A lot of media companies took the opportunity of Apple’s iOS 5 upgrade to refurbish their apps for the iPhone and iPad. The Weather Channel’s free apps have been pretty successful—the iPhone one has been downloaded over 21 million times and the iPad version is up to 5.2 million. But…

Indie documentary video streaming service SnagFilms making good on some of the changes it proposed earlier this year, when it raised $10 million in funding: it’s officially expanding its 2,300 non-fiction film library to include dramatic, fictional independent features. The second change can be called the “Snag Everywhere” plan, which…

Like its MSO rivals, Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) saw more subscribers disappear, though it thinks it has a plan to retain the customers don’t leave out of economic hardship and more inclined to choose an over-the-top service instead: the expansion of its iPad in-home viewing app to the iPhone and iPod…

		EPS*	Rev. vs QQ210	Net Inc. vs QQ210
Cablevision	Release		9.1%	44.2%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

Dish Network (NSDQ: DISH) has made a cash bid of $1.375 billion for bankrupt telecom Terrestar Networks, Reuters reports, as it looks to fend off other competitors such as MetroPCS Communications. 

In addition to seeking third party help from sources, MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) has been experimenting with its own home-grown entertainment check-in service called “Caption Bomb” to provide the link between its live programming and social media. That, plus heavy use of Twitter, is what drives brand lift for the…

HBO’s best production this year may not be a program. I had a few doubts at times with the browser version but HBO Go as an app is everything Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) CEO Jeff Bewkes promised with TV Everywhere and then some. Premium programming that might start to look…

UK telco and TV platform Virgin Media (NSDQ: VMED) could ape its rival BSkyB (NYSE: BSY) by investing in a public WiFi network, so that its subscribers can consume their TV bouquet on the go.

While many major awards shows have seen ratings declines the last few years, Nickelodeon’s annual Kids Choice Awards seems to only get bigger. That, along with the fact its audience sees little distinction between their TV screens and their computers and mobile devices, has spurred the network to stream its…

As its rivals look to buttress their existing “real-time” data businesses with separate digital products, CNBC (NYSE: GE) has released its first iPad app that promises to bring up-to-the-second financial information to a more general audience. While most real-time services costs thousands of dollars in subscription fees, CNBC is keeping…

Nearly a year after it started to promote its “Unbelievably Fair” mobile service, cable operator Cox has finally launched the product itself - which offers users a refund on the minutes they do not use each month. The big question now is whether a new entrant like Cox can pick…

Verizon FiOS has signed on as *Google* TV Ads’ latest partner. While this is certainly good news for the three-year-old service, which Google (NSDQ: GOOG) created to offer targeted ads through set-top boxes, it does highlight the contrast in the appeal of Google TV Ads to satellite and telco companies,…

Comcast (NSDQ: CMCSA) has finally brought its TV Everywhere concept to the iPad with the release of the Xfinity app, which will allow its subscribers access to a limited number of “hit shows” and movies from its “premium networks” next month. The free Xfinity app will gradually offer more content…

With the recent Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) deal as a template, Disney (NYSE: DIS) and Verizon FiOS TV have agreed to extend and expand distribution across platforms. The expanded package covers the Disney and ESPN Media Networks Group and includes:

The period after Labor Day marks the official start of the political season, so Fox News believes it’s the right time to introduce its first paid app that will provide premium politics-related news and opinion for Apple’s iPhone. The app, which isn’t carrying any ads at its launch, is now…

Is the iPad a mobile device? The question is no longer just a philosophical one, rather, it is now an important business issue facing content owners and developers—thanks in large part to Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), which has begun requiring that all applications work across the iPhone, iPod and iPad. This…

One of the visions of tomorrow’s connected world is that people will be able to call up the TV show they missed from the night before and watch it while on their way to work from their phone. AT&T (NYSE: T) gets pretty close to this futuristic scenario with the…

Just in time for the season finale of the Real Housewives of New York City-spinoff, Bethenny Getting Married?, Bravo is introducing an iPad app that it hopes will have users promoting the show as it airs. The iPad app features the NBC Universal (NYSE: GE) cable channel’s “Talk Bubble,” which…

How does ESPN (NYSE: DIS) keep its growing empire fed? With deals like the exclusive 12-year pact with the ACC announced today. In exchange for a serious chunk of change—SBJput it at nearly $2 billion or $155 million a year—ESPN gets more than 4,800 events to spread across its various…

Nearly two years after MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) created its Tribes ad network as a way to extend its cable channels’ ad sales to like-minded websites, the Viacom property is moving into mobile. Mobile Tribes will begin rolling out ads on MTVN’s mobile wap sites, but the major focus will…