Earlier this month, T-Mobile went to Washington to protest Verizon's planned purchase of Advanced Wireless Services airwaves from cable companies, writing a letter (PDF) to the FCC urging the regulatory body to block the spectrum sale. Now, Verizon is turning the tables on its competitor, accusing T-Mobile of hypocrisy in a letter of its own.
A leak late Friday has revealed that Time Warner Cable is planning to offer live TV on media hubs. The Engadget tip had Roku being the first of multiple devices that would stream IP-based TV. The Roku implementation wasn't clarified, but would presumably go through a custom Roku channel.
Time Warner Cable (TWC) has added a variety of local networks to its app available for the iPad, iPhone (App Store), Android 4.0 devices (Google Play), and TWCTV.com. Eleven channels have been added to most of New York City; Eight channels to the Dallas, Texas area; and nine to the Charlotte, North Carolina market.
Verizon has said it would put up some of its 700MHz wireless spectrum up for sale if it's cleared to go ahead with its cable company spectrum deal. The move would give up sections of the A and B blocks of 700MHz space it runs in Austin, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Its plan wouldn't directly affect the existing LTE network, which runs on the C block.
As expected, Time Warner Cable has updated its TWC TV app (free, Google Play) to work seamlessly on Android 4.0-powered devices. It now allows live streaming of TV content, but those who couldn't wait for the official Android 4.0 update to reach their handsets and have gone on and rooted their handsets won't have success. The app will not work on such handsets, though there may be a workaround.
Verizon’s controversial $3.6 billion acquisition of AWS spectrum licenses from cable companies initiated late last year has now borne fruit with its wireless services now being offered with Time Warner Cable bundles. When the deal was first announced, it was intended that Verizon would partner with the cable companies to help expand their services. Time Warner explains in its FAQ that the new bundle now offers customers the opportunity to also enjoy content wirelessly on mobile devices as well.
As promised, Comcast on Monday switched on its HBO Go support for the Xbox 360 on Monday. Viewers who have a Comcast cable subscription and the console can sign in and watch nearly all of HBO's catalog on-demand. Unlike the Xfinity TV app, though, viewing counts towards the 250GB data transfer cap.
Comcast sent word Friday of plans that confirmed rumors of imminent HBO Go on Xbox 360 support. Gamers would get access to the premium cable channel's on-demand shows in streaming form "early next week." The sign-in for HBO Go will be the same as for the already-active Xfinity TV.
HBO Go is close to overcoming its absence on Comcast and Time Warner Cable, sources hinted Wednesday. Multiple people linked to the talks explained to the New York Times that the cable providers were "close" to a deal. Comcast could be active as soon as this week, while Time Warner Cable's timing wasn't as certain.
TiVo picked an SEC filing to disclose that it had fired back against a 2011 Motorola lawsuit with one of its own. The new complaint, which also includes Motorola customer Time Warner Cable, accuses the two of violating its key Time Warp patents, including for simultaneous DVR recording and watching, converting TV to digital video, and performing functions on a live stream. The filing, as it wasn't a court document, was short on details.
A currently ongoing trial US Congress' Senate Judiciary Committee will hear testimony from Verizon about its buy of AWS spectrum from cable companies that include Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House. During the meeting, Verizon said it would continue to develop its FiOS fiber optic service into which it's already invested some $23 billion and that customers will see no decrease in choices or increased prices from the move due to marketing agreements between cable companies and Verizon, John Eggerton tweeted. The provider's representatives also said it's a good steward of spectrum and is more efficient than some others at using it.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has revealed when some ISPs will begin policing illegal file sharers, CNET reported. Last July, Comcast, Cablevision, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and more providers agreed to the policies, which were meant to keep their subscribers from illegally downloading and sharing files. The deadline is July 12, and at least Comcast, Time Warner, and Verizon are on track to start implementing the program.
Time Warner Cable earlier in the week outlined a new attempt at reintroducing metered Internet plans. Subscribers to Lite, Basic, and Standard access in Texas' border corridor, Corpus Christi, Laredo, the Rio Grande Valley, and San Antonio will have the option of an Essentials plan that saves $5 per month if they agree to a monthly 5GB transfer cap. Customers could switch to and from the plans and wouldn't be mandated.
T-Mobile USA has urged the FCC to block the $3.9 billion sale of wireless spectrum by cable companies to Verizon Wireless on Tuesday. Possibly frustrated after its own deal with AT&T was denied, the provider argued the deal between Verizon, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, and Cox Communications would give Verizon an "excessive concentration" of wireless spectrum. Verizon is already the biggest cellphone company in the US, while T-Mobile is fourth largest.
Time Warner Cable has confirmed that it is working to bring streaming TV content to Android devices. In a Twitter post, Time Warner director of digital communication Jeff Simmermon suggests the feature may be limited to devices running Android 4.0 builds.
Time Warner Cable answered a frequent call for its TV streaming by making its TWC TV app universal (App Store). iPhone and iPod touch users can now stream live shows like their iPad counterparts. They also get an optimized version of the program guide as well as DVR and remote controls.
HBO confimed Thursday that it had stopped directly supplying Netflix with discounted discs. The change won't affect Netflix's ability to get discs, but it will force Netflix to get discs from other sources, CNET was told. It isn't expected to hurt availability or prices in the near term, although Netflix has never had HBO streaming rights.
The Department of Justice on Tuesday said it was investigating Verizon's plans to buy cable companies' wireless spectrum. The agency was investigating whether or not taking the usually 1,700MHz space from Bright House, Comcast, Cox, and Time Warner Cable raised competitive problems. Officials are reportedly concerned that the deal amounted to collusion rather than fostering competition.
Cablevision on Monday joined Time Warner Cable's move in adding support for HBO Go and MAX Go streaming. Those on iPads, iPhones, and some Android devices can watch every current and past episode from the "best" shows on either network, including some big-name movies. Viewers need to authenticate to an Optimum account with HBO access to watch the streams, which also include the web.
Ending one of the longer waits for access, Time Warner Cable said it would carry HBO Go within the next month. The deal will let those who subscribe to a traditional TV package stream HBO's current and back catalogs. TWC will need to run a "short" beta before the public launch to make sure the authenticated system works.
Cox on Friday joined other cable companies in selling spectrum to Verizon. The deal, worth $315 million, will give it licenses for 20MHz of Advanced Wireless Services (AWS) space in areas that cover about 28 million Americans. The two will echo earlier deals in letting each sell the other's home and business services, and Cox would have the option of selling cellphone service at wholesale prices.
As part of the recent AWS spectrum sale from cable providers to Verizon, Comcast will begin selling Verizon's mobile devices early next year. At the same time, Comcast will compete with Verizon in markets where it sells its FiOS TV and Internet service, said Comcast Cable president Neil Smit. Time Warner Cable will also sell Verizon products in bundled packages, though it will do so nearly immediately.
As part of the very recent $3.6 billion spectrum sale to Verizon, the communications provider will wholesale its spectrum to Time Warner Cable and Comcast, CNET found. It will replace Clearwire in this respect, as it's one of the conditions of the multi-billion dollar sale. Verizon will be the exclusive partner of the two providers, Time Warner Cable spokesperson Alexander Dudley said. The transition will be done over the course of the next six months, and TWC and Comcast will need to move their existing customers elsewhere.
Time Warner Cable confirmed this morning that it had suffered an unusual, national-level Internet outage. Although lasting just minutes, users across the country, including in Austin, New York, and Kansas City, all found themselves unable to get online. The company didn't yet have an explanation for what had happened.
Time Warner Cable just posted its third-quarter subscriber numbers, which reveal there are 128,000 less subscribers to its video services this quarter. The total number of subscribers lost is just 16,000, though, thanks to the addition of 89,000 residential web subscribers. While the cord-cutting syndrome, which involves users getting rid of cable subscriptions in favor of web ones and accessing all multimedia content from the web and streaming video services or others, there are some arguments against this trend, AllThingsD argues.
Time Warner Cable's On Demand movie streaming service claimed a rarity Friday by offering movies the same day as they appeared in theaters. Both Trespass and Marginal Call are arriving on the same day as they appear in theaters, starting today for Trespass and a week later for its equivalent. A third movie, Lars Von Trier's Melancholia, is already available even though it won't be in US theaters until November 11.
Time Warner Cable is reportedly preparing to offer HBO's Go apps to its cable TV subscribers. Although the cable provider has yet to publicly confirm the move, which would enable users to access HBO content from mobile devices, unnamed sources have told Bloomberg both companies may be ready to announce an agreement sometime in the next few weeks.
Cable and Internet provider Time Warner Cable said on Tuesday it will subsidize the purchase of the Slingbox Pro-HD set-top boxes to lets subscribers stream their home TV online. The $300 discount on the device, its full price, will only apply to those with TWC's $99-per-month Wideband Internet Service. The move could be seen as controversial by cable programmers, who recently argue distributors need to pay them more for offering their content through channels other than cable TV.
Time Warner Cable on Monday confirmed its plans to buy Insight Communications. The $3 billion deal gives it control of TV, Internet access, and more across 750,000 homes in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. CEO Glenn Britt claimed the deal, which took Insight out of the hands primarily of private investors like the Carlyle Group, would give it a "well-run, technologically advanced" cable network.
Time Warner is about to try and consolidate the cable industry further by buying Insight, a last-minute leak brought out Sunday night. The deal would buy Insight out from the Carlyle Groupe for $3 billion and absorb the cable provider's debts. Final bidding had wrapped up at the start of the July, WSJ said, and the new deal was just Insight reaching a promised target of picking a winning buyer within a month's time.
Disney is following in the footsteps of the Fox book by requiring online TV show viewers to be pay TV subscribers and log in with a cable ID. According to a Wednesday GigaOM report, the company is working on deals with content distributors to allow this. Thus far, cable networks like CNN and HBO are already requiring such logins.
Most people using video apps are concerned more about how much it costs than what it contains, Nielsen said on Monday. A disproportionately large 63 percent of those using apps on iPhones, iPads, Android and elsewhere considered the price "very important" and wanted it either free or with a low subscription. Only 42 to 47 percent were sincerely concerned about what and how much video there was.
Time Warner Cable has introduced a major update to its iPad app, TWCable TV, which now blocks access from jailbroken devices. Version 2.0 enables users to access a wider range of channels, with more than 100 channels now supported. The interface has also been improved, adding an interactive program guide for setting favorite channels or viewing program listings for up to seven days. Users can also remotely manage their DVR scheduling directly from the app.
Viacom sued Cablevision in a Manhattan court on Thursday over claims that the Cablevision iPad app was violating its broadcast rights. The Comedy Central owner claimed the tablet app was breaking terms that restricted showing Viacom content only on cable TV. The studio wanted both a ban on the iPad streaming as well as $2 million for every purported breach and other possible damages.
Viacom and Time Warner are reportedly attempting to privately settle their ongoing legal battle over content streaming on Apple's iPad and similar devices. District Judge Leonard Sand has approved an agreement that effectively stalls the formal litigation process while the parties attempt to find a resolution outside of the court.
A tell-all document escaped on Friday night has detailed some of Time Warner Cable's plans to revamp its TW Cable TV iPad app and tweak its DVRs. The 2.0 version of the app would bring a full interactive guide as well as turn the iPad into a direct remote control for the set-top box, Engadget saw. Owners would get the option of remotely scheduling a DVR when it's available.
Following just one month after ESPN launched its WatchESPN app for the iPhone and iPod touch, the company has brought the title to Android devices (free, Market). The latest offering provides the same functionality as the iOS equivalent, enabling many cable subscribers to view the full range of live content from the sports network's ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU channels.
Time Warner Cable started the weekend with word that it had recovered some of the channels for the TWCable TV iPad app (free, App Store) that it had lost to disagreements just weeks earlier. The streaming app now has Discovery's namesake channel as well as Animal Planet and TLC. Fox News, FX, and National Geographic have also arrived along with Lifetime Real Women, Military History, Sundance Central, and Wedding Central.
Viacom this weekend lumped Cablevision into its disputes over iPad TV streaming rights. Similar to its fight with Time Warner Cable, Viacom argued that Cablevision hadn't been given permission to stream over Apple's tablet. It negotiates deals for "specific technologies and devices" and insisted it wanted a deal that provided "appropriate value" for both sides.
Time Warner Cable on Thursday launched a preemptive strike against Viacom in hopes of getting a legal right to broadcast the network's shows through its iPad app. The motion for a declaratory judgment asked a Southern District of New York court to say that the TWCable TV app was within TWC's broadcast rights. Viacom had threatened legal action but would be barred from any measure if a judgment came in TWC's favor.
ESPN gave iPhone and iPod touch owners a bonus for being subscribed to traditional TV on Thurdsay through its new WatchESPN app (free, App Store). The app lets viewers watch live ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPNU with a schedule to show both active and upcoming events. The system tries to shelter TV providers and requires a sign-in from a cable or satellite account to get access.
New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets broadcaster YES Network in a remark disputed the presence of its shows on the Cablevision iPad app. Despite Cablevision tapping directly into its existing cable network, YES told the TV provider it "does not have the right" to stream the live games. It didn't say in comments to Multichannel whether it had threatened a lawsuit.
Cablevision lived up to its promises of a near-term launch of live iPad TV streaming by launching Optimum for iPad (free, App Store). Its approach is much more aggressive than Time Warner Cable's and gives access to as many as 300 live stations depending on the owner's cable package. Viewers also have access to 2,000 free and subscription on-demand videos.
Time Warner Cable might dip its toes into its own high-end WiMAX smartphone after an inside leak was corroborated late Thursday. The unnamed hardware was in testing and would use Sprint's CDMA network for voice with Clearwire's network handling the WiMAX for 4G data. Few details were available to FierceWireless' sources, though it's presumed this would be an Android device.
Time Warner Cable on Friday shot back at the need to pull some channels from its TWCable TV iPad app by adding 17 new ones. Although it had to pull some key Discovery-, Fox-, and Viacom-owned stations, it now has major networks such as A&E, CNN, Disney, ESPNnews, IFC, and MSNBC, among others. It also managed to add Fox News despite the apparent deadlock.
Time Warner Cable partly bowed to pressure on Thursday and said it would pull channels like Fox from its TWCable TV iPad app. It spun the withdrawal by saying it would concentrate on "enlightened programmers" who saw the value of tablet streaming. The decision also gave it incentive to attack Fox, Scripps, and other holdouts, ironically accusing them of greed by limiting how they could access TV.
Fox on Wednesday said it had given a cease-and-desist letter to Time Warner Cable asking it to pull Fox channels from the TWCable TV iPad app. The studio believed Time Warner didn't have rights to stream its shows on Apple's tablet, even over the app's home Wi-Fi limitation. Time Warner hadn't said to Bloomberg if it would contest the letter but in a post on its company blog reiterated its view that its home TV rights included the iPad.
Google on Wednesday made its pick for the Google Fiber project today and said it would first roll out the 1Gbps Internet access in Kansas City, Kansas. The city was picked out of fierce competition from about 1,100 candidates. Google already had a development agreement in place and would be working with local firms and institutions to roll it out.
Time Warner Cable gave the first clues that that live iPad TV streaming was in hot demand on Wednesday with word that its TWCable TV app had been overcome by demand. The app was popular enough late Tuesday that customers couldn't use the authentication system. The cable giant hoped to offset the load by temporarily cutting back the number of channels from 30 to 15 until it was ready to handle the load.
The Time Warner iPad app previewed just yesterday has now gone live (free, App Store). The app promises the ability of watching TV in the home over Wi-Fi, as long as users are a Time Warner Cable subscriber. Only selected live cable TV channels are supported, including Bravo, Animal Planet, The Food Network, BET, AMC, A&E, CNBC, BBC America, Discovery, E! News and 20 more in HD.
