Daily Marauder

Nielsen Media Research is expected to announce today it will no longer base web rankings on page views. Instead the firm will begin tracking how long users spend on each site – a much more relevant metric to advertisers given how meaningless the page view stat has become. Online publishers have long pumped up their page view numbers by spreading news stories across three to four web pages.  ABC is bringing back interactive game show Bingo Night for a five-night run in December, partly because it was so successful in driving traffic to ABC.com, according to Broadcasting and Cable. More than 22 million Bingo cards were downloaded during the show’s run as the site doubled its unique users in May from the previous year to more than 14.6 million, finishing atop of MediaMetrix and Nielsen’s list of entertainment TV sites for the month. The show only averaged a 1.4/5 share rating in the 18-49 demo during its initial run. CBS’s www.last.fm signed a global distribution deal with Sony BMG, giving it the rights to carry music from three of the four major labels. Last.fm’s recommendation system points users in new directions based on musical tastes of their “neighbors” (users who tend to listen to similar kinds of music.)I’ve tried Pandora, another web site which gives music recommendations based on input by listeners, and I must say last.fm hit my musical taste from the first selection.  Impressive.

MTV Networks struck partnerships with major labels for its video remixer, which allows users to create legal mashups from the music videos of participating artists including RCA/Sony BMG’s Kelly Clarkson and Geffen’s Nelly Furtado. The remixer, originally launched on June 5, utilizes Adobe Premiere Express remix and editing technology, which runs directly through the web browser.

Now, this is a really great idea and exceptionally fun to play around with.  Nice work MTV.  In my trial, I attempted to put together a Nelly Furtado video using video clips, photos, borders, and captions.

Joost struck an agreement with MTV Networks to give the P2P service exclusive rights to deliver the entire 8-episode season of VH1′s new scripted comedy series I Hate My 30s on July 16, a full 10 days before its scheduled on air premiere. The episodes will be ad supported. MTV parent Viacom is a key content partner and minority shareholder in Joost.

Google agreed to acquire email services company Postini for $625 million in cash. Postini provides spam filters, encryption and other email security services to businesses. The deal will add even more tools to the Google Apps toolbelt, which already includes word processing, spreadsheets and email programs offered as free alternatives to Microsoft’s Office suite.

Twentieth Century Fox is getting into the swing of using web 2.0 techniques to promote The Simpsons Movie. Fox launched a feature on The Simpsons Movie site allowing users to create their own Simpsons avatar. The studio is sponsoring a user generated contest with USAToday.com in the 15 towns across the U.S. named Springfield to see which city gets to host the movie’s premiere. A partnership with JetBlue also has Montgomery Burns taking over CEO David Neelesman’s blog.

Say hello to my Simpsons avatar.  I like to refer to her as Connie.  I had a lot of fun playing this game.  The options are numerous and the audio gives me that cute little Tivo feeling.  On a scale of 1 – 5, I would give it a 4.  Great promotional tool for the film.

CBSNews.com will launch new Campaign ’08 coverage in the coming months including “Pure Horserace”, a daily wrap up and email blast, “Poll Position,” a weekly column and CBS Radio News podcast and daily video blogs from CBS News reporters. Interactive tools allowing viewers to engage in active debates and dialogues will also play a prominent role.

Transformers director Michael Bay and producer Don Murphy tapped online message boards to get a feel for what fans might like when the film was in the planning stages, according to CNET’s News.com. Don Murphy has been moderating an ongoing discussion on his personal website that peers behind the scenes into some of the politics involved in making the blockbuster, which grossed over $150 million in its first week in the U.S. (including a record $65.7 million on 4th of July.)

Disney plans to switch online gaming site Toontown from a subscription model to an ad-supported one, according to Mediaweek. Disney Online has been charging users $9.95/month to access unlimited game titles since it launched 4 years ago. The company is currently negotiating with advertisers and is already beta testing a free version of the site.

Univision and Caress unveiled an interactive novella allowing viewers to choose between two alternative endings to the saga in which the body oil plays a key element in the plot. Mi Adorada Malena will be the first novella to air full episodes on www.univision.com beginning today. One new episode will premiere each week for the next six weeks.

Internet measurement site Quantcast added video and widget measurement services to report on usage of Flash-based media including casual games, videos and widgets. The services are available for free to publishers who join the company’s Qualified Publisher Program and agree to have their sites tracked.