Echostar swings to profit in Q2 as pay TV subscribers continue declining
Despite a drop in revenue, Dish saw a boost in its operating profit during the second quarter of the year; pay TV customers continued to cut the cord on Dish.
Special Coverage: Media Earnings
SiriusXM plots turnaround through more sports, fewer discounts
SiriusXM is hoping sports fans will find its new plans attractive across programming and pricing; the company is easing off discounts to retain customers.
Scripps preparing layoffs as local stations move toward automated systems
The E. W. Scripps Company is readying the issuance of pink slips at several of its local television stations across the country as the broadcaster finalizes some of its transactions and installs new automated systems at a few of its news-producing outlets. Starting last week, executives at some of the affected stations held readiness meetings with newsroom, creative services and sales workers to inform them about the changes, according to three sources who spoke with The Desk on background. Those meetings continued on Monday and are expected to conclude by the end of the week. Among the topics covered in the readiness meetings was an ongoing initiative at Scripps to incorporate more automated systems into the company’s local news and creative services processes, some of which involve artificial intelligence, the sources said. As part of the transformation, a number of … Read more
Ampere: Consumers spend half their day with media platforms
Consumers in the United States and United Kingdom now spend almost 11 cumulative hours per day using differentiated media platforms like streaming video, gaming, audio and social video, according to new research released by Ampere Analysis on Monday. The company’s latest Attention Economy study found that media consumption is no longer centered on one dominant platform or format. Instead, consumers are building varied media routines based on mood, age, location and specific needs. The daily total includes overlapping activities, such as watching television while using a smartphone. Ampere said that behavior has become more common as mobile devices make it easier for consumers to use multiple media services at the same time. Streaming services accounted for the highest level of daily engagement at 1 hour and 57 minutes. Social media followed at 1 hour and 46 minutes, while YouTube accounted … Read more
FCC vote on ownership cap coincides with broadcast-related financial earnings releases
Several companies with deals pending before or approved by the FCC will release their Q2 earnings on Thursday, the same day as a vote on the broadcast ownership cap.
Fox Advertising extends partnership with iSpot
The partnership has been used to measure results across Fox’s, helping ad buyers better understand their financial investments and related outcomes.
Apollo Global completes acquisition of StreamTV parent Questex
In the coming months, Questex and another B2B publication and live events producer Emerald will merge their operations, Apollo said.
Amazon pulls ZapperBox from online store over unfounded TV piracy concerns
BitRouter, the company that makes the ZapperBox, believes Amazon is confusing its certified live TV device with boxes that enable piracy.