TiVo Wins Patent Suit on Appeal

Says too few people are watching, at least via cable

(NEWSER) - Dish Network is removing all four of AMC's cable channels because it says too few people are watching. Part of the problem, it says, is that the "very limited popular programming" on AMC is "available to our customers through multiple other outlets such as Amazon.com, iTunes, and Netflix," reports the Wall Street Journal . AMC Networks channels include IFC, WE TV, Sundance Channel, and AMC—which broadcasts Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and The Walking Dead. More»

Americans are more and more likely to have watched shows online

(NEWSER) - More and more Americans are watching television exclusively online and ditching their cable or satellite service. One-quarter of families have tuned in online, and 25% of those viewers have watched a full-length show on a computer—a 67% jump just since 2007. “The idea that you come home and your entertainment choices are dictated on what some entertainment channel decides is not for me,” a tech-savvy early adapter tells the Los Angeles Times. More»

Execs hope these watchers will eventually translate into ad dollars

(NEWSER) - TV networks dismayed at low ratings early in the season are getting a ray of hope in the form of the once-feared DVR. Sure, ad buyers won’t pay out when a viewer watches Grey’s Anatomy on TiVo, but that and other shows are gaining a massive audience days after the broadcast. Execs think they will migrate back to primetime once the herd of new and returning shows thins. More»

(NEWSER) - A group of media companies has joined forces with major advertisers to challenge Nielsen's dominance in TV ratings measurement, the Financial Times reports. The firms involved—including NBC, Time Warner, Disney, and Procter & Gamble—aim to have their rival audience measurement scheme up and running by next month, a move that could potentially shake up the way in which the $70 billion spent on TV ads yearly is parceled out. More»

Facing massive debt and under siege by a rival, company turns to Liberty Media for help

(NEWSER) - With $175 million in debt due Tuesday and an unwanted takeover in the offing, Sirius XM Radio is hoping for help from Liberty Media, reports the Wall Street Journal. The satellite radio company is more than $3.25 billion in debt and nearly cashless, yet remains steadfast in its efforts to repel a takeover by EchoStar mogul Charles Ergen. More»