Do you want to watch television on your iPad? No problem. Just download an app. Cablevision (CVC) claims that its customers can watch 300 channels at home, according to Reuters.

The interesting feature of this program is that you don't need the Internet. Cablevision uses a digital code to deliver content to an Apple (AAPL) iPad. The app allows you to search channels by genre and record programs.

Viacom (VIA) competes with other media and broadcasting companies like Time Warner (TWX), News Corp. (NWS), CBS (CBS) and Disney (DIS) in the media and entertainment business. Our price estimate for Viacom's stock stands at $58.36, which is a roughly 10% premium to market price.

Viacom makes money through cable and satellite operators, such as Comcast (CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (TWC), and DirecTV (DTV) that pay Viacom a monthly fee for each of their subscribers that receive Viacom-owned channels such as Nickelodeon, MTV, VH1 and TV Land. Viacom also sells advertising spots on its channels to advertisers like Coca-Cola (KO), Ford (F) and Procter & Gamble (PG). These revenues are partially a function of the total number of U.S. pay-TV households. The modifiable chart below showcases how changes to this metric affect Viacom's stock value.

CBS (CBS) closed yesterday's session at a price of $17.51. Volume wasn't great, but it was a holiday, so I'm sure that affected the trading. What made me take note of the movement was the fact that the shares are not far at all from the 52-week high of $17.64.

I've been wary of buying the broadcasting company. Back in August, when I took a look at the Q2 report, I expressed some reticence toward the technical quality of the stock compared to other opportunities. Besides that concern, I suppose one always has to be careful with significant exposure to network television, as many consider such a traditional business challenging in an age of digital distribution and intense competition from cable channels.

I last wrote about Martha Stewart Living (MSO) back in February. In that piece, I applauded the fourth-quarter performance; unfortunately, I also was honest and said I didn't like the business from a long-term perspective. I still feel this way. It's the whole too-dependent-on-one-personality thing that makes me hesitant. Still, you can try to trade the shares every now and then, I suppose.

I decided to check in again on the company. I was reminded to do so by the following article at The Hollywood Reporter. It discusses the potential merits of a partnership between Martha Stewart's business and Hallmark Channel, which is owned by Crown Media Holdings (CRWN).

Viacom (VIA.B) issued a press release at the beginning of the month touting MTV's excellent summer. The cable asset is apparently very satisfied with the ratings generated by some of its famous franchises.

Management said MTV's performance from June through August was the best in three years. Ratings increased 16% on a year-over-year basis during that time period. Without checking, can you guess what was highlighted near the top of the release? I'm sure Jersey Shore immediately came to your mind. The show engaged 5.8 million total viewers at its series high.

Distribution of content fascinates me. So does compensation for the talent that generates the content. In my mind, talent is extremely overcompensated via pricey salaries and overgenerous profit-participation schemes. The demands of talent constitute a friction working against the goal of increasing shareholder value in the media industry. Time and time again, we see evidence of the thesis.

These were my thoughts as I checked out Steve Levitan's comments on streaming practices at ABC.com and Hulu that were made in an interview at The Hollywood Reporter. Levitan is one of the creators of the excellent Modern Family series. That really is a quality show, and I'm glad ABC possesses it in its programming portfolio. I'm a shareholder of Disney (DIS), as you might have guessed.

I've been thinking about the whole Jersey Shore zeitgeist. You know the show. It's on Viacom's (VIA) MTV. It's a huge hit, everyone is talking about it and its stars (Snooki, The Situation, etc.). It also was mentioned in a recent conference call the media company had with investors.

It was reported that the cast was able to significantly increase its salary for the reality series. When I first heard about the demands, I mused to myself that this was a grand opportunity for Hollywood to say no to minor celebrities. After all, it's just a reality show, folks. Even though Snooki is immensely popular, there are many more Snooki-type individuals out there. Dime-a-dozen comes to mind when thinking of the goofy girl with the poofy coif.

Have you been thinking about buying CBS (CBS)? It's not too far away from its 52-week high. At the end of Tuesday's regular session, the stock, whose colleagues include Disney (DIS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, and News Corp. (NWS), settled out at a price of $15.01; the high for the year is $16.98. The one-year chart tells an interesting story: The trend over the last twelve months has been up, but lately, there's been a healthy amount of sideways action, which, of course, might not be healthy for growth investors.

Then again, for longer-term investors, at least the shares have been holding up, right? And now we come to the second-quarter report, released Tuesday after the bell. What does it tell us about the situation?

TiVo (TIVO), an expert in digital-video recording, closed Tuesday's regular session at $9.15. It was up over 1%. Sure, that sounds swell when juxtaposed with Tuesday's market action. It does nothing, however, to make me like the stock.

The 52-week low for the shares is $6.41. The 52-week high is $18.93. The one-year chart is ... not appealing. You've got a big spike in buying interest near the right side, preceded by sideways action. Then, a nasty plunge. How can you possibly comprehend this technical situation? It's difficult at best, and I'm not going to pretend I know where the stock is heading.

Shareholders of Disney (DIS) are looking forward to a little boost this

Yet, I have a thought to propose to the media industry: Should Disney charge viewers to see the finale?

CBS (CBS), the famous broadcaster whose competitors include Disney (DIS), General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, and News Corp. (NWS), reported Q1 earnings after the bell on Wednesday. This afternoon, the stock is firmly in the red: at the time of this writing, shares were down over 4% to $14.93. Below $15, can you believe it? Volume is very strong with more than two hours to go before the close of regular activities, so by the time this is published, volume might end up being quite impressive.

The 52-week high on the stock is $16.98. The market has been discounting better times ahead for the company, as the following one-year chart seems to indicate.

CBS (CBS) posted Q4 figures Thursday after the bell. The broadcaster, which competes with Disney's (DIS) ABC, General Electric's (GE) NBC, and News Corp.'s (NWS) Fox, said it made 25 cents per share on an adjusted basis. The growth rate wasn't bad at 19%, but unfortunately, expectations were only met. I know, meeting expectations isn't necessarily the worst thing in the world, but let's remember how the analyst game operates: beating estimates is all that matters.

But meeting expectations wasn't the most disappointing part of the story -- far from it. Instead, the flat top line and the decline in cash flow were more relevant elements. Net cash from operations for all of 2009 was a little under $940 million. There was over $2.1 billion generated from operations in 2008.

Ahhh, Hulu. That wonderful destination where I can re-acquaint myself with my favorite Justin-Timberlake-on-SNL moments, catch up on episodes of Greek, and search for those old Silver Spoons clips I remember so fondly. The two-year-old website is a joint venture between Walt Disney's (DIS) ABC Network, General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal division, and News Corp.'s (NWS) FOX Entertainment Group, and is partially funded by Providence Equity Partners.

But just as online news readers may soon be charged to access The New York Times online, we may have to open our wallets for certain corners of the Hulu universe (they will likely still let me watch Silver Spoons for free).