Public broadcasters will pay an annual $800,000 license fee for website performances, the Copyright Royalty Board said Friday in a final rule on digital performances of sound recordings and associated ephemeral recordings. Additional payments might be required, CRB said. Effective Jan. 1, the rule applies through Dec. 31, 2025. The total music aggregate tuning hours start at 360 million in 2021 and increase 10 million each subsequent year through 2025.
Litigation on alleged copyright violation of a work can still go ahead even if the Copyright Office refused the application to register the work, but the agency must be notified about the suit, Assistant General Counsel Jordana Rubel blogged Thursday. Starting May 26, those complaints can be emailed to 411notices@copyright.gov instead of sending a paper copy through the mail, she said. Complaint copies also must be sent to the U.S. attorney for the district where the court is located and DOJ, she said. CO notification allows it to decide if it wants to participate in the suit and explain to the court why it didn't believe the work was copyrightable, she said.
A&E and History Channel network content will be part of the library for NBCUniversal's advertising-supported Peacock streaming service when it launches later this year, Comcast said Wednesday. It announced a licensing deal with A+E Networks.
AMC Networks and Dish Network inked a long-term distribution agreement that continues carriage of AMC's linear channels including AMC, BBC America and IFC. It includes launches of the programmer's subscription VOD services, its advertising-free AMC Premiere and its IFC Films Unlimited streaming service, AMC said Tuesday. The deal includes Dish's vMVPD Sling.
Comcast bought advertising-supported streaming service Xumo, which will operate as an independent business as part of Comcast Cable, the MVPD said Tuesday.
FCC commissioners unanimously approved the draft order that was on Friday's FCC meeting agenda (see 2002060063). It directs low-power TV stations that qualify for mandatory carriage to email MVPDs when changing their carriage election status, the same as full-power TV stations. This latest media modernization order was released Tuesday.
Xperi, which announced an integration agreement with TiVo in December valued at $3 billion (see report, Dec. 20), rejected an unsolicited, nonbinding all-cash bid from Metis Ventures, Xperi said Sunday. Metis’ Friday letter to the Xperi board outlined a plan to acquire all equity of Xperi on a standalone basis for $23.30 a share cash. Xperi shares rose 25 percent Wednesday to $18.70 after its Q4 report. Metis managing partners include Tom Lacey, who retired as Xperi CEO in May 2017 and was succeeded by current CEO Jon Kirchner. After a review of the Metis proposal, the Xperi board unanimously decided that, based on terms and conditions, “as well as lack of information, it is unable to conclude at this time that Metis Ventures’ non-binding proposal is reasonably likely to lead to a Superior Proposal" vs. Xperi’s agreement with TiVo. Xperi expressed continued “support and enthusiasm” for the pending transaction with TiVo. The proposed Metis buy would offer Xperi liquidity “more certain and timely” than the pending TiVo transaction, Metis claimed. Under the definitive agreement with TiVo, due to close this quarter, Xperi shareholders would own about 46.5 percent of the combined business, and TiVo stockholders the rest.
ViacomCBS' CBS All Access streaming service will add content from such networks as Nickelodeon, MTV, BET and Comedy Central, and movies from its Paramount library this year, CEO Bob Bakish said in an earnings call with analysts Thursday. He said it will have live linear content from more than 200 local CBS stations.
Comments are due March 5, replies March 16, on proposed changes to the rules for retransmission consent talks between MVPD buying groups and large station groups, said Wednesday's Federal Register. The rules changes are required by the Television Viewer Protection Act (HR-5035) passed in December (see 1912190068).
Programmer Cinedigm bought the first tranche of stock in a deal that will see it with a 29 percent stake, valued at $68 million, in Chinese entertainment company Starrise Media, it said Tuesday. It said it plans to close on the remaining shares soon.