Comcast Roundup: ‘Major’ challenges with TV Everywhere persist, no baseball for elderly and More

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

We’re not quite done with this topic yet.

For two consecutive weeks, the biggest Comcast story has remained the same — it’s partnership with Time Warner to launch an online TV video streaming service that requires cable subscription authentication.

Major challenges remain in designing that authentication system, reports the Los Angeles Times. While broadcast networks like NBC have been quick to put their content online for free, cable providers, like Comcast, are eager to create a source of revenue online.

The L.A. Times also reports that the initiative, dubbed TV Everywhere, is proposed to include regular commercials, like broadcast TV, despite the trend online for fewer, shorter video advertisements. (Watch the CEOs of Comcast and Time Warner speak on the proposal after the jump.)

If you’re thinking of the online TV limit, think 500 hours, as Multichannel News reports. Web video watched through TV Everywhere will count toward the overall 250-gigabyte per month usage limit, which Comcast instituted last fall.

“According to my calculations, 250 Gbytes is enough for some 496 hours of high-quality video streaming, or the equivalent of 20 days of around-the-clock online-video watching,” wrote Todd Spangler.

While some executives have brushed the concern aside, the question of antitrust implications for the Comcast and Time Warner Internet-video collusion is real, Gigaom reports.

After the jump, keeping baseball from a 94-year-old fan, Comcast and Time Warner heads speak, and four other Comcast stories for the faithful.

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Comcast Roundup: Verizon says desist, NBA TV inks and More

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

It isn’t true, so you really ought to stop saying it.

That’s the crux of a cease and desist letter that Verizon Communications has sent to Comcast in response to the telecommunications giant’s series of advertisements called “Don’t Fall for FiOS,” in which, among other claims, Comcast calls a triple-play-like service for bundle from Verizon $400 more expensive per year than the ‘Cast’s version, as reported Tuesday by the Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez.

“Verizon’s been running a negative campaign against Comcast for years and its response to our campaign shows that they can dish it out but they can’t take it,” a Comcast spokeswoman says.

Boys and girls, that fight is getting as mean spirited as Boost and Cricket. Get more details in Bob’s story.

After the jump, Comcast reports to the FCC, a mildly awkward Comcast interview on Web teen safety and four other stories that would interest any Comcast-head.

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Comcast Roundup: Two big Comcast fights end, new ad campaign and More

Every Thursday morning, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup.

Comcast settled two hotly contested fights with major content creators last week.

Comcast and the NFL Network settled their differences and inked a nine-year deal that will broadcast the football channel to more than two-thirds of Comcast subscribers, the New York Times reports.

The Media Memo at All Things Digital also reports that after Comcast’s squabble with Disney over Mickey’s joining Hulu last month, the two came together to announce that Disney-owned ESPN will offer its streaming video service to 17 million Comcast broadband subscribers.

Comcast’s growing lobbying budget, new advertising campaign and three other Comcast stories you need to read, after the jump.

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