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Charter acquisition of Time Warner Cable approved by the FCC
It feels like forever since Time Warner Cable agreed to merge with Charter Communications, for an estimated $55 billion. But today, nearly a year after the two companies struck a deal, the Federal Communications Commission has finally granted its approval. The announcement follows FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler and the US Justice Department green-lighting the merger in April, which confirmed that it was only a matter of time before it became official.
Bright House Networks and Charter deal looking less likely
According to Reuters Bright House Networks may look to kill its impeding merger with Charter Communications. After pressure from regulators put an end to Comcast's effort to purchase Time Warner Cable, rumors started circulating that Charter wanted to resurrect its bid for the beleaguered company. Comcast backing out of the TWC deal triggered a clause in the Bright House / Charter agreement that would allow the two to renegotiate the terms of their merger. The 30 day window for the renewed contract talks ends in roughly two weeks, and sources have suggested that Bright House may want to put the kibosh on the acquisition. According to the Reuters report, Bright House appears to have decided that its in the company's best interest to remain independent. Part of that decision is likely fueled by an existing agreement with Time Warner, where the larger provider negotiates programing rates for Bright House and shares its technology with it. A merger with Charter would kill the existing arrangement and weaken its negotiating position.
Charter buys a cable company to make up for losing Time Warner
Charter lost out on its chance to snatch Time Warner Cable before Comcast made its move, so it's settling for the next best thing. The company just unveiled plans to acquire Bright House Networks, a cable provider that's mostly big in Florida, for about $10.4 billion. Reportedly, the move is about getting "strategic flexibility" and solidifying Charter's position as the second-largest cable company in the US. In other words, it wants to both improve its clout in relation to Comcast (even if the two don't have competing networks) and streamline its costs. That last part is important in an era where services like Netflix are diminishing the importance of conventional TV. If Charter can't have TWC, it can at least prepare for a future where it can't depend on expensive programming bundles to turn a profit. [Image credit: AP Photo/Matt Rourke]
Bright House set to match Google's Fiber speeds in Tampa community
Despite some recent PR setbacks, Google has become the people's champion in cities with its gigabit fiber network -- thanks in part to the low reputation (and speeds) of regular providers. However, one cable outfit, Bright House Networks, is at least seeing the commercial value in such installations. It's joining forces with a real estate company to build a gigabit fiber-to-the-home network for a 6,000-unit development in Tampa, Florida. The first houses will be occupied this summer, with completion slated for 2017. Bright House said the move is not a response to Google's recent announcement that it'll expand Fiber to 34 more cities, but meant rather as a "differentiator" for the community. With its average internet speed around a fortieth of that figure, we imagine the rest of the company's 2.4 million subscribers will keenly notice the difference.
beIN Sport launches Play streaming service for cable subscribers
You can't always be camped out in front of your TV for the big soccer (or "footie") match. Thankfully, beIN Sport is hopping on the streaming bandwagon and, starting today, will offer 24/7 access on both PCs and mobile phones though Play. Of course, like many of these properties making the leap from TV to the web, beIN Sport Play requires that you have an active subscription through a cable or satellite provider. At first only Time Warner and Bright House subscribers will have access, though other networks will come online over the next few months. Play will also offer unique features such as email alerts 30 minutes before the beginning of an event and the ability to watch alternative streams and un-broadcast matches. Now, if only beIN could convince Americans to care about soccer in the first place...
NFL Network and RedZone Channel coming to Time Warner Cable (Update: Officially confirmed)
You don't have to look high (or low) to find a litany of complaints regarding Time Warner Cable's service, support or pricing, but it's evidently aiming to right one particular wrong later today. According to Bloomberg, the National Football League has inked a deal with TWC to bring the NFL Network and RedZone Channel to its systems. The move comes just months after the NFL ushered its networks onto rival Cablevision, putting TWC is a particular bind in the greater NYC market. It's still unclear where the channels will be positioned and how much extra you'll have to pony up to get 'em, but hey -- it's cheaper than moving to a FiOS neighborhood. (Though, admittedly, less satisfying.) Update: Both parties have confirmed it, NFL Network and NFL RedZone Channel are coming to Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks starting September 23rd. NFL Network will be included for customers on the Digital Basic and Sports Pass tiers, while NFL RedZone is on the Sports Pass package only, check the press release after the break for the relevant details and self-congratulatory affirmations.
Pac-12 Conference streams come to iPad, fuel that Big Game rivalry on the road
Cal and Stanford fans away from home no longer have to huddle around their laptops if they want to learn who's one-upping who. The Pac-12 Conference has just launched an iPad app for its authenticated Pac-12 Now service: as long as you're with a TV provider that carries the college sports division's games (sorry for now, DirecTV customers), you can tune into 850 live matches spread across a myriad of sports. As you'd hope, going the digital route allows for some on-demand viewing, a dedicated program guide and the social sharing you'll want to rope friends into watching. Only Bright House, Cox and Time Warner Cable subscribers can use the iPad viewer at first, although support should come to BendBroadband, Comcast, Frontier and Suddenlink this fall, right alongside Android- and iPhone-sized apps. Hopefully, they arrive in time for a little ego padding around the Big Game in October.
FCC approves Verizon deal to buy cable company spectrum, asks for concessions
Verizon received the Department of Justice's blessing for its cable company spectrum purchase last week, and now it's the FCC's turn to rubber stamp the plan. The agency has followed Chairman Julius Genachowski's recommendation and voted that Verizon can snap up the relevant AWS airspace as part of its LTE network expansion. Some riders are attached to the deal, although they're not all weighty. Verizon has to make an "unprecedented divestiture" of spectrum to T-Mobile in addition to its swap with Leap, promise certain coverage levels in the newly acquired zones at 3- and 7-year milestones, guarantee some roaming deals and provide updates on how its DSL service adoption is impacted by all that 4G. That Verizon has 45 days to finalize the T-Mobile deal gives some idea of how quickly everything has to move, although it could be a long while before we see AWS-ready Verizon devices in the shops. To no one's surprise, advocacy groups are still upset: the Alliance for Broadband Competition believes the FCC decision "does not go far enough" to keep a level playing field, for example, and wants to voice its problems to the FCC. Anxiety still exists that just about any deal concentrates too much spectrum in the hands of Big Red. Still, there's a sense among groups like these that Verizon has had to at least partially address worries over unfair competition.
DOJ, FCC clear Verizon buyout of cable companies' spectrum, require giving up some airwaves (update: not quite for the FCC)
Verizon has been fighting hard to get its acquisition of cable companies' wireless frequencies past legal hurdles, and it just surged over the most important of the bunch: both the Department of Justice and the FCC have signed off on the agreement. To get the $3.9 billion deal through the door, Big Red will have to offload some of its spectrum to other companies, the FCC argues. The DOJ, meanwhile, is more concerned that Verizon is getting a little too cozy with Bright House, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner Cable in terms of marketing and reselling bundles that include cellular and cable access. Closing the deal also requires setting up a new joint venture in technology research. We're still working to learn the full details of the deal, but the spectrum handover will likely give a swift kick to Verizon's 4G capacity -- and anger a few rivals who wouldn't have wanted any handover to go through. Update: Since we posted, it's become clearer that FCC chairman Julius Genachowski has only recommended a vote in favor of the deal; the agency hasn't formally greenlit the deal just yet.
CableWiFi ties up 50,000 WiFi hotspots for cable subscribers to share
When it comes to supergroups, The Traveling Wilbury's haven't got anything on these guys. Bright House, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox and Time Warner are teaming up to share around 50,000 metro WiFi hotspots for their customers, under the banner of "CableWiFi." New York City and the Tri-State area, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando and Philadelphia will be among the first to get the service, with growth to more cities pledged for the future. If nothing else, it should be a good way to stick it to the man when he snatches your unlimited data plan.
Time Warner Cable confirms HBO Go streaming is now available on Xbox 360, Samsung and Roku
As we revealed yesterday, Time Warner Cable has finally activated HBO Go streaming to TV connected devices. As seen on the new activation pages for Samsung Smart TVs and Blu-ray players, Xbox 360s and Roku boxes, TWC and Bright House Networks are now among the available options (sorry, still no word on ESPN3 for the Xbox 360). The only bad news? DirecTV and Comcast have not (yet) followed suit, so for those customers HBO Go streaming on the TV is still a hit-or-miss affair. We're not sure what is behind the change of heart or policy, but while Comcast reportedly had authentication issues to resolve before switching on the Xbox 360's HBO access, it's worth noting that Time Warner Cable could have its app coming to some or all of these platforms very soon. An official blog post indicates it may take a few hours for things to switch on every where so if you don't see this in your neck of the woods just keep checking back. Update: Cablevision too, as noted by a post on the Roku blog. [Thanks, Ben]
MLB Network launches Strike Zone all-highlights channel on four providers
For football fans the NFL Red Zone and ESPN Goal Line Channels have streamlined game day viewing by focusing on switching between scoring opportunities from simultaneously airing games and now Major League Baseball has its own version (there's already a web edition dubbed Full Count). The MLB Network Strike Zone went live Tuesday night on Bright House Networks, DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable, airing live look-ins on league games and highlights without any commercial breaks. Although there are baseball games throughout the week, Strike Zone will only broadcast on Tuesday and Friday nights during the regular season. We're not entirely convinced this will work as well as baseball or cause people to sign up for the sports tiers it seems to mostly be placed on the same way its football counterparts have, but it might be just the thing for baseball fans that can't stand following just one game at a time. Check the press release after the break for channel lineup details, and let us know if you've had a chance to check it out yet.
Bright House TV app brings rebranded Time Warner Cable TV to the iPad
Congratulations Bright House Networks customers, your off-brand Time Warner Cable experience now includes live TV streaming on your iPad. The Bright House TV tablet app has hit iTunes and is, unsurprisingly, a direct clone of the TWCable TV app, although it's not the latest version as it doesn't have parental controls yet. Otherwise it's basically the same experience, complete with the restriction to using it at home on your own WiFi network and its initial unfriendliness towards jailbroken iPads. There's no word on which channels are available, but we wouldn't be surprised if they also mirror the Time Warner list. If you're jailbroken, check the MacRumors link below for a workaround, otherwise you can just head to iTunes and download the app directly. Update: Bright House has added a list of all 97 channels currently included on its website here. [Thanks, EvilSpock]
WatchESPN iOS app lets some people watch live sports wherever they want
Continuing the trend of tying streaming content to the ol' ball and chain that is your pricy cable subscription, ESPN announced the launch of the WatchESPN App for the iPhone and the iPod Touch, with an iPad optimized version slated for release in May. Said App can be downloaded now and will allow you to "stay connected to live sports and shows from ESPN, wherever and whenever you want them" -- assuming you're a Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks or Verizon FiOS TV customer that is. The ability to watch three of the most popular cable networks while on the go, or anywhere in your house, is certainly nothing to scoff at, but many sports fans' excitement will indeed be diminished until ESPN fulfills its promise to release apps for "other smartphones and tablets," and of course the other big service providers like Comcast, DirecTV and Dish Network get with the program. For now you can live vicariously through us by clicking through to the gallery or watching the western style WatchESPN App commercial available embedded after the break. %Gallery-120592%
ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN Buzzer Beater now available online for Time Warner & Brighthouse
Time Warner and Brighthouse customers have had access to the main ESPN channel on their PCs for a few months now and today it's been announced ESPN2, ESPNU and the new ESPN Buzzer Beater (think RedZone or GoalLine, but for college basketball) channel have been added to the mix. All are available on ESPNNetworks.com just like the main ESPN feed, with access from mobile devices still touted as "coming soon." Sure, most of us have ESPN3 access already (and, unlike Time Warner and Brighthouse subs can get it on our Xbox 360 already) but being able to pull in the linear channels from anywhere could have its advantages (as seen in the ad below,) is anyone calling up their provider and asking for ESPNNetworks yet?
The Lawbringer: Lagpocalypse 2010-2011
Pop law abounds in The Lawbringer, your weekly dose of WoW, the law, video games and the MMO genre. Running parallel to the games we love and enjoy is a world full of rules, regulations, pitfalls and traps. How about you hang out with us as we discuss some of the more esoteric aspects of the games we love to play? The Lawbringer is taking a little detour today to discuss one of the more esoteric issues (like I try to do here) that many players are facing today dealing with World of Warcraft. It is interesting that one of the biggest hurdles to playing an MMO is present outside the game rather than within. Today, I want to talk about Time Warner/Brighthouse and the intense lag of 2010 and 2011. In fact, we'll visit the past and see how these companies interacted with Blizzard, and then take a stroll into the present and try to understand what's going on right now. Confused? You might be, especially if you aren't a Time Warner or Brighthouse customer. There are some other ISPs affected by all this mess, but for now, I'm sticking to the most complained-about. Here's a quick little rundown of what's been happening over the last few weeks (and for some people, months) due to issues with Time Warner and Brighthouse internet service.
New Time Warner Cable deal brings ESPN to mobile devices and PCs
Here you were worried that you wouldn't be able to watch ESPN this weekend when the current agreement expires, only to find out that not only did the deal get done, but it brings lots of cool new ESPN products to Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks customers. The most notable is that, in addition to ESPN3.com, customers will be able to stream linear programing from the most well known ESPN networks to your PC and other mobile devices. The deal also includes the addition of ESPN 3D, the new Disney Junior, more ESPN VOD content than we can cover, and a new channel called ESPN Goal Line (essentially The RedZone channel for college football). No hard dates on when any of this will go live, but certainly a great deal for sports fans, and for everyone else, thanks for paying extra so we can get our fix.
Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable might lose ESPN in time for football season
ESPN is the content creator that cable and satellite providers love to hate. On one hand ESPN and, its sister networks, are the only reason some people even subscribe to pay TV, and on the other it is also the most expensive -- those who don't like sports are obviously caught in the middle, paying for some of the most expensive programming, whether they like it or not. Well today we noticed an ad on our site -- no, the contributors of the site have no clue or connection of what ads show up -- by ESPN that notify Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable customers that the current contract ends on September 2nd (although separate companies, the two negotiate carriage deals together to gain leverage). The banner ad leads customers to I Have Choices.com to tell them the alternative providers they can use to ensure they continue to receive ESPN and displays a short video explaining ESPN's position. Without a new deal this would of course mean the channels could go dark just in time to miss the 2010 college football kickoff on September 4th on ABC (one of the networks involved in the dipute). This is old news to those in the industry, in fact you might even remember the when Time Warner launched its own site Roll Over or Get Tough when it looked like Fox might get pulled from said companies just in time to miss the BCS Bowl Games earlier this year. We feel sorry for all of those who might be affected, but at the same time have no lost love for neither cable company.
Comcast, Time Warner, Bright House pick up Coke Zero 400 3D broadcast
Looks like Turner Sports has no problem sharing its first NASCAR 3D broadcast, and as a result Comcast, Bright House Networks and Time Warner are all on board for the July 3 Coke Zero 400 race. Already announced for DirecTV and internet streaming, the night race will have two feeds, one of trackside cameras and one on the pits and feature the network's "Wide Open" format, promising more unobstructed race action free of national commercial breaks. Of course, we'd like to know what the next big 3D event is more than just a couple of weeks ahead of time, but if you're one of the few with the necessary hardware, we're sure any content is welcome no matter how it arrives.
Hands-on with the interactive Olympics and web videos
Events like the Olympics usual bring new technology home -- which is a good thing -- but unfortunately these apps really show us how far we are from the interactive TV future we've been promised. There really isn't any realistic way to try out every version of interactive Olympic coverage since so many providers are only offered in certain areas of the country and some providers -- like Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks, Charter and most Cox areas -- aren't offering any at all. In addition to interactive TV the Winter games have actually taken a step back in regards to online video. While anyone could watch all the live videos and replays online before, the Winter Olympic coverage requires that you to prove you pay for TV before giving you full access. In the case of Verizon's FiOS TV, it allows viewers to access the EBIF interactive information from NBC Universal's channels, which is the first time we've every experienced the use of CableLabs' new interactive platform, as for how we like it or Comcast's mosaic channel, click on through to find out. %Gallery-85579%
