Also: LodgeNet swings a bankruptcy deal; Rovi puts video download service up for sale; Arris and Moto notch tech Emmys; EPIX hits the PS3

Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor

January 4, 2013

3 Min Read
Dish CEO Still Seeking a Wireless Friend

Welcome to the broadband and cable news roundup, T.G.I.F edition.

  • Dish Network Corp. acknowledges it needs a partner to make its Long Term Evolution (LTE) dreams come true, but there are no hints as to who that might be. "We need a [wireless industry] partner, that much we know," Dish CEO Joseph Clayton tells the Denver Business Journal. "Who it is remains to be seen." Dish has 40MHz of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS)-4 spectrum to contribute to any partnership after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved it for terrestrial use late last year. Clayton did drop some hints on where Dish might find a willing fiend, noting that Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. appear to have shored up their spectrum needs, while AT&T Inc., T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS Inc. could use some capacity. Spectrum, he said, is "like oil, gold or water -- you can't get enough of it. I could see a half-dozen different options that could play out." (See Dish Spectrum Gets Clearance for Takeoff.)

  • LodgeNet Interactive Corp., a company that provides movies to hotels, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 31. Tied into the reorg, Colony Capital LLC will invest $60 million in the company and become a controlling stakeholder in LodgeNet, which is expected to post a 2012 adjusted loss of 64 cents per share, according to Bloomberg. Colony has inked a memorandum of understanding that aims to make LodgeNet and DirecTV Group Inc. strategic partners in the hospitality and healthcare markets.

  • Interactive programming guide specialist Rovi Corp. has put its Entertainment Store business on the block as it looks to focus on "growth opportunities related to its core enabling technologies and services." Rovi's Entertainment Store (née' CinemaNow), obtained via Rovi's $720 million purchase of Sonic Solutions in 2011, is the brains behind Best Buy's digital download store.

  • Motorola Mobility LLC and Arris Group Inc. both scored 2012 technical Emmys for platforms that they obtained through acquisitions. Motorola got kudos for the CherryPicker, a video processing and digital program insertion (DPI) platform it obtained via its 2007 purchase of Terayon Communication Systems. Arris is being recognized for the development and commercialization of "Digital Infrastructure for Local Cable Ad Insertion," represented by SkyVision, a system initially developed by SkyConnect Inc. For those keeping track of that product's lineage, nCUBE bought SkyConnect in 1999, C-COR bought nCUBE in 2004 and Arris bought nCUBE in 2007.

  • Premium programmer EPIX says it will stream on-demand content to authenticated subscribers (those who get the service from one of EPIX's pay-TV programmers) on the Sony Corp. PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita starting later this quarter. The initial slate of 3,000 titles includes recent hits such as The Hunger Games and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. EPIX is currently carried by Charter Communications Inc., Cox Communications Inc., Dish, Mediacom Communications Corp., Suddenlink Communications, Verizon Communications Inc. and members of the National Cable Television Cooperative Inc. (NCTC).

    — 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.

Subscribe and receive the latest news from the industry.
Join 62,000+ members. Yes it's completely free.

You May Also Like