Court clears way for Cablevision to offer remote-storage DVR

The Supreme Court on Monday blocked an effort by major media companies to quash a technology that threatens their already deteriorating advertising business. Plaintiffs including CBS, Fox, NBC Universal, Turner, Viacom and Walt Disney had asked the justices to reverse a lower-court ruling that allowed Cablevision Systems Corp. to offer a so-called remote-storage DVR, which enables viewers to record and store shows on the operator's computers rather than on a set-top box in subscribers' homes. By rejecting the case, the court left the previous decision intact and cleared the way for Cablevision, a New York-based cable operator with 3.1 million subscribers, to launch the service by late summer. The decision is likely to lead to an increase in the number of viewers who fast-forward through commercials, undermining the ad-based business model on which networks rely.


Court clears way for Cablevision to offer remote-storage DVR Cable TV firms clear hurdle on service to store programs (LATimes) Supreme Court Lets Cablevision DVR Decision Stand (B&C) Supreme Court: Cablevision Remote DVR is OK (BusinessWeek) High Court Boosts Remote DVR (WSJ)