If YouTube is Broadcast TV, Vimeo is Cable TV
At first glance, they could be seen as unrelated companies – the upstart online video company Vimeo trying to overtake the traditional TV experience that A+E Networks does so well. But as Kerry Trainor, CEO of Vimeo and Nancy Dubuc, President & CEO, A+E Networks sat down with Re/code Senior Editor Peter Kafka at today’s INTX General Session, it became clear that they are actually in the same business. They are both trying to deliver video programming in any form that audiences want. The race they are running is for the consumption of viewers’ time, as consumers are getting flooded with more
From Imagine Park: The Future of Better TV
Today, live from Imagine Park, there was no shortage of exciting discussion around continued enhancements to the consumer viewing experience. A roster of guest speakers at the session “Better TV: At the Intersection of UltraHD & OTT” took the audience through a series of intriguing technology demonstrations and a glimpse of the very near future of TV. The quality of TV content is constantly getting better While video and images on 4K television sets already look stunning, we heard from leading solutions experts – like Technicolor, Philips and Dolby – who are leveraging HDR and other
Showtime, FX and AMC Execs on the Future of Programming at INTX
Three heads of the top cable networks this morning took the INTX stage alongside CNBC’s Julia Boorstin. Matt Blank, Chairman and CEO of Showtime Networks, John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks & FX Productions, and Josh Sapan, President & CEO of AMC Networks all noted how the many record-breaking shows and diverse content push the limits of cable TV. Yet, these same companies are also faced with a shifting media landscape as talked about by cable operators in an earlier session today. For Showtime’s Blank, “New distribution has always been critical – we intend to grow households and we need new
Flexible Rules for Drone Technology Will Improve News, Sports, Entertainment
For decades, cable programmers have been delivering incredible content into our homes and onto our mobile devices, bringing their imagination to our screens. In order to enhance quality storytelling, programmers are constantly pushing the envelope in innovative video production techniques. That’s why NCTA, along with the National Association of Broadcasters and the Radio Television Digital News Association, is encouraging the FAA to support the next technological revolution: accessible, flexible drone technology. Drones – also called Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) but we’ll stick to
Celebrate Earth Day by Watching TV
Happy Earth Day! People everywhere are finding ways to make cities greener, fight climate change, and support renewable energy solutions. And in the wonderful world of technology, building and upgrading devices with energy conservation in mind is just as important. The cable industry views energy efficiency as a strategic imperative that is good for our business and good for our customers. Two years ago, along with energy advocacy groups, we established the voluntary set-top box energy conservation agreement, or VA. The VA works to cut energy use in the 90 million American homes with cable’s
A Look Inside U.S. TV Households
Nielsen’s latest The Total Audience Report dives into the changing TV and media landscape with increased competition among the growing list of services. One of the most interesting charts in this report looks inside U.S. TV homes to see what other services consumers are adopting. What stands out to us is that 75% of U.S. homes with a TV also have a broadband Internet connection. That means that U.S. households that have TV service are more likely to also have broadband service, as broadband adoption in the U.S. currently stands at 70%. It is also interesting to note that 40% of U.S. TV homes
The Technology Behind Baseball on Opening Day
Here’s how the game goes from field to screen. Spring is in full swing, which means one thing: baseball is back. — And it’ll be with us through the fall; over the coming months each team will battle it out over 162 games, which equates to roughly 7,300 hours of play — plus playoffs. While you might be suitably psyched to tune in and watch, we’re geeking out just as much about the technology involved with thrusting America’s favorite pastime onto our screens. Today’s ballpark contains a veritable feast of statistic capturing machinery, phantom cameras, and it seems wearable tech may also adorn
INTX 2015 Exhibitor Spotlight
INTX 2015 is hosting some of the biggest, brightest names in the Internet and television industry today. But what makes INTX especially unique is the small, emerging businesses that have the great ideas of tomorrow. We had the chance to speak with three of these exhibitors, ContentWise, DOGTV and Gone Viral TV, about what they bring to the TV and Internet ecosystem and why they are looking forward to exhibiting at INTX in Chicago. We spoke with Neal Schleimer, who is the North American Sales Director at ContentWise. He has experience helping companies deliver and monetize multi-screen
Veep Star Louis-Dreyfus at SXSW: "Cable is the Wild West"
“We try to do things that seem far fetched for Washington,” Veep star Julia Louis-Dreyfus said yesterday while on a SXSW panel discussing the show’s 4th season (debuting on April 12th on HBO), “but then three months later, it happens.” Louis-Dreyfus’ portrayal of the preposterous upwardly failing (spoiler alert) President Selena Gomez has put another mark on cable’s board for hit shows (it’s already won four Emmy’s) that push the boundaries of what the medium of television can deliver. Its deep irreverence and quick, brave satire – not to mention world-class cursing –make it the diverse kind
My TV is Smart and It's Getting Smarter
For years, the promise of smart TVs has been touted at the annual Consumer Electronics Show. We’ve been promised a future of TVs that can integrate programming across all platforms, and manage linear programming and web streaming services seamlessly. A TV that will both be able to access the Internet with ease and make watching TV better. We don’t have that TV now. But if CES 2015 is any indicator, we’re getting much closer. A few stops on the show floor provide reason for optimism. At Panasonic, their usual collection of physical technology, everything from televisions to airline radars, is