The 
owners of a porn website that shares the name as Amazon’s Fire TV set-top box are turning up the heat.
Florida-based WREAL is suing Amazon for alleged trademark infringement, asking a U.S. District Court judge to force the company to change the product’s name and to hand over all profits Fire TV has generated thus far.
This 
year is shaping up to be one of the worst customer retention years in the history of pay TV. Cable, satellite and phone companies that offer video services lost 113,000 customers in the third quarter, according to a report by MoffettNathanson.
So what are cable and satellite companies’ frenemies—the broadcast partners and content kings—doing to ensure that the television status quo continues into the next generation of viewers? They’re cutting the cord themselves, to a degree. Networks with a strong mobile presence are using the basics of cord-cutting against the next generation’s would-be cord cutters, roping children into the existing ecosystem in a roundabout way.
There’s plenty of talk 
about cord cutting these days – the idea that people can cancel their cable subscriptions and still view most (or all) of their favorite programming. There’s not a lot of talk, though, on where it’s taking place.
The answer, it seems, is Dallas, Texas.
Roku has been something of a trailblazer in the 
cord-cutting world, but it has had a relatively small following since it has historically only been sold online. That’s about to change.
Starting today, Best Buy customers are able to purchase the Roku XD in stores. So are shoppers at BJ’s Wholesale club, Fry’s Electronics and Radio Shack.
First it was Hulu, then the major networks. Now, 
Viacom has blocked Google TV units from accessing its content, including all Comedy Central programming.
It’s the latest in a series of hindrances for the latest set-top box competitor and couldn’t come at a worse time. With the holiday season approaching and shoppers debating whether to splurge for the device, there is less and less programming to watch via Google TV.
Could the set-top box kill 
cable?
It’s hard to turn the corner these days without someone thrusting a new gadget for your television at you. Apple and Google are among the more familiar names exploring the space, but they’re just the tip of the iceberg. The arena also includes aspirants such as Roku, Boxee, Seagate, Asus and Western Digital. And the three major vidgame consoles are already delivering content.
The growing threat of Web video distribution 
is one the cable industry needs to pay closer attention to, according to the CEO of Verizon. Ivan Seidenberg, at a Goldman media conference in NY, told attendees he doesn’t expect future generations of customers to have any interest in buying cable bundles.
“Young people are pretty smart. They’re not going to pay for something they don’t need to,” he said. “Over the top is going to be a pretty big issue for cable.”
Chris Morris: Journalist 