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
Univision and Common Sense Media Team Up to Connect Hispanic Families
This past summer at the International Society for Technology in Education conference, FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel spoke about how 70 percent of teachers today assign homework that requires kids to go online. A statistic like this poses a challenge for many families who don’t have access at home, and widens the homework gap for those kids who are not connected. Seeing these challenges, particularly among its targeted Hispanic audience, Univision Contigo and Common Sense Media have partnered to launch the campaign, “¡Avanzamos Conectados! (Connected, We Advance).” Maria O Alveraz, the
What About Wi-Fi Two Years From Now?
Within the next two years, it will be standard for the average home to have five devices connected to the Internet per person. For many homes, this benchmark was long ago. The infographic below conveys how TVs, smartphones, tablets and various types of technology will continue to expand and improve the efficiency of our daily lives through ever stronger, faster Wi-Fi. You can see the full infographic plus other stats and information on the future of Wi-Fi on NCTA’s Wi-Fi page.
Cable Continues to Make Diversity a Priority
As an industry that reaches all ethnicities, cultures, and economic classes across the country through a wide array of cable programming, Internet and technology services, one of the hallmarks of the cable industry has been its longstanding commitment to diversity. This may sound like an oft-used corporate talking point but when you take a closer look at how the industry has become such a staunch supporter of diversity organizations, programs and initiatives, it rings true. Cable’s annual Diversity Week will be held next month in New York City where organizations, business leaders and
Internet Security Report Shows Spike in Cyber Threats
The number of DDoS attacks has more than doubled and cyber “mega-attacks” are on the rise, according to a new “State of the Internet Security Report” released by Akamai this week. The report also announced that WordPress, the Internet’s most popular website and blogging platform, had 49 new plug-in and theme vulnerabilities exposed by Akamai researchers. The report states that because of its popularity, WordPress “is an attractive target for attackers who aim to exploit hundreds of known vulnerabilities to build botnets, spread malware and launch DDoS campaigns.” More than just a threat to the
Getting Digital Students Ready for School
As another summer draws to a close, the anticipation of a new school year is starting to build across the country. Back-to-school is a time of new schedules and routines, new classes, new friends and social interaction. This annual period of new beginnings and transitions is the perfect time to reassess how families use TV and online technology and to navigate the digital resources that are out there for parents and their children. “For many children, their real and virtual lives have a tendency to blend together.” Children are introduced to TV and online technology at increasingly younger