Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Time Warner chief Dick Parsons delivers an “outstanding performance” for his shareholders “without a stupendous pay package,” according to a study of CEOs. Parson’s pay in 2006 was $18.3 million, while Time Warner’s return was 26%, “significantly more than the S&P 500′s return.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a3Ej3w.QG5HI 9/5)

(Below) All episodes of this new series are also available on HBO on Demand a week before the linear airing.  The first episode is now available to watch on HBO on Demand before the Sunday premiere.

HBO on Sunday will debut “Tell Me You Love Me,” a hard-hitting drama about three couples struggling to regain some level of intimacy in their relationships. The show, which contains graphic sex scenes, is being described by at least one critic as HBO’s most important offering since “The Sopranos.” (Yahoo!/Associated Press 9/4)

Nickelodeon’s new comedy for teens, “iCarly,” will offer young viewers the chance to submit homemade videos that could be included in the show, a first for a scripted series. The program’s central character is an eighth-grader who stars in a Webcast that will be featured on the show. (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-09-03-icarly_N.htm 9/5)

Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV is developing a new Personal TV Channel system video-recorder application, which is capable of learning users’ viewing tastes and creating personalized channels. “You just create a channel and select a program. The system monitors your zapping habits and automatically refines your channel,” said Jeroen Cappendijk, business development manager of Philips’ Personal TV Channel product. (Yahoo!/PC World/IDG News Service 9/4) 

After the FCC refused to grant Comcast waivers for three set-top boxes, an executive said the cable company would appeal the case in federal court. After the FCC’s ruling on Motorola’s DCT-700, Scientific-Atlanta’s Explorer-940 and Pace Micro’s Chicago boxes, executive vice president David L. Cohen said “it is our intention to pursue promptly judicial review of this decision.” (Multichannel News 9/4) 

Comcast during the next six months will begin testing do-it-yourself installation kits for phone service in Philadelphia, Denver and Boston; tests are under way in San Francisco. The company, currently with about 3 million phone customers, has the potential to save up to $300 per installation, RBC Capital Markets analyst Jonathan Atkin said. (Bloomberg 9/4)