More cable news from across the Web:
> HBO has licensed hundreds of hours of programming for Hulu in Japan. Variety story
> The addition of an ad-free tier hasn't cannibalized other portions of Hulu's business, company CEO Mike Hopkins said. Variety story
> RCN is the first operator to deploy the authenticated HBO Go app on TiVo set-tops. Multichannel News story
> Canada's game-changing "pick and play" laws are less than two weeks away from implementation. Casanet story
> Software defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) will increasingly play critical roles in the development of mobile networking infrastructure over the next five years, a new white paper has found, with 80 percent of respondents to a survey for the paper saying they have a "high interest" in deploying SDN into mobile networks. Article
> Great Plains Communications has completed its acquisition of Pinpoint Network Solutions and the Pinpoint Broadband business units of regional fiber company Pinpoint Holdings, deepening its fiber miles in the Omaha, Neb., area. Article
> AT&T is teaming with Samsung Electronics to offer a virtual reality experience of a Carnival Cruise through the Samsung Gear VR by Oculus across 133 AT&T stores in 37 states. Article
> Dish Network Chairman Charlie Ergen said that the company's spectrum holdings could be used to build out a 5G offering, but he cautioned that Dish is unlikely to build out its spectrum holdings to create a fifth nationwide wireless network in the United States. Article
And finally… More than 40,761 comments have been filed to the FCC in the last 30 days on Charter Communication's proposed acquisitions of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, most seeking to block the deals. Multichannel News story