Tribune acquires video search site; Comcast cuts lobbying spending

@FierceCable RT @xconomy Tribune Media Services--the guys who sell TV and movie information for media guides--has acquired four-year-old video search site CastTV. The acquisition, Tribune said, will give its customers, including the likes of Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), Comcast (Nasdaq: CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC-WI), "access to all the metadata necessary to create entertainment-discovery guides that direct consumers to programs available on linear, on-demand and online video platforms." Story | Follow @FierceCable

> Either Comcast feels it's spent enough trying to buy support for its NBC Universal merger or it's just getting tired of paying lobbyists. Whatever the case, the Philadelphians reportedly spent only $1.86 million lobbying the federal government in the third quarter compared with $3.06 million during the same period last year. Story.

> The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, National Urban League and National Action Network endorsed the Comcast-NBCU union after the soon-to-be-wedded pair made a number of increased diversity promises. Story.

> Cox Communications has launched a trial of TV Everywhere with Turner Broadcasting System's TNT and TBS channels. Story.

> DirecTV (Nasdaq: DTV) is putting up some medium-sized bucks ($10 million or so) to deliver addressable advertising to individual homes with DVRs, starting with a test in 2011 to about 10 million DVRs with 25 top-rated cable networks. Story.

> EarthLink (Nasdaq: ELNK) (remember them?) is spending $370 million to acquire One Communications to extend its IP infrastructure business throughout the Northeast, Midwest and Mid Atlantic regions. Story.

And finally ... here's a bit of homework that might help the FCC might as it considers national broadband, net neutrality or whatever it's up to tomorrow. The initial estimates are in and Australia will need $40.9 billion to fund its National Broadband Network. Story.