Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Showtime has ordered up a second season of Californication. The first of season two’s 12 episodes will begin airing this summer.

Californication Trailer

The Home Shopping Network, part of the hodge podge of businesses at Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, is struggling with stalling sales growth and lagging behind rival QVC. RBC Capital Markets analyst Jordan Rohan says: “There is an opportunity, we believe, for HSN to be sold.” (http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/sale-time-at-the-home-shopping-network/ 9/6)

The network news rivalries are likely to ratchet up tonight when ABC’s “20/20″ airs an investigation into NBC’s controversial episodes of “Dateline” called “To Catch a Predator.” One sting designed to catch alleged sexual predators led to a suicide and a lawsuit against NBC. (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/09/07/2007-09-07_abc_probing_nbcs_to_catch_a_predator_exp-1.html 9/7)

MTV’s latest reality show – A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila – is built around the dishy, scantily clad singer who is reputed to have the most friends in the history of MySpace (2,009,335 at last count). The 10-episode elimination-format dating show is slated to premiere on October 9. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971494.html?categoryid=1071&cs=1 9/6)

This is one of the most intriguing MySpace pages I have ever seen.  So much functionality on one page, it’s mind boggling.  Users can call Tila, leaving messages that can be played within her MySpace page.  Obviously, this could go so horribly wrong but very interesting none the less. Also, realize that this woman has become famous by amassing over 2 million friends on MySpace.  She also has over 3 million comments.  That’s some amazing marketing right there. 

At least two class-action suits have been filed by shareholders in Hearst-Argyle Television, looking to derail Hearst’s efforts to take the station group private. One case charges both Hearst and HTV board members with preparing to make the move by paying shareholders “an unfair price.” (http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=67023 9/7) 

Time Warner needs to be broken up, top company execs can’t be trusted and Richard Parsons is a “lame duck” CEO, according to Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield. AOL needs to be sold off, “ideally in pieces with access being separated from content verticals/ad networks.” (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/business/news/e3idae648b19a12ff139523f282c3632be5 9/7)

CTV has finalized a deal with Warner Bros. International Television Distribution  that will provide the Canadian broadcaster access to content from TMZ.com. CTV’s television properties include an entertainment cable channel and a national TV network. (InsideBrandedEntertainment.com/Hollywood Reporter 9/7)

ABC Family’s sophomore season premiere of Lincoln Heights Tuesday night (8p) drew in 614,000 A18-49 viewers, 811,000 P12-34 viewers and 1.6 million total viewers. The cable TV industry will spend $200 million on a new advertising campaign to educate viewers about the government-mandated switch to digital TV by February 2009. The ads began airing in the Washington area this week. “Consumer education should start sooner, rather than later,” said Kyle McSlarrow, National Cable and Telecommunications Association president and CEO. (The Hollywood Reporter 9/7)

The Television Bureau of Advertising expects spot ads to increase to more than $2.6 billion, a 9% to 10% increase, next year thanks to the presidential election. Total ads in 2009 are then expected to drop by up to 4%. (Mediaweek 9/6)

The DISH Network will begin airing Big Ten Network in time for this weekend’s lineup of football games.  As part of the America’s Top 100 package, Big Ten can be seen on Channel 429.  And if that’s not enough, as of next weekend, DISH will carry the hi-def Big Ten Network feed. The coverage by DISH gives this network a total household subscriber base of 28.5 million. The network itself launched a week ago, but has been in a tangle with a handful of local cable operators over coverage and tier placement.

Cox Television will launch a new digital sales division on Oct. 1 to market and sell online advertising for the 300+ stations currently represented by Cox’s three national sales rep. firms – TeleRep, Harrington Righter & Parsons and MMT Sales. Cox Cross Media, to be based in New York, will sell across multiple platforms and try to attract national advertisers. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971517.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1 9/6)