Competition
DirecTV and Thomson plan to launch a satellite TV distribution platform for multiple dwelling units. Dubbed “MFH3” and timed to support the satcaster’s major HD expansion this fall, the system allows service providers to offer a triple-play of TV, phone and Internet services, and supports standard-def and HD video and DVR services. Liberty Harbor, a $1.5bln development under construction in Brunswick, GA, will be the 1st to feature the platform. The announcements come as the FCC continues to look into—at the behest of AT&T, Verizon and other telcos—cable operators’ exclusive deals for video service with MDUs. Verizon and DirecTV agreed last year to jointly service MDUs in non-FiOS TV markets throughout the northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. — DISH will televise in HD 40 regular-season games of both the NHL‘s Colorado Avalanche and the NBA‘s Denver Nuggets, beginning with an Avalanche tilt Oct 7.