Cablet Merger Pro's and Con's IN the News

Time Warner Being Acquired via a Merger with Charter Communications.

Is this good or bad for Twin Cities Residents? Probably indirect at most, as the bulk of the area is covered by Comcast, but there is a Charter Presence in the Metro, and what happens in one case may easily repeat itself elsewhere.
What Does Charter Have to Sa

As shown in the above chart, and as of the end of 2015, Comcast’s (CMCSA) Internet customer base was the largest in the United States. Following Charter’s customer base, the third-largest Internet customer base was AT&T’s (T). Verizon (VZ) had the fourth-largest Internet subscriber base.

For a diversified exposure to some of the largest cable companies in the United States, you could consider investing in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY). The ETF held a total of ~0.88% in Comcast (CMCSA) and Cablevision Systems (CVC) as of May 25, 2016.
Via marketrealist.com
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Comcast/NBCU merger threatening programmer diversity, Public Knowledge and Common Cause say – FierceCable

Cable industry consolidation, specifically Comcast’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 2011 purchase of NBCUniversal, have had a detrimental impact on minority programming, progressive groups Public Knowledge and Common Cause said in a letter to the FCC.Commenting on the agency’s 2016 Hispanic Television Study, the groups referenced Comcast’s court battle with Liberman Broadcasting — the MSO has been accused in a lawsuit of favoring its own Telemundo and NBC Universo channels over Liberman’s Spanish language networks in terms of offering distribution. Public Knowledge and Common Cause also called for diversity conditions tied to Charter Communications’ (NASDAQ: CHTR) takeovers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks to be enforced. For more: – read this Public Knowledge letter to the FCC

Via fiercecable.com============

Mega Cable arrives as Charter finalizes purchase of TWC | Ars Technica

Charter has nearly quadrupled in size as a result of the transactions, going from 6.8 million customers to about 25.4 million in 41 states, second in the US after Comcast’s 28 million. The merger drew opposition from some advocacy groups, including one that took to calling the new Charter “Mega Cable.” The cost of the acquisitions was originally expected to be about $67.1 billion, though Charter will reportedly end up paying a bit more than that.

Comcast previously attempted to buy Time Warner Cable, but the merger was stopped last year by federal regulators who detailed concerns about potential harm to online video services.

Jon Brodkin / Jon is Ars Technica’s senior IT reporter, covering the FCC and broadband, telecommunications, wireless technology, and more.
read more at arstechnica.com

Comcast/NBCU merger threatening programmer diversity, Public Knowledge and Common Cause say – FierceCable

Comcast has its own merger, and controversy.

Cable industry consolidation, specifically Comcast’s (NASDAQ: CMCSA) 2011 purchase of NBCUniversal, have had a detrimental impact on minority programming, progressive groups Public Knowledge and Common Cause said in a letter to the FCC.

Commenting on the agency’s 2016 Hispanic Television Study, the groups referenced Comcast’s court battle with Liberman Broadcasting — the MSO has been accused in a lawsuit of favoring its own Telemundo and NBC Universo channels over Liberman’s Spanish language networks in terms of offering distribution.

Public Knowledge and Common Cause also called for diversity conditions tied to Charter Communications’ (NASDAQ: CHTR) takeovers of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks to be enforced. read more at fiercecable.com

Cable will always generate controversy. It affects so many people in so many dfferent ways. What we can say for sure is that if Comcast is your choice for internet access, TV programing, Security or Phone service,, the best place to get signed up in the Minneapolis St Paul area is not via their call centers.
A better plan is to call The Connected Home. We are a Comcast Store, that will help you get hooked up quickly without a lot of hassle and wait time. Our staff can help you whether you want the basic plan or one of the standard bundles – without hassling you to upgrade. And should you decide you prefer to go the satellite route we can help you there as well, whether you want to go with Dish or Direct=TV. We handle them all and with no charge to you.