Another Major OTT Entry

Another major company is testing the OTT waters. Reports have surfaced suggesting that microchip powerhouse Intel is now developing an internet-based pay-TV service for the U.S. video market.

Intel has made no secret during the past few months that it wanted to create a virtual MSO by partnering with major media companies for content. Now the company has unveiled plans to offer nationwide TV channels over the internet in a bundled package closely resembling the programming tiers offered by cable and satellite operators.

Citing people close to the matter, the WSJ is reporting that an Intel-branded TV service would leverage the company's own technology, but that Intel would not be providing the internet service itself. Reports say the company is developing its own set-top box (so much for the technology's demise...) and is currently demonstrating a new user interface for program 'browsing.'

Intel has reportedly been telling various media entities that it wants to launch the service by year's end, but programming costs and bandwidth concerns will undoubtedly affect the company's plans. And while Intel has yet to comment on these recent developments, company CEO Paul Otellini is reportedly 'personally involved' with seeking rates on just how much certain programs and content would cost. Stay tuned.

In other OTT news,  Netflix made its "Just for Kids" service available on Sony's PlayStation3 gaming console. --- Hulu signed a first-of-its-kind deal with FremantleMedia that enables FME to distribute Hulu's original content to international audiences. ---  Eyes on the Go has partnered with a number of tech providers for its new live streaming web service, including Wowza Media server, Amazon S3, Route 53, and a custom-built encoder communication platform that Eyes engineers have dubbed "Fox."•

Pay-TV Registers on 'Worst-Company' Survey

For the seventh year in a row, the Consumerist is asking for help in finding the 'Worst Company in America." Sadly, pay-TV is (again) well-represented on the list of candidates.

This year's "competition" is structured in "March Madness" fashion with a tournament bracket of 32 companies nominated from reader submissions. First-time nominees include Netflix, Electronic Arts and CenturyLink joining what the survey calls "perennial favorites" like Comcast.

In the first round of competition, AT&T will square off with Verizon, Comcast goes head-to-head with Time Warner Cable, and Charter takes on CenturyLink. Other match-ups include DIRECTV v. DISH, Google v. Apple, and Netflix v. GameStop.

For the record, last year's survey garnered more than 250K votes from consumers... and the total is growing every year. FYI. •

Etc.: CNN Buying Mashable? - Mediacom & Suddenlink Q4 - Moonves To Jobs: No Content for You

Rumors: CNN is rumored to be making a move on Mashable for as much as $200M. MediaDecoder has details.  --- Rumors have swirled over the looming layoffs at Yahoo, but that hasn't stopped the company from pushing forward on its original programming plans beyond its recent deal with ABC News. AdAge has this story.

Disputes: Suddenlink and AMC Networks are nearing the end of their current carriage deal (set to expire at midnight, March 14) and have yet to reach new terms. If the two sides cannot reach an agreement, AMC may pull its stations from Suddenlink systems reaching ~1.4M subs. Channels involved in the dispute include AMC, IFC, Sundance and WeTV. --- Station owner Morgan Murphy Media started notifying DISH subs that they could lose a few channels in Wisconsin and Washington over the two sides' retrans impasse. Morgan Murphy owns the CBS-affiliate in La Crosse (WI) and ABC-affiliates in Spokane, Yakima, and Kennewick (WA). --- arstechnica says while Level 3's subscriber access war with Comcast may have "receded," the communications solution provider has another major bone to pick with Verizon, AT&T and CenturyLink over "demand lock-up." Level 3's issues with the carriers are over forced contracts in exchange for high-speed data interconnection deals. Read more.

QRs: Mediacom posted a 2% y/y increase in revenue to $219M during its Q4 with ARPU up ~$14 to $116.48. The MSO reported a loss of 16K basic video subs (partly a result of its retrans fight with LIN TV), but added 1K internet and 1K voice customers. Mediacom ended the period with 596K basic video customers, down 67K since Q410, but up 9K cable modem subs at 468K for FY11. --- Suddenlink reported a 5.8% y/y increase in Q4 revenue ($489.7M) with adjusted EBITDA at $189.5M during the period, up 9.6% y/y. The company posted a decline of 16.1K basic video subs during the period, compared to a Q410 loss of 9.8K, but added about 14.2K high-speed internet, 12.5K voice, and 13.7K digital video customers.

Rules & Regs: CenturyLink isn't happy about the telco reform bill making its way through the Colorado legislature this week. The bill proposes to eliminate a cost-reimbursement fund the telco receives for servicing hard-to-reach rural customers (to the tune of $50M per year). The company says the bill will increase monthly bills to these customers (or a loss of service altogether), while slashing jobs and risking "hundreds of millions" of investment in broadband technologies. --- DISH closed on its acquisition of DBSD and TerreStar Networks assets. The company said it "looks forward to working with the FCC" on its forthcoming NPRM "solve the nation's spectrum crunch."

Battleground: Billioinaire Barry Diller says Aereo's web-based TV service could be in as many as 75-100 markets within a year of its NY debut. Of course, the service must first fend off recent lawsuits that claim it's trying to circumvent distribution rules.

Footprint: AT&T said it would roll-out 4G LTE service in Lafayette, Muncie, and Bloomington (IN); Naples (FL); Baton Rouge and New Orleans (LA); St. Louis (MO); Akron, Canton, and Cleveland (OH); Bryan-College Station (TX) and Staten Island (in NYC).

Sports: NBCUniversal selected the Arbitron's "Portable People Meter" service to track out-of-home television viewing for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games. --- Azteca America is working with Sprint for a multiplatform soccer campaign called 'Gol o No Gol?' Azteca will air a short video of a player's shot attempt, then stop the video before the result. Sprint customers can use their mobile phones to vote whether it was a goal or not. Info here. --- DIRECTV reached a deal with Fox Sports San Diego for pre/live/post Padres coverage in HD.

Service: Charter launched its nationwide "All In" customer service campaign which includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, $20 credit for late service calls, and $20 credit for service outages. Terms apply. --- Time Warner Cable dropped the ABC-affiliate (WKBW-TV) in Hornell (NY) as it already carries an ABC feed (WENY-TV) on that system. Reports say TWC refused to pay Granite Broadcasting duplicate fees for both feeds.

Over, Up & Under: Alcatel-Lucent and Corporacion Nacional de Telecomunicaciones announced the deployment of a new 3G mobile broadband network in Ecuador. --- RRsat signed an agreement with Setanta Sports to distribute the Russian-language version of the sports channel.

SkyREPORT: Eutelsat and Es'hailSat, a Qatar-based satellite operator, selected Arianespace to launch EUTELSAT 25B (Es’hail 1) in Q213 aboard an Ariane 5 launch vehicle.

People: CBS Head Honcho Les Moonves said Apple's late Steve Jobs approached him about providing content for Apple's highly-rumored TV project... but Les said 'no.' THR has the story. --- Blip hired Discovery EVP and GM of digital Kelly Day as its new CEO.

--- Catch today's media market news in The Evening BRIDGE. •