May 27, 2008

FiOS to Take Slow, Baby Bites of Big Apple

Verizon expected to get green light in five boroughs today, all New Yorkers expected to get FiOS option in 2014 and more news.

By Steve Goldstein

News Briefing for Tuesday, May 27, 2008

A certain pay-TV distributor has denied rumors that it is in negotations for a full-scale revival in New York of The Uncle Floyd Show. Happy Tuesday.

New York City’s cable operators, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, and their new competitor coming to town, Verizon’s FiOS TV, are unlikely to engage in a price war, the New York Times says. Verizon will probably offer introductory deals to consumers that undercut cable’s prices, but eventually the price differences will be minimal. The city’s Franchise and Concession Review Committee is expected to approve Verizon’s application to sell TV service today; Verizon is not expected to be able to offer FiOS to all New York City residents until mid-2014. It's going to be a slow build-out. [New York Times]
 
Comcast has put up for sale 46 cable systems in “outlying areas” in states including Maine, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico, Virginia, Georgia, West Virginia and California, according to an AP story picked up by news outlets. The systems for sale serve a total of 400,000 to 500,000 subscribers. [6abc.com]

Cox added six channels to its hi-def lineup in Oklahoma. [NewsOK.com]

The Tribune Co. began its relaunch of Superstation WGN on Memorial Day. [Chicago Tribune]

A Nielsen Media Research report released today says 25 million homes have at least one television that will lose its signal after the digital conversion, and 10 million of those homes either have no clue that the change is coming or have made no plans for the change. [New York Times]

Director, producer and actor Sydney Pollack passed away yesterday from cancer, aged 73. Working nearly up until his death, Pollack exec produced HBO's highly regarded political film Recount, which premiered Sunday. He also had a memorable turn as an incarcerated doctor-turned-orderly in the final season of The Sopranos. Ironically, Pollack's character in The Sopranos provided advice on cancer to an ailing John Sacramoni (aka Johnny Sack), played by Vince Curatola.  [Variety] 

Late Story
Outdoor Channel signed a distribution agreement with Caribbean Cable Cooperative Limited. The agreement makes Outdoor available to 40 member companies in 23 countries across the Caribbean.  The cooperative will offer Outdoor Channel SD, HD and VOD to its member companies that represent 50 cable systems and more than 600,000 subs.

Monday's Top Stories

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