AMC Sale? The network that brought us Don Draper, “Breaking Bad” and the zombie-populated “The Walking Dead” is in the news this morning. No, it’s not about the Emmys. But AMC and its siblings might have the Emmys to thank. AMC Networks (AMC, IFC, WE, Sundance) hasn’t been spun off for a week, but speculation already has started over who might be interested in it. News Corp, Time Warner and Disney, topped Gamco Investors list. The takeover would be the most expensive U.S. deal greater than $500 million since 2006, reports Bloomberg. More here. 
 
News Hack. While the big news Wednesday out of Sun Valley, the Allen & Co. annual conference that attracts media moguls, was Disney CEO Robert Iger’s comments on the possible Hulu sale, Thursday Rupert Murdoch closed his British tabloid paper News of the World in light of a scandal caused by claims a reporter hacked the phones of murder victims and deceased soldiers. His statement here. The debacle may affect News Corps’s deal-making prowess, specifically the company’s bid to buy British Sky Broadcasting Group (BSkyB). Reuters http://reut.rs/oxEiLk, the L.A. Times http://lat.ms/q7oeGD and the New York Times http://nyti.ms/o4G5bc weigh in.
 

Piracy Alert. A coalition consisting of the MPAA, the Recording Industry of America and various cable and phone companies have created the “Copyright Alert System.” It’s being compared to those warnings you get when your credit card has been compromised. Users will get five warnings first then ISPs will take “mitigation measures.” That doesn’t necessarily mean a sub’s service will be cut. More at Ars Technica here.     

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Thursday–May 8

Cable Tells FCC to Say No to Forced ATSC 3.0 Transition

Cable is pushing back against a broadcast proposal for a mandatory ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV transition, saying it would be costly and unwanted by consumers. NAB wants the FCC to require most stations to fully transition to ATSC 3.0 by February 2028.

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