Aug 02
BREAKING: Effective 5:00 PM ET, Time Warner Cable has dropped CBS in NYC, Los Angeles, Dallas and several other markets. $TWC $CBS
— CNBC (@CNBC) August 2, 2013
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Aug 02
Time Warner Cable loses CBS channels, CBS says first time dropped from cable
Posted in: Today's Chili
Earlier this week negotiations between CBS and Time Warner Cable broke down and for a few minutes, channels started dropping from the cable service. An extension on the deadline brought channels back quickly, but time is up once again and subscribers are being greeted by the message above. The blackout applies to CBS in New York City, Los Angeles and Dallas, plus Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix and Smithsonian Channel nationwide. According to CBS, this is the first time it’s ever been dropped from a cable system, and it has followed up with a note from Showtime claiming TWC removed the premium channel despite authorization to keep it while negotiations continue. Time Warner Cable has its own statement, claiming CBS has “refused to have a productive discussion” since the Tuesday morning extension in talks.
With the NFL season looming we’ll see how long TWC is willing to push CBS.com (which some of you have reported is being blocked by CBS), Aereo and antennas as alternative solutions in these major markets and whether CBS is willing to live without the viewership. For now, subscribers missing The Doctors can check out a video from TWC explaining exactly what happens behind the scenes when channels go dark.
Update: TechCrunch has a statement from CBS confirming it’s blocked Time Warner Cable customers from streaming full episodes. This is similar to Fox blocking Cablevision subscribers on Hulu during a carriage dispute in 2010, although that turned out to be short-lived.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: KeepCBS, TWC Conversations
Aug 01
Apparently it’s the season for issues between networks and pay-TV distributors, as Dish Network customers in 36 networks are missing some of their local channels as of late last night. Dish and Raycom Media has failed to reach an agreement, so stations the network owns including ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, CW and MyNetworkTV stations in 36 markets stretching from Cincinnati to Honolulu have gone dark. There’s a full list after the break of which ones, and as usual both sides are claiming the other is to blame for not wanting to reach a fair agreement. Your guess is as good as ours as to when the tiff will be resolved, however so far, unlike CBS vs. Time Warner Cable neither side is suggesting Aereo as a replacement.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Dish Network, KCBD 11
Jul 29
It seems like cable companies are always having trouble striking deals with TV networks but this giant fail is especially ridiculous: Time Warner Cable has removed CBS from its channel lineup in major cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, etc. and Showtime from its nationwide cable service. That’s pretty embarrassing, even for Time Warner.
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Jul 29
Time Warner Cable and CBS have been negotiating over a retrans deal for quite some time, and after several extensions talks broke down tonight. TWC’s static replacement page for the networks even suggests Aereo as a replacement, an interesting endorsement considering the online service’s legal entanglements. According to a statement from Time Warner Cable, this means it’s dropping CBS in regions including New York City, Dallas and Los Angeles. Nationally, Time Warner Cable subscribers will do without Showtime, The Movie Channel, Flix and Smithsonian Channel. As CBS’ website helpfully points out, if it goes one this means subscribers will also miss college and pro football, MLB, PGA Tour and US Open events, shows like Under the Dome, CSI and more. Of course, Time Warner Cable’s site points to options like the CBS.com website. We’ll see who holds out, and for how long — check after the break for a list of affected channels and areas.
Update: According to Time Warner Cable, at the request of CBS it has stopped removing the channels, so if you’ve been seeing a replacement screen your programs may be back very soon. Both sides indicate negotiations are ongoing, we’ll let you know if there are any updates.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: KeepCBS.com, TWCConversations, CNBC (Twitter)
Jun 24
CBS may have teamed up with Netflix in the US to satisfy those of us with an Enterprising bent, but the company has taken a different tack in the UK and Germany. Instead, the firm has signed a deal with Lovefilm to bring CBS and Showtime-owned shows to Amazon’s streaming network. The press release promises that users will be able to watch classic Star Trek, Voyager, The Good Wife, Dexter and Californication instantly, although a brief check of the UK site reveals that you may need to wait a short while more before you can immerse yourself in the Delta quadrant / Hank Moody’s psyche.
Filed under: HD
Jun 02
TV Guide Digital has fared well between its web portal and mobile apps, but part-owner CBS thinks there’s a lot of potential locked away. Enough so, in fact, that CBS is taking over TV Guide Digital by acquiring Lionsgate’s remaining 50 percent stake in the venture. The media giant now has full control of both TVGuide.com and the TV Guide Mobile apps, both of which are folding into CBS Interactive’s Technology, Games and Lifestyle division. CBS mostly hopes that the deal will make it a font of wisdom for channel surfers — it sees TV Guide Digital’s rapidly growing audience and programming knowledge as complements to TV.com. We don’t yet know how the acquisition will affect the TV Guide properties themselves, but we’d expect more than just the status quo.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Tablets, Internet, HD
May 16
This week many TV networks are putting on “upfront” where they lay out their content plans for the next year, and The CW President Mark Pedowitz announced it’s bringing full TV episodes streaming to the Apple TV. The CW already has ad supported full episode streaming on several platforms including iOS and Android, Windows 8 and it launched last month on the Xbox 360 (pictured above). Pedowitz indicated the network is working to reach more viewers on more platforms, so Apple TV is probably not the last. In a note to MacRumors The CW confirmed it will mirror the experience on other platforms, with episodes available the day after they air, no cable TV authentication required and supported by advertisements. Les Moonves is president of CBS (which is a part owner of The CW, along with Warner Bros.) and previously remarked on turning down participation in an Apple subscription service funded by advertising revenue. Of course, CBS now does full episode streaming on mobile iOS devices, so we’ll see if this a sign of more changes on the way, although with no release date we don’t know how long we’ll have to wait.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Apple
Source: Deadline
Apr 21
CBS confirmed that three of its Twitter accounts, including that of popular show 60 Minutes, were hacked. It is largely believed that the accounts were compromised by Syrian Electronic Army, though they haven’t been officially named as the perpetrators. Some of the tweets sent out from these accounts do point at Syrians, take for example this tweet posted on 60 Minutes account saying: The Syrian army’s fight is your fight. The Syrian army fights for all humanity. The Syrian Electronic Army has previously, reportedly, compromised Twitter accounts of NPR, Reuters and BBC.
The 60 Minutes account was back under CBS control soon after being compromised, but the hackers once again took over it and as of now this particular account has been suspended. Through its primary Twitter account CBS News had confirmed that the account of 48 Hours and of its local Denver affiliate were also compromised. The compromised accounts were mainly used for spreading propaganda, users should avoid clicking on links posted in these tweets as they may lead to sites containing malware. It is not known as of now when these accounts will be back online.
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Fake ‘Facebook Fashion’ Store Opens In Myanmar, Google+ Comments Can Now Be Added To Blogger Based Websites, 
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Apr 20
Whoops, CBS Got Twitter-Hacked And Spat Out Virus-y Links (Update: There’s More!)
Posted in: Today's Chili
Twitter hacks are an unfortunate reality of everyday social media life. Today, it was CBS’s 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, and CBS Denver accounts that took the hit and started dishing out some linkbait-y tweets with a virus-laiden garnish. Careful what you click. More »
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