warner

Sprint Nextel has sued several cable providers over what it claims is the illegal use of its digital phone technology, further fraying an already strained relationship between the carrier and the cable industry.

In separate lawsuits filed yesterday, Sprint alleged that Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, and the Washington Post's Cable One all infringed on 12 patents related to digital phone technology it secured in the '90s.

The lawsuits represent just the latest development in an increasingly rocky relationship. Sprint and the cable providers were once strong allies, partnering up to buy spectrum and resell wireless service, and … Read more

Time Warner Cable customers just received their holiday gift early: after a long wait, they'll soon have access to HBO Go and Max Go.

HBO launched HBO Go last year. The offering allows HBO subscribers on certain cable services to stream movies, television shows, documentaries, and other content over the Web and on mobile devices, like Apple's iPad. HBO Go comes with 1,400 available titles, while Max Go includes access to over 400 Cinemax videos.

HBO Go launched with support for customers on DirecTV, Verizon, and several other cable and satellite services. However, HBO owner Time Warner surprised many industry observers … Read more

Grooveshark.com, a free music streaming service, could soon feel even more legal heat from the music industry.

Sony Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group are readying a lawsuit which could be filed today, according to The New York Times.

The action follows a Universal Music lawsuit filed last month against Grooveshark, claiming its employees posted more than 100,000 pirated songs. Grooveshark called the suit a "gross mischaracterization of information."

Sony and Warner are expected to make similar complaints in their suit.

Grooveshark has yet to see the Sony and Warner lawsuit, but vowed to defend itself. … Read more

The music industry is supposed to be showing signs of renewed vigor, but just try finding signs of a turnaround in Warner Music Group's fourth-quarter earnings report.

Warner, home to such acts as Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, today reported a net loss of $103 million in the quarter ending September 30, compared with a $46 million loss in the same period a year ago. For the fiscal year ending the same day, the record label saw a $205 million loss.

Total revenue for the fourth quarter was down 7 percent to $707 million and for … Read more

Verizon Communications considered buying Hulu when the streaming-video site was shopping itself around to potential acquirers earlier this year.

Hulu was just one of the online video options Verizon looked at, CEO Lowell McAdam said at a UBS investor conference today in New York.

"We continue to look at alternatives," he said during a one-on-one discussion onstage, which was Webcast.

Verizon was among many potential suitors looking at Hulu when it was seeking a buyer this summer. Hulu ultimately did not find a partner.

That Verizon looked at Hulu, which streams television shows and movies, underscores the growing … Read more

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes is committed to talking up his company's digital strategy, but he just can't help himself from hurling insults at Netflix whenever the topic comes up.

Speaking to the Financial Times in an interview published yesterday, Bewkes spent much of his time focusing on TV Everywhere, an effort spearheaded by his company to bring television programming to more form factors. He also responded to critics who say that it has taken too long for content providers to offer their programming on various services and devices.

TV Everywhere is "the fastest digital roll-out, faster … Read more

Hollywood continues to try to lay the foundation for UltraViolet, the technology that studio managers hope will replace the DVD.

Sony Pictures on Friday issued Blu-ray versions of "The Smurfs" and "Friends With Benefits" and also provided disc buyers with access to UV copies of the films. The studio will do the same with the release of the revenge flick "Columbiana" on December 20.

In addition, Variety, a film industry trade publication, is reporting that Sony Pictures will release a UV version of the Brad Pitt hit movie "Moneyball" on January 10. … Read more

Verizon Wireless' move to buy 20MHz of AWS wireless spectrum from cable operators has caused a seismic shift in the wireless industry.

The deal announced today will give Verizon access to spectrum licenses that cover about 259 million potential customers. The company plans to pay the cable consortium SpectrumCo--which consists of Comcast, Time Warner, and Bright House Networks--$3.6 billion for the spectrum licenses.

In a market where wireless operators are all jockeying for more spectrum resources, Verizon has scored a major win by taking a huge swath of unused spectrum for itself. Spectrum is the lifeblood of the … Read more

Cable providers Comcast and Time Warner Cable will stop reselling Clearwire's 4G wireless service following their agreement to hand off their unused mobile spectrum to Verizon Wireless for $3.6 billion, CNET has learned.

Part of the Verizon deal gives the cable companies the right to resell Verizon's wireless service, which will become the cable providers' exclusive partner once the spectrum aspect of the agreement goes through, said Time Warner Cable spokesman Alexander Dudley.

Both companies will slowly wind down their Clearwire business over the next six months, and plan to move their existing customers to other options. … Read more