NCTA asked the FCC to clarify Wi-Fi discussion in a draft Further NPRM on Form 477 broadband data collection on commissioners' Aug. 3 meeting tentative agenda. "Offering of Wi-Fi service in a package with resold mobile service does not change the technical capability of the Wi-Fi connection," said a filing Wednesday in docket 11-10 on a meeting with an aide to Chairman Ajit Pai. "In seeking comment on whether there are circumstances in which Wi-Fi deployment should be reported as a mobile service, we encouraged the Commission to make clear that it is only asking about Wi-Fi that has the technical capability to enable mobile use (e.g., through seamless handoffs from one access point to another)." The cable group said it's "premature" to conclude the agency should gather more granular data, and suggested the commission seek comment on the use of Form 477 data to ensure it's worthwhile.
ZoneTV will launch a customizable lineup of linear TV channels this fall, it said in a news release Tuesday. It said the channels will feature ZoneTV-licensed digital content that will be curated into specialized channels for pay-TV subscribers. But it said its service -- using video monetization services company Ooyala and Microsoft's Video Indexer -- will combine linear, on-demand and customized choices into ZoneTV's Dynamic Channels offering.
TiVo launched content discovery features Tuesday for MVPDs, highlighting “conversational voice search” and personalized search and recommendations. Analytics capabilities in the Personalized Content Discovery platform allow MVPDs to do A/B testing and optimize operations in real time, said TiVo. Conversational search can cover linear TV, VOD and over-the-top programming.
The growth of on-demand viewing platforms and Nielsen's NPX methodology change likely means collapsing TV ratings, with a potential 12 percent drop in Q2 among viewers ages 18-49 watching live and within three days of broadcast, MoffettNathanson analyst Michael Nathanson wrote investors Monday. That will pressure national TV advertising worse than previously forecast, he said, predicting Q2 net subscriber losses among traditional MVPDs of 2.8 percent -- though factoring in virtual MVPD subscriber growth could mitigate it some. The analysts said reports of Discovery Communications and Viacom being interested in Scripps Networks (see 1707190015) make sense because neither has big presence on virtual MVPD lineups but could leverage Scripps' Food and HGTV networks to change that.
Google's YouTube TV virtual MVPD service expanded to an additional 10 metro areas, it tweeted Thursday, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Orlando, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. YouTube TV launched in April in the Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia and San Francisco markets (see 1704050049).
Joining CableLabs are NBN, Stofa, Nowo Communications and Guangdong Cable, respectively in Australia, Denmark, Portugal and China, said DOJ in Thursday's Federal Register. CableLabs told us it now has 60 members in 35 countries.
U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley still is leaning toward referring Fox's proposed purchase of Sky to receive further investigation, she said in a statement Thursday to Parliament. That follows meetings with Fox and a letter from Sky about public interest concerns regarding the deal, she said, adding neither company offered amendments or concessions. She said she's going through the materials and isn't ready to make a final recommendation, but that nothing either company said has led her to change her mind. Fox said it's pleased the U.K. Office of Communications concluded the steps Fox would take to maintain the editorial independence of Sky News would mitigate concerns about media concentration and thus was disappointed Bradley still saw plurality as an issue warranting further investigation. Fox pointed out the proposed deal received regulatory approval on public interest and plurality grounds in all Sky markets outside the U.K. An earlier takeover attempt ended amid a phone hacking scandal at a Fox-affiliated U.K. newspaper.
HSN subsidiary NLG Merger wants to transfer a pair of earth station licenses to Liberty Interactive as part of that company's purchase of HSN, said an FCC International Bureau filing Tuesday. Liberty announced the $2.1 billion deal earlier this month (see 1707060020).
Cable One Business may launch a 2 Gbps broadband service next in Mississippi. Piranha Fiber is currently available in markets including Fargo, North Dakota, and Norfolk, Nebraska, and the cable ISP said in a news release that Mississippi would make sense for the next launch given the company's $75 million in network upgrades and enhancements over five years. It said the fiber service is delivered over a passive optical network.
WatchTVEverywhere (WTVE) supports Apple's single sign-on feature due to an update to the TV Everywhere authorization platform, cable ISP MCTV -- which created WTVE -- said in a news release Wednesday. MCTV said that opens the door for hundreds of small- and mid-sized MVPDs using WTVE to use the single sign-on capability. It said prior to the platform update, only the largest pay-TV operators supported the Apple feature.