TV

Last quarter was the first time ever that US pay-for TV subscription rates declined, and in Q3 2010, cable lost over 518,300 subscribers in total, according to GigaOm. Four of the five biggest cable companies lost customers: Comcast had more than half of the losses at 275,000, Time Warner took a 155,000 subscriber hit, Charter Communications lost 63,800, and Cablevision waved goodbye to 24,500 customers. The third largest cable provider, Cox Communications, is privately held and therefore doesn’t have to announce its subscriber numbers publicly. The number is thus likely even bigger if we could include Cox plus all the smaller cable companies. ...

Google is set to expand into television production by joining forces with Sony to release new TV sets that allow viewers to browse the Internet. The high-definition sets, which were unveiled in New York, will have LCD screens ranging from 24 inches to 46 inches and a remote control system that comes with the standard QWERTY keyboard to enter search requests, send emails or make comments on the Web whilst simultaneously whilst watching television. ...

On the 2nd day at Google I/O 2010 developer event, Google has announced Android 2.2 with Flash along with Google TV, a new technology for television and Internet freaks. Watch the Introducing Google TV video below:

Premium cable TV channel Showtime plans to launch a service that will stream episodes of original series like Weeds, The Tudors and Californication to subscribers, a source told Bloomberg Businessweek. Details about the new service are scarce, but the network is reportedly discussing the plans with the cable operators that distribute its channels, who are undoubtedly concerned that an online service will cut into revenues for traditional cable TV distribution. ...

The lovable Evian Roller Babies, which broke the world record for the most viewed online advertisement in history last year, have made the leap from YouTube to your television. Evian’s wildly successful viral campaign has surpassed 100 million total views. It was one of the first YouTube-exclusive campaigns by a major brand. Now according to Social Times, the campaign has debuted on Los Angeles TV stations and will run in New York sometime this summer. The company will also air the commercials in other countries, including France and the UK. ...

Disney’s ABC television network was the first in the industry to market on the iPad with their impressive app. Downloaders can stream TV episodes free of charge and early data is showing that they’re doing so in droves. According to data shared with the Wall Street Journal, the ABC iPad app has been downloaded 205,000 times and users have already streamed 650,000 television episodes. Those streams have translated into several million ad impressions for the network’s iPad advertisers, including AT&T, Sears and Target. ...