When someone mentioned Les Moonves’ suggestion that CBS should command retrans fees in line with USA Network, Brian Roberts played it cool. "What do you want me to do-slam them really hard or just be really nice?" "It’s going to be a judgment by the American public, whether the days of free television are over. … We’ll just have to see what the future brings," he said at a Goldman Sachs conference. He added that Comcast has "very long" agreements in place with programmers (of course, it probably also helps to be the 800- lb gorilla on the block…). In a Q&A session, Roberts talked up Comcast’s "Enhanced Basic" service, which delivers an all-digital signal and some VOD and digital music content to subs who don’t want the full digital package. The MSO has 500K low-cost (less than $70) digital boxes in-house to roll out to Enhanced Basic customers, whose numbers should rise as 50% of the MSO’S footprint is already digital simulcasting. Roberts doesn’t see a lot of opportunity for Comcast on the acquisition front, so the company is focusing on internal growth, stock buybacks and innovation, he said. — CableWORLD’s Mavis Scanlon

The Daily

Subscribe

Fiber Frenzy

Some Omaha residents can now sign up for service from Google Fiber . The operator is starting in the Aksarben neighborhood, offering plans of 1 Gig, 2 Gig, 5 Gig or 8 Gig. On

Read the Full Issue
The Skinny is delivered on Tuesday and focuses on the cable profession. You'll stay in the know on the headlines, topics and special issues you value most. Sign Up

Calendar

Apr 25
2024 Cablefax 100 Awards Magazine Release: April 25, 2024
Jun 13
2024 American Broadband Congress Conference Registration is Open!
Jun 26
2024 FAXIES Awards Nominations Are Open!
Full Calendar

Jobs

Seeking an INDUSTRY JOB?
VIEW JOBS

Hiring? In conjunction with our sister brand, Cynopsis, we are offering hiring managers a deep pool of media-savvy, skilled candidates at a range of experience levels and sectors, The result will be an even more robust industry job board, to help both employers and job seekers.

Contact Rob Hudgins, [email protected], for more information.