, 2018, NCTA said. The exemption is to expire June 12, 2015. If it isn't extended, “consumers in rural areas could experience service disruptions and discontinuations,” WTA said. NAB opposes a blanket extension. “Downconverting an HD broadcast signal to standard definition (SD) digital or to analog materially degrades that signal,” NAB said. “If a small cable system carries other signals in HD, then permitting it to carry HD broadcast signals in a lesser format pursuant to a continued exemption improperly discriminates against broadcast signals,” NAB said. If the extension is granted, the FCC shouldn't apply it to cable systems carrying other signals in HD, and should re-examine what it considers a small system, NAB said.