Coda
by Staff -- Multichannel News, 8/10/2008 8:00:00 PM
O Canada, It’s Caller ID On TV
Montreal — Quebec operator Vidéotron is looking to drive incremental revenue with the launch of caller ID on the TV this month, charging subscribers an extra $2 (Canadian) per month for the feature.
Vidéotron, Canada’s third-largest MSO, with 1.7 million cable TV customers, is using Integra5’s i5 Converged Services Platform to offer the caller ID-on-TV application throughout its market.
The illico Caller ID service, which can be purchased as a standalone feature, is also offered as part of an optional telephony feature package for $10 (Canadian) per month.
“More than 50% of our customers subscribe to two or more of our services, so offering new ways to blend those services into new experiences across devices highlights our focus on convergence and leadership in service innovation,” Vidéotron vice president of technology development Michel Allard said in a statement.
Other MSOs that have rolled out caller ID on TV, including Cablevision Systems and Time Warner Cable, offer the feature for no extra charge.
— Todd Spangler
Survey Says: FiOS Internet Is Tops
New York — Readers of PC Magazine gave the tech support provided by Verizon FiOS their highest marks among Internet service providers of all stripes.
According to an e-mail poll, FiOS Internet support was rated highly for reliability, speed and customer service, among other attributes. The provider’s lowest score was for fees charged for that support. The magazine gave Verizon a score of 8.6 out of 10, based on reader responses.
The fiber-based Internet service also had among the lowest percentage of users reporting they needed equipment repairs, and among the highest percentages of customers who said they would pick the company as their ISP.
The highest-ranking cable operator was Cablevision Systems’ Optimum Online, which earned an 8.1 score. Second place among cable-based providers was a tie between Bright House Networks and Earthlink, each gaining a 7.9 score.
Cox’s score fell one-tenth from last year, and that was enough to drop it into third on the ranking. Overbuilder WOW! Internet dropped off the survey; the magazine explained that providers have to have at least 50 consumers who submit surveys for the ranking in order to obtain a statistically significant sample on which to peg ratings.
Two cable operators, Comcast and Charter Communications, got scores deemed significantly below average for attributes including speed, reliability and customer service.
— Linda Haugsted
Versus Takes IndyCar for a Spin
New York — Versus will roll into the IndyCar Series next year, displacing ESPN and ESPN2 as the sport’s cable outlet, while ABC will continue to be the home of the Indianapolis 500.
The Comcast-owned network has signed a 10-year pact with the Indy Racing League, the sanctioning body for the IndyCar Series and the Firestone Indy Lights circuit, giving it the rights to carry a minimum of 13 IndyCar races annually, beginning with the 2009 season.
ABC, meanwhile, signed a four-year deal to continue to air the Indianapolis 500 through 2012. In May, ABC televised the race for the 44th consecutive year. Also part of its pact: ABC will air four other races from the circuit annually.
The new TV agreements, which will feature the IndyCar Series in HD, come just months after the unification of open-wheel racing in North America. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Separately, Versus continues to build its college football roster. The network will televise 23 games from the gridiron this season, up from 19 in the 2007 campaign and nine the prior year.
This year’s slate included eight games from the Mountain West Conference and five apiece from the Pac-10, Big 12 and Ivy League.
Versus kicks off its 2008 college football schedule on Saturday, Aug, 30.
— Larry Barrett
Sci Fi Preps Two-Hour 'Battlestar’ Special
New York — A two-hour Battlestar Galactica special is in the works for Sci Fi Channel. The movie will debut sometime in 2009, following the conclusion of the network’s most popular series.
The special will then be released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Directed by series star Edward James Olmos (pictured) and written by Jane Espenson, the two-hour project will begin shooting in Vancouver at the end of the summer and includes current cast members Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell.
The final 10 episodes of Battlestar Galactica will begin running on Sci Fi next year.
— Larry Barrett
New QVC Campaign Peddles Real Deal
West Chester, Pa. — QVC will launch a new multichannel ad campaign with what it calls “uncommercials” — spots that are made from outtakes, flubbed lines and other “spontaneous moments” from traditional commercial shoots.
“The 'screen test’ nature of the commercials is unique in today’s overcrowded media world, because it is real; no prepackaged scripts, corporate-speak or overproduction,” QVC senior vice president and chief marketing officer Jeff Charney said. The campaign should highlight QVC’s “authenticity and on-air spontaneity.”
One spot features Joan Rivers talking about being inspired by the workmanship of Fabergé eggs and musing that she would have romanced Peter Carl Fabergé in another life. Another spot features Kodak employee and expert lensman David Copodicasa repeatedly flubbing his lines.
Fifteen similar ads, featuring a variety of QVC hosts and guests, will be created over the next two quarters.
— Linda Haugsted
