Light Reading
Also: Analyst says Starz was wise to step away from Disney bidding; Synacor connects with Zynga; Cable Show starts its paper chase

Verizon/Redbox Video Service Hits Pause Button

Jeff Baumgartner
LR Cable News Analysis
Jeff Baumgartner
12/5/2012
50%
50%

Welcome to the broadband and cable news roundup, Hump Day edition.

  • Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) and Redbox Automated Retail LLC have delayed the launch of their joint video streaming and DVD subscription service until early 2013, Verizon Chairman and CEO Lowell McAdam said at this week's UBS AG conference in New York. The service, which will tangle with Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX), was slated for a fourth-quarter launch and expected to kick off with tiers starting at US$6 per month. McAdam said more testing is needed and that the commercial launch will be delayed until the first or second quarter of next year, writes The Hollywood Reporter. (See Verizon/Redbox Combo Set for Q4 Breakout and Verizon & Redbox Boot Up Web Video Service .)

  • Starz Entertainment LLC was wise to walk away from the bidding for Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) content and let Netflix swoop in, wrote ISI Group Inc. analyst Vijay Jayant, who thinks investors in Starz parent Liberty Media Corp. (NYSE: LMC) over-reacted to news that won't take effect until 2017. He estimates that Netflix could be paying as much as $400 million per year, and put Starz's deal at about $250 million per year. John Malone's Liberty Media plans to spin Starz into a separate public company. (See Netflix Swipes Disney Deal From Starz.)

  • Synacor Inc. , the Buffalo, N.Y.-based developer of TV Everywhere authentication systems and Web portals, is expanding into social gaming after notching a partnership with Zynga Inc. , the creator of titles such as FarmVille and Words With Friends. The deal will help Synacor's pay-TV partners, which include Charter Communications Inc. and CenturyLink Inc. (NYSE: CTL), offer access to Zynga games via their customer home pages.

  • Video software specialist SeaChange International Inc. (Nasdaq: SEAC) posted fiscal third-quarter GAAP net income of $600,000 (2 cents per share) on revenues of $39.2 million, down from year-ago revenues of $42.9 million. SeaChange also increased 2013 revenue guidance in the range of $155 million to $159 million.

  • The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) , CableLabs and Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) have issued a call for technical papers for the 2013 Spring Technical Forum, held in conjunction with The Cable Show, set for June 10-12 in Washington, D.C. Among the topics they're seeking: signaling and encoding for 4K TV, Docsis 3.1, and advanced home networking technologies. Proposals are due Jan. 21, 2013. (See Docsis 3.1 Targets 10-Gig Downstream.)

  • Netflix has tagged the PlayStation3 as the "top platform" for development, meaning it will be the first to get new features and access to more content than other devices.

    — Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable



    (2)  | 
    Comment  | 
    Print  | 
    • Newest First  |  Oldest First  |  Threaded View
    Jeff Baumgartner
    50%
    50%
    Jeff Baumgartner,
     User Rank: Light Beer
    1/10/2013 | 4:00:18 AM
    re: Verizon/Redbox Video Service Hits Pause Button


    Anyone things the delay is a big deal?  Maybe it's not when considering the grand scheme of things, but they'll miss out on any holiday tailwinds.  But are video subscription services the kind of thing you'd use as a stocking stuffer? JB

    Jeff Baumgartner
    50%
    50%
    Jeff Baumgartner,
     User Rank: Light Beer
    1/10/2013 | 4:00:17 AM
    re: Verizon/Redbox Video Service Hits Pause Button


    Heh, good point. Was thinking of that stuffer in a virtual form.
    Educational Resources
    sponsor supplied content
    Educational Resources Archive
    Flash Poll
    From The Founder
    It's clear to me that the communications industry is divided into two types of people, and only one is living in the real world.
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Dr. Dong Sun Talks About Carriers' Digital Transformation & Huawei’s Telco OS
    1|29|15   |   6:28   |   (0) comments

    Dr. Dong Sun, Chief Architect of Digital Transformation Solutions at Huawei, discusses how telecom operators can become digital ecosystem enablers and deliver optimal user experiences that are in real-time, on-demand, all-online, DIY and social (ROADS).
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Huawei's Chief Network Architect Talks about Network Experience & Operators’ Strategies
    1|29|15   |   3:39   |   (0) comments

    In the digital age, network experience has become the primary productivity especially for telecom operators. In this video, Wenshuan Dang, Huawei’s Chief Network Architect, discusses how carriers can tackle the challenge of infrastructure complexity in order to enhance business agility and improve user experience.
    LRTV Documentaries
    The Rise of Virtual CPE
    1|27|15   |   01:38   |   (5) comments

    As NFV strategies evolve from tests and trials to production telco networks, expect to hear a lot about virtual CPE (customer premises equipment) rollouts during 2015.
    LRTV Documentaries
    Optical Is Hot in 2015
    1|23|15   |   01:56   |   (2) comments

    Optical comms technology underpins the whole communications sector and there are some really hot trends set for 2015.
    LRTV Custom TV
    Policy Control in the Fast Lane
    1|22|15   |   2:57   |   (0) comments

    What's making policy control strategic in 2015 and beyond? Amdocs talks with Heavy Reading's Graham Finnie about the key factors driving change in the data services landscape. Find out what his policy management research reveals about the road ahead for policy control – and sign up for
    LRTV Documentaries
    Highlights From the 2020 Vision Executive Summit
    1|21|15   |   4:33   |   (2) comments

    In December 2014, Light Reading brought together telecom executives in Reykjavik, Iceland to discuss their vision for high-capacity networks through the end of the decade. The intimate, interactive meeting was set against the backdrop of Iceland's spectacular natural beauty. As one of the event's founding sponsors, Cisco's Doug Webster shared his company's ...
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Huawei Pay-TV Partner Harmonic, Helping Carriers Accelerate 4K Video Deployment with Huawei
    1|20|15   |   5:42   |   (1) comment

    At IBC, Peter Alexander, Senior Vice President & CMO at Harmonic, speaks about the growing interest in pay-TV service and its branching into multiple devices.
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Sony Marketing Director Olivier Bovis Discusses the Outlook for 4K and Cooperation With Huawei at IBC 2014
    1|20|15   |   6:50   |   (0) comments

    At IBC, Olivier Bovis, Marketing Director of Sony, speaks about the coming of the 4K era.
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Huawei Pay-TV Partner Envivio, Helping Carriers Accelerate 4K Video Deployment
    1|20|15   |   2:57   |   (0) comments

    At IBC, Olivier Bovis, Marketing Director of Sony, speaks about the coming of the 4K era.
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Pay-TV's Networked Future
    1|20|15   |   6:29   |   (0) comments

    At IBC, Jeff Heynen, Principal Analyst at Infonetics, speaks about the future of the pay-TV industry and its transition.
    LRTV Huawei Video Resource Center
    Jeff Heynen: Distributed Access Will Help MSOs Compete in the Future
    1|20|15   |   2:26   |   (0) comments

    At IBC, Jeff Heynen, Principal Analyst at Infonetics, speaks about moving to distributed access and the future trend of cable business.
    LRTV Interviews
    Cisco Talks Transformation
    1|20|15   |   13:02   |   (0) comments

    In December 2014, Steve Saunders sat down with Cisco VP of Products & Solutions Marketing Doug Webster at Light Reading's 2020 Vision executive summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. They spoke about Cisco's approach to network virtualization as well as how service providers can begin to monetize high-capacity networks through the end of the decade.
    Upcoming Live Events
    February 5, 2015, Washington, DC
    February 19, 2015, The Fairmont San Jose, San Jose, CA
    March 17, 2015, The Cable Center, Denver, CO
    April 14, 2015, The Westin Times Square, New York City, NY
    May 12, 2015, Grand Hyatt, Denver, CO
    May 13-14, 2015, The Westin Peachtree, Atlanta, GA
    June 8, 2015, Chicago, IL
    June 9-10, 2015, Chicago, IL
    June 9, 2015, Chicago, IL
    September 9-10, 2015, The Westin Galleria Dallas, Dallas, TX
    September 29-30, 2015, The Westin Grand Müchen, Munich, Germany
    November 11-12, 2015, The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Atlanta, GA
    December 1, 2015, The Westin Times Square, New York City
    December 2-3, 2015, The Westin Times Square, New York City
    Slideshows
    CES Pics: Get Another Bite of the Gadget Cherry!
    More Slideshows
    Infographics
    Hot Topics
    Google Continues Gigabit Expansion
    Jason Meyers, Senior Editor, Gigabit Cities/IoT, 1/27/2015
    Comcast Apologizes to 'A**hole' Brown
    Mitch Wagner, West Coast Bureau Chief, Light Reading, 1/29/2015
    US Ops Spend $32.5M to Bring 4G to Chicago's Subways
    Sarah Thomas, Editorial Operations Director, 1/30/2015
    Cablevision's New WiFi Try – Freewheeling Enough?
    Mari Silbey, Independent Technology Editor, 1/26/2015
    Overture Builds on NFV Foundation
    Mitch Wagner, West Coast Bureau Chief, Light Reading, 1/27/2015
    Like Us on Facebook
    Twitter Feed
    Upcoming Webinars
    Webinar Archive
    BETWEEN THE CEOs - Weekly Executive Interview
    Join us live for Light Reading's interview with Jay Samit, the newly appointed CEO of publicly traded SeaChange International Inc. With a resume that includes Sony, EMI, and Universal, Samit brings a reputation as an entrepreneur and a disruptor to his new role at the video solutions company. Hear what he has to say about the opportunities in video, as well as the outlook for cable, telco, OTT and mobile service providers.