Also: Canoe's future questioned, Cox preps MPEG-4 play, Liberty seals up Aster, blogger gives a glimpse of Best Buy's TiVo-powered TV

Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor

September 19, 2011

2 Min Read
Low-Ball Bids Jeopardize Hulu Auction

Here's a glance at what's turning cable's crank this morning.

  • A wide gap in bids for Hulu LLC -- from as low as US$500 million to as high as $2 billion -- and questions about the Web video hub's long-term value are among several factors that are slowing down, and could possibly derail, the sale of the company, Reuters reports, noting that a new round of bids is due this week. (See Google May Up the Ante for Hulu .)

  • The New York Post takes aim at Canoe Ventures LLC , noting that the cross-MSO advanced ad venture is at a "critical crossroad" after spending more than $150 million over three years without producing much revenue. Canoe, which has access to a footprint of more than 20 million cable homes, tells the paper that it's making great progress, but others say the venture has been hurt by the recent losses of CEO David Verklin and the departure of Steve Burke, a Canoe champion who is now heading NBCUniversal LLC . (See Canoe Adjusts Senior Team and Canoe CEO Steps Overboard.)

    Update: Canoe issued a statement Monday afternoon that identifies some "inaccuracies" in the story, plus an update on some of its projects. We put their full statement on the message board.

  • Cox Communications Inc. will add up to 30 HDTV channels to its tru2way-based Advanced TV Plus tier by year's end using the more efficient MPEG-4 format, reports Multichannel News. Cox estimates that about 10 percent of its installed set-top box base is MPEG-4 capable. (See Cox Guides Tru2way Forward.)

  • Liberty Global Inc. (Nasdaq: LBTY) has closed its acquisition of Aster Sp. z.o.o., Poland's fourth-largest MSO, serving about 368,000 video subs. (See Liberty Buys Aster .)

  • Gadget blogger Dave Zatz got his hands on a 42-inch, broadband-connected Best Buy Co. Inc. Insignia TV outfitted with a TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq: TIVO)-powered interface. A full review is coming, but here are his initial impressions. (See TiVo Gets Inside Best Buy TVs.)



    — Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable



About the Author(s)

Jeff Baumgartner

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Jeff Baumgartner is a Senior Editor for Light Reading and is responsible for the day-to-day news coverage and analysis of the cable and video sectors. Follow him on X and LinkedIn.

Baumgartner also served as Site Editor for Light Reading Cable from 2007-2013. In between his two stints at Light Reading, he led tech coverage for Multichannel News and was a regular contributor to Broadcasting + Cable. Baumgartner was named to the 2018 class of the Cable TV Pioneers.

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