SkyLog: Dial-Up Onlies? The Deal; 2Q Results & More
Dial-Up Onlies? Take this one with a shaker of salt, but here are 10 counties that the FCC says have dial-up only internet access: Harrison County, MS; Imperial County, CA; Corson County, SD; Ector County, TX; San Juan, PR; Jasper County, MO; Appomattox County, VI; Bristol Bay Borough, AK; Wake County, NC; and Mecklenburg County, NC. You can see pix of these places at Business Insider and a quick look through will give you an idea of why the Business Insider folks say some are "cause of skepticism."
The Deal: With a strong 2Q behind it, Comcast was on a high yesterday saying the NBC-U
deal will be done by the end of the year and ... FYI ... they'll have a
nifty $10 billion ad business when the deal closes. Comcast's current
ad biz comes in at $2 billion. With 10 billion reasons to play nice,
Comcast is also supporting some extra time (2 weeks) for critics to
review all 599 pages of documents on the deal at the FCC, but only so long as it doesn't stop the end of August shot clock.
2Q Results: Speaking
of that second quarter ... Comcast beat the Street's earning estimates
by 1¢ and would have done even better except for $36 million in costs
related to the NBC-U merger. The MSO saw a continued drain in basic
video customers (-265k) but boosts in digital cable, PPV and, of course,
rates put the company's video revenues up by nearly 1% to $4.9 billion.
--- Strong results also came in from Virgin Media, IAC, TV Azteca and techie Broadcom. Upcoming reports are also expected to be positive but don't hold your breath: According to Reuters, analysts see a glum outlook for continued advertising gains which could depress shares.
Folks: ABC Entertainment president Steve McPherson is out after repeatedly feuding with bosses. --- NBC-U has promoted Jeff Fleeher to senior VP and CFO, TV Networks & Digital Distribution.
Technology: Global satellite internet provider BusinessCom
has expanded its VoIP portfolio with A-Z termination to PSTN (Public
Switched Telephone Networks), International Direct Inward Dial and
conferencing.
No Apples at Nielsen:
Nielsen's plans to deliver ratings for TV via internet are looking a
bit wormy as the company tells clients its current technology can't
meter viewing on Apple computers. Check out the story in MediaDaily
News here.
Programming: Zee TV
says it will have two new original shows and a slew of interactive
marketing campaigns to draw U.S. audiences for the 2010-2011 season.•
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