Aggressive promotions by pay-TV providers led by Verizon Communications (VZ) and Comcast (CMCSA) will improve Q3 results from a rough June quarter, but subscriber losses will continue, says Evercore ISI. Verizon’s FiOS service has been offering new customers $300 gift cards and free movie channels. Verizon has also been promoting “Custom TV,” a skinny bundle of TV channels, which gives customers more leeway in selecting video entertainment.
Comcast on Tuesday launched its Watchable short-form, streaming video service with an app for Apple’s (AAPL) iTunes store. Comcast’s (CMCSA) ad-supported video streaming service targets millennials and YouTube-type audiences. Google (GOOGL) reportedly is readying a subscription music and video service with an ad-free version of its YouTube. Some observers speculate Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, could also make an NBC on-demand app available
Comcast (CMCSA) CEO Brian Roberts says the cable TV firm, which on Monday announced that it would acquire a 51% stake in Universal Studios Japan’s theme park in Osaka, is going global. “We see Comcast and NBCUniversal becoming more of a global company,” Roberts told reporters in Japan on Monday, according to Bloomberg. “This is the beginning of us making more global investments.” In October, Comcast announced plans to build a $3.3 billion theme