The Numbers Show Cyber Monday is Stronger Than Ever
The turkey and stuffing might all be gone by now, but the online deals generated over the Thanksgiving holiday are still being served. The data is in, with reports announcing that more consumers took to doing their shopping online this Thanksgiving season than ever before. Cyber Monday had its strongest showing in history, with consumers spending $3.45 billion online. That’s 12 percent more than Cyber Monday turned out in 2015. And according to Adobe Digital Insights, Black Friday had a strong showing as well. It trailed behind Cyber Monday by $110 million in online sales. Over $1 billion of
GCI's 1 GIG Red: Bringing Alaska to the Cutting Edge of Connectivity
What would you do if you had gigabit internet speed in your house? GCI, Alaska’s largest internet service provider, posed this question in 2015 to the residents of Anchorage, Alaska, in a fun contest that had neighborhoods competing to receive gigabit speeds in their homes — a first for consumers in the state. The neighborhoods that showed the most interest would come away with the provider's premiere of its 1 GIG red service and a big block party to kick off the launch. (Eventually, 1 GIG red would be available in all of Anchorage.) Anchorage Mayor Ethan Berkowitz was on board. The contest
As Technology Evolves, So Does Comcast’s Customer Service Experience
As we press further into the 21st century and as technology evolves, so do businesses and the way they approach customer service. New technology as well as the changing demands of consumers in the digital era has prompted retail businesses to re-think their in-person experience and to redesign their brick-and-mortar stores in order to offer a deeply personalized and individualized service or product. And few have led this type of transformation better than Comcast, as seen in their Xfinity stores. The plain, old, transactional center in the middle of an industrial park is now an outdated
How Many Connected Devices Does Your Home Have?
Looking around the house, have you ever noticed how many things are actually connected to the internet? The smart TV, phone, thermostat, laptop, refrigerator or maybe even your vacuum cleaner are all connected. The internet of things is here. So it’s no surprise that in a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult, 24 percent of respondents say they have between six and ten internet-connected devices in their home. Since that number is only going to get larger, it’s so important for internet speeds to continue to grow at their current fast pace, to support all those new gadgets. Just as
Making Transgender and LGBTQ Storytelling on Television a Priority
Transgender awareness week kicked off earlier this week, with organizations and communities in the internet and television industry paying tribute to transgender people across the country. Diversity is an important component of who we are as an industry and we take pride in reflecting the diverse faces and voices in the programming that we air. This week we celebrate transgender communities, but recognizing the LGBTQ community is something our industry supports year-round. Pay TV and internet providers have taken steps in recent years to highlight the stories of transgender people and the
Ensuring a Place for Military Veterans in the Internet and Television Community
On Veterans Day, we, along with the entire internet and television industry, join together to recognize this special day and honor our country’s military veterans. But Veterans Day is just one of many days throughout the year in which our industry rallies and encourages recognition and support of individuals who have selflessly served our country. Here are just a few of the myriad of efforts taking place today and everyday within our industry: A&E’s HISTORY channel continues their “Take A Veteran to School Day,” a national program launched in 2007 to encourage schools nationwide to teach
Good Wi-Fi Makes Happy Internet Users
The latest Morning Consult survey shows that 84 percent of respondents use Wi-Fi when connecting to the internet at home. It seems sort of obvious. How else would the dozens of web devices we’ve all come to rely on connect to the internet? Everything from tablets to smart dog dishes rely on Wi-Fi to stay online. But what’s remarkable isn’t so much the number of people who routinely use Wi-Fi, but how quickly it has become an almost ubiquitous connection tool and how satisfied people are with their overall Wi-Fi experience. It was developed in the early 1990s, but Wi-Fi was first used in a way
How On-Demand Content Has Changed the Way We Watch Television
Cable operators still dominate when it comes to video-on-demand viewing, according to a new report from the Video Advertising Bureau. In a time when more alternative viewing platforms are available to us than ever before, The State of MVPD’s Video-on-Demand 2016 Report, which uses stats reported by Nielsen, found that 54 percent of VOD viewership came from cable service providers. Online services and satellite followed with 35 and 30 percent of viewership, and “other” platforms came in at 2 percent. VOD usage actually proved to be very high across all generations of consumers who subscribe to
How GCI is Connecting Arctic Alaska to the Rest of the World
Imagine walking outside of your home knowing that you can’t get to your neighboring town, or even the nearest hospital, without hopping on a plane. That scenario is a reality for a great number of native Alaskans, especially those living in the remote regions of the state. But for many, high speed internet is about to make their lives much easier. With the recent construction completion of seven towers in the Arctic Circle, GCI, Alaska’s largest internet service provider, is about to bring a whole new level of connectivity to a part of rural Alaska. Construction of the towers is one piece of a
New Steps Unveiled for Preventing Unwanted Robocalls
Earlier today, the FCC’s Robocall Strike Force unveiled some new steps that phone providers are taking to help prevent unwanted robocalls. A robocall is defined as a call with an automatic dialing system or with a prerecorded or artificial voice. The strike force, established earlier this year, includes among others Charter, Comcast, and Cox, all of whom are providing their customers with specific guidance and tools on how to block unwanted robocalls. NCTA joins them in supporting the task force as well as the FCC’s robocall portal that provides information about consumer rights and operator