MVPDs seeking exemption from the list of top five nonbroadcast networks covered by audio description requirements (see 2011020043) because they don't air at least 50 hours quarterly of prime-time programming that isn't live or near-live or are otherwise exempt have until Dec. 9 to seek one, said Monday's Federal Register.

Starz had its best-ever quarter for over-the-top subscriber growth, said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer on a fiscal Q2 investor call Thursday. The quarter ended Sept. 30. Starz U.S. streaming subs increased to 9.2 million from 7.4 million in Q1 “on the strength of a focused content strategy and the launch of successful new series,” he said. The new shows are “driving subscriber growth,” plus “boosting subscriber retention with record levels of engagement,” he said. Starz had a record-high 13.7 million global streaming subscribers at the end of Q2, reaching its full-year target of 13 million to 15 million subs “a full six months early,” he said. The stock closed 10.5% higher Friday at $7.78.

Though live concerts remain off limits in virtually all global regions, recent surveys show 95% of fans plan return to live events when restrictions are lifted, “the highest point of confidence since the start of the pandemic,” said Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino on a Q3 investor call Thursday. “We are working on a road map to get back to live safely,” encouraged by progress on COVID-19 testing and vaccines. “We still expect shows at scale next summer, but recognize that some exact timeline of this return will vary by region.” The company developed a social-distancing seat-mapping tool and “time entry” technology for managing “everything from venue access to box office interactions,” he said.

Roku revenue soared 73% in Q3 to $452 million on demand for TV streaming products, growth in advertising and expansion of content distribution partnerships, said the company in a Thursday shareholder letter. Advertisers “reassessed their TV upfront advertising commitments and moved significant portions of their investments to connected TV platforms like Roku,” said CEO Anthony Wood on a Thursday investor call. Advertising with Roku gave marketers additional reach over linear TV and capability to target advertising and measure effectiveness, said Wood. Some 97% of TV advertisers that spent $1 million or more with Roku in Q3 last year returned in the 2020 quarter; the company closed 2021 upfront deals with the six major agency holding companies at increased levels of commitment. Unit sales of Roku players jumped 57% year on year, the highest growth in seven years, while average selling price slipped 1%, said Chief Financial Officer Steve Louden on the call. Pivotal Research Group analyst Jeffrey Wlodarczak said in a Friday investor note that the “significant revenue beat” was due to a “favorable backdrop” of cord cutting, COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, “relatively few competitors in" direct-to-consumer aggregation and an election-driven advertising rebound. Q3's 2.9 million net new active subscriber accounts topped PRG’s forecast of 2.7 million. Wlodarczak maintained his view that Roku will be squeezed by Comcast, Cox and other traditional distributors “attacking the [over-the-top] aggregation opportunity.” Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter called Roku’s growth “sustainable” because most advertising remains on linear TV and “will continue to shift in Roku’s direction” as content moves to OTT platforms. Roku users streamed 14.8 billion hours in the quarter, up 54% year over year; streaming hours per active account grew 9%, after easing of pandemic-related restrictions in summer, said the company. The number of active accounts rose 43% to 46 million on strong player and Roku TV sales in U.S. and international markets. Average revenue per user rose 20% to $27. Roku again didn't provide quarterly guidance due to global COVID-19 resurgences and uncertainties about the holiday season and consumer spending levels. Louden said Q4 year-over-year revenue growth will be in line with the last few holiday seasons, in the mid-40% range. The company expects platform receipts to be about two-thirds of total Q4 revenue. Shares closed 12.6% higher Friday at $253.36.

Twitter should suspend President Donald Trump’s account for “repeated violations” of company policy by spreading election disinformation, Common Cause and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law wrote CEO Jack Dorsey Thursday. The platform labeled as potentially misleading several tweets by the president about the election. Trump made unsubstantiated claims of victory in Pennsylvania, Georgia and North Carolina and about ballot processing violations, the groups wrote. Twitter and the White House didn’t comment.

TiVo announced application programming interface-based metadata technology to make it easier for consumers to find relevant programming and movies. It signed a multiyear extension and expansion of an agreement with Finnish digital services company Elisa Viihde for the tech, saying Wednesday the Deep Discovery package lets TV and video service providers, CE manufacturers and media companies “better maximize the value of their catalogs and drive conversion, engagement and loyalty.” Content is tagged with metadata like moods, tones, themes, weighted keywords, age descriptors and popularity.

The FCC Media Bureau OK'd TV market modification for KVMD Twentynine Palms, California, to include Los Angeles designated market area communities served by Charter Communications' Spectrum cable systems where KVMD currently isn't being carried on a mandatory basis. The order came Tuesday.

Microsoft gave a hat tip to Apple TV+ in a Monday announcement listing streaming apps that will be available on the Xbox Series S and Series X when the consoles go on sale Nov. 10. Other apps include Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube TV, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, NBC Peacock, Vudu, FandangoNow, Twitch, Sky Go, Now TV and Sky Ticket, it said. Apple TV+ goes live on the Xbox One the same day, Microsoft said.

Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, ESPN and TLC are the top five national nonbroadcast networks effective July 1 for purposes of FCC audio description rules that MVPD systems above a certain size provide 87.5 hours of audio description quarterly on channels carrying each of those networks, said a Media Bureau public notice Monday. It said the top five list is updated at three-year intervals to account for changes in Nielsen ratings.

The Supreme Court won't hear an appeal of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' reversal of a dismissal of a class-action antitrust complaint against DirecTV and the NFL over the MVPD's Sunday Ticket package (see 1908140015), but don't take that as backing the 9th Circuit decision, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said in a docket 19-1098 statement Monday. He said the 9th Circuit decision is "of such legal and economic significance" that it might warrant SCOTUS review, but the case being at the motion-to-dismiss stage "is a factor counseling against this Court’s review at this time." He said the 9th Circuit seemed to agree antitrust law might require teams to negotiate individual contracts for their own games with DirecTV, but "that conclusion appears to be in substantial tension with antitrust principles and precedents." Kavanaugh said the plaintiff sports bars and restaurants may not have antitrust standing to sue the NFL and the individual teams. He said the league, teams and DirecTV defendants "have substantial arguments on the law," and if they don't prevail at summary judgment or during trial, they can come back to SCOTUS with a new cert petition. Outside counsel for the defendants didn't comment. The court said Justice Amy Coney Barrett took no part in the consideration or decision on the petition for writ of certiorari.