Showbiz Sandbox

Showbiz Sandbox


Showbiz Sandbox 335: FCC Has Big Plans For Television Set-Top Boxes

September 13, 2016

In a widely expected move, the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Tom Wheeler, laid out a regulatory plan that would allow consumers to use the set-top box of their choice to access television. Naturally, pay television providers weren’t happy since they earn $20 billion annually by forcing their customers to rent such equipment. They claim Wheeler’s mandate is overreaching and his call for universal streaming app adoption could stifle innovation.
The September box office has kicked off the run up to the holiday moviegoing season in fine form. While ticket sales for the month are slightly higher than last year in the United States, it is international markets that continue to outperform. In fact, some films do so much better in China than in North America, that industry pundits wonder whether certain sequels should be China-centric and simply skip a U.S. release.
We’ll be back next week with our regular show that will cover all the news making headlines around the entertainment world.

comScore Announces Official Worldwide Box Office Results for Weekend of September 11, 2016
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comscore-announces-official-worldwide-box-office-results-for-weekend-of-september-11-2016-300325921.html
Why ‘Warcraft 2’ May Never Play in US Theater
http://www.thewrap.com/why-warcraft-2-may-never-play-in-us-theaters/
Nate Parker Deflects Question About Lack of Public Apology in Rape Case
https://variety.com/2016/film/news/nate-parker-rape-controversy-birth-of-a-nation-1201857529/
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Reviews ‘Birth of a Nation’…And Nate Parker: “Important and Flawed”
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/nate-parkers-troubled-past-importance-926112
The Hidden Life of Trees – BookFilter Entry
http://bookfilter.com/2016/06/30/the-hidden-life-of-trees/
FCC Chairman: Here Are the New Proposed Rules for Set-top Boxes
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-wheeler-set-top-box-rules-20160908-snap-story.html