Struggling for leverage with cable distributors as the operator of an independent network, Mark Cuban may have found a way forward for one of the pioneer channels broadcast in HD: teaming with Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency and AEG to re-launch HDNet this summer as AXS TV, a 24/7…

The evolution of premium cable TV beyond the living room took another step this week, with Showtime introducing a streaming app to rival HBO Go. Missing, however, was a similar view-on-any-device announcement from Starz, the network that kick-started pay-cable’s entry into the streaming realm when it launched its Vongo movies-on-demand…

Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) has started in-home streaming but it’s not quite live video Valhalla. Streaming access to the Xfinity TV linear lineup via the internet is available only in limited areas for certain tablets—and only with the use of a new device, the AnyPlay.

Yesterday’s press release from Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA), announcing a comprehensive new ten-year distribution agreement covering over 70 different services is a testament to the idea that improved access to programming is key to maintaining the appeal of the traditional multichannel pay-TV business model.

Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) Xfinity TV subscribers stymied by the lack of access to iPad app WatchESPN have relief in sight: a new multi-year, cross-platform deal between the Walt Disney Co. and the largest U.S. cable operator will open a lot of content doors, including access to current and upcoming authenticated…

This is the last in a series of posts that highlighted key people, companies and trends to watch in 2012 in the sectors we cover most, from publishing to legal, and from mobile to advertising. Not too long ago, TV Everywhere was a bold concept being evangelized by Time Warner…

Now it’s Verizon’s turn in the government spotlight. The U.S. Department of Justice plans to look into the recent deals that the wireless company has cut with several cable companies in order to obtain wireless spectrum, according to a report.

The Federal Trade Commission announced today Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) CEO Brian L. Roberts has agreed to pay $500,000 to settle charges that he broke antitrust law by failing to report stock that he acquired between 2007 and 2009.

Verizon is getting its full turn in the rumor mill. Last week, word had it that Verizon is looking to launch an OTT subscription service. Next, Verizon was teaming up with Redbox. And the latest rumor yesterday is that Verizon is planning a bid to acquire Netflix, which sent Netflix’s…

Two of the biggest global news brands are gaining a bigger U.S. foothold - but, while one has finally broken in to the TV mainstream, the other is making greater headway online.

Last week, Verizon announced a $3.6 billion deal to buy wireless spectrum from cable operators and resell their pay-TV services. This week, Lowell McAdam, Verizon’s CEO, started to lay out how that deal will impact other services operated and sold by the carrier: it looks like it will not continue…

A big move for Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) today, and something of a seismic shift for the cable industry as it moves away from its fixation on offering its own wireless services to complement their broadband, TV and phone offerings: Verizon has agreed on a deal to pay $3.6 billion…

With last week’s hiring of Gilt City’s Fernando Romero, as VP of ad sales of women’s lifestyle guide DailyCandy, the company has decided that its e-commerce and advertising operations need to be more seamless. “The digital media landscape has changed and commerce is the new marketing,” says Scott Schiller, EVP…

The latest installment of the Twilight movies, Breaking Dawn, enjoyed one of the top-grossing opening weekends of all time (for some inexplicable reason) following its Friday debut. The movie also shared another distinction: it generated the highest percentage of mobile ticketing purchases in Fandango’s history, paidContent has learned.

It’s a wild world these days at the intersection of traditional television business models and all the new ways that people are consuming content online and across different devices. Panelists at paidContent Entertainment 2011 grappled with the implications of that shift by emphasizing the need for quality: quality metrics, quality…

Linda Yaccarino, who left her role as SVP/COO of Turner Entertainment Ad Sales & Marketing and Acquisitions after 18 years last week, is quickly resurfacing at NBCUniversal (NSDQ: CMCSA), where she will lead digital and cable ad sales. The announcement also solves a bit of intrigue, as her departure curiously…

A year after NBC (NSDQ: CMCSA) Universal’s local division launched shopping guide network The Feast, the property is being handed over to its Comcast sibling, lifestyle e-newsletter and deals network DailyCandy. The move comes a few weeks after another NBCU property, broadband video luxury lifestyle showcase, LX.TV, was also teamed…

Bloomberg may still be battling with Comcast over better placement on its cable systems, but the financial news and information company is looking to claim to another screen for its live television broadcasts: the iPad. The company launched its latest free, ad-supported app in the Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) iTunes Store…

Unable either to attract the kind of money under circumstances that would make it worthwhile or a deal that made more strategic sense than holding on, Hulu’s owners have decided to stand pat. Instead, Disney (NYSE: DIS), News Corp. (NSDQ: NWS), investor Providence Equity and senior management headed by CEO…