A Peek Behind Cable’s $1 Billion in Charitable Donations
The cable industry is integral to helping charities and non-profit organizations gain enough momentum to make an impact. Last year, contributions totaled more than $1 billion in industry cash, in-kind donations and public service announcements in 2014, with both cable operators and program networks included. A few of the initiatives which the cable industry was involved in include: closing the digital divide through low-cost and discounted broadband services and digital literacy classes for those who need it most; training and supporting military veterans; encouraging students to participate
Is Tim Cook Right? Are Apps the Future of TV?
Yesterday, to the fanfare of cord cutters and yes, even cord lovers, Apple announced its first update to the Apple TV in three years. The new Apple TV looks similar to the old device, a slim black box, but the new one boasts better guts, a faster processor, a sleek new remote, voice command capabilities, and perhaps most importantly, access the new tvOS App Store filled with specialized Apple TV apps. Though Apple CEO Tim Cook may have delivered a bit of puffery and salesmanship for the sake of the press event (after all, Xfinity’s X1 already offers voice command), the new Apple TV through its
Keeping Bullies Out of Unlicensed Spectrum
We’ve all come to love Wi-Fi because it’s so easy to access, so easy to use, and so widely available. But thanks to a new technology called LTE-U, this could change. The unlicensed spectrum that Wi-Fi uses works so well because Wi-Fi and all of the other technologies utilizing it (think garage door openers and baby monitors) all follow politeness rules. They listen out for each other’s signals and take steps to avoid interference. These rules aren’t set in stone – they’re generally agreed upon because everything works better when everyone cooperates. But LTE-U, which also relies on unlicensed
Labor Day Is the Perfect Time to Celebrate Cable’s Impact on America’s Workforce
As Americans look forward to the Labor Day holiday, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the cable industry’s contribution to our country’s economy and workforce. Behind the fascinating storylines and celebrities we watch on our favorite cable programs, and behind the speed of which we can stream those stories on our tablets or watch them on our television sets at home, are the employees who work hard every day to deliver these great experiences. We released a study yesterday that shows how the cable industry is contributing to the health and vitality of America’s economy and is one of the
With 2.7 Million Jobs, Cable Industry Boosts U.S. Economy
This summer’s volatility in the U.S. stock market is causing lots of anxiety about the impact of a global slowdown on the U.S. economy. A natural result of this fear is even more scrutiny of U.S. job growth and other domestic economic metrics. That is why we are proud to report that the U.S. cable industry has added jobs and continues to have a significant positive impact on the national economy. A new report from the Bortz Media and Sports Group shows that the U.S. cable industry supports 2.7 million jobs representing a total economic impact of more than $386 billion. Since 2002, cable
U.S. Open Tennis Kicks Off Under ESPN
In the opening week of the U.S. Open tennis tournament, audiences will start to get a glimpse of what ESPN has to offer as the tournament’s exclusive live TV network carrying the event. This year marks the first of the next 11 years in which ESPN has exclusive live coverage of the U.S. Open, according to a deal made between the network and the U.S. Tennis Association, with the Tennis Channel given rights to re-air outside of the live window. ESPN also has rights to the complete coverage of Wimbledon and the Australian Open. “We found that this is an absolute winning formula, to be able to
Discovery’s Resources Bringing Change, Hope to Schools Abroad
Have you ever seen a cheetah before? Maybe not in person, but certainly on television or on the Internet. It might surprise you to know that children in Africa who live just a few hours from a national park full of cheetahs and wildlife have no idea what a cheetah looks like. For developing communities across the globe that lack televisions, computers, technological devices and sound education, this is not surprising, explains Aric Noboa, the president of the Discovery Learning Alliance (DLA). To rectify the disconnect between communities and their surroundings, DLA—a non-profit established by
The Real Cost of Amazing Television
When evaluating the value of a product or service, one common measurement is the amount of the purchase weighed against the time spent using the service. When it comes to cable’s video service, this metric is called price per viewing hour. And at just 25 cents per hour, cable offers among the lowest cost-per-hour form of entertainment available. And the 25 cent price-point doesn’t even account for second-screen or on-demand viewing. Consumers are watching more TV every year. Nielsen reports Americans average more than five hours of live TV each day. We’ve talked often on this blog about the
Software Apps Are Changing How We Watch TV
If competition is the stamp of a healthy marketplace, than premium television competition is more than healthy – it’s downright fierce. Cable, satellite, telco and web streaming services are all fighting for subscribers. We have options for watching TV via linear programming, on demand and DVR viewing, TV Everywhere services and software apps for all of our devices. We can choose robust channel bundles, lighter bundles, channels a la carte and even individual programs. And thanks to the flexibility of IP based services, these devices and services will be able to quickly change to offer yet
Comcast Changing the Customer Experience with New Live Streaming App
In May, Comcast launched to a limited number of it’s X1 users Xfinity Share, an iOS and Android app that allowed customers to live stream video and send photos and recorded videos directly to their TVs and to each other. Now, all X1 customers have access to the app. As Comcast VP of Communications Patti Loyack said upon the launch in May, “[Xfinity Share] gives the power to share special moments in their lives as they happen…[letting] users broadcast whatever they see in real time to the biggest screen in the home.” The app was met with wide enthusiasm, allowing an all-new way to take