Filed under: MISC
7 Days. . .
7 Days until the launch of what bloggers like myself now refer to as the Jesus Phone.
Available starting at 6PM on June 29th, the Apple iPhone comes equiped with a slew of functionalities including music player, camera, e-mail tool, Web browser, and cell phone all for either $499 or $599 depending on the storage capacity. To start off the 7-day countdown to iPhone launch, Apple released a 20 minute guided tour video this morning which outlines every feature of the phone from the very intriguing and easy to use calling features to the snazzy settings.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
NBC’s workplace sitcom The Office, distributed by NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution, has been sold to the Fox Television Stations for its inaugural broadcast run in broadcast off-network syndication. The comedy, produced by Reveille and Universal Media Studios, will launch fall 2009 and air on Fox O&O stations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Minneapolis, Orlando and Baltimore.
Before The Office launches in off-network broadcast syndication, non-concurrent episodes will first go to TBS this fall. This deal includes non-exclusive broadband streaming, on-demand and wireless rights, which go into effect at the same time the broadcast off-network rights begin in Fall 2009.
TBS will acquire another NBC sitcom – My Name is Earl joins the line-up in September 2009, as part of a new multi-year licensing agreement between TBS and Twentieth Television. The deal also includes digital rights for broadband streaming and on-demand. (The Hollywood Reporter 6/22)
ABC claims it lost the rights to Paris Hilton’s first post-jail interview to NBC after refusing to make a “high six-figure deal” with the Hilton family. An NBC representative would not confirm the interview, but said the network did not pay for interview privileges. (The New York Times 6/22)
Video-on-demand will grow nearly 20% per year to become a $4.2 billion annual business by 2011, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The study predicts that the entire U.S. TV distribution business will experience 5.4% growth in the next four years, with subscription TV leading the way. Ad-supported local TV will remain flat, according to the study. (Broadcasting & Cable 6/21)
With the growing popularity of HDTVs and increased competition, Cablevision has announced it will be able to carry more than 500 high-definition channels by year-end. The company will add 15 HD channels Tuesday for a total of 40 HD channels available to its cable customers. (CNET/Reuters 6/22)
HBO Films is teaming up with the BBC to produce the film My Zinc Bed with director Anthony Page. The project is an adaptation of David Hare’s British stage play of the same name. David will also be the scribe behind the film adaptation, which will star Uma Thurman, Paddy Considine, and Jonathan Pryce. Set to debut on HBO next year, the film is about an idealist alcoholic, his rich boss, and his boss’ wife. Comcast says its subscribers in Washington and Oregon are unable to reach Qwest Communications’ customer-service line because of its rival’s faulty equipment. Qwest claims Comcast deliberately blocked the calls to prevent its customers from switching carriers. (The Oregonian (Portland) 6/22)
The global media industry will expand at a 6.4% compound annual rate over five years to hit $2 trillion in 2011, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. U.S. spending on Internet advertising and access is forecast to surpass spending on newspaper publishing by 2009. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3iaa6d3762913611c7dedf1a6b94d63f4f 6/22)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Prom Queen, which finished its 80-webisode run this week, has already announced a spinoff. Prom Queen: Summer Heat will follow the same characters as they take off for Mexico immediately following prom night. The webisodes will expand from 90 seconds to 120 seconds, running for three weeks from August. The soap opera/murder mystery, produced by Michael Eisner’s Vuguru, was an unqualified hit, drawing some 200,000 hits a day and 15 million total downloads.
More video search news. Cast TV signed a two-year licensing agreement with TV Guide to power its online video search guide. TVGuide launched a beta version of the search tool this spring and will improve its functionality to search more independent producers and video aggregators.
Webcam broadcasting provider blogTV launched an embeddable player that enables live webcasters to host live shows on their sites that can be easily stored and passed along. The feature should help it keep up with competitor Stickam. Stickam is an online social networking site with live video capabilities. Whether you’re looking for a way to chat live with friends on the web or upload a live musical performance, the site makes it easy to “broadcast yourself,” to steal another site’s slogan. It features an embeddable video player that can be placed on your own site. Stickam launched a new home page earlier this month with new features that help prioritize the more popular offerings.
I like the idea that I could create a live broadcast on my own web site. This seems like the kind of functionality that Facebook should embed in it’s site if it hasn’t already.
Widget marketplace site Widgetbox and Sugar Publishing launched a collection of interactive applications that pull the latest gossip from sites such as Perez Hilton and PopSugar. The site also launched a contest this week challenging developers to come up with the coolest new widget for $1,000 cash. The winner will be announced at the Freewebs WidgetCon conference July 11.
Yahoo! acquired college sports site Rivals.com, a subscription-based online sports network that ranks second behind ESPN.com in users with 15 million monthly uniques, according to comScore Media Metrix. Rivals charges $99.95/year or $9.95/month for its premium content, which includes detailed recruiting reports and videos of pro prospects. The company says it has approximately 185,000 paying subs.
Web broadcasters plan to turn off their internet radio feeds next Tuesday to protest higher royalty rates sites will be forced to pay from July 15, starting at 8 cents per song per listener. Joining in the protest are KCRW, Santa Monica’s NPR station, Live 365, Pandora, Yahoo Music and AccuRadio.
A new study has found that 72% of U.S. online adults now listen to audio on their home computers instead of through traditional home-entertainment devices. The Consumer Electronics Association-released study also found that only 9% of home-PC audio users connect their home-audio systems to their PC. MediaPost Communications (6/22)
Real Networks CEO Rob Glaser answered some questions on his blog posted by paidcontent.org’s Rafat Ali surrounding the release of the upcoming RealPlayer11. The new player will allow users to download videos from other sites including YouTube, upload them to an iPod, burn them to a DVD or share links with others directly from the player. Glaser said the RP11 was all about giving users control over a broad array of internet video, reiterating that it will support multiple formats–Real, Windows Media, QuickTime and Flash. He also defended the player’s legality, claiming its “appropriate” uses include downloading public domain content.
The New York Times this fall will make the embed code of its online video clips available to the public, allowing many of the paper’s videos to be freely posted to blogs and other Web pages. The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal already offer code of their video clips. (http://www.beet.tv/2007/06/exclusive-the-n.html 6/21)
A new Web site called Real People Real Stuff allows anyone to post a classified ad video. As expected, there are plenty of bad-quality clips and boring infomercial-type stuff, selling real estate, cars and even Shih Tzu puppies, writes Elinor Mills. “But there are also some hidden gems.”
Interesting concept but for the most part difficult to navigate. Check out a video (below) of random New Yorkers being interviewed about their apartments. Space envy. . .oh yeah. (http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9733101-7.html 6/21)
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Yahoo! is releasing a new version of its mobile Yahoo Go 2.0 application in the U.S. today, with localized beta versions going to 13 different countries. It gives users access to email, maps and search and will add video capabilities in the near future. Yahoo says 3 million users in the U.S. have requested to download the platform since its initial launch in January. Yahoo struck deals to have it be pre-loaded on new phones from Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG, and HTC later this year.
Cable companies Comcast, Cox, and Time Warner Cable, and joint-venture partner Sprint Nextel, are taking their time launching the Pivot mobile-phone service as they integrate it with other operations and marketing efforts. (Multichannel News 6/20)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Industry rumors have hinted that Nintendo may expand into the media-entertainment market, although the company maintains that it is a gaming-oriented business. “At the end of the day, it’s all about games — the rest is secondary,” said Michael Gartenberg, vice president, research director for JupiterResearch. (MediaPost Communications 6/22)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Hitachi has developed a form of brain-machine interface using optical topography, a technology that sends infrared light through the brain’s surface, mapping changes in blood flow that can then be translated into remote-control-style commands. Hitachi’s scientists plan to leverage the technology to enable users to turn a TV on and off or change channels just by thinking. (Houston Chronicle/Associated Press 6/22)
