ivi TV Capitalizes on Fox/Cablevision Feud

ITV-B

One of those new rogue digital video companies said it made gains because of the recent Cablevision-Fox dispute.

The Seattle-based company ivi TV said it gained 323% for its new online broadcast network programming business from some 3 million subscribers in the New York area who went without Fox coverage during the last two weeks of the Cablevision battle.

The company had a 30-day free trial going on, pushed by a campaign called "Keep Calm, ivi's On." It was intended to grab Fox programming consumers -- especially those for its big World Series coverage, as well as for its NFL games.

The new video service has already challenged the broadcast networks -- right from the start of its recent launch. No programming deals have been made with the networks, due to what ivi TV says is an interpretation of copyright law. That has forced legal action between ivi TV and the networks.

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The company seemed to take aim at News Corp.'s Fox network in particular, rather than Cablevision:

"At a time when even Wall Street's top analysts signal that the entertainment industry has its future in its own hands, big media-backed entities arrogantly and consistently leave consumers in the crossfire. Emerging companies like ivi TV drive innovation, affording consumers an attractive alternative to pricey cable TV," said ivi TV Chief Executive Officer and founder Todd Weaver.

ivi TV chairman Ron Erickson added: "Rupert Murdoch [News Corp. chairman] is used to throwing his weight around and getting his way, whether it involves special rule changes allowing ownership concentration of media properties or egregious charges for his Fox content over antiquated, legacy cable systems."

Although it cited some financial data, ivi TV did not reveal precisely how many Cablevision subscribers made the change.

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