US industry summary

As Olympics loom, NBC leads in the race for prized viewers

(Reuters) - Comcast Corp's NBC network, for years a ratings laggard, is ahead in a key contest among broadcasters even before it attracts millions of viewers this month to its marquee event, the Winter Olympics. "The Blacklist," which stars James Spader as a master criminal who helps the FBI, and the second-year drama "Chicago Fire" have pushed NBC into the lead among viewers 18 to 49, the group most prized by advertisers.

BBC faces damning criticism over failed $170 million digital project

LONDON (Reuters) - The BBC came under fire on Tuesday for botching a 100 million pound ($170 million) digital project in the latest of a series of reports to criticize top management for their running of Britain's publicly funded broadcaster. Public spending watchdog the National Audit Office (NAO) saidBBC executives led by then Director General Mark Thompson, now New York Times Company chief executive, failed to realize in time that the Digital Media Initiative was in trouble.

British PM Cameron's ex-media chief knew of phone-hacking, court hears

LONDON (Reuters) - The former media chief to British Prime Minister David Cameron listened to a hacked voicemail revealing an affair between two leading actors and declared it "brilliant" when he was editor of the News of the World, a London court heard on Tuesday. Dan Evans, a former reporter and self-confessed prolific phone hacker on the Rupert Murdoch tabloid, said Andy Coulson was one of 10 senior figures on the now-defunct paper who knew how he intercepted voicemails to generate front page stories.

Comcast in talks to license technology to Cox - sources

(Reuters) - Comcast Corp, the No. 1 U.S. cable operator, is in advanced discussions about licensing its "X1" video operating system to Cox Communications, the third-largest cable operator, according to people familiar with the matter. Comcast Chief Executive Brian Roberts said on January 7 that the company is looking to license its latest cloud-based technology to other cable operators. Comcast has been in talks to provide Cox with a "white label" version of the product without using Comcast's Xfinity product name, two sources said.

China says New York Times reporter broke visa rules, will leave

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Monday that a China-based reporter for the New York Times broke rules on residence visas and would be leaving the country before the end of the week, in a case which could sour Beijing's relations with Washington. The issue of media freedom for foreign reporters in China has attracted high-level concern in the United States, especially over worries that the government is denying visas for organizations that carry negative stories about China.

Rivals DirecTV and Dish team up to sell customized political ads

(Reuters) - DirecTV and Dish Network Corp, the largest U.S. satellite TV providers that usually compete for customers, announced on Monday that they have joined forces to sell customized ads in a bid to gain a slice of $3.4 billion political ad market dominated by local broadcasters. Both companies have been in a push to sell so-called addressable ads, which are targeted to their subscribers, based on data about their households.

Ex-journalist admits hacking at Murdoch paper, rival Sunday Mirror

LONDON (Reuters) - A former journalist on Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World tabloid and its rival Sunday Mirror has admitted conspiring to hack into hundreds of phones to get exclusive stories about celebrities. Daniel Evans told London's Old Bailey Court on Monday he had been a prolific phone-hacker and that Andy Coulson, one of Murdoch's ex-editors and later Prime Minister David Cameron's media chief, had known what he did before employing him.

Twenty-First Century Fox to take majority stake in YES Network

(Reuters) - Twenty-First Century Fox Inc said it would take control of Yankees Entertainment and Sports (YES) Network, by raising its stake to 80 percent from 49 percent. Twenty-First Century Fox, which first acquired its stake in YES Network in 2012, said the remaining 20 percent stake will continue to be held by Yankee Global Enterprises.

Comcast eyes Time Warner Cable's East Coast markets: source

NEW YORK (Reuters) - No 1 cable provider Comcast, in its talks with Charter about a possible deal to acquire parts of Time Warner Cable, would be interested in an agreement that gives Comcast the New York market and parts of New England, a person familiar with the matter said on Friday. Discussions between Comcast Corp and Charter Communications Inc have gotten more substantive in recent days, partly because Comcast felt takeover target Time Warner Cable was seeking too high a price for itself, the person said on Friday.

Fox scores with Hispanic TV, online ad sales for Super Bowl

(Reuters) - Twenty First Century Fox, whose Fox network is getting an average of $4 million for a 30-second spot on its sold-out Super Bowl telecast, has almost reached that mark on its Spanish-language channel and online video stream. Fox should have sold nearly 90 percent of available advertising time on Fox Deportes by the time the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks take the field on February 2, saidTom Maney, executive vice president of advertising sales at Fox Hispanic Media.