AT&T and Warner Plan to Disrupt Traditional Model with On-Line Video Bundles

AT&T is set to purchase Time Warner for around $85 Billion, a move that would create a media and communications company that would include TBS, CNN, HBO and the Warner Bros. film and TV Studios.

Analysts and industry observers see the move being initiated by the need to replace flagging wireless revenues and to compete with Netflix or YouTube as potential ‘points of entry’ for media consumers.

The deal still has to pass under the regulatory microscope, given the advantage this would give AT&T.

The speed of the deal has surprised many, driven by trends in the AT&T’s revenues. In the latest three-month period, AT&T lost 268,000 wireless subscribers, as well as 3,000 video subscribers.

What are your thoughts on the deal?

Internet + Television + Expo = INTX

Since NCTA’s move from The Cable Show to INTX, many have been left wondering, what exactly will this year’s show encompass?

As the IoT has taken off recently, there have been more opportunities to integrate apps into the overall cable video experience. As a result, NCTA has shifted the focus of the show to encompass the growing digital landscape throughout the industry as opposed to just cable. This year’s event will bring the two even closer together to cover the latest happenings in OTT, wireless integration and overall operations.

Here are a few things to expect at this year’s show:

  • The show floor, now called INTX marketplace will feature about 300 exhibitors. The area has been “reimagined,” and will feature “boulevards, plazas and circles” at various “intersections.”
  • In addition to keynote discussions among top industry executives, the annual Spring Technical Forum will dive deeper into tech than it has in previous years. The lineup consists of 43 technical papers that will be presented at eight different sessions.
  • NCTA will also sponsor a 24-hour hackathon, INTXHAK, which will challenge developers to create apps from scratch using the latest APIs, tools, data and content from a huge list of today’s leading tech, media and entertainment companies.

Will you be attending this year’s show? Let us know in the comments below.