Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

The continued popularity of the National Basketball Association was good news for TNT, which on Sunday night attracted 8.97 million viewers to the playoff matchup between the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the week ending May 24, TNT averaged 3.32 million total viewers, including four of the top 10 shows of the week. Mediaweek (5/27)

Classic rock fans will have a front row seat to VH1 Classic’s 100 Concerts in 100 Days beginning July 6. The network will air concerts performed by such rock legends as Led Zepplin: The Song Remains the Same, Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band: Live in NYC, Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon, Iron Maiden: Somewhere Back in Time and Live Aid: The Day the Music Changed the World. (Cynopsis 5/28)

I had to go with a seventies shot of Led Zeppelin.  Mc Lovin it.

John Lithgow will play a serial killer, joining the cast of Showtime’s Dexter. Lithgow’s character, Walter Simmons (aka the Trinity Killer), will appear in all 12 episodes of the drama’s fourth season set to open in September. (Cynopsis 5/28)

Sister cable networks TBS and TNT have signed a major rights deal with Warner Bros. for a total of 13 titles, including three upcoming releases. The recent films covered by the deal include “Terminator Salvation,” which could run on TNT as early as late 2011, as well as “Watchmen” and “Gran Torino.” The Hollywood Reporter (5/27)

Bravo sizzles in South Beach this summer as it debuts Miami Social on July 14 at 10p. The series follows four friends who are successful young professionals by day and party hounds at night. Pink Sneakers produces the series for Bravo. (Cynopsis 5/28)

NBC is setting a low-water mark of historic proportions for television viewership. Last week the network averaged 4.4 million prime-time viewers, the smallest-ever audience outside of the summer doldrums. NBC hasn’t had such a small audience since the early days of TV. (http://finance.yahoo.com/news/NBC-makes-history-in-the-apf-15363388.html 5/27)

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman says that the company’s MTV network is lagging in ratings because it largely lost touch with young male audiences as it pursued programming for young women, such as “Laguna Beach.” Says Dauman: “We expect to see results” at MTV. (http://www.smartmoney.com/news/ON/?story=ON-20090527-000813-1456 5/27)

Media companies are joining forces with unions to lobby for tougher action against piracy, as rising unemployment focuses their attention on the threat to jobs from copyright infringement. Fighting piracy “is a jobs issue,” says NBC Universal general counsel Rick Cotton. (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d52152fa-4ae6-11de-87c2-00144feabdc0.html 5/27)

ESPN is shedding around 100 positions in a cost-reduction move as a result of the slumping economy. The job cuts are expected to be across a wide variety of levels, from production assistants up to executive roles. ESPN says: “Most of the jobs are being repurposed.” (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/277167-ESPN_Goes_Forward_With_Restructuring_Plans.php 5/27)

Despite the depressed economic conditions, Standard & Poor’s has upgraded its outlook on Comcast from “stable” to “positive.” The credit agency said that Comcast will remain the top cable, broadband and telecommunications provider in most of its service areas for some time. The Wall Street Journal (5/27)