Liberty Global's next-gen video offering, dubbed Horizon, is off to a flying start, with demand 500 percent higher than the company originally forecast, company Managing Director of Strategic Marketing Peter Dorr said at this week's CTAM EuroSummit in Vienna, according to Broadband TV News. He said demand hasn't caused a shortfall on available set-tops, but is putting some stress on the MSO's ability to install orders. UPC Nederland, one of the first Liberty Global properties to get Horizon, said more than 45,000 people have downloaded the Horizon app, which lets customers stream TV to tablets over the home network. (See Liberty Global Embarks on New TV Horizon.)
Roku Inc. CEO Anthony Wood is the latest over-the-top video exec to predict the coming of a "virtual" MSO that would offer slimmed down subscription video services via broadband. "In the next 12 months in the U.S. you'll start to see a virtual MSO," that will distribute services via Roku and other broadband connected devices, Wood said at this week's Next TV Summit in San Francisco, reports Multichannel News. Boxee CEO Avner Ronin made a similar prediction in January, agreeing with Wood's notion that the companies likely to first embrace the virtual cable operator model will be traditional pay-TV provider that already has programmer relationships. (See A Virtual MSO Shall Rise, Boxee CEO Says.)
Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) has made some enhancements to its FiOS TV video-on-demand platform that lets customers pre-purchase titles from a "Coming Soon" selection, and an option to preview the first 10 minutes of some movies for free.
The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) has created a working group that will develop recommended practices for the recycling of cable electronic equipment. The first meeting of the group, chaired by Colt Recycling VP of Sales and Marketing Peter Muscanelli, will take place at next month's SCTE Cable-Tec Expo in Orlando.
