Cablefax
Cable industry business: distribution, carriage, regulation, strategy
ACA Connects: Hopeful, But Realistic About Cable Act Rewrite
ACA Connects is heading to Capitol Hill amid a hyper‑partisan climate and a fresh war in Iran, urging lawmakers to consider the mounting cost pressures on small and midsize cable operators. The association is pushing for a comprehensive rewrite of the 1992 Cable Act, citing soaring retransmission fees—up over 2,000% since 2011—and the competitive threat from streaming giants. House Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie signaled openness to reform, but only 56 legislative days remain in the session. ACA Connects hopes bipartisan support will keep the issue alive despite potential shifts in congressional control.
TechExpo26 Says ‘Welcome’ to Programmers
SCTE announced AMC Networks as the first-ever programmer to co‑host TechExpo26, joining Charter as headliners for the September‑October event in Atlanta. The partnership highlights the industry’s move toward convergence, where operators and media providers align network innovation with viewer experiences....
NCTC: Video Sticking Around
At the ACA Connects Summit, NCTC CEO Lou Borrelli confirmed that video remains central to the cooperative’s offering, announcing new authentication capabilities for ESPN Unlimited alongside existing Fox One access. He said NCTC will follow Charter’s direct‑to‑consumer video‑bundle strategy to...
AT&T Downplays Competition From Cable Ops
AT&T’s chief operating officer told investors that cable operators are not yet exerting measurable pressure on the telecom giant’s results. He highlighted four consecutive quarters of stable performance despite cable MVNO growth and emphasized the company’s expanding fiber footprint into...
Optimum’s Price-Locked Plans
Optimum has introduced a “25 for 5” campaign that locks internet prices for five years, starting at $25 per month for 300 Mbps service. The offer expands to a 500 Mbps plan at $35/month with six months of ad‑supported HBO Max, and a...
Sparklight Mobile’s New Promo
Sparklight Mobile, the Cable One subsidiary, has rolled out a nationwide promotion offering a free unlimited‑data line for twelve months to both new and existing customers. After the promotional period, the plan reverts to the standard $30 per month rate,...
Ergen Likes SpaceX, Comcast Business Enters Lawsuit Fray
EchoStar CEO Charlie Ergen said the company will likely hold its next earnings call in July or early August, after 2Q26 results, to provide more clarity on capital management and regulatory outlook. The firm confirmed $19 billion in spectrum sales to...
Pitcher Named WICT CEO
Tracy Pitcher has been appointed President and CEO of the Women’s Interactive Communications Network (WICT), succeeding Maria Brennan after a 16‑year tenure. Pitcher joins from senior roles at Comcast, Charter, AT&T and Time Warner, most recently as SVP of Comcast...
People
Sol Doten has been promoted to executive vice president of Marketing & Strategy at Ovation TV. In his new role he will oversee enterprise‑wide strategy, including marketing, distribution, community and government affairs, communications, and business development. The appointment expands Ovation's...
EchoStar Loses 168K Pay TV Subs
EchoStar reported a loss of 168,000 pay‑TV subscribers in Q4 2026, an improvement over the 253,000 decline a year earlier, while its combined video base now contracts at a 10% organic rate. Video ARPU slipped 0.3% year‑over‑year, prompting analysts to argue...
Nexstar, Scripps, Sinclair Express Regulatory Optimism
Broadcasters are buoyed by FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s hints of relaxed ownership rules and a Trump endorsement of Nexstar’s $6 billion Tegna acquisition. Nexstar, Scripps and Sinclair all highlighted this regulatory optimism in recent earnings calls, stressing strategic M&A and operational...
Charter’s Video Sub Gains Fuel Earnings Optimism
Charter Communications reported its first quarterly video subscriber increase since 2020, adding roughly 44,000 net video customers in Q4 2025. The gain sparked optimism on earnings calls at Nexstar, Sinclair and AMC Networks, which highlighted the role of bundled over‑the‑top...
Comcast Gets ESPN Unlimited
Comcast is now granting eligible Xfinity TV customers free access to ESPN Unlimited, the sports network’s direct‑to‑consumer app, once they authenticate their subscription. The offering unlocks the full suite of live sports, original shows, and on‑demand content without an additional...
CABO At Our Deadline
Cable One reported a Q4 2025 decline of 10,700 residential data subscriptions and revenue falling to $363.7 million, down from $387.2 million a year earlier. CFO Todd Koetje noted modest improvements in disconnect rates but said they remain unsatisfactory. The...
WBD on Discovery Global’s Potential
Paramount Skydance argues that the Discovery Global spinoff would not add value for Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders, positioning itself as the stronger bidder against Netflix. CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels, also CEO of Discovery Global, highlighted the global reach of DG's linear...
Charter Pledges Savings for Big 3 Customers
Charter Communications introduced a promotion guaranteeing new customers at least $1,000 in savings during the first year when they switch from AT&T, T‑Mobile, or Verizon to Spectrum Mobile and add a Spectrum Internet Advantage plan. The offer requires a minimum...
People
TV One Networks has appointed Keith Hopkins as Vice President of Content Distribution & Marketing. Hopkins joins from Roku, where he helped shape the streaming platform’s content syndication strategy. He also brings senior leadership experience from Nexstar, the Pac‑12 Conference,...
Braves Embracing Solo Field
The Atlanta Braves announced BravesVision, a proprietary broadcast platform designed to replace third‑party distributors amid the decline of Main Street Sports. The move leverages the club’s expansive multi‑state television territory to capture more advertising and subscription revenue. MLB’s national media...
FCC Takes a Swing at the State of Sports Broadcasting
The FCC’s Media Bureau issued a public notice seeking comment on the evolving live‑sports distribution landscape, highlighting concerns over consumer access and the ability of local broadcasters to fulfill public‑interest duties. The notice asks whether market fragmentation—driven by streaming platforms...
Charter Taps Frontier’s Jeffery as COO
Charter Communications appointed former Frontier CEO Nick Jeffery as chief operating officer, effective September 1. Jeffery will oversee Marketing and Sales, Field Operations, and Customer Operations for Spectrum’s residential and business segments. His tenure at Frontier featured accelerated fiber deployment,...
Carriage
INSP has launched Western Bound Español, a free‑ad‑supported (FAST) channel on Plex targeting Spanish‑speaking fans of Westerns. The new service mirrors the English‑language Western Bound network and carries original titles such as “Wild West Chronicles” and “Ultimate Cowboy Showdown.” By...
A Brave New Vision
The Atlanta Braves are launching their own regional sports network, BravesVision, to become the franchise’s official local TV home starting next season. The network will produce more than 140 games plus pre‑ and post‑game shows and will distribute content via...
It’s a Vix World
TelevisaUnivision reported a 5% YoY revenue decline to $4.8 billion in 2025, but highlighted the Direct‑to‑Consumer (DTC) segment as a bright spot. The Spanish‑language streamer Vix achieved full‑year profitability, contributing roughly a quarter of total revenue and 20% of adjusted OIBDA,...
Weekly Dashboard – Feb. 20, 2026
ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro told CNBC that rumors of a Disney spinoff are unfounded, emphasizing that ESPN is a core component of Walt Disney Company’s long‑term strategy. He highlighted the network’s integrated approach, linking ESPN’s content with ABC broadcasts and...
PSKY Clears DOJ Hurdle
Paramount Skydance (PSKY) has satisfied the DOJ’s second request, causing the 10‑day Hart‑Scott‑Rodino waiting period to expire. The filing notes that no statutory barrier remains to close a potential acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), but a definitive merger agreement...
Gotham’s New Plans
MSG Networks and YES Network have lowered prices on their Gotham Sports direct‑to‑consumer platform and added a Yankees season pass. The pass, priced at $119.99, grants access to Spring Training, regular‑season games, and related programming from Feb. 21 through Sept. 27. YES...
Harmonic Wraps Up 2025
Harmonic reported record quarterly broadband bookings of $346.9 million in Q4 2025, driving total net revenue to $157.3 million. Continuing operations generated $98.2 million in revenue and a modest $2 million net income. The company deployed its cOS broadband platform to 146 commercial customers, covering...
America 250: FCC Asks Broadcasters to Take Patriotic Programming Pledge
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr launched the voluntary “Pledge America” campaign, urging broadcasters to air patriotic, pro‑America programming in honor of the United States’ 250th anniversary. He frames the pledge as a way to address declining civics education and fulfill public‑interest...
Ratings
NBCUniversal’s Winter Olympics coverage averaged 20.2 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, NBCU digital platforms and USA Network, marking the 13th straight day the event surpassed the 20‑million mark. The men’s hockey quarter‑final overtime win over Sweden drew 6.9 million viewers, the most‑watched...
Comcast’s 4K Sports Boost
Comcast launched RealTime4K, a low‑latency 4K format for Xfinity, during the Super Bowl. Internal testing showed the Xfinity feed arrived 9‑49 seconds faster than rival vMVPDs such as YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and DirecTV. The speed advantage comes...
The Ingest Digest
Apple TV has struck new ingestion agreements with DirecTV and Comcast, bringing its live sports lineup directly into the distributors’ guide interfaces. Starting this year, DirecTV customers will see Apple TV’s Formula 1, MLS and MLB events on the vMVPD homepage,...
Cable News Podcast Moves
MS Now is teaming with Crooked Media to launch a weekly compilation show, "Crooked on MS Now," featuring highlights from Crooked’s podcasts such as "Pod Save America" and "Assembly Required" with Stacey Abrams. The program debuts on Feb. 28 and...
Nexstar-Tegna Movement
The FCC’s chair, Brendan Carr, signaled support for the pending Nexstar‑Tegna merger and indicated the agency will move forward, though details on the required waiver or audience‑cap exception remain unsettled. Commissioners Anna Gomez and Olivia Trusty are expected to join...