He is now intent on taking the case as far as it can go to prove that TV distribution over the Internet is the same as distribution over cable or satellite and should be treated the same as long as royalties get paid.
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In reality, the ban on exclusive distribution arrangements between cable operators and cable networks will be lifted, while other protections for rival distributors will remain in force.
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We can attribute some of this skepticism to the Comcast-NBC merger and concerns that control on content creation as well as distribution will affect cable networks and cable operators alike.
These various compressed formats then support the growing number of distribution channels from traditional cable, satellite, broadcast and digital cinema and increasingly are finding their way into various internet and cell phone network based distribution channels.
In Europe, even with old-fashioned analogue distribution, the number of cable and satellite channels is already doubling every three years.
While 60 million households is respectable distribution for a second-tier cable network, Current has long suffered from poor channel placement, low visibility and a diffuse brand identity.
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Owning a distribution channel, whether satellite or cable, guarantees an outlet for your content, making it easier to launch new networks, and fortifies your bargaining power over carriage rights.
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Saban proposed buying Pat Robertson's Family Channel, which went to 70 million cable homes, to expand distribution in the U.S. At first, Fox and News Corp. people were divided.
Moreover, their entertainment offerings which include cable, the production and distribution of news, sports and other content, in addition to the NBC Universal franchise which include theme parks offer numerous avenues for potential growth.
But CBS also credited higher distribution fees for CBS stations as well as cable networks such as Showtime and CBS Sports Network.
In addition, there are ever more distribution paths: wireless, telephone lines, cable and satellite all potentially compete to carry facts and fun into people's homes.
Although Comcast's cable networks business benefits from higher distribution fees, those fees mean higher costs for Comcast because the company is also the nation's largest provider of cable-TV services to homes.
Although Comcast's cable networks business benefits from higher distribution fees, those fees mean higher costs for Comcast because the company is also the nation's largest provider of cable TV services to homes.
The channel currently has distribution deals with several U.S. cable networks, including GlobeCast , a subsidiary of France Telecom (nyse: FTE - news - people ), and online streaming operators JumpTV and BDC.
And both of those ventures had distribution, the sine qua non of success in cable.
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That sort of unbundling will take a while, due to a Byzantine system of contracts, so in the meantime, cable companies can embrace alternative methods of distribution by pushing high-speed internet access, as the Time Warner president said in the article.
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We are currently experimenting with a lot of cool things, and are looking for distribution and content partners to help build the next generation cable experience.
Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal.
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Comcast is principally involved in the operation of cable systems through Comcast Cable Communications and in the development, production and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and other content for global audiences through NBCUniversal.
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In addition to effectively exempting the most likely basis for a program access dispute, the Sunset Order makes clear that a distribution rival still can bring a complaint under other sections of the Cable Act.
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In particular, NBCU's fast-growing, highly profitable cable networks are a great complement to our industry-leading distribution business.
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"We are very pleased to continue our successful relationship with Netflix, " said Frances Manfredi, executive vice president and general sales manager of cable and non-theatrical sales for NBC Universal Domestic TV Distribution, who forged the deal.
General Electric ( GE - news - people )'s cable channels, Spanish-language Telemundo network and NBC's TV distribution units in addition NBC Entertainment and Universal Media Studios.
Anyway, the NY Times article goes on to make an example of a content distribution deal that Netflix has with STARZ , a pay TV service which has the cable rights to films from Sony( SNE) and Disney ( DIS).
The NCTA has already starting posturing on its blog, Cable Tech Talk, with a post highlighting all the wonderful changes in the video distribution industry in the past 20 years -- however, curiously, the upwardly creeping price of the average bill wasn't mentioned.
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So the Turner cable systems were able to add value to Warner and Time content, and Warner and Time distribution platforms could enhance Turner content.
Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) is one of the leading suppliers of entertainment programming to the domestic television marketplace, distributing first-run syndicated series, off-network television programs and theatrical motion pictures to local broadcast television stations, as well as to pay, cable, digital, satellite and broadcast networks throughout the U.S. WBDTD handles the domestic distribution of television series produced by Warner Bros.
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"In general, the larger the interest that Comcast has in a network, the greater the distribution provided by Comcast, " Mr. Sippel wrote in the decision, which relied on federal rules that bar cable operators that own channels from discriminating against channels owned by others.
Although NBC is owned by General Electric (nyse: GE - news - people ), it is not a part of a stable of production houses, recording studios and cable outlets the way its Big Four peers are--each of them part of an entire content distribution chain.
Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) is one of the leading suppliers of entertainment programming to the domestic television marketplace, distributing first-run syndicated series, off-network television programs and theatrical motion pictures to local broadcast television stations, as well as to pay, cable, satellite, broadcast networks and digital platforms throughout the U.S. WBDTD handles the domestic distribution of television series produced by Warner Bros.
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