Filed under: MISC
4 Days.
The countdown to the iPhone launch on Friday 6/29 continues. In homage to the iPhone, I and my cohorts did a little recon and bring you some images from the LA and NYC Apple stores.
Entrance to the 5th Avenue Store in NYC (6/24)
A large Apple iPhone sample featured in the cube upon entrance
Signage in front of the store
From the Beverly Center Apple Store in LA (6/23)
(Photo Credit: Ed O’Brien)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
HBO Television Distribution and Cosgrove/Meurer Productions are breathing new life into “Unsolved Mysteries,” which last aired five years ago on NBC. HBO’s partnership with Cosgrove marks the first time it has gone outside of its own original programming ranks. (Broadcasting & Cable 6/25)
Paris Hilton plans to appear on CNN’s “Larry King Live” Wednesday. CNN’s news followed competition for the interview between ABC and NBC that ended Friday when both networks said they were no longer interested. Both were embarrassed by reports that would pay for the interview. (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-paris24jun24,1,2467657.story?ctrack=2&cset=true 6/24)
AMC will back its first original drama series, “Mad Men,” on VOD in both high definition and standard definition. AMC has signed on numerous affiliates for its exclusive content, including Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox, Insight, Charter, and Cablevision. (Multichannel News 6/25)
ABC News head David Westin is announcing a wave of layoffs expected to eliminate 35 jobs. “We regularly take a strategic look at where ABC News stands,” writes Westin in an e-mail to employees. He adds: “We will be adding people in some places — particularly in our digital world.” (http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2007/06/abc-layoffs.php 6/22)
In Katie Couric’s first 39 weeks at CBS News, she lost 287,000 viewers from the average of a year ago. At the same time, NBC “Nightly News” with Brian Williams lost 533,000 viewers. “If I was at NBC, I’d really be quite nervous,” says consultant Andrew Tyndall. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070624/ap_on_en_tv/ap_on_tv_brian_williams 6/24)
Multichannel News is reporting that Insight is working on selling its remaining 639,000 subscribers through an auction. Insight, which has previously inked a deal to send half of its subscribers to Comcast, is reportedly being pursued by private-equity companies, WideOpenWest and Suddenlink. Insight did not provide comment. (Multichannel News 6/25)
Comcast is forging ahead with its plans to deploy CableCard-enabled set-top boxes once the FCC’s deadline of July 1 goes into effect. Comcast has filed for a full FCC review of the FCC’s media bureau’s decision that denied the cable company a waiver on some low-end set-top boxes, but since Comcast doesn’t hold out much hope on the review process, it has been conducting trials across its footprint to prepare for the deadline. (Light Reading 6/22)
AT&T’s U-verse TV service will make its debut in some areas of northeast Ohio, as well as parts of the Cleveland area. AT&T will compete primarily with Time Warner Cable in Ohio. (Akron Beacon Journal (Ohio) 6/25)
Broadcast television’s annual spring “upfront” advertising market closed Friday with the five networks ringing up a combined $9.3 billion in commitments for commercial spots for the coming TV season. “This upfront affirms the power of network television,” says NBC exec Mike Pilot. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-upfront23jun23,1,2065009.story?ctrack=1&cset=true 6/23)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Rupert Murdoch is reportedly looking for deals beyond his offer for Dow Jones. He is said to be seeking Internet acquisitions or a deal involving MySpace to increase his stake in the booming online advertising sector. Yahoo has long been seen as a potential News Corp. partner. (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2754f926-20e3-11dc-8d50-000b5df10621.html 6/22)
Time Warner’s TMZ.com, which breaks news on celebrities like Paris Hilton and O.J. Simpson, is ranked the No. 1 Hollywood news site against well-known brands including company siblings People.com and EW.com. The 18-month-old site, with 25 staffers, is already profitable. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/25/business/media/25tmz.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 6/24)
It looks as though MySpace isn’t the only major media site attracting phishers. Malware in the form of Zlob adware has been discovered embedded in YouTube videos. Attackers are using a fake video link to initiate a p#rn adware program that results in the installation of data-stealing code. Zlob Media’s spyware codec was the most prevalent threat to PC users in the month of May, according to Sunbelt Software’s Threat Research Center.
Ebay kissed and made up with Google after pulling all its keyword ads from the site. But the auction site will not return the volume of spending to its previous levels, indicating a shift in strategy to other online networks. Ebay also announced it plans to re-enter China this summer in a partnership with China’s Tom Online.
The EU is expanding its inquiry into Google’s data retention and privacy policies to include all search engines. Google offered earlier this month to cut retention time on user search data from 24 months to 18 months to try and appease the body.
Video clips of Google CEO Eric Schmidt holding an Apple iPhone have disappeared from YouTube, replaced by a message: “This video has been removed by the user.” A Google-Apple alliance is believed to be heating up. Schmidt says: “You should expect announcements over time.” (http://www.informationweek.com/software/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=200000102 6/22)
Apple’s iTunes store surpassed Amazon.com to become the third-largest retailer of music in the U.S., according to NPD Group. Wal-Mart Stores and Best Buy hold the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively. (Red Herring/Reuters 6/22)
Pando Networks announced a new service to enable streaming and download of HD-quality video to mass audiences. Pando’s peer-to-peer platform enables publishers to distribute their own content from their own sites, providing ad insertion, usage tracking and usage reporting tools. Pando’s current customers include Blip.tv, Revver and Next New Networks.
Like Joost and Babelgum, Pando operates on P2P technology. As I have been sampling all of these fine P2P technologies, the one thing that strikes me immediately is how frustrating it is to download a program for each unique system. I have overheard rumors of download managers to coordinate and manage all of these many downloads but at the end of the day, I just don’t want to have to download a program at all. I think that this is the wrong way to go.
NBC, Universal Studios and Scripps Networks have all increased online ad spending to try to and attract more viewers to their core products. NBC increased interactive spending by 15% this year accounting for as much as 25-35% of its overall promotional budget. NBC’s Heroes microsite accumulated 7 million unique visitors thanks to exposure on social networks, blogs and an online game, helping the show attract a peak on air viewership of 14.3 million last season. HGTV’s digital spend averages 16% of its total ad budget, up from 11% last year. Universal Studios’ digital spending currently accounts for 7% of its film promo budget, up from 5% last year.
Social networkers are spending an increasing amount of time sampling other social networking services, according to the “Web 2.0 and the New Net” report from Park Associates. Forty-percent of MySpace users had utilized profiles on other large social networking sites such as Facebook, while 50% of them had tried smaller sites. One in six users actively visit three or more social networking sites.
Video sharing site Flixya relaunched with a model that allows users to keep 100% of the revenue generated from content they upload, as calculated via Google’s AdSense. The site combines bookmarking and social networking functions such as personal info, blogs and photos with video sharing features including allowing users to rate videos by most viewed, most highly rated, etc.
BigUpsets.com launches today with user generated video contest. Submit highlights of any upset, from a Little League game to a pick up street hockey match, for a chance to win $500 in cash, retail gift cards or a tickets to next year’s Final Four. The site was created to form on online community where fans can gather and share their most memorable sporting experiences.
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Sling Media released a new version of its mobile video software client compatible with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6 operating system used in multimedia smartphones. The plug in will enable SlingPlayer mobile customers watch and control viewing from their home TV’s via a Windows Mobile handheld computer or mobile phone.
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
AddictingGames.com has launched its first Web application targeted at the popular social-networking site Facebook. Users will be able to build their profiles using the application, as well as play a host of new games. (Mediaweek 6/25)
Nintendo is on track to release a Mii social networking channel this fall, featuring contests and other social gatherings around the digital likenesses Wii gamers create of themselves. The round, kokeshi-inspired avatar figures can already be used to interact with other internet-connected Wii owners using the “Mii Parade” feature.
Nintendo has overtaken Sony as the market-value leader thanks to continuing strong sales of the company’s Wii unit. Thus far, Nintendo has sold 2.37 million Wii consoles in the U.S., 2 million in Japan and 1.47 million elsewhere in the world. (Bloomberg 6/25)
Meanwhile Sony announced that more than 380 games are going to be released for the PlayStation 3 in the next 9 months, including 200 packaged software titles and over 180 online games. Sony has its work cut out trying to make the $599 game system a success. The Wii has been creaming the PS3 in the U.S. marketplace: Retailers sold 338,278 Wiis in the U.S. in May compared to just 81,604 PS3s and 154,932 Xbox 360 units, according to NPD Group.
