February 2013

Need a Good Banker?

Introducing 10 Media Money All-Stars
By: Mike Farrell Feb 25 2013 - 1:00am
Introducing 10 Media Money All-Stars

With cable stocks trading higher than they have in several years and the resurgence of the deal market, cable operators and programmers are increasingly finding that the best use of their hard earned cash isn’t necessarily buying their own shares any more, but in deal-making.

And that means boom times for cable investment bankers. The list below provides a snapshot of some of the top performers in the space, but it is neither a ranking (all honorees are listed alphabetically), nor is it comprehensive.

Fast and Spurious

Ranking World Broadband Speeds Can Lead to a Dead End
By: Gary Arlen Feb 18 2013 - 1:00am
Ranking World Broadband Speeds Can Lead to a Dead End

When it comes to Internet delivery, the U.S. ranks either No. 2, 4, 7, 17, 34 or 44, compared with other countries, depending on who’s counting — and how.

After years of reports that America is falling further behind in the global broadband race, the divergent and contradictory rankings add to the perplexity of determining where the U.S. stands on high-speed Internet access — and if that standing even matters to domestic broadband users.

A Shot Across The Bow

‘Six Strikes’ Aims to Scare Digital Thieves Straight, But Can It Work?
By: Todd Spangler Feb 11 2013 - 1:00am
‘Six Strikes’ Aims to Scare Digital Thieves Straight, But Can It Work?

America’s entertainment industry is about to kick off a massive six-step rehab program aimed at steering Internet pirates toward legitimate sources of digital content.

Nobody knows for sure how many illicit downloaders may change their behavior because of the re-education campaign, which is the first coordinated effort between media companies and service providers in the U.S. to crack down on piracy.

Sink Or Swim

Small Cable Operators Tread Water over High Programming, Hardware Costs
By: Mike Farrell Feb 4 2013 - 1:00am
Small Cable Operators Tread Water over High Programming, Hardware Costs

After more than a decade in the rural cable trenches, Trust Cable president Steve Inzinna threw in the towel last March, selling his 2,000-subscriber cable system in Mississippi to a neighboring operator after rising programming, equipment and regulatory costs became too much to bear. He was one of the lucky ones.