Discovery Communications and Scripps Networks are putting Shark Week, Guy Fieri, House Hunters, and Bizarre Foods all under the same umbrella in a $14.6 billion mega merger of hugely successful, moderately entertaining media companies.
[More]
programming
Discovery Communications, Scripps Networks Bring HGTV & TLC Together In $14.6B Deal
By 7.31.17
Amazon Reportedly In Talks To Create Live Pay-TV Service
By 10.8.15
Amazon already offers users a variety of ways to get on-demand television programing: Amazon Prime Video allows Prime subscription members the ability to download or stream a number of shows and movies for free. Now, the company is reportedly in talks to expand its video offerings with a live online pay-TV service. [More]
Creator Of Uncanny ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Text Generator Doesn’t See Robots Taking Writers’ Jobs
By 2.13.15
Amid the Fifty Shades of Grey movie hooplah maybe you’ve found yourself grumbling, “I could’ve written that book.” Sure, maybe, but it’s not just you — there’s a text generator out there right now that does a pretty damn near perfect impersonation of the series. Wait — robots are doing literature (and I use that term lightly) now? ARE WE ALL DOOMED? We chatted with the programmer behind the new Fifty Shades of Grey text generator tool to find out. [More]
Computer Engineer Barbie Needs Men To Write Code, Can’t Reboot Computer
By 11.18.14
UPDATE: The real update is there has yet to be an update. We — and others — haven’t heard back from Mattel yet, despite increasing negative reviews of the book. SECOND UPDATE: Mattel has responded to the book’s critics. [More]
No More Daily Show Or Colbert Report On Hulu
By 3.2.10
The New York Times is reporting that Viacom plans to pull its Comedy Central programming from Hulu next week because it can’t reach an agreement with the video site on compensation. In a post today on its blog, a Hulu executive notes that Hulu was “unable to secure the rights to extend these shows,” and that they’ll be gone as of 11:59 pm PST next Tuesday, March 9th. After that, you can continue watching them on TheDailyShow.com and ColbertNation.com. [More]
Poll: Does A Company Pulling Ads Off A Show Affect Your Opinion?
By 8.18.09
We mentioned last week that some companies have pulled their ads off Fox News host Glenn Beck‘s show in response to comments Beck made and the controversy that followed. Now there are reports that even more companies are pulling their ads from the show. We’re curious whether any of this actually affects consumer opinion of a company, so we made a poll. Take it!
Comcast: In Case Of Emergency, Remain Calm, Watch QVC
By 8.2.09
When Comcast activates the emergency alert system, Jim’s cable box snaps into action and tunes itself to QVC. The locked cable box refuses to tune to any other channel, so Jim is left wondering what emergency information he’s missing while staring at the latest deals on cubic zirconia bracelets.
Comcast Programming Guides Won't Display Porn Next To Kid's Shows Anymore
By 6.7.09
Sorry kids, your days of catching enticingly named porn listed next to your cuddly family shows on Comcast’s programming guide are over. Comcast will now place “blocks of dummy channels” to keep family programs away from the racy pay per view channels.
CBS Is Counting On Leno To Fail In Prime Time
By 5.8.09
You know how much it sucks to lose a $5 bill, right? Well, times that by 11 million and you get an idea of how CBS president and CEO Les Moonves felt during the first quarter of the year, when his company lost $55.3 million.
Cable: The Worst Deal Of The Decade
By 5.24.08
The price of everything in the telecom world has fallen over the past decade, except for cable. Cable is now 77% more expensive than it was ten years ago, an increase that dwarfs the rate of inflation and makes telecom executives salivate. The Times looks with pity on all of us who splay our wallets wide for the industry, and asks if there’s any salvation other than à la carte pricing.
It's Back To Court For The NFL And Comcast
By 2.29.08
An appeals court has kicked the Comcast, NFL dispute back down the lower courts where the two companies will have to start all over again in their dispute over whether or not Comcast can offer the NFL network on a special “sports tier.”
Comcast: Watch 3,000 Hours Of TV On Our New Website
By 1.8.08
Comcast has set up a site called Fancast.com where viewers can watch more than 3,000 hours of television shows from NBC, Fox, CBS and MTV and where they will soon be able to remotely program the digital video recorders in their homes. The shows on Fancast are available free. Comcast has yet to say how it will price the rest of the content as its plan moves forward.
FCC Chairman Takes Aim At Cable Monopolies
By 11.11.07
Newly emboldened FCC Chairman Kevin Martin plans to wield the Cable Communications Act of 1984 to shatter the cable industry’s anti-competitive practices. The proposed regulations would give consumers flexible, diverse programming at cheaper rates, while capping the cancerous growth of conglomerates like Comcast and Time Warner.
The commission is preparing to take steps to make it less expensive for rivals of the largest cable conglomerates to buy their programs — so that, for instance, a satellite company would find it less expensive to purchase programs by the Turner Broadcasting System, a unit of Time Warner.
An Excellent History Of The Evil DirecTV NFL Sunday Ticket Monopoly
By 10.31.07
NFL Sunday Ticket is like amazing delicious super crack. From the ability to watch whatever game your fickle heart desires, to the hypnotic decadence of “The Red Zone Channel,” NFL Sunday Ticket is well, radical.
Comcast Says Chicago Will Have TBS HD For Tonight's Cubs Game
By 10.3.07
I am having trouble getting the Cubs on Comcast. I have been working with Comcast for two-plus weeks on this and it is still not working. The first game is tonight at 9PM to beyond midnight. I have a Tivo Box that uses the “Cable Card” approved by Comcast. It is on Channel 47(TBS) but that station is not working due to “Content Security” problems. I am stuck, as Comcast is the only provider due to Cable company regulations.
Comcast Accidentally Angers Philadelphia Sports Fans, Retreats To Secure Bunker
By 9.30.07
Comcast is holed up in a secure bunker today after accidentally angering some Philadelphia sports fans who were hoping to see the Phillies play the Nationals as they attempt to win the NL East.
