TV Everywhere Usage Continues to Rise
The ability for pay TV subscribers to watch television on any device and from anywhere with a simple login–called TV Everywhere–is continuing to change the way people watch their favorite shows, according to new data from CTAM. The tracking study shows that 70 percent of pay TV subscribers are aware of TV Everywhere features offered by their provider and 56 percent now sign into TV Everywhere apps on a monthly basis. Many demographic groups saw usage increases since last year’s report, especially among millennials. Millennials usage increased from 52 percent to 75 percent. Even Boomers
ISPs Are Helping Families Stay Smart in an Ever-Expanding Internet
Studies in the past several years have shown that kids who spend more time on social media networks are less happy in all areas of their lives. While adults are also vulnerable to the negative impact that social media and certain online overuse can have, children are often at higher risk. If they don't have the support of a parent or mentor, many will use these sites blindly, share or post inappropriate photos and messages, and depend too much on the "likes" and "comments" from their peers—leading to an enormous amount of time spent on these sites and making kids more prone to low self esteem
NCTA President & CEO Michael Powell on C-SPAN's The Communicators
NCTA President & CEO Micael Powell appeared on C-SPAN's The Communicators this week. There, he discussed the latest news on Facebook, data privacy, and the role regulators play in an ever-evolving digital marketplace. You can stream the full interview below or watch it on C-SPAN, Saturday at 6:30pm ET (5:30pm Central) and on C-SPAN2 Monday at 8:00am & 8:00pm ET (7:00am or 7:00pm Central).
A Glimpse into How Unscripted TV is Made
Behind the scenes, thousands of cable programming employees work day and night to bring millions of Americans a diverse menu of TV shows that keep them coming back for more. For the many directors, producers, writers, showrunners, network executives and camera crews, it's no small feat to put together a show that captures audiences through innovative storytelling, whether it's for scripted or unscripted programming. Henry Morillo, an unscripted story producer who is currently working for the WE tv show Bridezillas, gave us a glimpse into what it takes to put together reality TV that keeps
Creating Women Leaders Requires Risk Taking and Mentorship, Say Cable Execs
In honor of Women's History Month, NCTA gathered insights from female executives in the industry on women's portrayal in the media, what it's like to be a woman navigating the industry, the challenges they face, important achievements, and feedback they have to offer for aspiring women leaders in cable. "It's a good time to be a woman in content creation and distribution," said D'Angela Proctor, TV One's senior vice president of original programming and production. "It's still not where it should be, but it's better than it was before." Proctor pointed to Issa Rae, Ava DuVernay, Gina Prince
Turner Breaks Records as March Madness Coverage Spans Across Screens and Devices
Most brackets might be busted by now, but that hasn't stopped March Madness fans from tuning in to watch the nation's best college teams battle it out on the court. With more ways to watch the tournament than ever before, Hania Poole, Turner’s general manager of NCAA Digital, shared in an interview with NCTA how the network’s digital strategies behind the madness keep viewers excited for the games, even if their teams aren't lucky enough to go all the way. "We are everywhere the fan is, we're across 16 platforms," said Poole, which is a record number for the tournament this year and includes
A $9.5 Billion Impact: How TV and The Walking Dead Are Transforming Georgia
Georgia may be nicknamed the Peach State, but in the film and TV business, it’s better known as the Camera Ready State. With an average of 30-40 movie or television show productions going on per year, there's no shortage of television favorites being filmed there at any point in time, or in any kind of town, be it FX's Atlanta, IFC’s Brockmire or even Netflix’s Stranger Things. But the biggest hit of all is AMC's The Walking Dead, where 90 percent of the show's crew are native Georgians. The production also completely revitalized the small town of Senoia. In an interview with Lee Thomas
How the Cable Industry Has Become A Leader in Gender Diversity
According to the World Economic Forum, it will take another 200 years to achieve gender parity in the workplace. "That's just too long, and unacceptable,” said Maria Brennan, CAE, President and CEO of Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT)." In an interview during Women's History Month, Brennan shared her insights on how the cable industry can be a global leader in gender equity and diversity, and what businesses need to prioritize and address in order to help women succeed in the workplace. "Everything in the research says gender diversity is a competitive differentiator, and it will make
Get Ready to Save Billions: Set-Top Box Voluntary Agreement Has Been Extended
Together with the Natural Resources Defense Council, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, the Consumer Technology Association and all of the largest pay-TV providers in the United States, NCTA has announced a four-year extension of the Voluntary Agreement for Ongoing Improvement to the Energy Efficiency of Set-Top Boxes, commonly known as the VA. The award winning program, initially signed in 2012, has already saved consumers more than $3 billion and avoided millions of metric tons of CO2 emissions over its first five years. New industry DVRs use 40% less power than they did
A Strategy for Expanding Faster Broadband ASAP
One of the primary obstacles to faster broadband deployment is one of the most mundane–timely access to utility poles. All broadband providers benefit from mechanisms that promote safe and speedy access to utility poles. Such a system should be fair, fast, and predictable–carefully reconciling both the pro-competitive interests of those attaching new facilities to poles with the property interests of those already attached. While the current FCC process often works well, the increasing number of problems that companies are experiencing in today’s competitive marketplace suggests that there