Filed under: MISC
Online Site of the Week
HBO will be presenting Justin Timberlake in concert on their linear service 9/3 (HBO on Demand 9/4).
In preparation for this concert event, the web site below features a user-generated video contest, Are U His Biggest Fan?, as well preview video to get you prepared for the concert. The latest user-generated video declares that she is Justin’s biggest fan because “she’s Polish and she’s freaky.” Yup, I couldn’t make that up.
There’s also a countdown widget which counts down to the concert on HBO. Finally, HBO has branded an orientation area in Second Life to communicate a live Justin Timberlake simulcast of the first few minutes of the concert on HBO starting September 3rd at 9:00PM. In addition, this orientation area helps new users create an avatar and brand it with cool HBO clothing. I must admit, I’m not a big fan of advertising in Second Life but here’s a way to add a brand within Second Life in a way that is helpful to the user.
To recap, here’s the highlights. The site offers:
- User Generated Video Contest
- Link to Second Life
- Mirrorball Widget
- Preview Video
Justin Timberlake Site
HBO Orientation Island in Second Life
Justin Timberlake Screening Room in Second Life
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Cable MSOs may be more vulnerable to competition from telcos than previously thought, judging from the latest Horowitz Associates study on the State of Interactive Television. Forty five percent of multichannel subscribers say they would consider ordering TV services from their phone company. Over half (51%) of current digital cable subscribers say they would switch to TV offered from the phone company if it were competitively priced. Cable still seems to hold an edge in interactive programming. When asked what interactive features they were most interested in, local on demand programming led the list with 22% expressing interest, followed by Apple TV-like devices (20%), Slingbox (18%) and YouTube portability to their TV (14%.)MTV’s Monday night premiere of The Hills scored an average 3.84 rating with P12-34 during the 10p hour. The season three debut was actually two 30m back-to-back episodes and the 10p show posted a 3.7 P12-34, while the 1030p improved by 9%, earning a 4.0 in the same demo.
CBS has given a put pilot commitment for an untitled drama adventure pilot from Jerry Bruckheimer and Warner Bros. TV, about globetrotting freelance treasure hunters. Tho in keeping with Bruckheimer’s other current series, this show is looking to have less to do with Indiana Jones, and more to do with CSI meets Amazing Race, with archeologists. The script will be written by Bruckheimer’s co-creators on the project, Cyrus Voris and Ethan Reiff.
WE tv will roll out seven new and acquired series, including season two of its “American Princess” show on Sundays as well as several specials highlighting Princess Diana. The network specializes in royally themed programming. (The Hollywood Reporter 8/16)
Billionaire Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, may try to buy or recapitalize Charter Communications, the cable company he controls. Charter is one of the few companies left in the cable industry that may be part of future consolidation. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aGGc1H4JmRqI 8/15)
DirecTV has made final a deal with Current Group allowing the satellite company to offer high-speed Internet and VoIP services via Current’s broadband-over-powerline networks being built in Dallas-Fort Worth and Cincinnati. When completed, DirecTV subscribers will be able to combine standard and high-definition TV operations with the new broadband service. (Yahoo!/News Factor Network 8/15)
Comcast has petitioned the FCC to deregulate basic cable rates in nine cities in south Texas. The cable company, which recently took over Time Warner Cable’s service in the Houston area, said the move was to guarantee competitive rates and services. (The Galveston County Daily News (Texas) 8/16)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Bebo is overtaking MySpace as the leading U.K. online social network, as young people increasingly shun the Rupert Murdoch-owned site. After News Corp. took over MySpace, the average age of the site’s users went up. “It seems to be losing its youth appeal.” (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2007/08/16/cnbebo116.xml 8/16
)Bebo (Kate Modern’s Profile)
MySpace (Beck’s Profile)
NBC News dusted off its 60+ year-old video archive to make content available to HotChalk. Both companies are partnering to create an online K-12 learning management system featuring more than 5,000 video clips. The content can be used to supplement a wide variety of subjects, including history, social studies, civil rights, civics and international relations. Interested teachers can sign up to use the resource for free at HotChalk.com.
XM Satellite Radio and MySpace launched an online Hip-Hop talent search to find the next big rap or R&B artist. Aspiring musicians can submit an original song for the chance to perform it at The Mix Show Power Summit in October in the Dominican Republic as well as receive airplay on XM. Judges will narrow down entries to five finalists, and the MySpace/XM community will choose the final winner.
New Yorker magazine has partnered with online animation producer and syndicator Ring Tales to convert some of its classic cartoons into short animation reels. The site is adding a new one every third day or so, and users can subscribe to them as podcasts.LOVE New Yorker cartoons and now that I can find animated versions, love them even more. Check out one of my favorites available on the site below.
Casual Tieday
Google is working toward digitizing patient health records as a way to empower individuals by giving them direct access to their own health information online, according to The New York Times. Microsoft, whose acquisitions this year included a start-up called medical record search and retrieval service Medstory, has similar goals.
MTV Networks’Logo acquired Downelink.com, a leading social networking service for the LGBT community with more than 400,000 members. Logo has acquired several LGBT entertainment-themed sites since launching including Happiestgaycouple.com, visiblevote08.com, NewNowNext.com and 365gay.com. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3id91feee4bbb8d44065c25d7cf9c254a3 8/16)
Former CEO of PlanetOut and founder of Gay.com Mark Elderkin launched the Gay Ad Network, a group of over two dozen gay-themed web publishers representing more than 200 affiliated websites. The network’s goal is to offer advertisers an easy way to buy across multiple gay sites including local and national gay newspapers, magazines and popular gay social networking services.
Digital creative shop Creative Bubble collaborated with Time Warner Cable to develop two spots for the MSO’s Movies on Demand service. The on-air promotions for Norbit and 300 make extensive use of 3D graphics, utilizing Cinema4D and Adobe After Effects software suites.
Internet news readers watch less TV news partly because they just plain don’t like what they see on the boob tube, according to a comprehensive study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. Thirty-nine percent of users who get their news primarily from the net reported an “unfavorable” opinion of network news – 10% more than the overall sample. On the other hand, despite a steady gradual decline in recent years, Americans still rate TV news organizations far higher than most political institutions, including Congress and both political parties.
MyYearbook.com, co-founded by 17-year-old Catherine Cook, is making millions in annual revenue after just two years. Cook hopes to turn the site into the largest teen media company online, buoyed by new interactive tools for high schoolers and a new user-generated magazine. (http://news.com.com/The+secrets+of+a+teens+Internet+success/2008-1038_3-6202845.html 8/16)
Hollywood execs Robert Tercek and Matt Edelman are launching PeopleJam.com, a site aiming to “help people improve their lives,” backed by former AOL Time Warner exec Robert Pittman and TiVo chief Tom Rogers. The site will offer original video and social networking tools. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970309.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1 8/15)
Time Warner’s AOL is launching a destination site for its video search engine Truveo. After spending years as a business that powers the backend of other video sites, Truveo will aim to attract consumer traffic — and advertising — through its own portal. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117970310.html?categoryid=20&cs=1 8/15)
NBC is launching NBCOlympics.com, its Web site for the Beijing Olympics next year. Content currently includes pre-Olympic news, blogs and video. The site is expected to be a revenue generator with sponsors including a digital component in their deals. (http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=65851 8/16)
Less than four weeks until the Sept. 10 launch of the television show based on celebrity-news site TMZ.com, co-executive producer Bryn Friedman is being let go, starting rumors that the start-up program could be in trouble. One insider says: “There is no show and no set.” (http://www.nypost.com/seven/08162007/gossip/pagesix/firing_rattles_tmz_start_up_pagesix_.htm 8/16)
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Mobile social networking has reached 12.3 million “friends” in the U.S. and Western Europe according to a new report from M:Metrics. MySpace is the preferred mobile social network in the U.S. and the UK while MSN/Windows Live Spaces was tops in France, Germany, Italy and Spain.
Facebook is launching a mobile version that works on the Apple iPhone. The new mobile edition of the social-networking site will allow users to access and update profiles, track friends, and find maps and driving directions for events scheduled on Facebook. (http://www.redherring.com/Home/22569 8/15)
Just over two weeks after buying media sharing site Twango, Nokia launched a closed beta of a new mobile social networking site. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/10/Nokia-launches-mobile-social-networking-site-beta_1.html?source=NLC-WIR&cgd=2007-08-16 8/10)
Sprint Nextel’s top executives Thursday will roll out “Xohm” as the new name for Sprint’s ambitious WiMax service, a spokesman said Wednesday. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/16/Sprint-Wimax-to-be-called-Xohm_1.html?source=NLC-WIR&cgd=2007-08-16 8/16)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Gaming network GGL stuck a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment of America to host live online game tournaments for networked PlayStation 3 gamers featuring real time scoring. VOOM HD Networks subsidiary GamePlayHD will televise upcoming competitions. Tournament gameplay kicked off last month with competition around “Resistance: Fall of Man.”
