Carriage Deals

RCN to Launch Ovation in Boston

SD, HD Versions of Arts Channel, VOD Set to Bow on Dec. 20
SD, HD Versions of Arts Channel, VOD Set to Bow on Dec. 20

Arts network Ovation will roll out on RCN in Boston next week.

RCN will launch Ovation’s standard- and high-definition channels, as well as its video on demand service on Dec. 20, significantly expanding its presence in the Boston DMA. The network has some 51 million subs nationally.

Aereo Cuts Carriage Deal With Bloomberg TV

Internet TV Startup Adds Financial News Channel to Over-the-Top Service
By: Todd Spangler Dec 14 2012 - 10:54am
Internet TV Startup Adds Financial News Channel to Over-the-Top Service

Aereo, the Internet TV startup being sued for copyright infringement by major broadcasters, has added Bloomberg TV to its over-the-top streaming and DVR service available for a little as $8 per month -- its first deal with a cable network.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, although the companies confirmed Aereo is paying to carry the financial news network. Aereo spokeswoman Virginia Lam said there is “no timeline on additional [content] partnerships at this time.”

TWC Launches BeIN Sport, More HD Nets in LA

Fox Deportes, Tennis Channel, MLB StrikeZone Add High-Def Offerings
By: Tim Baysinger (Broadcasting & Cable) Dec 14 2012 - 12:02am
Fox Deportes, Tennis Channel, MLB StrikeZone Add High-Def Offerings
Time Warner Cable has added BeIN Sport, the new independent soccer/international sports network to its channel lineup in Los Angeles.

BeIN Sport, which also features a Spanish-language version, was launched in August. The network features international soccer leagues such as Spain's La Liga, Italy's Serie A, France's Ligue 1, as well as the South American World Cup Qualifiers and Copa America 2015. BeIN will also carry the away games of the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team in the qualifying rounds of the 2014 World Cup.

3net Gets First Cable Launch, On Service Electric

Sony-Discovery-IMAX 3D Channel, On DirecTV, Available To 100K Cable Subs
By: MCN Staff Dec 13 2012 - 10:22pm
Sony-Discovery-IMAX 3D Channel, On DirecTV, Available To 100K Cable Subs
Open Season

3net, the joint-venture 3DTV network from Discovery Communications, Sony and IMAX, is launching on Service Electric Cablevision today (Dec. 13), becoming available to more than 100,000 of the cable company's customers in northeastern Pennsylvania, Discovery said in a release.

This is the channel's first cable deal, to go with DirecTV carriage at launch in February 2011.

DirecTV Adds Sports Surcharge

$3 Tacked On to New Customer Bills in Select Areas
By: Mike Farrell Dec 11 2012 - 2:38pm
$3 Tacked On to New Customer Bills in Select Areas

In an effort to offset the rising cost of regional sports networks, DirecTV has been implementing a $3 charge to new customers in select areas for about four months, according to the company.

The satellite giant began implementing the surcharge to new customers only in August, according to a spokesman. The charge only applies to areas that have multiple regional sports networks.

The surcharge was first reported Monday in the Los Angeles Times.

NCTA's Powell: Escalating Sports Costs Could Invite Government Scrutiny

President Says Operators, Programmers Need to be Careful Not to Blow up Model
By: John Eggerton Dec 7 2012 - 1:58pm
President Says Operators, Programmers Need to be Careful Not to Blow up Model

National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Michael Powell warns operators, programmers and sports leagues that they need to be careful that escalating sports rights costs don't blow up their business model and prompt government intervention.

In an interview for C-SPAN's Communicators series, Powell was asked by Lynn Stanton of Telecommunications Reports what would happen when sports programming costs exceed the ability of consumers to subsidize them.

OnScreen Summit: Marcus Says TWC Could Boost Speeds In K.C. Google Battle

TWC COO Vows To Fight Good Fight With Internet Giant
By: Mike Farrell Dec 6 2012 - 3:39pm
TWC COO Vows To Fight Good Fight With Internet Giant
Rob Marcus of Time Warner Cable

New York — Time Warner Cable chief operating officer Rob Marcus said the MSO could boost speeds of its high-speed Internet offerings in Kansas City to compete with Google, but so far hasn’t had to.

Google launched its Google TV service in parts of Kansas City in September  to much fanfare, offering data speeds of as much as 1 gigabit per second to select consumers in the market.

Fox, Dodgers Continue Rights' Discussions: Sources

Talks Continue as Exclusive Negotiating Window Closes
By: Mike Reynolds Dec 1 2012 - 11:25am
Talks Continue as Exclusive Negotiating Window Closes

Although its exclusive negotiating window closed on Friday, Fox Sports, according to sources, will continue its media rights discussions with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

'TV Everywhere' Rights Are Part of NBC-Verizon Carriage Pact

Multiyear Deal Covers TV Stations, Cable Nets, VOD, Web
By: John Eggerton Nov 26 2012 - 4:18pm
Multiyear Deal Covers TV Stations, Cable Nets, VOD, Web

NBCUniversal has struck a program carriage deal with Verizon FiOS that includes rights to over-the-top delivery to multiple screens.

The wide-ranging deal, announced Monday, includes retransmission-consent for NBC and Telemundo TV stations,  as well as its renewal for its portfolio of cable networks, including USA, E!, Bravo Media, CNBC, MSNBC,NBC Sports Network, Oxygen Media, Syfy, Telemundo Media and Golf Channel. TV Everywhere right are also part of the deal, which means Verizon can make that programming available for multiplatform viewing by authenticated subs.

AMC Serves Notice about Potential Disconnect with Verizon FiOS

Programmer Informs Viewers via Commercial, Crawl, Website
By: Mike Reynolds Nov 26 2012 - 12:09pm
Programmer Informs Viewers via Commercial, Crawl, Website
A little more than a month after its services were restored to Dish Network’s subscribers, AMC
Networks is facing a disconnect from Verizon FiOS.
 
The contract signed in 2006 between the telco and the programmer, whose AMC service airs such Emmy-winning fare as Mad Men, Breaking Bad and zombie hit, The Walking Dead, TV’s top series among persons 18 to 49, expires on Dec. 31. The Walking Dead’s third mid-season finale debuts on Dec. 2.
 
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