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Comcast to pay $800,000 to settle FCC broadband probe

Comcast has agreed to pay $800,000 to settle a Federal Communications Commission probe into the cable giant's broadband marketing practices after its merger with NBC Universal.

The settlement came after an FCC investigation found that Comcast representatives were not adequately marketing its standalone broadband service, a violation of a condition for the carrier's merger with NBC Universal that required Comcast to "visibly offer and actively market" the standalone Internet service for three years.

"Today's action demonstrates that compliance with commission orders is not optional," FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said in a statement. &… Read more

Hulu Plus subscribers hit 1.5 million, sales jump 60 percent

The video-streaming service Hulu reported that revenue rose 60 percent last year and said its subscriber base now numbers 1.5 million.

Impressive, right? Hold on just a second.

As Hulu CEO Jason Kilar put it in a post on Hulu's blog:

We grew the business 60 percent from 2010 to approximately $420 million in revenue. We exceeded our plan despite the soft advertising market (economy) in the second half of 2011.... Hulu Plus now has more than 1.5 million paying subscribers. But let's put that into context. Hulu Plus is a subscription service that charges $7.… Read more

Comcast gets boost from NBC Universal

NBC Universal gave Comcast a boost in the second quarter as the cable operator announced a 16 percent jump in profits.

Comcast also said it lost fewer pay-TV subscribers and saw broadband subscriber growth surge, besting its phone company rivals.

Net income rose to $1.02 billion, or 37 cents a share, from $884 million, or 31 cents a share, a year earlier, Comcast said in its second quarter earnings statement. Excluding certain costs, profit was up about 17 percent to 42 cents a share.

The company got a boost its NBC Universal unit. The second quarter was the first … Read more

Netflix, NBC renew contract; more shows for streaming

While everyone continues to go mad over the Netflix price hikes, at least the online rental service is holding on to some of its Hollywood studio contracts and adding more content.

However, some of that new content will likely not be enough to please subscribers who are upset over the fact that unlimited DVD rental plus streaming plans start at almost $16 now.

Netflix recently lost a whole slew of Sony-owned content from its digital library, and it's had issues with other studios and networks, namely Showtime, in the last year. Considering many subscribers and the media can now … Read more

Reports: Hulu mulls sale after receiving buyout offer

Hulu apparently has a suitor and the video portal is considering whether to sell, according to reports from CNBC and The Wall Street Journal.

CNBC added that whoever the prospective buyer is, it isn't Google.

The LA Times, meanwhile, says that Yahoo has approached Hulu about a possible acquisition. It also reports that Hulu's board of directors has not met to consider any offers.

Originally founded by News Corp. and NBC Universal, Hulu later saw Disney become a partner. The service streams TV shows and movies over the Internet.

Hulu was an instant hit when it launched in … Read more

Comcast delivers solid first quarter

Cable giant Comcast reported solid first-quarter results as it continues to add high-speed Internet customers at a good clip.

Comcast reported first-quarter earnings of $943 million, or 34 cents a share, on revenue of $12.13 billion, up 31.8 percent from a year ago. The results include two months of NBC Universal results. Excluding transaction costs related to NBC Universal, Comcast reported earnings of 36 cents a share. The earnings were 2 cents per share ahead of Wall Street estimates.

High-speed Internet revenue showed solid growth as revenue surged 8.8 percent to $2.1 billion. Comcast's video … Read more

Hulu eyeing half a billion in sales this year

Hulu is forecasting sales of close to half a billion dollars and more than a million Hulu Plus subscribers this year.

In a blog posted yesterday, CEO Jason Kilar marked the end of the first quarter with some notable figures and projections about the company's recent past and upcoming future.

The forecast of almost $500 million in sales for the year follows the first quarter in which revenue shot up around 90 percent compared with last year's initial quarter, according to Kilar. For 2010 as a whole, Hulu took in sales of $263 million.

Touting the expected rise … Read more

HBO likely to clear way for cloud video, UltraViolet

LOS ANGELES--HBO won't stand in the way of cloud video or UltraViolet, the name given to technology standards that the film industry hopes will become a new home video format and a successor to the DVD, say multiple sources.

If you've ever wondered why some movies disappear from the video services of Apple, Amazon, and Netflix, the likely reason is the HBO blackout. When a new release is aired on HBO, often the company has acquired the exclusive right to distribute the movie electronically. That means the title must come down at other outlets, including Web stores. HBO … Read more

Comcast sales, income ride customer growth

With its acquisition of NBC Universal finally done, Comcast today reported a boost in both sales and earnings for its fourth quarter.

For the quarter ended December 31, the cable carrier earned $1.02 billion, a gain of 6.6 percent from the $955 million earned in the prior year's quarter. Sales grew by 7.2 percent to reach $9.72 billion compared with $9.07 billion a year ago. Both results managed to beat the expectations of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, according to Reuters, and prompted the company to lift its annual dividend by 19 percent.

With … Read more