Though Comcast plans to launch its own video streaming service in the first half of 2020 (see 1901140030), it anticipates licensing content to other over-the-top players, depending on what prices it can command, executives said in a Q4 call. CEO Brian Roberts said Comcast's streaming aim is to better monetize online viewership by offering its content online "with a very light ad load." He said it should be scalable, taking it quickly to breakeven. Comcast said as it rolls out the offering internationally in some countries, it will launch subscription VOD only, without advertising, or employ other strategies. Consolidated revenue for the quarter, including Sky, was $27.9 billion, up 26 percent year over year. It's increasing the 2019 dividend by 10 percent to 84 cents a share. The operator ended 2018 with 25.1 million residential broadband customers, up from 23.9 million; 21 million residential video customers, down from 21.3 million; and 10.2 million voice customers, down from 10.3 million. Comcast closed on its Sky takeover in October (see 1810090028). Roberts said Comcast rolled out 1 GB to nearly all 58 million homes and businesses in its footprint in 2018. Many won't need those speeds, a panel heard later Wednesday (see 1901230053).

MPAA said it added a nontraditional studio member: Netflix. It lets the association "more effectively advocate for the global community of creative storytellers,” said MPAA CEO Charles Rivkin Tuesday. Existing members are Disney, Fox, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. Netflix didn't comment.

Cable ISP Grande Communications and the music labels suing it for vicarious copyright infringements (see 1805070011) are butting heads over what evidence stemming from the Rightscorp copyright infringement detection system can be used as evidence. Grande is making "a desperate attempt" to suppress Rightscorp evidence it knows establishes its liability for contributory copyright infringement, UMG Recordings and the others said in a docket 17-cv-00365 opposition (in Pacer) posted Thursday in U.S. District Court in Austin. Grande's claims that all the evidence needed to show how Rightscorp's system operated has been destroyed are demonstrably false, the labels said. Grande, in its motion (in Pacer) for evidentiary sanctions filed earlier this month, said UMG and the others concluded some materials underlying Rightscorp's copyright infringement notices were irretrievably destroyed, which "fundamentally compromised" Grande's ability to evaluate Rightscorp's infringement allegations.

CBS and Viacom undoubtedly will combine this year, probably after Viacom and DirecTV ink a new distribution agreement, MoffettNathanson wrote investors Thursday. It said key details such as who would run CBS/Viacom are likely still being worked out, but a deal would improve the structural weaknesses of both by giving scale and bringing cost savings. It said those savings could translate into more money for CBS original content spending and for NFL rights fees. CBS and Viacom didn't comment.

Wurl launched AdSpring, a server-based advertising insertion technology for connected TVs that lets video producers plug in mid-roll ads on linear and on-demand programming. Connected TV gets more than half of over-the-top viewing time, and AdSpring is said to give video producers a way to fill ad inventory with targeted messaging. It’s for video producers, priced as pay-as-you-go; producers pay for ads they insert. Video producers schedule location and duration of ad breaks and personally targeted, data-measured ads are stitched into the live video stream, Wurl said. AdSpring is pre-integrated with connected TV platforms in products from Samsung, Roku, Apple TV and others.

Sixteen percent of U.S. broadband households acknowledge sharing passwords for video service accounts, blogged Parks Associates Wednesday. Fewer than a third are willing to use a non-password authentication method such as voice or thumbprint, vs. 54 percent willing or very willing to use the password method once and save it on a device, Parks said. “The password concept is ingrained in consumers' conception of the online video experience," said analyst Billy Nayden. The push to quash sharing is driving initiatives to “grade” interactions based on prior user behavior, using data points such as geography, time and watching behavior, Nayden said. “The authentication process will become virtually invisible to users, except when they attempt to access services outside their normal behavior.” He noted "poor experiences with authentication and personalization technologies will drive consumers back to traditional methods and increase churn for video services.”

Dolby Atmos content is stacking up, with DirecTV broadcasting select NBA games in the immersive audio format and adoption growing in gaming, Dougherty & Co.'s Steven Frankel wrote investors. He noted Samsung is the only remaining Dolby Vision "holdout" among major TV makers. Samsung says the HDR10+ global "ecosystem" had expanded to 45 "industry partners." Monday, the analyst cited the irony of Samsung’s surprise CES announcement (see 1901070033) for support of Apple’s iTunes on select TVs “with Apple being a high profile supporter of Dolby Vision.” The growing number of Dolby Vision titles offered by Apple won’t be playable on the Samsung TVs, which will see HDR10 versions instead, he said. Tuesday, Samsung didn't comment.

The idea that the Competitive Enterprise Institute should have predicted the FCC was considering broadband network overbuild conditions in OK'ing Charter buying Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, and that not doing so means CEI can't petition for reconsideration, is an abuse of discretion and doesn't mean an appellate court can't review the unlawful conditions, the group said Monday in a docket 18-1281 appellant brief (in Pacer). CEI said in October it would appeal those conditions and the agency order rejecting CEI's petition for recon (see 1810090044). It said FCC arguments CEI lacks standing because it didn't suffer injury by the acquisition ignores how it has demonstrated injury, and individual appellants joining in the appeal satisfy those demands since Commissioner Mike O'Rielly's dissent recognized consumers of the combining companies would be hurt by the conditions. One of those individual appellants, Jean-Claude Gruffat, is a CEI board member, it said. The FCC didn't comment Tuesday.

That Fox isn't bidding on the regional sports networks Disney is selling as part of its buy of Fox's nonbroadcast assets (see 1901110004) is damning evidence of poor prospects of RSNs overall, BTIG Research analyst Rich Greenfield wrote investors Monday. He said Sinclair appears to be the only bidder for all the RSNs -- minus the YES Network, which the New York Yankees likely are pursuing -- with others pursuing specific networks. He said it seems unlikely any company that could ensure wide distribution of the Fox RSNs is in the bidding, and an independent RSN could have trouble maintaining that distribution through the next round of carriage negotiations. Sinclair would likely try to combine its existing retransmission negotiation leverage with the network of RSNs, but that there's not much market overlap between Sinclair stations and the Fox RSNs would weaken its negotiating leverage, he said. In a separate note, BTIG analyst Brandon Ross said YES isn't a likely buyer for MSG Networks, which may be for sale, since the Yankees are interested in YES only to protect their own brand and haven't shown interest in a broader RSN portfolio.

NBCUniversal will roll out a free, ad-supported streaming service in early 2020 focusing on its content library and original programming and some licensed content, the network said Monday as it also announced executive changes. It said the service will be provided free to Comcast Cable and Sky subscribers, by subscription to others. A fee-based ad-free version also will be available. Heading the streaming service will be Bonnie Hammer as chairman-direct-to-consumer and digital enterprises. She was chairman-NBCU cable entertainment and cable studios. NBCUniversal’s Digital Enterprises group, led by Maggie Suniewick, moves into Hammer’s digital group. NBCU's content business will be reorganized under Mark Lazarus, chairman-NBCU broadcast, cable, sports and news, and Jeff Shell, chairman-NBCU film and entertainment. Donna Langley was promoted to chairman-Universal filmed entertainment.