comcast

Verizon Wireless' deal with cable providers is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department.

That's according to a report today from Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source. The report said the Justice Department would look at whether Verizon would control too much spectrum, and whether the cross-selling component of the deal would violate antitrust laws.

Verizon earlier this month shored up its spectrum needs by acquiring a swath owned by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks for $3.6 billion. As part of the deal, Verizon agreed to resell cable service in its national chain of stores, while the … Read more

Sprint Nextel has sued several cable providers over what it claims is the illegal use of its digital phone technology, further fraying an already strained relationship between the carrier and the cable industry.

In separate lawsuits filed yesterday, Sprint alleged that Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, and the Washington Post's Cable One all infringed on 12 patents related to digital phone technology it secured in the '90s.

The lawsuits represent just the latest development in an increasingly rocky relationship. Sprint and the cable providers were once strong allies, partnering up to buy spectrum and resell wireless service, and … Read more

Verizon Communications considered buying Hulu when the streaming-video site was shopping itself around to potential acquirers earlier this year.

Hulu was just one of the online video options Verizon looked at, CEO Lowell McAdam said at a UBS investor conference today in New York.

"We continue to look at alternatives," he said during a one-on-one discussion onstage, which was Webcast.

Verizon was among many potential suitors looking at Hulu when it was seeking a buyer this summer. Hulu ultimately did not find a partner.

That Verizon looked at Hulu, which streams television shows and movies, underscores the growing … Read more

Microsoft will push out an update to Xbox consoles Tuesday, designed to get consumers to turn on the device every time they flip on their televisions, not just when they want to play games.

Though most gamers will notice a dramatically different interface, and some will take advantage of more advanced voice-recognition controls, the real significance of the update is how boldly the software giant is putting itself at the core of the TV entertainment experience. Microsoft is partnering with 40 content providers from around the globe to significantly increase the amount of live and on-demand content available on Xbox. … Read more

Verizon Wireless' move to buy 20MHz of AWS wireless spectrum from cable operators has caused a seismic shift in the wireless industry.

The deal announced today will give Verizon access to spectrum licenses that cover about 259 million potential customers. The company plans to pay the cable consortium SpectrumCo--which consists of Comcast, Time Warner, and Bright House Networks--$3.6 billion for the spectrum licenses.

In a market where wireless operators are all jockeying for more spectrum resources, Verizon has scored a major win by taking a huge swath of unused spectrum for itself. Spectrum is the lifeblood of the … Read more

Cable providers Comcast and Time Warner Cable will stop reselling Clearwire's 4G wireless service following their agreement to hand off their unused mobile spectrum to Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion, CNET has learned.

Part of the Verizon deal gives the cable companies the right to resell Verizon's wireless service, which will become the cable providers' exclusive partner once the spectrum aspect of the agreement goes through, said Time Warner Cable spokesman Alexander Dudley.

Both companies will slowly wind down their Clearwire business over the next six months, and plan to move their existing customers to other options. … Read more

Verizon Wireless will acquire a swath of spectrum that cable providers have been sitting on, bolstering its own position even as its competitors scramble for more of the limited resource.

In a joint announcement today, Verizon said it would pay $3.6 billion to Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House Networks--collectively known as SpectrumCo--to get what's known as AWS (Advanced Wireless Services) spectrum. The deal also includes the option for Verizon to sell cable service in its stores and for the cable companies to get access to the wireless network on a wholesale basis.

The deal underscores the … Read more

Cable TV is not dead, but its audience isn't growing either.

Cable operators all over the country have been steadily and slowly losing TV subscribers quarter after quarter. A year ago, some people wondered if Internet TV services like Netflix and Hulu were attracting so-called cord cutters. But Craig Moffett, an analyst with Sanford Bernstein, thinks there are other forces at work.

Increased competition from satellite and phone companies offering TV service is the main reason that cable operators are losing TV subscribers. But the sluggish economy is also contributing to the malaise.

"The category itself isn't … Read more

Comcast lost fewer video customers than Wall Street expected, but fell short of earnings targets for the third quarter.

The cable and media giant reported third-quarter net income of $908 million, or 33 cents a share, on revenue of $14.34 billion. The results included NBC Universal. Wall Street was looking for earnings of 40 cents a share on revenue of $14.25 billion. Comcast blamed swings in investment income for the miss.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Comcast results is that cable continues to carry the team’s bottom line. The cable unit delivered third-quarter revenue of $9.… Read more