Over-the-top network Haystack TV will carry Gray Television's local news content, Gray said in a news release Tuesday. Gray said the OTT deal is a way of reaching millennial viewers, and follows it making its CBS affiliates' content available via the CBS All Access platform (see 1504090026). “Upon accessing Haystack TV, local users will see a mix of the top news stories and other content tuned to their specific interests based on their viewing habits, preferred publishers and favorite topics,” said the broadcaster about the service focusing on millennials. Haystack “features content from traditional news broadcasters, as well as from newer niche publishers,” it said.
The National Advertising Division says Charter Communications agrees with it that some broadcast ads targeting AT&T-owned DirecTV's offerings and pricing should be pulled as unsubstantiated, NAD said. In a news release Monday, the investigative unit of the ad industry’s self-regulation system said Charter could support claims in the series of commercials challenged by DirecTV that referred to the satellite company's promotional pricing. The ads featured comic actor Kevin Nealon as captain of a "'Satellite TV Headquarters' space station." Charter didn't comment.
More Turner brands and live coverage of its premium sports events will be featured on Snapchat's Discover platform, and Snap will work with other Turner brands to develop Snapchat shows, Time Warner said in a news release announcing a Turner/Snap partnership. TW said the deal covers content, distribution and advertising for Turner's portfolio. It said Turner will work with Snapchat parent Snap to develop new shows, and Turner's Bleacher Report will start a Discover sports channel. The companies will work jointly on advertising sales, TW said.
NATOA is taking to the FCC Media Bureau its concerns about a cable industry petition seeking approval for emailing customers certain information. In an ex parte filing in docket 16-126 Friday, the group recapped a meeting between Executive Director Stephen Traylor and bureau staffers at which he discussed its concerns about electronic notifications that would require a subscriber's confirmed email address and worries about subscribers' ability to opt-out of electronic notifications and receive hard copies of required notices (see 1606130028).
The Game Show Network is asking the FCC to order Cablevision to immediately comply with last month's administrative law judge advisory ruling saying the network should be moved back from a premium tier to the multichannel video programming distributor's expanded basic tier (see 1611230046 and 1612080038). "Cablevision has made clear that it will not comply with the ALJ’s Order in a timely manner unless ordered to do so," GSN said in its petition Thursday in docket 12-122. Cablevision parent Altice USA didn't comment Friday. GSN said Section 76.10 of the rules is clear that ALJ decisions in carriage disputes are effective on release and stay in effect pending appeal, unlike ALJ decisions in other contexts, where they are subject to automatic stays on appeal. GSN said it continues to suffer harm being on the far-less-watched specialty tier and that "swift enforcement is ... appropriate" because under Section 616 of the Communications Act it can't get monetary damages for the past discrimination.
The home automation and alarm monitoring markets are seeing a jump in cloud-based solutions, Imperial Capital reported, saying the market worth $23 billion could grow to $61 billion by 2024. The analysts forecast 50 million homes will have such services or devices by 2024, up from 20 million now, with growth led by cable. Products like those from AT&T and Comcast had 5 percent market penetration (942,261 homes) at the end of 2015 and are projected to represent 19 percent penetration (6 million homes) by year-end 2020 and 27 percent (13 million homes) by year-end 2024.
The American Cable Association is applauding President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Linda McMahon as head of the Small Business Administration (see 1612070031). The former CEO of professional wrestling, over-the-top and pay-per-view company WWE "is on record as opposing government mandates that burden smaller companies and understands that government should not needlessly stand in the way of small businesses' efforts," ACA said in a statement Thursday.
Altice is considering selling a minority stake in its U.S. operations through an initial public offering of Altice USA, the company said in a news release Thursday. It gave no details. The Dutch telco bought Suddenlink last December (see 1512180035) and Cablevision earlier this year (see 1606210026).
Time Warner and its Turner Broadcasting Systems, CNN and Turner Services operations have shown a pattern of racial discrimination in employee evaluations, promotions and pay practices, allege a fired CNN administrative assistant and a current TBS employee in a lawsuit (in Pacer) filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta. Former employee Celeslie Henley and Ernest Colbert, a TBS senior manager, are seeking unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. Plaintiffs allege the evaluation system gives managers "undue authority" without any oversight or feedback, resulting in African-American employees typically receiving lower performance ratings than white counterparts, leading to smaller bonuses and raises and fewer promotions. The suit pointed to reports on internal human resources diversity trends indicating black CNN and Turner employees have dramatically different pay rates from those of similarly situated white employees. It alleged TW "has created an employment schematic" that sees African-American workers having to work three times as long as white ones to receive promotions and that they eventually hit a glass ceiling that keeps any black employee from being president of Turner Broadcasting or any Turner network. The suit lists numerous divisions at Turner and CNN and cites data it says indicate racial discrimination in pay or promotion practices. It said African-Americans make up roughly a third of mid-level managerial and staffing positions, but "they are extremely under-represented at higher pay grades and senior promotions." It alleged "glass walls" at the company, with the African-American workers who are in senior positions being concentrated "in less powerful and non-revenue generating areas" like international and sports. The suit seeks class-action status. TW didn't comment Thursday.
With its entire broadband footprint becoming 1 Gbps-capable by year's end, Mediacom said Wednesday in a news release that makes it the first major U.S. cable company fully transitioning to the DOCSIS 3.1 Gigasphere platform. Mediacom said it sped up its previously announced three-year, $1 billion plan for upgrading its broadband network earlier this year after Gigasphere modems became available. Mediacom said the new minimum entry-level broadband speed for residential customers will be 60 Mbps, with offerings of 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps available, and it will begin offering 500 Mbps and 1 Gbps products market by market in coming weeks.