Welcome to the cable news roundup, T.G.I.F. edition
SeaChange International Inc. (Nasdaq: SEAC), the video tech specialist that's in the midst of a big shake-up, posted third-quarter net income of US$400,000 (1 cent per share) on revenues of $53.4 million, up nine percent year-on-year. Its software unit posted revenues of $37.6 million, up 13 percent -- thanks in part to a "significant" home gateway software licensing deal with an unnamed domestic service provider. Revenues at the servers and storage were flat at $7.9 million. SeaChange did not provide fourth-quarter guidance because its new CEO, Raghu Rau, is just finding his feet. "This is only, and I emphasize only, because I am just becoming immersed in the company's operational processes, and did not want to commit to numbers until I was fully satisfied that I could stand firmly behind them," Rau said on Thursday's earnings call. (See SeaChange Off the Block, CEO Exits and Comcast Slots SeaChange Into Video Gateways.)
Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is testing a range of personalized TV recommendation features, including a "My TV" section on the guide that will let subs pick their favorite actors, channels and shows, reports Interactive TV Today. Some of those capabilities are being tested in August, Ga., site of the MSO's next-generation TV trial. Comcast is expected to roll out that platform, internally called Xcalibur, widely in 2012. (See Comcast to Swing Xcalibur Wide in 2012.)
MSO-backed In Demand LLC has won a deal to handle VoD transport for Music Choice, which debuted its on-demand component in 2004 and now claims to serve up more than 1.2 billion views per year.
Penetration of Docsis 3.0 services in Hungary reached 135,614 subscribers in October, says Broadband TV News, citing data from the National Media and Infocommunications Authority. Overall, the number of broadband subscriptions in the country stands at 1.85 million, up from 1.62 million a year ago.