The Rise of the Virtual Reality Social Network
“Imagine being able to sit in front of a campfire and hang out with friends anytime you want. Or being able to watch a movie in a private theatre with your friends anytime you want.” That’s what Mark Zuckerberg posed in front of the Mobile World Congress last month as he discussed the future of Facebook and his plans to delve into virtual reality. Well, as it turns out, you can do all of that now, and you don’t necessarily need to go through costly hoops and high-end equipment to experience it. Mobile VR is making headway worldwide and game developers have been hard at work as they’ve taken
WICT Head Maria Brennan Talks on the Upward Trajectory for Women in Cable
With Women’s History Month underway and the celebration of International Women’s Day occurring today, we decided to check in with Maria Brennan, the president and CEO of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), to see how women are faring in the industry and to find out how far we have to go to balance out the gender ranks at the top. Throughout our conversation, one thing seemed to stand out– that while it’s good to celebrate women’s achievements and contributions to the economy and society, it’s just as important to actually work on coming up with solutions that will move women into roles
Better Technology Is Leading to Lower Costs
Imagine waking up tomorrow and your Internet connection reverted back to the year 2004, when average download speeds were in the single digits. Remember that? No doubt that you would be frustrated waiting 10 minutes or more for a video to download. And the near-total lack of live video streaming would not only provide few options but a frustrating and jittery experience. This lookback demonstrates how broadband speeds – and Internet experiences – have increased tremendously and rapidly. As the graphic below indicates, advances in network technology over the past decade have not only
[VIDEO] Behind the Scenes of a Presidential Primary
It’s Super Tuesday. The nation is sitting on the edge of its collective seat waiting to find out who will run in the upcoming Presidential election. The act of delivering televised coverage of this near-national political events is an extraordinary challenge, but the 24 hour news networks that cover it make it look easy. We should know – we were lucky enough to see it all unfold for ourselves when we followed C-SPAN earlier in February as they covered the New Hampshire Primary. With video crew in tow, we joined C-SPAN hoping to capture the story of how a Presidential Primary is covered by a
How People Watch Television Today
Do you remember last fall, when the season premieres of some of our favorite shows beckoned for us to find out what would happen next after the previous season’s cliffhanger? Do you remember anxiously trying to get home in time for the start of it, or finding ways to rearrange your schedule around it? Chances are, you didn’t even sweat it. According to Adobe Digital Index’s “Q4 Digital Video Benchmark” report, overall growth in TV Everywhere video viewing doubled year-over-year. In other words, people are enjoying their freedom to watch television on their own terms, whenever and wherever they
Spotlight: Mediacom Is Bringing a Rural School In Alabama Up to Speed
For those who live and work in a metropolitan area, you probably don’t think twice when others around you stream videos, download hundreds of pages worth of documents, and share large amounts of data with others near and far. Living in or near a densely populated city has its advantages, and one of them is easy access to high-speed internet. But what about those far-reaching places that aren’t as easy to connect? How do they access fast broadband in a world that depends on constant connectivity? Mediacom, an Internet, phone and TV provider based in New York, has been a staple in rural America
Hollywood Creative Forum: Encouraging Diversity in Television Programming
Black History Month may be nearing its end, but every year it’s a good reminder that we must continue to strive for more representation of underrepresented groups on the screen and behind the scenes of our favorite shows. The inclusion and positive portrayal of women and minorities on television and media not only recognizes our diverse viewership, but also sends the message that people of all classes, races, ethnicities, and sexual orientation need to be seen and heard in order for us to accomplish great things. Some of the brightest and most talented writers, creators, producers and
What It Takes to Bring Us Our Favorite Shows
We’re almost two months into 2016, and many of us are anxious for some of our favorite shows to premiere their long-awaited seasons later this Spring. Having gone to CES 2016 for the first time this past January, I can’t help but look at some of the cinematography with a new-found appreciation as an episode of Game of Thrones or Fear The Walking Dead unfolds on the screen. The entertainment that shows like this provide during that brief one-hour period of our day took an enormous amount of effort and money to bring to fruition. From the creative scripting to the actors’ talent to the equipment
Covering the Coverage: Following C-SPAN on the Campaign Trail
Politics is a little bit like baseball: long stretches of time where seemingly nothing happens punctuated by extreme moments of panic and harried action; small, calculated decisions and acutely prioritized efforts that eventually add up to a win or a loss that could, at any, moment go either way. Where they differ is timing. Baseball can in theory go on forever, where in politics a time must come for voters to vote and the event to be over. NCTA joined C-SPAN earlier this week as they covered the “First-in-the-Nation” New Hampshire Primary. We joined because we wanted to better understand what
Aboard the C-SPAN Bus During the New Hampshire Primary
On a chilly morning this past Sunday in Plymouth, New Hampshire, people filed quickly through a parking lot, some of them wearing their “Make America Great Again” hats in support of Republican candidate Donald Trump. They were there to see Trump as he continued his presidential campaign two days before the state’s primary. Supporters, opposers and neutral citizens alike couldn’t walk towards the college athletic center where the presidential hopeful would kick off his rally without seeing the large C-SPAN Campaign 2016 bus, decked out in red white and blue. It’s hard not to be curious or