Filed under: MISC
Online Video of the Week
And I thought the OK Go video was innovative. This takes the art of the music video to a whole new level with a side of computer dorkiness that this techie can appreciate.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards joined FCC commissioner Michael Copps in urging a second look at the planned News Corp. acquisition of Dow Jones. Edwards was quoted in an AP story criticizing the bias of top News Corp. executives exclaiming, “the basis of a strong democracy begins and ends with a strong, unbiased and fair media.” He even called on rival Hillary Clinton to return more than $20,000 in donations made to her campaign from News Corp. officials. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/08032007/news/nationalnews/edwards_in_a_biz_hate__witch_nationalnews_charles_hurt__bureau_chief.htm 8/3)
Time Warner execs continue to downplay the likelihood of any big, transformative deals. “Why do investors have to wait until a post-Dick Parsons era for change?” asks Richard Greenfield, an analyst at Pali Research, who is urging Time Warner to unload AOL and other units. (http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/message-from-time-warner-aol-is-staying-put/ 8/2)
Thanks in part to strong performances from its cable and movie businesses, Viacom posted a 13% increase in revenue and a slim 1% profit loss in the second quarter. Cable channels such as MTV and Nickelodeon reported that their collective revenue rose 10%, while profit increased 3%. (Los Angeles Times/Reuters 8/3)
Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman says the company wants to “fundamentally change” how viewers watch television commercials. The media giant is experimenting with a host of different concepts. One is “to introduce programming elements inside the commercial pods.” (http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=119684 8/2)
TNT has ordered up a pilot titled “Family Man,” which will star William H. Macy as a well-respected family man by day and a burglar by night. The one-hour drama joins an as-yet-untitled legal drama from Steven Bochco that also received a green light from the cable network this year. (The Hollywood Reporter 8/3)
Charter attracted 60,300 high-speed-data customers and nearly doubled its year-over-year telephony-subscriber gains in the second quarter. The company, however, fell short of goal on adding digital subs. (Multichannel News 8/2)
Residents in the Pittsburgh area — and some techies in the blogosphere — are up in arms over Verizon’s move to replace copper wires with its FiOS fiber-optic network. Some feel the new technology will be less reliable in case of power outages. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 8/3)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Endemol USA and Comcast Interactive Media’s Ziddio are accepting online submissions for “Tend Day Take 2,” offering users a second chance to pitch ideas for a TV pilot. Users can log on and submit a video pitch, scene or trailer to be screened by a panel of judges who will be accepting submissions through October 4. The winner gets $50,000 to produce a pilot, the creation of which will be documented in a 10-day reality series on Ziddo.com.
The season finale of internet series LonelyGirl15 will be featured exclusively on MySpace today, the social networking site that also negotiated the right for a 12-hour exclusive window for each PromQueen webisode. Rumors have been circulating that MySpace is also planning to produce its own original show.
The finale is not online yet, as of this posting, but I did find the season 1 recap. It’s interesting to see how far this “series” has come from a simple video documentary to quasi mini-series.
ESPN increased digital distribution of the X Games 13 franchise beginning yesterday. ESPN is now offering more than 40 hours of live coverage on EXPN.com, ESPN 360.com and ESPN mobile platforms including ESPN Mobile TV and the ESPN MVP service. The newly-redesigned X-treme Sports-focused EXPN.com will host the X Games first fan-determined contest asking users to choose the best Skateboard Street trick. Dish Network will also offer ESPN Interactive X Games, featuring a 6-screen interface. Look for coverage on iTunes as well.
No more poker games for Linden dollars. Virtual world SecondLife has closed its casinos and has forbidden gambling on the site, “Because there are a variety of conflicting gambling regulations around the world we have chosen to restrict gambling in Second Life,” Robin Harper, SVP/Marketing and Business Development for Linden Research which runs SecondLife.
HandHeld Entertainment acquired user-generated video site for Ebaum’s World for $15 million in cash; future considerations worth up to $52.5 million in cash and stock over the next three years. The Rochester-based site was founded in 1998 and features viral videos, Flash games, jokes and live chat forums.
Google says it still has “nothing specific to announce” a year after it signed a licensing deal with the Associated Press to launch new Google features and services. Last August, Google insisted that the deal wasn’t intended to avoid a lawsuit over aggregating AP material for Google News. (http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135387-c,google/article.html 8/2)
Vodafone and First Direct bank are pulling their advertising from Facebook after they appeared near content about the British National Party. Advertisers cannot control where their brands appear on the social-networking site. Vodafone pulled its ads “to avoid misunderstandings.” (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6929161.stm 8/3)
Music industry bible Billboard is changing the formula it uses to define hit songs to include tunes listened to and videos watched online at Yahoo and AOL. The Nielsen Business Media magazine’s new Hot 100 singles chart will reflect streams of audio and music videos from the two online giants. (http://www.nypost.com/seven/08032007/business/billboard_formula_is_getting_digital_business_brian_garrity.htm 8/3)
Oxygen Media has won the first piece of advertising business purchased through the Online Media Exchange created by eBay for a group of high-profile advertisers. Intel bought a six-figure schedule in the third quarter. Many cable networks have balked at joining the eBay system. (http://www.tvweek.com/news/2007/08/oxygen_first_to_land_ads_via_e.php 8/2)
ComScore released a study on the expansion of social networking across the globe during the past year. MySpace is still dominating the space attracting more than 114 million global visitors over the age of 15 through June, a 72% increase over a year ago. Facebook’s growth is even more impressive; it’s 52 million plus users represent an increase of 270% over a year ago.
Total Unique Visitors (000)
Social Networking Site June ’06 June ’07 % Change
MySpace 66,401 114,147 72
Facebook 14,083 52,167 270
Hi5 18,098 28,174 56
Friendster 14,917 24,675 65
Orkut 13,588 24,120 78
Bebo 6,694 18,200 172
Tagged 1,506 13,167 774
Source: comScore
Veoh Networks signed a deal with NCAA licensing and clearance agency Collegiate Images to offer NCAA Football highlight on Veoh.com during the upcoming season. Veoh will feature a dedicated NCAA channel from September, showing highlights from around the country viewable through an interactive interface.
Discovery announced it will offer ad-supported, full-length episodes of many of its popular original series and specials both online and on VOD. New episodes of shows including Dirty Jobs on Discovery.com, LA Ink on TLC.com and Meerkat Manor on AnimalPlanet.com will be made available the day after they premiere on air, in addition to the extensive clips from the shows previously available. The video plays on a broadband player created by More Networks, which features chapter skipping and compulsory ad viewing. The season premiere of Meerkat Manor will be available online from today.
Online financial news provider TheStreet.com is acquiring Corsis Technology, New York, which implements interactive promotions for such brands as Kraft Foods and HSBC, for about $20.7 million. The deal includes the full-service online promotions agency Promotions.com. (http://www.dmnews.com/cms/dm-news/internet-marketing/42014.html 8/3)
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Hells Bells! Australian rock band AC/DC signed a exclusive deal with Verizon Wireless to distribute its entire back catalog through Verizon’s V Cast Music service. AC/DC concerts and other performances will also be featured via V Cast TV. The deal is being seen as a sign the music industry would like to empower some competitors to Apple’s iTunes store.
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Take-Two Interactive has announced that it will delay the release of its highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV title until the second quarter of 2008. The company’s decision has reverberated throughout the gaming industry, as companies such as Sony had predicted that the title’s release would bolster console sales. (The New York Times 8/3)
New data released by game magazine publisher Enterbrain shows that Nintendo’s Wii outsold rival Sony’s PS3 gaming console 4-to-1 in Japan in July. The Wii’s continued strong sales have helped Nintendo raise its annual forecast above market expectations. (The Boston Globe/Reuters 8/3)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Sony has recalled 350,00 of its digital cameras because of a defective bottom casing that may warp and scratch or cut a user’s hand. Owners of Sony’s Cyber Shot DSC-T5 can have the casing replaced at no cost, according to Sony officials. (The Washington Post/Associated Press 8/3)
Sony aims to translate its in-car entertainment knowledge to the sea by introducing a full range of durable audio products for the marine market. Designed for boats of all sizes and styles, the product line includes a splash-proof unit, four sets of 6-inch speakers, a 10-inch subwoofer, a four-channel amplifier and a remote control. (Smarthouse 8/3)
Insiders anticipate that Toshiba will release its third-generation HD DVD players Oct. 1. The HD-A3, HD-A30 and HD-A35 players will retail for $299, $399 and $499 respectively, with the HD-A30 and HD-A35 both touting full 1080p capabilities. (Gizmodo 8/2)
The NPD Group’s DisplaySearch company said worldwide shipments of LCD TVs spiked up 65% from last year’s second quarter to the same time frame this year. On the other hand, DisplaySearch said plasma panel shipments were down 4% when compared with the same quarter a year earlier. (TWICE 8/2)
