Comcast stops charging customers for programming changes; NBC Sports drives record hockey ratings

Cable industry news from across the Web:

> Comcast is no longer charging customers for making changes to their programming packages. Story

> Apollo Global Management and 21st Century Fox have finalized a deal to jointly manage entertainment assets Endemol, Shine Group and Core Media. Story

> Netflix employs nearly 300 people and spends about $150 million to develop and maintain its content recommendation engine. Story

> Liberty Media has set an Oct. 29 date for its planned spinoff of Liberty Broadband. Story

> President Barack Obama said Thursday that he expects the FCC to block tiered Internet service in its pending net neutrality overhaul. Story

> NBC Sports yielded record cable hockey ratings for its opening-night NHL doubleheader Wednesday. Story

> A study conducted with 2.3 Virgin Media set-tops found that about 20 percent of all TV programming is now time-shifted. Story

And finally …  Chinese tech giant Alibaba has invested $50 million in Peel, which makes apps that let smart phone and tablet users control their TVs with their devices. Story