The IPv6 Internet addressing standard will get a more formal launch by its backers on June 6, which is being devoted World IPv6 Day. Seven global ISPs will back the new standard then, including AT&T, Comcast and Time Warner. Also onboard are heavily trafficked websites, including Facebook, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft's Bing, as well as hardware makers Cisco and D-Link.
Sprint has filed lawsuits Monday against Time Warner, Comcast, Cox, and Cable One. The complaints against the four were filed separately in a Kansas City federal court. The US' third largest wireless carrier alleges that each cable provider infringed on 12 patents that it holds for digital voice calls sent over landlines.
In an odd decision, Google may go into traditional TV, insiders may have divulged Thursday. The YouTube owner would use its Google Fiber in both Kansas City rollouts to include TV and possible VoIP phone service, the Wall Street Journal was told. Early talks were said underway with Discovery, Disney, and Time Warner to supply content.
E-mails made available thanks to the Freedom of Information Act (pdf) and unearthed by Wired reveal high-ranking Obama administration officials were actively involved in secret negotiations between Hollywood, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and ISPs. The three sides were found collaborating on plans to disrupt web access for users who are suspected of violating copyright law. The e-mails included executives and lobbyists from the likes of companies like AT&T and Universal Music, among many others.
The latest update in Microsoft's bid to bring TV content to Xbox 360 Live has the new content arriving on its game console subscription service as early as next week. Microsoft is engaged in talks on the matter with many content providers and cable companies, with Comcast and Verizon chief among them. A source who couldn't speak publicly revealed these details.
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.
Time Warner head Jeff Bewkes said during a results call Wednesday that HBO Go was expanding beyond mobile apps. He expected it to arrive on Internet-capable TVs as well as game consoles in the near future. No signs were given of exactly when or on what platforms.
A report issued today by the Federal Communications Commission shows broadband speeds in the U.S. are now significantly closer to what Internet service providers advertise than they were in 2009. The report found that actual download speeds provided by the majority of U.S. broadband providers were within 80 percent or better of companies' advertised speeds. In 2009, download speeds were more often around 50 percent of the advertised rate.
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 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.
Google will make money on its Google Fiber project, for which it picked Kansas City, KS. According to The Kansas City Star, 1Gbps connections won't just be a test bed for the technology behind it, but have money-making potential. Google's executive in charge of the installation in Kansas, Kevin Lo, said Google expects to make money selling Internet access in Kansas City.
US District Court judge Beryl Howell has ordered Time Warner to hand over identities of 250 subscribers accused of illegally downloading movies. The order appears to reject Time Warner's argument that the request is excessively time consuming and expensive. The subpoenas involve three cases from movie production companies Maverick, Donkeyball Movie, and Call of the Wild Movie.
Time Warner Cable late Monday said it would be the first known TV provider to have a shipping iPad app with live TV streaming. The app will show 30 standard cable TV channels in HD. It will only work as long as it's on a Wi-Fi router linked to the cable modem but will grow to include channels from more expensive tiers in the future, COO Rob Marcus told the AP.
Time Warner Cable is being asked by a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel to stop claiming in ads that it uses fiber optic wires. Competitor Verizon challenged the validity of Time Warner's claims, as it offers a true fiber optic network, FiOS. The ads claim Time Warner's network is "dramatically faster" because of its "advanced fiber optic network."
Comcast has landed a partnership with Time Warner on Tuesday that will bring shows and movies to Comcast On Demand customers soon after they first air. XfinityTV subscribers will also have access to the streaming content at no additional cost, with content from channels such as TNT, TBS, CNN, HLN, truTV, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Those with Turner's apps for the iPhone, iPad and Android-based devices, as well as web users, will also be able to access this content.
Netflix while discussing breakthrough results on Wednesday surprised the industry with word that the new Apple TV was already more popular than the iPad for Netflix movie viewing. Apple's media hub had already accumulated more viewing hours in its first four months than the iPad managed in nine. The movie rental service didn't try to explain the gap, but it suggested many still preferred to use Netflix's movie streaming on a TV despite the surge in tablet video.
Samsung has struck new deals with Comcast and Time Warner. Comcast’s Xfinity TV will be distributed to Samsung’s smart TVs and on the application store for the Galaxy products interacting through the Comcast set-top box. On the Galaxy Tab, the Xfinity TV experience is a virtual television guide and a mobile video player all in one. Xfinity TV digital customers will be able to browse, discover and sort video content, change the channel on a Samsung smart TV in real time, and program DVRs.
Clearwire in an SEC filing revealed that its board chairman Craig McCaw was leaving the company on Friday. The executive had given the company just two days' notice and didn't give a personal reason. His exit wasn't due to disagreements with the company, the WiMAX company said in its official point of view.
Time Warner chief Jeff Bewkes in an interview published Sunday tried to downplay the significance of Netflix. He insisted the streaming video provider was far less than it was made out to be in the media. Netflix was much smaller than Time Warner, he argued, and had no chance of disrupting the larger company, likening it for the New York Times to the Albanian military's relative insignificance.
Netflix landed another major content deal today as it reached a new deal with Disney and ABC. In exchange for a minimum 15-day delay between a first TV appearance and the online version, Netflix will get a much deeper catalog that includes prior-season access to current shows like Grey's Anatomy and full seasons of past shows like Lost and Scrubs. Disney's TV content is expanding, and ABC Family is reaching the Internet for the first time.
Comcast today posted an Android version of its Xfinity Mobile mobile app. Less advanced than Xfinity TV for iOS, the app can remotely schedule a DVR and check listings but can't remote control live programming. The app serves as a catch-all for other Comcast services and will take in VoIP voicemail as well as check Comcast mail.
Netflix has been pressing hard to get current TV shows on Watch Instantly, according to rumors surrounding negotiations. The company reportedly said it was willing to pay between $70,000 and $100,000 per episode if it meant getting access to a given season while still on the air. Most of the "friction" in the discussions, the New York Post's sources said, has been TV broadcast owners arguing that they have rights over current-season TV that even the show producers themselves would lack.
Microsoft's plans for an Xbox TV service may have become more concrete through a leak on Monday. Two sources today said that it was in early discussions that would bring multiple networks in for a streaming service. The models Reuters understood had been mentioned included both a "virtual cable" that offered a traditional paid service online as well as an option that would grant free access to Internet-enhanced TV for those who have a cable TV subscription.
WiLAN, a Canadian company that, in its own words, is charged with "developing, protecting, and monetizing technology intellectual property," has filed another ambitious lawsuit, this time against cable companies Charter, Comcast and Time Warner. The Eastern District of Texas complaint claims that the three allegedly infringed patented technology through their use of cable modems. The 1998 patent covers the broadcasting of data to a number of remote networks and computers.
Time Warner Cable is reportedly testing a new cable package, "TV Essentials," that will serve as a cheaper, bare-bones alternative to the company's current offerings. The new package will exclude several major networks such as Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox News, and MSNBC. Subscribers can still access local stations and 12 of the top 20 cable networks.
Time Warner is considering a policy change that may bring longer delays for content brought to rental services such as Netflix and Redbox, according to a Bloomberg report. The company suggests its current delay has proven successful, although a change would not be brought until sometime in 2011 when the current deals with partners are set to expire.
Verizon Wireless is reported to have denied considering buying spectrum from Clearwire. This comes after several reports maintained the carrier, along with competitors AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Sprint and Time Warner Cable are vying to buy mobile airwaves in an auction from Clearwire. The seller is trying to raise at least $2.5 billion to help build out its 4G network by selling as much as 40MHz of spectrum in each market.
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes has joined others in the TV industry in criticizing 99-cent TV show rentals and purchases from Apple and Amazon. The executive recently spoke at the Royal Television Conference in London. "How can you justify renting your first-run TV shows individually for 99 cents an episode," he said, "and thereby jeopardize the sale of the same shows as a series to branded networks that pay hundreds of millions of dollars and make those shows available to loyal viewers for free?"
Disney, Sony and Warner are close to testing a proposed system that would give Internet access to movies before they've reached Blu-ray or DVD, multiple official and unofficial tips disclosed on Monday. Of the three, Disney would be the most aggressive and would let viewers watch movies on any web-connected device and possibly the PS3 and Xbox 360 as well. A Bloomberg contact said Disney would likely be modest, trying one movie under the plan in an early 2011 trial.
Apple's rumored iPad news service has garnered more details slip late Friday. The magazine and newspaper service would be distinct from the App Store and similar to but not necessarily a part of iBooks. The company is also said by Bloomberg to be talking to at least four major publishers, including Conde Nast, Hearst, News Corp. and Time Warner.
The Walt Disney Co. and Time Warner have established a long-term agreement that will continue to bring a wide range of Disney programming to Time Warner cable subscribers. The terms of the deal will allow subscribers to access a variety of online content and video-on-demand services.
Apple has managed to line up two major TV networks for its 99-cent iTunes TV rentals ahead of tomorrow's event, a late leak may have confirmed this evening. Previously undecided Fox as well as ABC have reportedly agreed to offer at least some of their shows. The WSJ sources warned that Fox might only offer rentals for a short time as a trial balloon and that it wouldn't include shows where rights aren't uniformly in its favor, like American Idol.
Time Warner Cable is the latest cable, satellite or IPTV company to soon bring out an iPad app that will make watching TV easier. Thus far, it involves an interactive program guide that can be used to schedule recordings and act as a remote control, but eventually the company plans to let viewers stream programs to their iPad wherever they are. Users would also be able to watch part of a program on their portable devices while returning from work, for example, and continue to view the program in their living rooms once they get home.
Time Warner may be looking to deliver special digital tablet versions of its paper magazines as a perk to its current subscribers. The company's CEO, Jeff Bewkes, hinted that he wants to make the content available to current subscribers--in a model a bit similar to its "TV Everywhere" initiative, which offers its own television content (TNT, TBS, HBO, etc.) to current cable television subscribers on their tablets. However, unlike its video initiative--such as its HBO Go service-- the company may deliver its premium magazine via its native app. Currently, users can download the app its Time, Sports Illustrated and other apps for free, but they must pay for continuing access the magazine content.
More Hulu news has surfaced this evening as a leak now suggests the paid Hulu Plus service will start running in a matter of days. Anonymous contacts said a trial version of the subscription TV streaming is due to go live before the end of June. It would be invite-only at first, and negotiations with studios are believed to still be in later stages.
Hulu is in talks with CBS and Time Warner to add their TV shows in time for the paid subscription service, a leak from within the negotiations may have given away today. While terms of the deal haven't been outlined in full, CBS would start supplying shows for the paid service by September, as the new TV season starts. Time Warner's staging wasn't outlined by the Bloomberg source.
The FCC today said (PDF) it had voted 3-2 in favor of beginning procedures to reclassify Internet access and take action on its proposed National Broadband Plan. Officials plan to go ahead with their initial plans and are asking for comments both from the public and from the industry by July 15. First replies from the FCC to the comments should be ready by August 12.
A number of major studios that include NBC and Time Warner are deliberately rejecting HTML5 video in favor of Flash, rumors maintained today. TV networks have allegedly told Apple they have no plans to switch as the cost and results wouldn't be worthwhile. None of the involved companies has confirmed or denied the remarks.
Movies could reach video on demand much faster in the near future, according to new tips [subscription required]. Following a proposal by Time Warner at the Cable Show that movies reach VOD within 30 days for a premium price of $20 to $30, a leak at the WSJ has Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner willing to sign onboard. The fast-track service, if agreed to, would go live as soon as the fall or early 2011.
Time Warner doesn't necessarily have any reason to launch an HBO app for the iPad or any other device, company CEO Jeff Bewkes said when discussing the company's latest financial results. The media firm could "easily" make an app to stream the cable channel's shows to Apple's tablet but doesn't have any motivation to do so. Since it goes over the web, the online HBO Go service doesn't have to be tied to a particular platform and gives Time Warner control over how the service works for any device, not just the iPad.
Sprint and Clearwire announced the expansion of the availability of their 4G mobile data network in new markets on Wednesday. This will focus heavily on Florida cities such as Daytona, Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. At the same time, the 4G service will also be launched in Kansas City, Kansas, along with Rochester and Syracuse in New York through Time Warner Cable.
Time Warner on Thursday gave Road Runner customers in the New York City area free Wi-Fi as part of their service. Both Cablevision and Time Warner Cable customers attached to the ISP will have access to the service in key public areas. Eight commuter rail platforms, including on Broadway, Flushing and Murray Hill, will give travelers free access across a wide area of the city. Several parks will also receive the same treatment, such as Bryant Park and Madison Square Park in Manhattan and four parks in Queens.
Premium cable channel HBO on Wednesday took its streaming video service HBO Go out of beta. The feature is meant as a complement to a TV subscription and gives those with an existing TV subscription access to about 600 hours of the station's shows through a web browser. The service is much larger than the previous HBO On Demand.
Apple is planning an unveiling in January for an unspecified product, a rumor asserted Tuesday evening. As part of a leak whose sources back reports of an iTunes TV subscription plan, the Financial Times claims that Apple is "preparing an announcement" for next month. The newspaper says it has no knowledge of what the event would include but speculates that the often-rumored tablet could make its appearance.
Apple may have two studios lined up for its proposed iTunes TV subscription plan ahead of a winter tablet lanch, sources claim Monday night. Where before the rumored service had merely been proposed to studios, anonymous tips now suggest that CBS and Disney are at least "considering" signing onboard. Under the plan, at least some TV shows across participating networks would be available through a monthly subscription, including CBS and its sibling CW network as well as ABC, ABC Family and the Disney Channel.
Comcast today brought its TV Everywhere project out into the open by launching xfinity TV as an extension of its Fancast service. The former trial and now beta product lets those who subscribe to both Comcast's Internet service and its TV services have free access to a large amount of the content normally available only on cable, including HBO.
As promised, Time Warner has launched a new WiMAX service, named Roadrunner Mobile, in several markets located in Texas and North Carolina. The service has been made possible through a joint venture established last year with Clearwire. Users are said to expect data speeds of up to 6Mbps, although typical real-world performance will likely fall somewhere closer to 3Mbps.
Time Warner today became one of the last major US cable providers to offer some form of DOCSIS 3.0-based Internet service. The initial deployment gives customers 50Mbps downloads and 5Mbps uploads for the same $100 monthly rate as similar offerings from Comcast and others. Early service is so far only available in parts of New York City, including Manhattan below 79th Street, parts of Queens, and Staten Island.
Time Warner Cable and Verizon today simultaneously said today that they will launch trials of Internet TV viewing for their subscribers. Part of the TV Everywhere effort, the plans both let existing cable TV (for Time Warner) or FiOS TV (for Verizon) customers watch shows on the web regardless of whether or not they're at home. As before, many of the shows will go online closer to their original air dates and will sometimes be shows that rarely reach sites and stores like Hulu or iTunes.
Time Warner Cable has recently reported its earnings for the second quarter, which revealed an unexpected increase in profit of about 4 percent. At the same time, the cable company's CEO, Glenn Britt, told attendees that mobile WiMAX is coming soon from the provider. Britt promised more details are forthcoming, but went on record to say that a mobile broadband network will be released in the fall, naming Charlotte and Dallas as the first cities to get it. Time Warner was an early investor in Clearwire's WiMAX network, along with rival Comcast, and is therefore authorized to resell the service.
