Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
News Corp. is moving ahead with its long-expected Fox Business Network, which will start Oct. 15, even as negotiations continue for its $5 billion offer to acquire Dow Jones, whose Wall Street Journal newsroom would supply much of the new channel’s talent. Meanwhile, News Corp. Chief Executive Officer Rupert Murdoch told the Associated Press the Bancrofts, who control Dow Jones, “keep changing their minds” on the deal, which could face a rival offer from billionaire Ronald Burkle and MySpace co-founder Brad Greenspan. (The Washington Post 7/12)
As of Jan. 1, CourtTV will change its name to TruTV as part of an effort to rebrand the network. Under its new strategy, the network will focus on reality-based shows. (Advertising Age 7/11, The Wall Street Journal 7/12)
The 24-hour news channel, ABC News Now, in partnership with the network’s local affiliates, is looking to jump from Web-only obscurity to compete with CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, according to TVNEWSDAY. The plan is for ABC’s affiliates to supply local content and integrate the network product into its digital feed to cable operators within individual DMAs. (TVNEWSDAY 7/11)
A new 24/7 network PBS World will debut in nearly 20 markets across the U.S. on August 15, representing 26% of TV households. The channel will be programmed with non-fiction PBS series and specials including Frontline, American Experience and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. PBS also announced the launch of a dedicated shelf on the iTunes store featuring the films of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Series such as Jazz, America, Frank Lloyd Wright and The Statue of Liberty are available at $5-$10 per episode.
Cox and Comcast subscribers ranked the cablers highest in the West in telephone-customer satisfaction in a poll conducted by J.D Power and Associates. Wide Open West, whose territory includes Ohio, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, received top marks for the North Central region. (Denver Rocky Mountain News 7/12)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Google added a new mashup feature for Google Maps, allowing users to create their own collages of local information and applications. The site provides a single place to find customized mapplets developers have been creating for months, tracking gas prices, real estate, crop circles and other useful info.
Netflix reported users have watched 5 million movies and TV shows since launching its online download service Watch Now in January, despite a staggered rollout that enabled roughly 250,000 subscribers a week to try the service. The most popular titles included NBC’s The Office, The Matrix and the documentary Supersize Me. Netflix currently offers its 6 million subscribers more than 2,000 titles as online rentals.
Gemstar-TV Guide signed with Cambridge-Mass. based Maven Networks to power its broadband video channels on TVGuide.com. The two companies will work to launch over 300 video players on the site in the coming months. Maven will provide management, ad delivery and user interface tools.
RealNetworks launched the LyricFind tool to allow Rhapsody digital music subscribers to search for songs by lyric. Users can also search for lyrics by artist name, song title and phrases if they don’t know the words. The service has cataloged more than 3.5 million songs, available on demand for $12.99 per month.
United Talent Agency and Spot Runner formed a joint venture to finance and distribute professionally-produced short form videos online, recruiting the Coen brothers to create its first project.
Sundance Channel launched customizable Google Maps application called the “Eco-mmunity Map,” allowing users to search for green businesses, attractions and individuals across the U.S. Users can also sign up for a free renewable energy-powered email account to stay in touch with other eco-advocates.
Lifetime will debut its next two original dramas Side Order of Life and State of Mind on Yahoo! TV before they premiere on air this Sunday at 8 pm (ET/PT) and 9 pm respectively. Lifetime also sneak-previewed hit drama Army Wives on Yahoo! TV.
Discovery Channel is fishing for maximum exposure for the 20th edition of Shark Week (July 29-August 4) with a campaign that includes shark footage on the NASDAQ board in Times Square, online 3-D video placements and a fansite featuring documentary videos, games and GPS shark tracking data to locate real sharks. Discovery mobile components include made-for-mobile shorts of what swimmers need to know about the creatures and “Classic Shark Bites,” clips taken from the past 20 years.
Chivas’“This Is the Life” channel launched on MSN this week, promoting to its long-running “Chivas Life” campaign. It features well-heeled Chivas drinkers lounging around on their yachts, golfing and otherwise enjoying the good life. Despite the pressure Bud.tv experienced from attorneys general about insufficient age protections, the site simply asks the users age and takes their word for it. Honest under-aged users are automatically linked to CenturyCouncil.org, a non-profit that fights drunk driving and underage drinking.
The prominence of video on this site draws me in right away. I wish I had a yaht. . .
Mercedes-Benz TV also launches today with a live report from Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Berlin with racers Lewis Hamilton and Klaus Ludwig taking test drives of new Benz cars. The site will feature five channels – lifestyle, cars, engines and sports, history & legends and innovation – and cover events such as auto shows and product presentations.
I’ve searched all corners of the internet and I just cannot find this video. That said, the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week web site is one of the coolest looking web sites that I’ve come across in a very long time. Play functionality is illuminated when video is available.
The History Channel is asking viewers to go online and vote for their favorite Modern Marvels episodes for Viewer’s Choice Marathon to air on July 28. The show is approaching its 500 episode this season!
Break.com received an undisclosed amount of additional funding from Lionsgate. As part of the deal, Lionsgate will add content from its library of over 11,000 movies and TV episodes to the portal. The male-oriented video site, which counts about 17 million monthly unique visitors, has been self-funded until now.
Videopinion site ExpoTV launched a man-on-the-street feature soliciting amateur film reviews of this summer’s never-ending procession of blockbusters.
Ever asked a friend of yours for a review of a film? You usually get a response that sounds like either “Eh”, “It was good”, or “I liked it”. Imagine approximately 30 – 40 people saying approximately this and you have the man-on-the-street feature videos.
The National Legal and Policy Center posted a daunting list of full-length movies available on Google Video during the past week available by simply searching the site. Some of the films have been up for more than a year. The NLPC says it’s “laughable” that Google cannot set up a filtering system to stop such piracy, given that competitors including MySpace, TorrentSpy, DailyMotion and Break.com have already implemented such technologies.
Online music distributors Digital Music Group Inc. and The Orchard have agreed to merge. The merged entity will retain the Orchard name and DMGI’s Nasdaq listing. Orchard CEO Greg Scholl will stay on as chief executive. DMGI was the first digital music service to go public in February of 2006.
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Four in five consumers who watch mobile video say they are willing to view mobile advertising if the reward is free content, but less than 30% feel that mobile ads are relevant to them, according to a new Knowledge Networks/SRI report. The proportion of users paying for mobile video dropped notably in the past year among both video iPod users (from 81% to 61%) and video cell phone users (from 64% to 50%). The average viewing session for nearly half of video cell phones users was of 5 minutes or less compared with 53% of video iPods or laptop users reporting an average session of 30 minutes or more.
The release of Apple’s iPhone has rekindled the public’s interest in Wi-Fi networks. A growing number of cities have announced plans to implement citywide Wi-Fi network’s that grant users increased mobility while accessing the Web. (The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires 7/12)
Research by Interpublic Group’s Initiative shows that few consumers use their mobile phones for more than basic voice and text applications, though products like Apple’s iPhone offer so much more. The study shows that 5% of mobile-device owners use their handhelds for video clips, and only 18% use them to check e-mail, surf online or download games. (Adweek 7/11)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Speaking before an industry conference, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced that supply of the company’s Wii gaming system was expected to remain low in the immediate future. “Wii has effectively been sold out for all 33 weeks,” Fils-Aime said. Nevertheless, he said, Wii “is poised to become the No. 1 platform worldwide very soon.” (The New York Times 7/12)
Producing the best software will be the name of the game this holiday season for Sony and Microsoft. For the first time, enough game platforms will be available to meet the season’s demand, so the company with the best games will likely lead sales this year, Microsoft’s Peter Moore said in an interview. (The Boston Globe/Reuters 7/12)
Nintendo has unveiled a “Balance Board” for its Wii gaming console that is capable of measuring a user’s body mass index. The board is part of the company’s “Wii Fit” gaming package, which includes more than 40 health-friendly activities designed for Wii users. (Seattle Post-Intelligencer 7/11)
Filed under: MISC
MISC
Movie executives negotiating with writers, actors and directors are calling for an end to residuals paid after the initial showing of films and TV programs. Executives said they wanted to recoup their costs for productions before sharing profits, but Writers Guild of America spokesman John F. Bowman said his members “can’t rely on Hollywood accounting.” (The New York Times 7/12)
