Cable industry news from across the Web:
@FierceCable RT @dvice: Friday fun--here's 33 Lego creations that are more than just toys. Story | Follow @FierceCable
> Clearleap, working with Itaas, is offering a set of APIs so developers can create streaming video turnkey applications for tablets that keep all the back-office functions under Clearleap control. Story
> DirecTV has run a reverse on the usual pay TV service of pay now, refund later, by telling subscribers it won't charge for its NFL Package until the league of millionaires settles its dispute with its owner billionaires. Story
> Dish Network can--for now--continue to offer Starz, including its Disney programming, free to subscribers, a New York federal court ruled. Story
> Spike TV, which calls itself the cable network for men, will be the first cable channel to stream TV shows on a game console simultaneous with TV broadcast, thanks to a deal with Microsoft and its Xbox 360. Story
And finally ... Comcast (via its NBC News group) has dipped into the D.C. worker pool again, hiring former NPR President-CEO Vivian Schiller as chief digital officer for NBC News and MSNBC. Story