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Apple May Bite On 'iCloud' DomainApple May Bite On 'iCloud' Domain

Elsewhere: Comcast adds primetime hits to free VoD lineup, Epix rolls apps for connected devices, DirecTV mulls a Netflix killer

April 28, 2011

2 Min Read

Apple May Bite On 'iCloud' Domain

Online video buzz dominates today's cable news roundup.

Lots of buzz this morning about Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL) possibly acquiring the iCloud domain name for $4.5 million (pocket change, really, for Steve Jobs), which it could conceivably use to launch a cloud-based music and video service. (See Apple Prepping Cloud-Based Video Service?.)
- Epix launched a batch of apps for Android units and other connected devices, allowing subscribers of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)'s premium movie network to watch videos on Google TV, Roku Inc. streaming players, Samsung Corp. TVs and Blu-ray players, and the BlackBerry PlayBook. (See EPIX Gains Traction With 'TV Everywhere' Model.)
  
  Comcast Corp. (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) added hit Fox Broadcasting Co. ' and ABC Inc. ' series to its free VoD service, but is disabling the fast-forward function to ensure viewers can't skip the ads. (See Comcast's 'Xfinity' Brand to Take Over the House .)
  
  DirecTV Group Inc. (NYSE: DTV) is thinking about launching a new online video service, comparing it to Netflix Inc. (Nasdaq: NFLX) in a subscriber survey.
  
  RGB Networks Inc. , the digital video specialist that's still pining for an IPO, said it has shipped more than $200 million in product since its 2001 inception. It reached the $100 million mark about two years ago. (See RGB Relights Its IPO Fire .)
  
  Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE: TWC) lost 66,000 basic video subs in the first quarter, but added 177,000 high-speed Internet customers.
  
  Fast Company wonders if Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO)'s HealthPresence telemedince play will transform healthcare. (See Cisco Pushing Telepresence on All Fronts.)
  
  Comcast opened a new customer service call center in Minnetonka, Minn., adding 450 new jobs.
  
  Increased ad revenue and distribution fees saw Discovery Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK)'s U.S. Networks division generate $587 million in first-quarter revenue, up 8 percent.
  
  But Imax, Discovery's partner in 3net, lost $1 million in the first quarter, as it struggled without a blockbuster movie like Avatar.
  
  — Steve Donohue, Special to <ahref="http://www.lightreading.com/lr-cable/">Light Reading Cable
  , and Jeff Baumgartner, Site Editor, Light Reading Cable

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