TickBox's voluntary changes to operations -- so it no longer ships its streaming video player with easy access to copyright-infringing video streams -- don't moot content companies' entitlement to injunctive relief, those companies said Friday in a U.S. District Court in Los Angeles docket 17-CV-7496 reply (in Pacer) in support of their motion for a preliminary injunction. TickBox is opposing the motion (see 1712290026). The programmer plaintiffs -- Universal City Studios, Columbia Pictures, Disney Enterprises, Twentieth Century Fox Films, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Amazon Content Services and Netflix Studios -- said TickBox "has exaggerated its claimed conversion" and customers still can easily launch the same Kodi software add-ons at issue. They said evidence TickBox was advertised for infringing purposes "is clear, overwhelming and undisputed." Outside counsel for TickBox didn't comment Tuesday.

Cablevision's blackout of 16 Starz channels Jan. 1 (see 1801020039) without the required 30-day notice to subscribers, and its subsequent silence to subscriber complaints, warrants the FCC issuing a declaratory ruling restoring carriage, Starz said in a docket 12-1 petition for declaratory ruling posted Friday. Starz said "substantial fines and forfeitures are appropriate" given Cablevision's intentional violation of agency rules. Cablevision parent Altice USA didn't comment Tuesday.

Rupert Murdoch's record of success indicates he's likely right that now is the best time to sell most of Fox's assets to Disney, The Diffusion Group Senior Adviser Rob Silvershein blogged Thursday. Fox will have a challenge in repackaging itself to remain competitive, but "I would not bet against it beating the odds," he said. Fox "was ill-equipped to handle the brave new world of broadband video" and is taking "the best deal it could," and it now can focus on news, he said. He noted Fox is interested in buying independent stations. He said the company "has placed a bet on old thinking and old technology," and its long-term success doesn't come with a focus on linear TV stations, live news and sports, and cheaper programming. Fox may buy some stations to be divested from Sinclair/Tribune (see 1801120049).

The five nonbroadcast networks that fall under FCC video description rules as of July 1 are Fox News, ESPN, USA, MSNBC and HGTV, the Media Bureau said in a public notice Friday. It said networks have 30 days after the notice appears in the Federal Register to seek an exemption from the list, which is based on Nielsen ratings.

Calling StogMedia's leased carriage access complaint "incoherent ramblings," Cox Communications asked the FCC Media Bureau to disregard StogMedia's response to opposition and motion to dismiss, which Cox is calling unauthorized. StogMedia filed a petition for relief in November asking the bureau to compel Cox to provide leased carriage access on its system, claiming Cox was violating rules on liability insurance for leased access programming by requiring unreasonable levels of coverage and making "excessive and forceful" demands about content. Pointing to StogMedia's docket 17-314 reply last month, Cox in a filing Thursday said FCC rules allow only for filing a petition for relief and a response and don't provide for pleadings beyond that, and that StogMedia's response doesn't clarify past arguments but tries to obfuscate that StogMedia hasn't provided liability insurance covering any programming it wants Cox to carry on its system and that coverage is within cable operators' rights to require. StogMedia didn't comment Thursday.

Any regulatory approvals needed for the Altice USA spinoff from Altice NV "are pro forma given there is no change in control," Altice USA said Thursday. The company said it will meet with the relevant regulatory agencies to discuss the restructuring, but didn't specify which agencies. Altice said it expects the spinoff to conclude by the end of Q2 (see 1801090045).

Democratic Reps. Yvette Clarke and Hakeem Jeffries are urging Altice USA and Starz to come to an agreement in their ongoing carriage talks. Both represent New York City districts. In a letter Thursday to the heads of the MVPD and programmer, the lawmakers said Starz content "is of particular importance to the African American community" and said they're "disappointed" by the blackout, which started Jan. 1 (see 1801020039). Altice said Starz has "refused all offers, including many offers to extend our current arrangement." It said the fact customers also can subscribe to Starz directly through its over-the-top service "makes it all the more surprising that Starz wouldn’t enter into an agreement with us to help them promote their own product.” Starz didn't comment.

Discovery Communications plans to move its headquarters from Silver Spring, Maryland, to New York City in the second half of next year, it said Tuesday. It also said, contingent on the close of its Scripps Networks Interactive buy, it will set up a national operations center at Scripps' Knoxville campus. It said all Discovery and Scripps employees located at different New York facilities will be brought under one roof in the move. Discovery said its media distribution facility in Sterling, Virginia, will be become a technology center and it will maintain a network hub in Maryland to house some network and support functions, plus government relations. Discovery said it employs close to 1,300 in the Silver Spring area.

Forty percent of customers in Cox's footprint now have access to gigabit-speed broadband service, with nearly all customers to be reached by the end of 2019, it said Tuesday. It said DOCSIS 3.1 technology accelerated rollout of its G1gablast service.

Wall Street is bullish on Altice USA's pending spinoff from parent Altice NV. Altice apparently listened to shareholders with the announcement of Altice USA's spinoff from parent Altice NV, given the "dismal" stock performance of the two last year, Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker wrote investors Monday. And MoffettNathanson analyst Craig Moffett emailed investors that Altice USA "suffered" from its connection to the European parent with its heavy debt load and aggressive cost reductions. Altice USA shares closed Tuesday at $23.11, up 9.6 percent. Altice announced the spinoff Monday and said the two will have separate management teams after the transaction, with Altice founder Patrick Drahi retaining control of both companies and acting as chairman of Altice USA. Altice said the separation will let the two companies focus on different market dynamics, strategies and regulatory regimes. It said Altice USA's business strategy will be a focus on revenue growth, its Altice One set-top box and full-scale deployment of its fiber-to-the-home buildout. It said the separation is expected to close by Q2, after Altice NV shareholder and regulatory approvals.