TV Everywhere is a concept put out by TV distributors that basically says that if you pay for cable or satellite, you should be able to watch the content you want, where you want. Everywhere. To some people this is not a good idea.

As is always the case, many people think tv programming should be widely available for free on the internet. Of course the content is never free. Someone has to pay to create it and we purchasers of cable and satellite services pay the subscription fees that pay the content companies and allow them to create all that content.

Read the rest of the post at the original site

Comcast (CMCS) is now on the iPhone bandwagon. On Thursday, Comcast, the largest cable operator in the U.S. by subscribers, announced a free application for the Apple (AAPL) device that lets customers check their Comcast email and home voice mail as well as surf their TV schedules.

Still to come: the ability to program DVRs at home from mobile devices, the way that rivals like DirecTV (DTV), Verizon (VZ) and AT&T (T) do.

But the application has gotten largely positive reviews in the blogosphere. Gizmodo calls it a “surprisingly nice little app,” while MobileCrunch says it’s “a good, solid offering that’s a no-brainer for iPhone owners who subscribe to and use Comcast’s voice, internet, and cable services.”

Read the rest of this post on the original site

DISH Network (DISH) shares are getting clobbered today after rival DirecTV (DTV) late Friday announced that it has cut a deal with AT&T (T) to sell a co-branded version of the DirecTV service starting after Jan. 31. AT&T previously had a distribution deal with DISH.

Deutsche Bank’s Doug Mitchelson this morning responded to the news by cutting his rating on DISH to Hold from Buy; he chopped his target price on the stock to $31 from $51. He writes that the loss of AT&T “calls into question DISH’s ability to grow subs in 2009.” He says that AT&T will contribute 441,000 gross adds to DISH in 2008, and about 213,000 net adds–or more than the total 150,000 he expects for DISH as a whole.

Read the rest of this post

The Wall Street Journal whipped up a speculative frenzy yesterday with a story that said Dish Network (DISH) CEO Charlie Ergun was thinking about making a new attempt to merge his company with DirecTV (DTV), potentially creating a monopoly in satellite television services.

This idea has cropped up repeatedly in the last year, on the theory that government approval for the merger of Sirius (SIRI) with XM could signal a new willingness on the part of regulators to re-consider their rejection of a DISH/DTV merger in 2002.

Read the rest of this post

Qwest (Q) CEO Ed Mueller says the company’s migration of its wireless service offering to Verizon (VZ) is going smoothly. Qwest is switching from selling a Qwest- branded wireless service in which it resold service from Sprint (S) to a co-branded offering from Verizon; the company started rolling out its new Verizon by Qwest wireless service two weeks ago. “I could not be happier with the relationship,” he said. Mueller said in an interview with Tech Trader Daily this morning that he modeled the arrangement on its deal to resell satellite television service from DirecTV (DTV), and its co-marketed DSL service with Microsoft’s (MSFT) MSN.

Read the rest of this post

As you might expect, Dish Network (DISH) shares are lower today following the company’s disclosure last night that AT&T (T) has notified the company that it will terminate their distribution agreement at year end. The odd thing is that DirecTV (DTV) shares have barely budged on the news, despite the fact that they would be the obvious beneficiary if AT&T decided to change satellite television partners.

But the Street instead is apparently interpreting the news as a negotiating ploy, rather than a clear signal of plans to switch its relationship from DISH to DTV. Jamie Townsend, an analyst with investment research firm JRPG, asserted in a note this morning that it is more likely that the company stays with DISH but on improved terms.

Read the rest of this post

When a casual session with reporters following his appearance at the NBA Tech Summit turned to a la carte pricing and set-top box limitations, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin offered his usual example of what’s wrong: cable. But when he was reminded–OK, by me, since I have a DirecTV TiVo that’s functionally crippled–that cable isn’t alone when it comes to limiting services and access on set-tops or alone on programming prices, Martin insisted, “I’m not picking on cable. … Cable is the easiest analogy. You’re absolutely right; the same rules apply. Generically, our term is MVPD—multichannel video provider. It’s not just cable, it’s also satellite or telephone companies, whoever’s providing your multichannel video services. All these rules should be the same for all of them. … These are the rules that apply to everyone.” He also talked about the 700-MHz auction, bandwidth management, a la carte, competition and Sirius-XM.

Read the rest of this post