Comcast Roundup: Partnership with Blockbuster, net neutrality ‘trap’ and More

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

DEFINITE READS

• Zatz Not Funny reports on Comcast’s deal with Blockbuster to partner on DVDsbyMail to, you know, send DVDs by mail, and TechDirt wonders why.
• The New York Post reports that the FCC is readying a ‘net neutrality trap’ for Comcast.
• The Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez reports that Comcast has already spent $90 million on lobbying, advertising, lawyers and other costs pushing for approval of their acquisition of NBC.

Below, four months in prison for hacking Comcast, the most expensive rowhome purchase ever and more.

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Comcast Roundup: Brian Roberts checking Manhattan real estate, Time Warner comparisons and more

DEFINITE READS

• NewTeeVee dives into research analysis comparing Comcast to Time Warner Cable, another giant that became a media behemoth in a less-than-perfect merger.
• MarketWatch details the paywall-protected reporting from the Wall Street Journal that Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is shopping a $7-$12 million Manhattan condominium. …It’s either a place to rest after dropping in on his prospective NBC subsidiary or a way to contrast the Center City condo he should get instead.
• Ars Technica goes deeper into U.S. Senator Herb Kohl D-Wisc. and his call for Comcast to pull out of Hulu ownership via NBC within a year of the merger in order to earn government approval. H/T Philly Tech News

Below, an LA NBC regulatory meeting, supporting Philadelphia boosterism and more.

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Comcast Roundup: FCC defends right to regulate, new iPad device and More

DEFINITE READS

• Variety editorializes that Comcast has much to learn about the content world that NBC ownership would drag them into, but “is looking better all the time.”
• The Hill reports that nearly the entire Pennsylvania Congressional delegation supports the Comcast-NBC deal.
• The Inquirer’s Joe DiStefano reports on the ‘chaos’ that analysts predict will come from the FCC’s plan to regulate broadband Internet services, plans to defend so-called ‘net neutrality’ policies.
• The Washington Post reports that cable stocks took a beating because of it — and that the FCC has gone on something of a campaign to assert it does still have authority over cable broadband policy despite a recent appeals court that went in Comcast’s favor.
• With all humility, Technically Philly has a lengthy Q&A with Comcast Executive Vice President David L. Cohen on the company’s relationship with Philadelphia and his views on the region.

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Comcast Roundup: Stronger than expected Q1, what NBC means for Web startups and more

DEFINITE READS

• Business Week reports on Comcast’s better-than-expected first quarter, backed by rebounding advertising. paidContent reports that during the earnings call, CEO Brian Roberts said he remains “hopeful” about the NBC deal.
• The Los Angeles Times reports that Kevin Martin, a former chief of the FCC who is now a private lawyer, is representing clients that oppose the Comcast-NBC deal.
• Reuters has a piece on investor questions around Comcast’s various “regulatory run-ins.” H/T Philly Tech News

Below, what the NBC deal could mean for Web startups, a secret product launch and more.

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Comcast Roundup: Moving forward with national broadband plan, Cole Hamels shills and More

DEFINITE READS

• The Washington Post has an interview with former FCC chair Michael Powell, in which the agency’s recent battles with Comcast are discussed.
• The Post also reports that leaders pushing for a reform of the national broadband plan are holding strong on the notion that their movement won’t be sidetracked by the recent court ruling that ruled against the FCC having the authority to control Comcast’s bandwidth limitations. An op-ed in the New York Times argues the same point.
• The Post adds depth to the court ruling, though, noting that it may be less a clear victory for Comcast and instead the start of a battleground between the cable giant and host of companies in tangentially related arenas like Skype, Google and Microsoft.

Below, details on Comcast’s 3D taping of the Masters, Cole Hamles breaks plates for Xfinity and more.

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Comcast Roundup: Sen. Al Franken says ‘hard to trust,’ NBC lobbying continues and More

Every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. EST, find all the stories you need to know about your friendly telecommunications giant in the Comcast Roundup. Get an e-mail subscription for our Comcast news updates.

DEFINITE READS

• The Washington Post reports on Comcast’s bolstered presence in D.C. circles, ahead of regulatory oversight of its deal for NBC.
• The New York Times reports that Democrats in particular have been critical of the NBC deal. Among them, the Washington Post reports that former NBC star and current Senator Al Franken said NBC can’t be trusted. But the Post also reports that Pittsburgh’s mayor, among other local leaders, encouraged their congressional members to support the deal.

Below, why some say the Comcast-NBC deal would ruin Web video, Brian Roberts makes a promise about layoffs and More.

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Comcast Roundup: In bed with Time Warner, Comcast Idol and More

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

In Comcast news big enough to get Philebrity’s Joey Sweeney to bite, Comcast has reached a partnership with Time Warner to put content from their Turner Broadcasting online, where Comcast-subscribers can watch, as the Business Journal reported yesterday.

The agreement also included a set of principles for future online distribution of TV shows on a platform they call TV Everywhere, which require viewer authentication. Read those guiding principles here.

In the announcement, Comcast said it will begin testing next month this On Demand Online with 5,000 subscribers. The initial Turner programmaing will include content from TBS and TNT. No word on if you’ll be able to get those old reruns of Walker Texas Ranger.

This model is seen as a direct threat to advertising-supported Web TV streaming sites like Hulu, as Wired reported. Paid Content reports that Comcast got a taste for that model from ESPN360 in its partnership with Disney.

The Inquirer’s Joe Distefano, who offered the news a brief, recently reported on timid speculation about a Comcast merger with Time Warner.

After the jump, someone else has an interview with Brian Roberts, Verizon gets faster, video of Comcast Idol participants, and four other Comcast stories for the faithful.

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Comcast Roundup: CEO eyes paid video streaming, Time Warner deal and More

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

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts said two big things this week.

You’re gonna pay for online viewing of TV content and, yeah, this economy still sucks.

Roberts joined a growing group of cable company executives who are calling for a China Wall around online-streaming cable content, as Media Post News reported. They’re calling it an “era of authentication,” in which you won’t be able to pop in to watch episodes of your favorite gardening shows unless you prove you’re paying customer of HGTV. Time Warner and other top chiefs are mostly seen as on board — only technology and implementation stand in the way. The same obstacles for my jet pack.

Roberts also let us in on a little secret. The decline in consumer spending is still rattling Comcast here in the second quarter, as MarketWatch reported. Others have pointed to other reasons for the struggles, but those problems don’t seem to be disappearing anytime soon. Folks aren’t necessarily ditching their service any quicker, Roberts says, it’s just that no one else is calling up.

As if that wasn’t enough buzz, Roberts got some residual ink about the Time Warner deal from the Philly swoop by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who said he and Roberts are gal pals.

After the jump, what if Comcast bought TimeWarner, at least somebody cares about hockey and five other Comcast stories the truly faithful would read.

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Comcast’s Brian Roberts 13th highest paid CEO

In a report that was sneakily filed when most of the cable industry’s attention was turned toward The Cable Show industry trade show last week, Comcast revealed that CEO Brian Roberts received $24.7 million in 2008, making him the 13th highest paid CEO in the world.

Hating on CEO pay has, of course, been the thing to do lately, but Roberts’ 2008 salary was below his 2006 take. Roberts agreed to several concessions including axing his “golden coffin” clause that pays his heirs five years of his base pay plus a bonus should he pass away. Roberts also agreed to freeze his pay until 2010.

Still, Comcast cut 3,300 jobs last year while Roberts was making an eight figure salary.

Roberts’ pay package makes him the third highest paid in the entertainment/media sector behind Disney’s Bob Iger (paid $51.1 million) and News Corp’s Rupert Murdoch ($30.1 million).

While Comcast’s stock fell 7.6 percent in 2008, the company outperformed the NASDAQ index, which fell 44 percent.

Comcast CEO gives the Internet a hug at The Cable Show

Brian Roberts (far left) sits on a panel about new media at The Cable Show.

Comcast CEO Brian Roberts had the honor of being a panelist at the cable industry trade show in Washington. All of the cable big wigs are slated to attend the event hosted by the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, including News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch.

According to reports, Roberts used his time to persuade his colleagues that the Internet is not the enemy and is another avenue for monitization. The cable industry has been abuzz over customers canceling pricey cable packages in favor of getting media via broadband Internet connections. The practice, known as “cord-cutting” in cable-company-speak, has had an impact on cable companies. Many companies are also suffering because of cost-cutting consumers not renewing service to save money, and the Center-City based Comcast is no exception. As covered previously in Technically Philly, the company lost 233,000 cable subscribers last quarter.

Of the five member panel, Roberts was the most supportive of placing video online.
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