• HBO, UFC Part Ways
• East Joins Time Warner Cable
• Comcast Promotes Keenan
• C-COR, Concurrent Ink Patent Deal
• Class-Action Suits Target BigBand
• ABC Family Renews Kyle XY

• Analyst Maps Out DISCA Swap
• FCC Tests Portable Devices
• TBS Gets Playoffs Bounce
• Service Electric Gets Big 10
• FCC Says It Didn't Suppress Study
• USA Scores With 'Criminal Intent'
• AT&T Rolls TBS HD

• Speed Renews Le Mans Deal
• Sprint Seeks New CEO
• Worth Watching
• DirecTV Sales Chief Exits

HBO, UFC Part Ways
The long-rumored distribution deal between HBO and Ultimate Fighting Championship has been KO’d. The premium service said it will not air live UFC combat sports events on its network in the near future, ending more than a year of negotiations. “After lots of discussion it became apparent that the business model doesn’t make sense for either one of us. So we agreed to go our separate ways,” said HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg. The HBO/UFC breakdown could bode well for Spike TV, which is hoping to extend its deal with the UFC — which includes the popular reality series The Ultimate Fighter — before it expires sometime next year. click to read more...
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East Joins Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable recruited veteran Cox Communications executive Ellen East, naming her executive vice president of corporate communications. East succeeds Lynn Yaeger, who plans to retire at the end of 2007. click to read more...
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Comcast Promotes Keenan
Much heralded Comcast senior vice president of customer service and Comcast University Suzanne Keenan has been promoted to the newly created position of senior vice president of cable human resources and Comcast University, the company said. Taking her place as the cable company’s top customer service executive is Rick Germano, as senior vice president of customer operations. Germano had been regional senior vice president for Northern California. click to read more...
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C-COR, Concurrent Ink Patent Deal
Settling a long and convoluted case of intellectual-property horse trading, Concurrent Computer and C-COR have struck an agreement giving Concurrent transferable rights to two key patents covering video-on-demand systems. click to read more...
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Class-Action Suits Target BigBand
At least three class-action lawsuits were filed last week against BigBand Networks, alleging that the company misrepresented its financial prospects to shareholders with its initial public offering in March. BigBand last week warned that third-quarter revenues would be between $35 million to $39 million – as much as 40% lower than previous expectations. click to read more...
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ABC Family Renews Kyle XY
ABC Family ordered a third season of the original drama Kyle XY, a series that has become the network’s signature show. click to read more...
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Analyst Maps Out DISCA Swap
Pali Research media analyst Richard Greenfield published a note Friday mapping out how he believes a consolidation of Discovery Holding could take place, slapping a $35 per share 12-month price target on the company. Greenfield estimated that the value of Ascent Media and cash on hand at DISCA is worth about $560 million, or about 19 million DISCA shares at current prices. click to read more...
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FCC Tests Portable Devices
The FCC announced late Friday that it plans to conduct more testing on portable wireless devices that allegedly can operate in the same spectrum band as local TV stations without causing harmful interference. click to read more...
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TBS Gets Playoffs Bounce
TBS, lifted by the first game of the New York Yankees-Cleveland matchup that produced the highest ratings on the network in five years, has averaged 4.6 million viewers through the first six contests of Major League Baseball’s Division series. TBS’s scorecard, according to Nielsen Media Research data, was topped Oct. 4 by the 6.7 million viewers that tuned in on average to watch The Tribe scalp the Bronx Bombers, 12-3. click to read more...
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Service Electric Gets Big 10
Service Electric Cable TV & Communications and Big Ten Network came to terms on a carriage deal late Friday afternoon that puts the sports service on the distributor’s expanded basic package. click to read more...
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FCC Says It Didn't Suppress Study
An internal investigation concluded Friday that Federal Communications Commission senior staff did not suppress a 2004 study showing that locally owned TV stations provide more local news than non-locally owned stations. click to read more...
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USA Scores With 'Criminal Intent'
USA Network’s debut of Dick Wolf’s Law & Order: Criminal Intent Thursday night was the leading entertainment show on cable in both key demos and total viewers. The show, whose original episodes previously unwrapped on sister service NBC, attracted 3.8 million total viewers on Oct. 4. click to read more...
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AT&T Rolls TBS HD
AT&T has gotten into the swing with TBS HD in the middle of the Major League Baseball playoffs, announcing that its U-verse TV subscribers now access to the network’s enhanced feed, TBS HD will be available on U-verse TV channel 1112. click to read more...
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Speed Renews Le Mans Deal
Speed has parked a rights extension with the American Le Mans Series. The three-year deal, terms of which were not disclosed, will give Speed access to a seven-race telecast package in 2008. click to read more...
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Sprint Seeks New CEO
Sprint Nextel has initiated a search to replace chairman and CEO Gary Forsee as the wireless carrier has trailed competitors in subscriber acquisition and retention, according to published reports. click to read more...
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