Ivi TV Surges From Cablevision-Fox Fight

Ivi TV, the “online cable system,” announced today that through the course of the Cablevision-Fox retrans fight, its “Keep Calm, ivi’s On” campaign resulted in a 323% increase in new subscribers from pre-blackout to post-blackout.

Ivi TV carried the affected channels live, including NFL games and the World Series, throughout the duration of the blackout.

Live broadcast television from ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox news on ivi TV of the midterm election coverage Tuesday will, the company said, “only further ivi TV’s acceleration, as breaking news and live sports are the primary drivers of television viewing.”

According to ivi TV CEO Todd Weaver: “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 while emerging companies like ivi TV drive innovation affording consumers an attractive alternative to pricey cable TV.”

And ivi TV Chairman Ron Erickson said: “Ivi TV, and America for that matter, have learned that Fox acts reflexively when confronted by the changing demands of the marketplace. Rupert Murdoch 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. Let Fox and Murdoch continue to rail against the inevitable. Meanwhile, significant numbers of consumers are signing up for ivi TV and watching broadcast TV live on their computers.”

Ivi TV offers a 30-day free trial to watch major broadcast channels including ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CW, PBS and others from a growing number of local affiliates, all available via a downloadable app at ivi.tv.