Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Showtime has ordered a pilot for Steven Spielberg’s “The United States of Tara.” The half-hour comedy, which has not yet been cast, will be about a woman with multiple-personality disorder. DreamWorks will produce. (Variety 7/15)

Time Warner may split off its cable unit and spin off or sell the AOL Internet division, says a new report by Pali Capital. Also, the media giant’s board should dispose of publishing unit Time Inc., says Pali analyst Richard Greenfield. Time Warner’s complexity has “become a liability.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=ah_oqYHfXRfo 7/16)

Allen & Company’s annual summit for media moguls in Sun Valley, Idaho, attracted the likes of Rupert Murdoch, Dick Parsons and Sumner Redstone this year. The air was “thick with rumors of deals,” writes David Carr. However, “the deals didn’t happen.” (http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/07/16/high-wattage-at-sun-valley-but-no-deals/ 7/16)

NBC is concerned that Republican candidates may ask for equal time when “Law & Order” replays shows starring Fred Thompson this summer. A network lobbyist has asked two GOP campaigns if they will object to reruns in which Thompson, who has not yet announced his candidacy for president, are broadcast. (Houston Chronicle 7/15)

Actress Alicia Witt will join “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” when the crime drama moves to USA in the fall. Network President Bonnie Hammer said she was bringing strong female characters to the network’s shows to attract a stronger female audience. USA and its sister networks, Bravo and Sci Fi, announced their latest programming slates Sunday. (The Hollywood Reporter 7/16)

Starting today, TiVo’s new Stop Watch service will report monthly commercial ratings based on both live broadcasts and time-shifted programs. The ratings will be collected from TiVo’s 4.3 million users. Early analysis of data collected over the last year indicates that advertising on high-ranking shows does not guarantee a high audience for a commercial. (New York Post 7/16)

Disney will premiere its new “High School Musical 2″ on Aug. 17. Showings on Aug. 18 and 19 will be paired with online chats and a singalong telecast. Additional pre-premiere online offerings such as games and previews are part of what Disney calls its “most extensive interactive digital marketing outreach.” (Yahoo!/Reuters/Hollywood Reporter 7/16)

Even though it had been accepted to run by the ABC and NBC networks, a Trojan condom ad has been rejected by local network affiliates in Pittsburgh. The ad will still be shown on national slots, and it has already been viewed more than 100,000 times online. (The New York Times 7/16)

ABC, Amazon.com and DVD manufacturer CustomFlix Labs are teaming up to make old ABCNews shows available on demand. For historical newscasts, buyers can log onto Amazon.com or ABC.com and order the significant moment they’d like to see. (The New York Times 7/16)

The new commercial ratings system that prices advertising based on live and time-shifted viewing is putting more upfront dollars into network coffers. Broadcasters saw a 5% uptick in upfront sales versus last year, and the TV business as a whole landed a reported $18 billion in upfront advertising. (Advertising Age 7/16)

Christopher Bancroft, a key member of Dow Jones’s controlling Bancroft family, has launched a “last ditch” effort to sink a possible acquisition by News Corp. Bancroft aims to buy more shares from family members who are uncomfortable with the idea of selling to Rupert Murdoch. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118454161710967101.html 7/16)

Comcast has acquired three small cable providers totaling about 3,000 customers. According to reports, Comcast picked up two local systems near Denver from Champion Broadband, and earlier bid on a municipal system in New Wilmington, Pa. (Multichannel News 7/13)