Comments on whether the FCC should eliminate Form 325 or otherwise modernize the cable-TV operator's annual report are due Feb. 12, replies 15 days later, under a notice in docket 17-290 to be in Tuesday's Federal Register. FCC members unanimously approved an NPRM last month (see 1711160054). The form submitted by all operators with more than 20,000 subscribers and a random sampling of smaller ones asks about subscriber numbers, systemwide capacity, programming and the like (see 1711030053).
U.S. District Judge Richard Leon's scheduling of biweekly status conferences on DOJ's lawsuit to block AT&T's buy of Time Warner suggests he's encouraging a settlement before the March 19 trial date (see 1712070067), Raymond James analyst Frank Louthan wrote investors Friday. He said settlement seems unlikely, expecting a May ruling.
DOJ's lawsuit seeking to block AT&T's buy of Time Warner is scheduled for a March 19 bench trial, U.S. District Judge Richard Leon of the District of Columbia said in a minute entry (in Pacer) Thursday. AT&T had sought Feb. 20 (see 1712060034). In a statement, the company said it "understand[s] and appreciate[s] how busy the Court is, and ... will promptly discuss the Court’s post-trial schedule with Time Warner. We are committed to this transaction and look forward to presenting our case in March.”
DOJ is fighting AT&T's request for expedited Feb. 20 trial date for the agency's lawsuit seeking to block the company's buy of Time Warner (see 1711280063). In a docket 17-cv-02511 response (in Pacer) Tuesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, DOJ called the companies' April 22 transaction deadline "artificial" and urged "a process that leads to an orderly and complete airing of the facts and expert opinions." AT&T didn't comment Wednesday. In a filing (in Pacer) Monday, the companies argued their proposed timeline "falls comfortably in line with other merger challenges" by the FTC or DOJ since 2001.
Europe's cable ISP industry grew 4 percent to roughly $27.8 billion last year, IHS Markit and Cable Europe said Monday. They said the number of unique cable homes in the EU grew to 65.1 million, or 31 percent of total TV households, by the end of 2016. Internet revenue is 34 percent of Western European cable operator revenue, they said. Germany is the largest single market, with 18.6 million unique cable homes, with the three next-biggest -- the U.K., Poland and Romania -- each having just over 5 million unique subscribers, they said.
Discovery Communications is increasing its piece of the OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network joint venture with Winfrey's Harpo, the programmer said Monday. Discovery said it's paying $70 million for an additional 24.5 percent, which would give it more than 70 percent. It said Winfrey will remain CEO, with her exclusivity commitment to the network extended through 2025.
Cable is facing "increasing headwinds" in the form of more video competition, slowing broadband growth, their balance sheets and more-uncertain merger and acquisitions permutations, Barclays analyst Kannan Venkateshwar wrote investors Monday, downgrading the cable and DBS industry to neutral, and Charter Communications to underweight. He said Charter faces high programming cost growth and wireless launch costs atop its reluctance to raise broadband prices. Charter didn't comment.
The Communications Workers of America is urging all states' attorneys general not to sign onto DOJ's lawsuit seeking to block AT&T buying Time Warner (see 1711200064). The union on Saturday tweeted that President Chris Shelton was in the process of reaching out to them. CWA told us Monday it expects to talk with all of them within the next several days. In a letter from the union to the AGs dated Nov. 22, Shelton chalked up the DOJ litigation to political interference from the Trump White House due to the administration's CNN enmity. Justice didn't comment Monday.
Comments are due Jan. 16 on a Copyright Office NPRM on an update of rules for cable operators' royalty reporting practices, the Copyright Office said Friday. It said it's proposing a variety of changes to the statement of account forms, including greater specificity of subscriber and rate information requested and a requirement covered cable systems pay a separate per-telecast royalty atop other royalties that cable systems must pay under Section 111 of the Copyright Act.
Pay-TV subscribers increasingly are getting at subscribed content via connected TVs, opting to be self-aggregators rather than go through pay-TV operator aggregation, nScreenMedia said Wednesday. Use of streaming media players is coming at the expense of mobile devices and PCs, it said, saying "a small but significant group" of pay-TV watchers is avoiding operator-provided set-top boxes altogether for programmer and operator TV Everywhere apps on connected TV platforms.