October 2012

The Incredible, Shrinking TV Screen

What The Tablet Revolution Means For The Pay TV Industry
By: Todd Spangler Oct 29 2012 - 12:00am
What The Tablet Revolution Means For The Pay TV Industry

The next TV revolution will be mobilized.

This fall, a cascade of handheld tablets — with vibrant, interactive touchscreens optimized for watching HD video — will stream into the hands of millions of consumers.

Unleashing Liberty

John Malone on The Global Cable Business, Content and The U.S. Economy
By: Mark Robichaux Oct 22 2012 - 12:00am
John Malone on The Global Cable Business, Content and The U.S. Economy

With cable stocks up and subscriber losses down, these are good times to be in the TV business, and especially in international cable. But when Multichannel News editor in chief Mark Robichaux caught up with Liberty Global (and Liberty Media) chairman John Malone last month, the “cable cowboy” seemed to have a burr under his saddle on certain subjects.

Candidates Spend Big for Small Audiences

Candidates Spend Big for Small Audiences
By: R. Thomas Umstead Oct 15 2012 - 12:00am
Candidates Spend Big for Small Audiences

Politicians are increasingly voting for cable networks to get their political ads out to the voting public.

Once the domain of local broadcast stations, cable networks are now integral parts of a candidate’s overall political ad-buy strategy.

And while most of the ad action is from cable operators using local avail time, the industry overall is grabbing a bigger piece of the political ad-dollar pie.

Candidates Vote Cable

Political-Ad Spending Doubles Over Last Presidential Election
By: Mike Farrell Oct 15 2012 - 12:00am
Political-Ad Spending Doubles Over Last Presidential Election

As Election Day draws near, political candidates are increasingly turning to a single medium to carry their message and hopefully sway undecided voters: cable TV.

Political ad spending was supposed to break records in 2012 and it hasn’t disappointed — according to research group Borrell Associates, political ad revenue for cable was expected to double to $938.8 million from $468.8 million in 2008.

What Recession?

Cable Stock Surge Nearly 40% During First Nine Months of 2012
By: Mike Farrell Oct 8 2012 - 12:00am
Cable Stock Surge Nearly 40% During First Nine Months of 2012

Cable stocks experienced their biggest growth spurt in two years in the first nine months of 2012, rising nearly 40%, fueled by strong fundamentals and a renewed optimism in the cable model.

The four publicly traded MSOs — Comcast, Charter Communications, Cablevision Systems and Time Warner Cable — rode a wave of investor optimism virtually unseen since 2010, when the sector rose 39% for the full year.