This is the archive for February 2010
Charter Cable offers family services like cable TV programming that can entertain the entire family for hours, with children’s shows, network programming and sports and music channels. Charter Cable can provide their customers with a DVR, Pay Per View selections, Video On Demand selections and more, including HD channels, all at affordable prices.
Charter Cable also offers digital phone services that allow customers to keep in touch with friends and family all over the United States, with calling features that are sure to enhance the value of the service. This service offers unlimited calling with no expensive overages to worry about, giving family members and friends an affordable way to stay in touch.
Charter Cable can provide customers with internet services that are over one hundred times faster than dial up and more than three times faster than DSL, an online service provided through the phone company. They offer their customers fast speeds to download and surf with to get music, games or movies online or to do research for school.
Detailed information about these products and services are listed on their website, with links to bundled services and other important products and services offered by Charter Cable for the family. Families can choose from a selection of predetermined bundles or select different products to build their own.
At Charter.net, customers have the opportunity to sign and personalize the Charter homepage, gaining access to features like the online movie listings in local areas, current news on celebrities and entertainment news, sports scores, and links to shopping sites, online games and local news.
The Charter Homepage has links for particular points of interest like national and global news, political news and news in technology, business and health. It also has an online guide for regular television programming, as well as for programming available for the Charter OnDemand feature and their Pay Per View selections.
The Charter Homepage can also be a valuable source of help for busy parents, offering tutoring for school in fun, educational games for the children. The page also provides links to other important educational resources like the Encyclopedia Britannica and other programs that can actually give concerned parents report cards and updates based on their children’s online progress. These reports and updates can give parents advance knowledge on a child’s strong and weak points and serve to give help, where needed.
When the work is done, Charter Cable can also provide links to the American Greetings site where families can create their own greeting cards to give to friends and family.
These online services also include features that allow sports fans to stay current with their favorite teams, or to watch play backs, choosing from an archive of stored footage. These sports features cover most football and basketball teams.
Charter Cable has many valuable services to offer a family on a budget. These services can provide a safe environment for quality family time, to communicate and learn in. Charter Cable is a family-friendly company that strives to give their customers what they need.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:43 AM. Filed under: General
No comments • Permalink
Direct TV is an established company in the United States, offering service for over 18 million households nationwide. They rank number one in their industry, above other satellite and cable TV providers, with a signal reliability of 99.9%. Another factor in their outstanding number one ranking, held for several years in a row, is their customer service offered by professional and courteous staff that help get through the signup process painlessly, or that help address concerns or questions.
Direct TV has over two hundred and seventy-five channels to choose from, including familiar cable channels. They offer popular features like Video On Demand, Pay Per View sporting and music events and 130 HD channels. They also provide international programming that offers a touch of home for anyone living in the United States that is not originally from the States. Language options for international programming offered by Direct TV include Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, Filipino, Cantonese, Mandarin, Brazilian, South Asian, Polish, Russian and Greek, as well as native English. Subscribers to international programming packages not only get programming in a familiar language, they also get channels from all over the world.
Direct TV has a full channel lineup, with great customer service and a signal reliability that is not seen with other providers. Being the number one provider for home entertainment options in the US is a hard act to follow, so how does a company like Direct TV offer even more for their customers?
Direct TV will be providing a new channel that offers 3D HDTV for Direct TV subscribers. The channel is the first of its kind, and will only be offered by Direct TV, initially. While HDTV, or High Definition Television, has become an almost common feature in most households, coveted for image and sound clarity, 3D programming for in-home viewing have been limited, if available at all. Heretofore, 3D has been limited broadly to movie theaters and video games. Now, with this new channel, Direct TV subscribers not get the HDTV experience in their homes, they get it with 3D imaging, something that has never been offered to the general public for in-home viewing.
Direct TV is projecting the release of this channel to their customers in March 2010. Direct TV will also offer firmware upgrades to sink with the technology necessary for 3D viewing. There has been some talk of television manufacturers making 3D HD televisions.
Direct TV just got better. With the addition of a 3D HDTV channel, Direct TV subscribers can gain a unique viewing experience to go with the reliable service and great products that Direct TV is already known for. These products and services already include HD 1080p formatting, Pay Per View selections that make it affordable to keep up with favorite pro athletes and musicians, and newly released movies that are offered at a fraction of the cost found in traditional theaters, saving valuable and money and resources for the family.
With the addition of a 3D HDTV channel, Direct TV makes their products and services even more family-friendly, adding value and quality to any Direct TV subscription.
Posted by larry dixon at 11:00 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Dish Network has provided satellite TV services for households all over the United States for over a decade. These satellite TV services have grown to include popular services like Video On Demand and Pay Per View selections, including live sporting and music events. The Dish Network rates and features are comparable to products and services offer by cable TV providers, usually with a larger channel selection or channels that can only be found on the Dish Network channel lineup.
Dish Network is a proven provider with award-winning products that were the first in the industry, like the MPEG4 receiver, the HD 1080p formatting and the Interactive Television feature. The MPEG4 receiver was the first DVR receiver that offered High Definition programming. The MPEG4 set an industry standard, giving viewers an opportunity to get and record HD programming at affordable rates. The HD 1080p formatting was especially designed by Dish Network to give the viewer a cinematic experience in the home, shown with newly released movies stored on their DVR. With six times the resolution as standard formatting and sound and image enhancement that rivals Blu Ray technology, HD 1080p formatting quickly became a popular feature that outshines even traditional HD programming. The Dish Network Interactive Television feature integrates online services with programming selections to provide the ultimate television experience. With the Dish Network Interactive Television feature, subscribers can pay their monthly bill, play games or even shop while sitting on the couch, with the remote in hand. Interactive Television offers convenience and value to any programming package.
These features come with unique programming packages offered for specialized interests, like sports fans, music fans and movie buffs. Depending on the particular interest of the customer, a subscriber can choose a package that caters specifically to that individual’s tastes in programming material. Not only can a subscriber get specialized programming for specific viewing interests, but he or she can also get it in his or her native language. Dish Network offers a wide variety of languages, like Chinese, Spanish, Portuguese, French and German, among others. Dish Network also offers original native programming for the non-English households in the United States.
With the incredible programming options and award-winning products, it is not a surprise that Dish Network recently acquired their 14 millionth customer, after signing up 150,000 customers in the last quarter.
Dish Network is excited and proud of this accomplishment. Charlie Ergen, the President for Dish Network, as well as a Dish Network CEO and Chairman, said, “Surpassing 14 million subscribers is testimony to the strides we made over the past year in providing a best-in-class video experience.” Dish Network products and services has helped define industry standard for the Pay TV industry.
Dish Network is now over 14 million customers strong, with the potential for continued growth in the future. Dish Network customers already have award-winning products and exciting programming packages to enjoy, but there are sure to be even more innovative, award-winning products and services offered to Dish Network packages in the future.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:55 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Time Warner Cable is a respected name in the cable TV industry, offering several products and services to meet the needs of their 14 million customers on a monthly basis. These services include cable TV programming, with Video on Demand and Pay Per View selections, the Road Runner High Speed Online Service and digital phone services.
The Road Runner High Speed Online Service offers downloading and surfing speeds that are over one hundred times faster than dial up, giving the family access to the web for banking, shopping, downloading music and games or doing research for school and other projects. Their digital phone service includes local and long-distance calls to anywhere in the United States for one low monthly rate, with popular calling features given at no extra charge.
Their cable programming packages include sports and movie channels, with access to familiar favorites like network programming, children’s programming and music channels. Their programming and prices are competitive with other companies, offering quality entertainment the entire family can enjoy, at affordable rates that fit into the monthly budget.
Time Warner Cable, along with other cable TV providers, negotiates contracts with broadcast companies like News Corp, the company that owns Fox Network. The prices that are negotiated in these contracts are the determining factor in how much a subscriber pays for monthly cable service. Traditionally, there has not been a lot reported about this process. However, recently, when it was time to renew a contract with News Corp., Time Warner Cable had to involve their customers, due to the incredible price increases News Corp. was proposing.
Time Warner Cable felt the suggested price increases were unfair to their customers and left the decision up to the customers. Time Warner Cable package customers could choose between paying more, with a price increase of up to 300%, or to go without the programming if News Corp. did not lower their prices.
To educate their customers on the contract process and what News Corp wanted, Time Warner Cable launched a campaign, with information released in print and online. They set up a website at www.rolloverorgettough.com, a site that allowed customers to vote on whether Time Warner Cable should pay excessive rates to continue to provide desired programming to their customers, with the customers ultimately paying the price, or going without certain programming if it meant the prices would not change.
Over 600,000 Time Warner Cable customers logged on to the site and voted, with over 95% of all voters declining any price increases, even if it meant losing programming. With such a large response coming from their customers, Time Warner Cable is able to “get tough” and avoid high costs being passed down to their customers.
Time Warner Cable has stated on the “roll over or get tough” website that, once Fox was able, these same high prices would be imposed on customers to other cable TV providers and satellite TV providers, as well as the phone companies that are offer viewing packages. In other words, Time Warner Cable feels that these proposed price increases are a problem that might affect everyone in the future.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:37 AM. Filed under: General
No comments • Permalink
Dish Network enjoys the benefits of being known as being the first in their industry for several award-winning, innovative products and services. Among these firsts are the MPEG4 receiver that was the first to offer a DVR that could broadcast in HDTV, the first company to offer Interactive Television and the first to offer HD 1080p programming. HD 1080p has been well received due to the sound and imaging enhancements that make it comparable to Blu Ray technology. Dish Network does not just offer the HD 1080p formatting; they actually designed it. There are other firsts claimed by Dish Network that have helped the first satellite TV provider in the United States gain and keep loyal customers in previous years.
Dish Network also offers creative programming packages that include specialized packages for sports fans or movie buffs. Multiple channels for sports and movies offer variety at prices that are generally cheaper than the rates charged by most cable TV providers, with free equipment and/or installation promotions offsetting the cost of signing up and getting started as a Dish Network subscriber. Dish Network programming also offers ethnic programming that includes familiar shows from native countries in native languages, offering programming for Hispanic, Chinese, Portuguese, French and Vietnamese communities, among others that are currently residing in the United States. This ethnic programming offers original shows in their original formatting to families that would otherwise have to read subtitles and watch unfamiliar programming. Dish Network also has a DISH Remote Access feature that gives subscribers remote access to their DVRs, or even multiple DVRs on one account. These programming packages come with the added benefit of Video on Demand and Pay Per View selections that add value to any package.
Dish Network is also known for being the only company in the Pay TV industry that offers over 150 HD channels. Dish Network customers can view their favorite programs, sports teams and music videos in High Definition detail.
With all of their award-winning products and services, it is not hard to imagine Dish Network providing service for households all over the United States. Recently, Dish Network passed a milestone in their company, making for another Dish Network first. For the first time ever, Dish Network now offers service for 14,000,000 households all over the nation. This milestone was passed after signing 150,000 new customers in the last quarter.
Dish Network executives and employees are proud of this accomplishment. Charlie Ergen is the President of Dish Network, as well as a Chairman and CEO. He had this to say concerning Dish Network’s passing a 14,000,000-customer milestone. “Surpassing 14 million subscribers is testimony to the strides we made over the past year in providing a best-in-class video experience.”
Dish Network is now 14,000,000 customers strong and growing. With this kind of innovative growth in products and services, Dish Network subscribers can look forward to continued growth and award-winning products and services that will offer the Dish Network packages and variety for years to come.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:53 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Dish Network offers great products and features for the entire family to enjoy. They have been in the business since 1991, becoming the first satellite TV provider in the United States, and now service areas all across the nation. The features and channel selections for their services are comparable to the services of competitors like cable TV providers.
Dish Network offers many features and services. To help keep their customers and interested surfers up to date with current Dish Network news and products, Dish Network offers a webpage with all the necessary information in one place. This page has information on programming packages, Dish Network receivers, premium packages, international programming and FAQs. There is also information on the Dish Network Video on Demand and Pay Per View features. Dish Network also carries specialized programming packages for sports fans, and specialized packages for movie buffs with cable channels like HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and STARZ. These features can be watched with the HD selection, numbering over 150 HD channels, at this current time.
People can look this site up to find important information on pricing, service areas, sign up and installations and other important services that customers need to know about, including receiver or package upgrades.
Dish Network offers professional customer service, with the option for online chats or talking over the phone to get the answers to important questions about service or billing. Professional, informed customer service representatives help make sign ups and package or equipment upgrades an easy, hassle-free process.
With Dish Network, customers have a wide assortment of products and services to choose from. Dish Network is known as the first in the industry to provide the MPEG4, the DVR that offers High Definition, Interactive Television and 1080p formatting, the programming that surpasses traditional HD for sound and image quality. HD 1080p has been compared to Blu Ray technology. Dish Network was also one of the first providers to offer ethnic programming, bringing familiar programs from home to the Hispanic, Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese and French communities, among others, now residing in the United States. Dish Network designed their products and services to provide something for everyone, no matter the nationality or native language.
With all of these great products, services, and industry firsts, it comes as no surprise that Dish Network just passed the 14 millionth customer mark after adding 150,000 customers in the last quarter. Dish Network is optimistic about continued growth.
Charlie Ergen, the Chairman, CEO and President of Dish Network had this to say about reaching 14 million customers, nationwide. “Surpassing 14 million subscribers is testimony to the strides we made over the past year in providing a best-in-class video experience.”
While Dish Network customers already enjoy a wide variety of programming and specialized products and services, there is sure to be more on the way. With all the hard work and effort Dish Network has put forth to produce new and innovative products, Dish Network customers can look forward to more great service, unique, award-winning products and great monthly rates.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:52 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Time Warner Cable Deals programming packages for cable TV, Road Runner High Speed Online Services that are over one hundred times faster than dial up and digital phone services that offer unlimited local and long distance calling to anywhere in the United States. Their services not only offer entertainment options to relax to after a long, hard day at work, but they also offer a way to do research for school and keep in touch with loved ones and friends all over the United States, all for low, affordable monthly rates. These rates provide the family with needed services while leaving room in the family budget for other necessities.
Time Warner Cable wants to remain family-friendly to better meet the needs of their 14 million customers, so when the company started getting pressured to pay more for the privilege of carrying certain networks and programming on their cable channel lineup, Time Warner Cable left the choice to their subscribers. They provided their customers with a choice as to what they wanted to pay and what they wanted to watch.
Traditionally, the public does not have a lot of information about the process that goes on between the cable TV provider and the broadcast networks. However, due to the extreme price increase desired by News Corp., the company that owns the Fox Network, Time Warner Cable decided to let their customers know what was going on, and leave the choice to them.
To help educate their customers and the public in general, Time Warner Cable launched a campaign that gave details on the process of acquiring rights to air programs with certain networks and, more specifically, the current situation with the contract negotiations between Time Warner Cable and News Corp. It seems that News Corp wanted to charge Time Warner Cable, and ultimately Time Warner Cable customers, price increases that would have hiked monthly bills up to over 300% more than what they are now. These price increases would have taken effect as soon as the contract was complete, leaving Time Warner Cable customers no time to adjust for the increase before losing their programming.
Time Warner Cable informed their customers of what was going on through print and online, as well as other media, giving the customers the chance to choose between higher prices or going without programming. The website www.rolloverorgettough.com has been used by over 600,000 Time Warner Cable customers, with 95% of all voters telling Time Warner Cable to get tough and not pay the higher prices. It seems that
Time Warner Cable customers would rather go without than pay more.
A final decision should be reached no later than December 31, 2009 for the contract that is currently being negotiated between News Corp. and Time Warner Cable. If an agreement can not be reached, both sides will suffer losses, either financially or in programming favorites.
Either way, Time Warner Cable has proven its loyalty to their customers, being more transparent and conscientious of the needs of their customers than what is normally expected.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:27 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
In the last decade, home viewing entertainment options have grown to include features like the Video on Demand option, which is a digital library offering extra viewing selections like network programming and newly released movies, Pay Per View selections, increased channel lineups, programming in HDTV and most recently, offered through satellite TV providers, the HD 1080p formatting that has been compared to Blu Ray technology for image and sound clarity and detail. Pay TV subscribers no longer have to go stand in line at the movie store or movie theater to get a cinematic experience with the newest movies. They can simply come home and push a button. Families enjoy these additional viewing features because they provide needed entertainment at a fraction of the cost required to rent movies or watch them in theaters, saving valuable time and money that can be used elsewhere in the family budget.
Channel lineups and packages have grown from the 80 channels that were initially available on cable TV programming to over two hundred and seventy-five channels, with programming packages that target specific areas of interest like sports or movies. These packages come in the native English language, offering familiar channels most people have watched and grown accustomed to. Now there is also international programming that offers channels from all over the world, broadcast in languages like Portuguese, German, French, Spanish, Mandarin, Polish, Brazilian, Vietnamese, South Asian, Russian, Korean, Greek, Cantonese and Filipino. Extensive channel selections offered in native languages go even further to make sure the subscriber has what he or she wants in programming and feature selections.
With such an extensive array of options already available for home entertainment, it is hard to predict where the next big attraction would come from or where it would show up. However, starting in March 2010, Direct TV is making history by being the first in the Pay TV industry to offer the first 3D HDTV channel ever broadcast to the general public. This channel will be exclusively available to Direct TV subscribers, initially, and will offer viewing choices that have never been offered before, due to the fact that customers can now watch 3D imaging in their homes. While the 3D formatting is currently limited to one channel, more are sure to follow if the demand in high enough. Direct TV will also be offering firmware upgrades for current equipment to help avoid costly upgrades to current Direct TV subscribers. Direct TV is also working on a new receiver that can automatically broadcast in 3D HDTV for new subscribers.
While 3D programming is not common, it can be found currently in theaters and video games, for certain movies and specific games.
3D HDTV is a much anticipated and welcome addition to any programming package. More details about 3D HDTV programming will be given at the Consumer Electronic Show for 2010.
Direct TV has taken in-home television viewing to the next level, offering outstanding customer service and products that any family would be happy to have.
Posted by larry dixon at 11:03 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Charter Cable offers family-friendly services any family member can benefit from.
They offer digital cable packages that include programming for children and adults, with additional programming selections offered with the OnDemand and Pay Per View features. Charter Cable also offers HD channels and a DVR with their programming packages.
Charter Cable is also able to provide high speed internet services that can provide the family with a comfortable, private place to shop or bank, download games and music and do online research for school or work. These online services are over one hundred times faster than dial up and over three times faster than DSL, a service provided through the phone company.
Charter Cable can also help families stay in touch with their digital phone services. These services offer local and long distance calling to anywhere in the United States, with popular calling features and voice mail. This service is a valuable resource for families that live away from home and that want to stay in touch with friends and loved ones.
Charter Cable bundles offer an affordable way for families to get all three services in one low monthly package. Charter Cable has designed several packages to choose from or families can build their own bundles on the Charter Cable website.
Charter Cable has even more to offer their customers with the Charter.net. This website can be personalized to make using it easier, with a convenient online bill Pay option for busy customers. Charter.net has important links to such online features like the TV guide that offers programming information for regular channels and for the programming found on the On Demand and Pay Per View features, including ordering and pricing information. Charter Cable subscribers can also check their free email and the local three day weather forecast.
Charter Cable customers can access links to local, national and global news, as well as current news on business, technology, sports and health. Surfers can read news articles or watch videos and look at pictures to stay current with particular topics of interests, including celebrity and entertainment news.
Charter.net also offers valuable online resources for the family with the online Encyclopedia Britannica and fun, educational games that can help children learn and grow while they are learning.
Charter Cable also offers sports updates for dedicated fans that want to stay current with their favorite college or professional sports teams. These links offer playbacks and updates, with archived games to catch up on anything that was missed. Families can also take advantage of the links to the Weather Channel online, where they can find national weather reports and plan for family vacations, or to create personalized greeting cards to send to loved ones.
These services can be found in the online Charter Cable Variety Pack at Charter.net. Charter Cable offers more value and variety for the price than other providers do. They give families a way to spend quality time together without leaving the privacy and security of their home, providing a great service for affordable prices.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:49 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Time Warner Cable offers programming for over 14 million customers every month. They offer programming packages for families that want to come home and relax after a long, hard day, and other services such as high-speed online service and digital phone services that help busy families stay in touch with loved ones and friends all over the United States. These services are offered in a bundle that allows customers the services they need without high monthly rates that would be unaffordable for many households.
Time Warner Cable is a trusted name, having done business for almost 50 years, offering transparency and communication with their customers, where other providers have not. So, when Time Warner Cable starting getting pressured to pay more for their programming to broadcast companies like Fox, resulting inevitably in customers having to pay more, they took the problem back to their customers with the same transparency they are known for. To get the word to their customers on what was transpiring behind closed doors, Time Warner Cable launched a public education campaign that was aimed at giving the consumer a general overview of the process, while revealing specific details about the current contract negotiations between the cable TV provider and Fox.
The campaign to educate the public and, more specifically, Time Warner Cable customers came about as a consequence of failed negotiations between Time Warner Cable and Fox, which is owned by News Corp. Negotiations stalled after
Time Warner Cable refused to pay price increases that would have had Time Warner Cable customers paying at least 300% more than what they currently pay for cable TV programming.
The campaign was called Roll Over or Get Tough. It entailed detailed explanations of the contract and negotiation process in general, and more specifically, the situation with News Corp over current negotiations. Time Warner Cable put out information concerning their situations and advertised the site online and in print to get the word to current Time Warner Cable customers. Subscribers were invited to log on at www.rolloverorgettough.com to get a thorough explanation and vote on whether or not Time Warner Cable should pay the new, higher rates, ultimately costing customers valuable money and resources that would be better used elsewhere, or to hold out and not pay them, even if it cost subscribers their favorite programming.
Since the campaign started, more than 600,000 viewers have logged on, with 400,000 customers saying Time Warner Cable should not “roll over” and pay the higher rates News Corp is trying to charge, even if it is their favorite programming.
A decision is expected to be reached no later than December 31, 2009 for current contractual pricing. If not, News Corp will lose a valuable customer and Time Warner Cable subscribers will lose familiar favorites.
With a vast number of Americans still out of work, or fighting their way back from a period of unemployment, an extra monthly expense incurred for any reason is not welcome.
Time Warner Cable offer their customers an educated choice on where they want their money to go.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:20 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
With Charter Cable, families have more options and choices for affordable, family-friendly rates. Charter Cable offers digital cable TV programming, high-speed online services and affordable local and long distance rates to help the family stay in touch with loved ones and friends.
Charter Cable has detailed information on their products and services listed on their website at Charter.com. This information includes pricing and monthly rates for individual services or for bundled services. Charter Cable makes it easy for the family to get what they need for communication and entertainment by allowing customers to build their own bundles or to choose from a variety of bundles designed by Charter Cable.
For current Charter Cable customers, Charter Cable offers the Charter.net site. This site has valuable resources the entire family can benefit from, with online bill pay options and links to important topics of interest. It can be personalized to make sure that families only get the information they want, leaving out the unnecessary links.
These features and services include an online TV guide that gives up-to-date listings for regular programming, and online listings for available selections with the On Demand and Pay Per View features. The website also has useful links to get the latest news on celebrities, local, national and global events, politics, business and technology. These links provide videos and pictures, with or without articles.
Charter Cable can also offer help for busy parents that are concerned for their children’s academic progress. At Charter.net, parents can subscribe to online services that help children progress academically, even if they are not in school yet. These features include games for preschoolers that can give concerned parents reports cards and updates that show their children’s progress, helping to define their strengths and weaknesses. Children do not even realize they are learning as they play fun and educational games that help them grow in the skills they will need in school.
The features offered by Charter Cable also include help for older children or teenagers that have research to do for schoolwork and homework. Charter Cable provides a link to the Encyclopedia Britannica, an online resource that has articles, pictures, videos and maps, written and designed by the top minds in their fields.
When the homework is done, family members can go to Charter.net for links to online games and music. These games and the music can provide hours of additional entertainment for the entire family.
For the sports fans, Charter Cable offers detailed information on popular college and professional sports teams. This information includes statistics and play backs, archived to give histories on games and interviews.
Charter Cable also provides other important links to the Weather Channel and American Greetings.com. These sites can save time, allowing families to create meaningful greeting cards online to send to friends and loved ones, or to help plan family vacations and get important weather updates.
Charter Cable can provide everything the family needs for quality home entertainment and communication, with the added value and benefits of their online family services.
Posted by larry dixon at 10:46 AM. Filed under: General
• Permalink
Comcast Cable provides monthly cable TV service to over 30,000,000 subscribers every month, and are currently providing service for a quarter of all American households.
They offer competitive cable TV features like On Demand, a digital library with 24-hour access to additional programming for children and adults, including newly released movies. They offer Pay Per View selections that include live sporting and music events, featuring well-known athletes and artists. Comcast Cable offers a DVR, the digital video recorder that records and stores programming, and allows viewers to fast forward, pause or rewind selections found on Pay Per View and On Demand. Comcast Cable also provides Parental Controls for their regular cable programming, the programming stored on the DVR and their online services.
Comcast Cable also provides broadband and digital phone services, two other important services that most people want in their homes. As a provider for all three of these services, Comcast Cable has been able to provide important services for entire communities, making it possible for loved ones to communicate with elderly relatives or giving the children in the house an outlet for their energy with educational programming or online games.
Their rates and fees are competitive with other Pay TV programming companies, but Comcast Cable has been feeling the pressure to enhance and expand on their products and features due to the expansion of other companies in other areas. Companies like Direct TV have started to offer online services and phone services, in addition to their programming packages. These programming packages offer cable TV channels, as well as other channels that Comcast Cable does not have.
As a result, Comcast Cable is trying to acquire 51% of NBC Universal. This acquisition would make it possible to satisfy customers with immediate access to programming on mobile devices like cell phones. It would also decrease the wait time on receiving newly released movies, just out of the theater, on Comcast Cable’s On Demand feature, increasing the viewing options currently available to Comcast Cable’s customers.
The acquisition would also give Comcast Cable the advantage with its competitors, making them come to Comcast Cable to gain access to the networks or programming Comcast Cable would control.
If the acquisition is made, Comcast Cable will gain control of the NBC network, Telemundo, USA, SyFy, the Weather Channel, Universal Pictures, and certain other cable channels, including certain sports channels. The acquisition would also provide Comcast Cable control over certain theme parks.
Some shareholders and consumer rights’ groups are concerned that the acquisition would drive up rates for monthly subscribers and drive down stock values. To answer these concerns, Comcast Cable has promised a dividend increase of 40% and a buyback option for shareholders that want to sell. There has been no mention of rate increases thus far.
Comcast Cable hopes to offer even more services and programming selections to their customers than is currently available, with an increase in availability for mobile device customers. No decision has been reached yet, but news should be forth coming shortly.
Posted by larry dixon at 05:01 PM. Filed under: General
No comments • Permalink