DirecTV has reported that first-quarter earnings fell 46 per cent even as subscriber growth hit a four-year high. Chief Executive Chase Carey said he expects intense competition to continue in the pay-TV business, as providers fight for consumers who have become more sensitive to price. Still, he predicted that customers will cut their spending to […]
The slump in the U.S. car industry helped send Sirius XM Radio Inc. to a loss of $236.6 million in the first quarter and its first-ever quarterly decline in net subscriber additions. But the satellite radio company said it has enough access to financing and cash generated from operations to meet its debt obligations this […]
Finishing up a dismal earnings season for media, News Corp reported a 70 per cent drop in net income to $300 million, excluding one-time events, and a 16 per cent drop in revenue to $7.37 billion for the quarter ended March 31st. Non-broadcast channels were the one bright spot with increased affiliate revenue for Fox […]
European broadcaster RTL said sales dropped 11 per cent in the first quarter due to a continued TV advertising slump and core profit shrunk more than 50 per cent on restructuring and start up costs. RTL, owned by media giant Bertelsmann, reported that revenue in the first three months of the year fell to E1.188 […]
David Rehr, president of the National Association of Broadcasters, has announced plans to step down from his post immediately. Janet McGregor, NAB’s CEO and CFO, will handle Rehr’s duties until a successor is named. Rehr, who came to the NAB from the National Beer Wholesalers Association in 2005, has had a rough run at the […]
From Branislav Pekic in Rome Italy's Communications Authority (AgCom) has initiated an investigation on the number of digital terrestrial TV channels operated by the broadcasters in respect of the quota of 20 per cent per group. According to an initial inquiry, it emerges that commercial broadcaster Mediaset accounts for 14 out of the 42 national […]
US satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp has posted better than expected quarterly profit, despite losing 94,000 subscribers. Net income rose to $312.7 million from $258.6 million a year earlier. Revenue rose 2.1 per cent to $2.91 billion. Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen, attributed the subscriber loss to the weak economic environment, as well as […]
The European Commission's proposed telecoms reforms, which include the three strikes proposals for abusive downloaders, will now have to go into the conciliation process after the European Parliament again refused to discard an amendment that would force governments to get court permission before disconnecting illegal downloaders of copyright material. MEPs in September put forward an […]
A weaker than expected performance by its films at the box office and through DVD sales depressed Disney's second-quarter profits. Operating income at Disney's studio business fell 97 per cent to $13 million. The recession also continued to depress earnings in other parts of the group, with advertising down at Disney's ABC television network. But […]
The Federal Communications Commission wants US broadcasters to suspend regular programming and instead show a public-service ad about the digital transition for three five-minute periods on May 21st as part of an effort to make sure Americans are ready for the switch. The US was originally scheduled to switch to digital-only TV on February 17th, […]