TV stations increasingly are available via a mushrooming number of streaming options such as aggregators. Discussions between networks and affiliates have been rising as cable subscribers decline, putting retransmission consent dollars in jeopardy, experts said in recent interviews. Networks wanted big increases on what affiliates pay based on the notion affiliates get more retrans revenue, but there's MVPD resistance to rising retrans fees, said broadcast lawyer Jack Goodman.
The FTC unanimously approved a policy statement Wednesday aimed at bolstering consumers’ rights to self-repair and access to third-party independent repairs by vowing to crack down on manufacturers whose restrictions are deemed to violate antitrust or consumer protection laws. The agency also rescinded a merger-related policy statement on a party-line vote (see 2107190066).
TrendForce scaled back its annual smartphone production forecast for 2021 by 5 million units to 1.35 billion, citing the “intensifying COVID-19 pandemic in India and Vietnam in April and May.” Samsung, with manufacturing in Vietnam and India, had a 23.5% production decline sequentially in Q2 to 58.5 million units, the report said.
Netflix views its foray into games “as an extension of the core entertainment offering that we’ve been focused on for the last 20 years,” said Greg Peters, chief operating officer and chief product officer, on a Q2 video earnings interview Tuesday. Just as Netflix has “continuously expanded” into new content genres, “we think we have an opportunity to add games to that offering and deliver more entertainment value to our members through that,” he said.
As Democratic senators raised concerns on Verizon's buying Tracfone, Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg said Wednesday during a quarterly call the deal remains on track to close late this year. Vestberg said Verizon is returning to near pre-pandemic activity at its stores and on its 5G urban network. The company was the first of the major carriers to report Q2 earnings.
FTC scrutiny for the tech industry’s smaller and serial acquisitions will increase if commissioners rescind a 1995 policy statement Wednesday, as expected, antitrust attorneys told us. The commission convenes Wednesday for its second meeting under Chair Lina Khan (see 2107120065). It will vote whether to rescind the policy statement on prior notice and prior approval remedies in transactions.
Roku partnered with NBCUniversal on a home screen experience designed to give customers “easy access” to the media company’s 5,500 hours of streaming coverage of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics via the Roku platform, the companies said Tuesday.
All customs entries from China with Section 301 Lists 3 and 4A tariff exposure not yet liquidated as of the July 6 preliminary injunction (PI) order at the U.S. Court of International Trade freezing liquidations would liquidate "in the ordinary course" and be refunded to the plaintiff importers at the end of the litigation if they win, proposed (in Pacer) Akin Gump lawyers Tuesday for sample case plaintffs HMTX Industries and Jasco Products. Akin Gump seized on the proposal after DOJ lawyers at a status conference Thursday opened the door a crack to the possibility they would support a limited refund stipulation after months of refusing to do so (see 2107150049).
Always-on connections and smart home technology are delivering multiple and unexpected benefits for property managers, Vickie Rodgers, Cox Communities vice president, said at a virtual Parks Associates conference Wednesday. Parks data shows 70% of property managers have adopted smart home systems as a differentiator, primarily as a way to increase rent.
The U.S. Treasury Department reached agreement with the State Bank of Vietnam to address U.S. allegations that Hanoi was devaluing the dong against the dollar to the detriment of U.S. interests, said the two sides in a joint statement Monday. U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai immediately hailed Vietnam “for its commitment to addressing our concerns.”