Comcast deal may offer media companies leverage on fees
LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Media companies plan to press Comcast Corp for higher fees in the coming year, seeing an opportunity to squeeze better terms from the U.S. cable company as regulators review its planned takeover of Time Warner Cable Inc. Comcast and Time Warner Cable paid nearly $14 billion to content companies last year for rights to distribute their films, television shows and sporting events.
Facebook rolls out video ads, aims to capture part of TV-marketing budgets
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc will allow more marketers to run video advertisements on its website, provided the world's No.1 social network deem them to be of high-enough quality. Facebook and social media rivals like Twitter are increasingly trying to grab a slice of lucrative TV-marketing budgets as they try to sustain rapid growth. That market is considered crucial to supporting Facebook's growing market valuation and poses a potential long-term threat to traditional TV networks.
Boom in on-demand video added into UK inflation benchmark
LONDON (Reuters) - With millions of people watching the latest movie blockbusters and television box sets online, Britain's statistics office has added video streaming services to the list of things it monitors for inflation. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday it will add services like Netflix and Amazon Instant Video to the consumer price index (CPI), as part of a new category combining DVD rental and on-demand subscriptions.
U.S. Senate Judiciary panel sets hearing on Comcast merger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Comcast's plan to merge with Time Warner Cable in April and another on retransmission issues in late March, the committee said on Wednesday. Senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the committee, said the panel would meet on April 2 to discuss plans by Comcast, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, to buy TWC for $45.2 billion. TWC is the No. 2 U.S. cable operator. Both companies are major broadband Internet providers.
Murdoch ex-editor Brooks blamed others for illegal activity, court hears
LONDON (Reuters) - Rebekah Brooks, the former head of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers, was accused in court on Wednesday of blaming all those around her when finally caught orchestrating an illegal campaign to get stories at any cost. Appearing in the witness stand for a 13th day, Brooks engaged in a tense standoff with lead prosecutor, Andrew Edis, who accused her of ordering staff to hack into phones, make illegal payments and then cover up their behavior as the police closed in.
Comcast lobbyist Cohen meets his match in FCC's Wheeler
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Comcast Corp's top lobbyist David Cohen is known to be a savvy political operator, having pushed through the No. 1 U.S. cable operator's landmark acquisition of media giant NBC Universal in 2011. But when it comes to getting approval for Comcast to buy its biggest rival, Time Warner Cable Inc, Cohen must win over someone just as well versed in the ways of lobbyists and the cable industry: Federal Communications Commission Chairman Tom Wheeler.
Russian journalists see Kremlin censorship in editor's dismissal
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The longtime editor of a popular Russian internet news site was dismissed on Wednesday in what dozens of its staff members alleged was censorship and direct pressure from the Kremlin. The removal of Lenta.ru editor-in-chief Galina Timchenko deepened concerns about what many Russians see as a crackdown on independent and critical media outlets amid tension over the Ukrainian crisis during President Vladimir Putin's third term.
Berkshire gets TV station in swap with ex-Washington Post owner
(Reuters) - Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Inc plans to shed much of its 40-year-old investment in Graham Holdings Co, the former publisher of the Washington Post, and swap most of its shares for a Miami television station and other assets. According to a Wednesday regulatory filing, Berkshire plans to turn over more than 1.61 million Graham shares worth in excess of $1.1 billion. It will receive ABC affiliate WPLG-TV in Miami, at least $400 million of Berkshire stock now owned by Graham, and cash.
Disney TV executive Sweeney to leave company in January
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Anne Sweeney, the president of Walt Disney Co's Disney/ABC Television Group, will leave the media company in January after 18 years to pursue a career in television directing, the company said on Tuesday. Sweeney, also co-chair of Disney Media Networks, oversees the ABC broadcast network, ABC Studios and cable networks including the Disney Channels and ABC Family.
Media executives question Comcast-Time Warner Cable deal
(Reuters) - One of the top executives of Twenty-First Century Fox Inc has raised questions about Comcast's potential dominance of the U.S. broadband Internet market if regulators allow its $45.2 billion merger with Time Warner Cable to be completed. Speaking at an investor conference on Tuesday, Chase Carey, Fox president and chief operating officer, said the "broadband issue" will be front and center when U.S. regulators review the tie-up that merges the No. 1 and No. 2 cable operators.- Reuters
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
