Cable TV companies should hike their prices to offset rising programming costs, despite the threats posed by Netflix (NFLX) and cord-cutting, according to a new JPMorgan report. Cord-cutting refers to customers that disconnect pay-TV service and switch to free or low-cost Internet video. Comcast (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC) and others have added new broadcast TV surcharges and regional sports fees. Many cable TV firms have also tacked on
Amazon.com (AMZN) has set its sights on the living room with its latest consumer electronics gadget, a set-top box that streams Internet video and also plays games. It joins a crowded market with similar devices from Apple (AAPL), Roku, Google (GOOG) and others. Amazon introduced its long-awaited set-top box, called Amazon Fire TV, at a media event in New York City on Wednesday. The $99 device is available for order on Amazon.com. It joins joins Amazon’s Kindle e-readers and Kindle Fire tablets in the company’s homegrown product lineup. With Fire TV, users can access Amazon Prime Instant Video, as well as Netflix (NFLX), Hulu and other third-party video services. Plus, users can rent new release movies from Amazon. Among the innovative features of the device is speech-recognition technology for searching for programs to watch. Voice search is built into the Fire TV remote control. “Tiny box, huge specs, tons of…
Amazon.com (AMZN) unit Amazon Studios said Monday that it’s approved six more of its original pilots to be produced as full-season TV series, following what it called rave customer reviews. The original content will be aired exclusively for members on Prime Instant Video. The move further boosts its competition with Netflix (NFLX) and others in providing original content for video-streaming services. The Amazon shows are: “The After,” a sci-fi