New "SpongeBob" film latest to skip theaters

Charter urges early sunset for FCC regs | Comcast now offers Spotify on Xfinity devices | Dems push bill to boost overbuilds, fund broadband service

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June 23, 2020

News for the TV and Internet Industry

Business First

Charter urges early sunset for FCC regs

Charter Communications has petitioned federal regulators to let it impose data caps on broadband services and charge interconnection fees in May 2021. The cable company points to "dramatic" changes in the market for online video as a reason the Federal Communications Commission should move up the timetable it mandated when allowing Charter to merge with Bright House Networks and Time Warner Cable.

Full Story: Light Reading (6/22), Next TV/Broadcasting+Cable (6/22), The Hollywood Reporter (6/22)

Comcast now offers Spotify on Xfinity devices

(Pixabay)

Comcast is rolling out Spotify across its entire footprint, with X1 and Xfinity Flex subscribers getting it first and plans to expand distribution through an app "in the coming days." The company reported that streaming music has had double-digit increases compared to last year.

Full Story: Variety online (6/22)

Dems push bill to boost overbuilds, fund broadband service

Congressional Democrats have proposed spending $60 billion to help fund broadband competition in areas defined as "underserved" as part of an infrastructure bill totaling more than $1.5 trillion. The measure would also earmark $100 billion to subsidize broadband service for low-income and recently unemployed families, provide remote learning access to children and teach digital skills.

Full Story: Multichannel News (6/22)

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Video Evolution

New "SpongeBob" film latest to skip theaters

ViacomCBS will debut "SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run" as premium video-on-demand content early next year before making it exclusive to the CBS All Access streaming service, rather than bringing it to theaters. Nickelodeon and Paramount had originally intended to release the film in May, then pushed the date back to Aug. 7 as a result of the pandemic.

Full Story: Variety online (6/22)

Content Focus

Cox, Charter will air Discovery Spanish-language channel

Discovery will expand its Spanish-language offerings by introducing Hogar de HGTV June 30 for Cox Contour and Aug. 1 for Charter Spectrum. The network will broadcast original content as well as programming developed on Discovery, HGTV and Food Network.

Full Story: Deadline Hollywood (6/22)

HBO Max's launch puts Cinemax on back burner
The Wall Street Journal (tiered subscription model) (6/22)

Marketing Innovation

Roku courts brands with new ad unit, channel guarantees

(Isaac Brekken/Getty Images)

Roku announced a sponsored pause break ad format during its virtual NewFronts presentation, along with proportional pricing for 15-, 30- and 60-second spots. The streaming platform also unveiled Roku Reserve, which is like YouTube Select and Facebook Reserve, and enables brands to secure the top 1% of channels on its platform.

Full Story: Adweek (tiered subscription model) (6/22), Ad Age (tiered subscription model) (6/22), Deadline Hollywood (6/22)

Hulu unveils ad format to help brands drive sales
TechCrunch (tiered subscription model) (6/22)

CTAM @Work

Protests and Public Demonstrations Affirm Gen Z's Desire to 'Be Change'

(CTAM)

Join Thinking Out Loud host Vicki Lins and Mark McIntire, Head of Marketing at Fuse Media, Inc. for a fascinating conversation about why Fuse's social responsibility initiatives resonate with young, socially conscious, multicultural audiences and how current events have impacted the network's marketing strategy.

Available now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more!

For lots of consumers, streaming pirated content is additive

Consumers are 50-60% less likely to continue viewing pirated content once exposed to anti-piracy messaging. CTAM is at work to reduce the financial impact by identifying consumer behavioral drivers and informing and educating consumers on the risks of accessing pirated content. Learn more at ctam.com/piracy.