Through the Wire
By Todd Spangler and Linda Haugsted -- Multichannel News, 5/5/2008 2:00:00 AM
DTV Upside: Big or Blasé?
Cable could score millions of new subscribers as a result of the looming broadcasters' all-digital switchover come February 2009 — or not. Depends on whom you ask.
Time Warner Cable CEO Glenn Britt downplayed the opportunity. On the company's earnings call last Wednesday, Britt noted that between 10% and 15% of homes will be affected by the government-mandated shutoff of analog TV signals. But he said TWC expects any subscriber pickup to be minimal.
“We do think we will modestly pick up some customers from it but we don't think it's a huge thing,” Britt said. “Because quite frankly, multichannel video is a very mature, longstanding product at this point. There is probably nobody in America who has not been offered it several times, so these folks have chosen not to buy it.”
Down in Philly, Comcast chief operating officer Steve Burke was a lot more bullish.
“As the country moves to all-digital in terms of the broadcast business, this could create a real opportunity for us to gain new customers,” he said on Comcast's call.
Continued Burke, “There are over 8 million people in our footprint that don't have cable or satellite and receive their broadcast signals over the air. Many of these people have analog sets and are going to need to do something, and we think we provide a very efficient and attractive option for these people.”
Looking Forward To New Orleans
Sadly, for music fans, unlike the last time the Cable Show visited New Orleans, this iteration does not overlap with the annual Jazz & Heritage Festival, which wrapped up this past weekend.
But you can get a bit of a Fest fix, if you have some extra time in New Orleans, we've found.
While the industry is in town, there will be a display of memorabilia from the first two years of the jazz event, back in 1970 and 1971 when it was held in Beauregard Square. The exhibit, including ticket stubs to photographs and posters, will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, at 1205 N. Rampart St. The exhibition is free.
Oh, and Sunday, May 18, if your travels take you to, or by, the Hard Rock Café in the French Quarter, anticipate possible traffic. The restaurant is hosting a viewing party of the final season of ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
That episode was filmed in the New Orleans area, hence the big draw. Residents of the made-over home are scheduled to appear, and backers of the event have scheduled multiple raffles in an effort to raise money for the family of one of the builders, who died soon after returning from his volunteer stint.
Filmaka Finds Winna in U.K.
Filmaka.com has picked its first big contest winner (see “Sandy Grushow Seeks Web Gems,” April 21).
Nuru Rimington-Mkali, a 21-year-old from southeast London, beat a field of 3,600 aspiring auteurs for his short, “And I Refuse to Forget.” Filmaka, led by ex-Fox Television honcho Grushow and founded by film producer Deepak Nayar, will produce the Brit's first feature-length film.
It's a key piece of the company's strategy to build an “Internet studio” that has ultra-slim development costs but will have the quality to go beyond the Web to land its contributors traditional TV and movie distribution deals.
Among other new projects, Filmaka is hosting a contest to develop a half-hour comedy for FX. The aim, again, is to unearth original material that's a cut above YouTube's singing cat du jour. But perhaps that's not saying much?
No related content found.
VIEW ALL GALLERIES
