Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia will hear the case of television’s most famous wardrobe malfunction, and whether or not that incident - accident or planned - should result in a fine of more than half a million on the CBS Network and a $27,500 fine on each of the network’s owned local affiliates. CBS initially appealed the fines, calling them illogical because the incident was an accident, not a staged stunt. The FCC contends the network “knew or surely should have known” what was going to happen during their halftime show. (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hlpL2bm1p_smW89af8ysHj5wd1WA 9/11)
This year’s MTV Video Music Awards, described by bloggers and television critics as a “train wreck” and “incoherent,” has pop-culture observers wondering whether the longtime cable network has lost its appeal. Still, ratings and Web traffic for the VMAs are up this year. (http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3582642 9/9)
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is to begin considering banning programmers from making cable systems take new channels to get must-haves, such as ESPN or CBS. Consumers pay “for a bunch of channels they may not want,” says FCC chief Kevin Martin. (http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2007-09-11-cable-fcc-a-la-carte_N.htm 9/11)
ION Media Networks acquired the rights to air NFL Game of the Week, the long-running, one-hour highlights show of the best game of the week for the 2007 season. A production of NFL Films, the 17-week series will debut on ION Television’s network September 15 at 6p with the Giants-Cowboys game from Kickoff Weekend. Additionally, ION also secured the rights to air a new series from NFL Films called Stories of the NFL which showcases the lives of NFL players off the field. Twenty-one half-hour episodes will begin airing on ION Television next February.
The CBS Audience Network announced partnerships with 29 CBS O&Os, 144 CBS Radio stations and up to 183 affiliated station websites to expand the platform’s reach to offer geographical targeting to national advertisers. Locally-produced news, weather and sports coverage will be available for pick-up by any sites within the network. In exchange, local partner sites will gain access to national CBS Entertainment, News and Sports video content. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971743.html?categoryid=1009&cs=1 9/10)
The FCC is scheduled to vote today on whether cable companies must carry both digital and analog signals after the February 2009 transition to digital TV. The cable firms argue that they should only have to carry digital signals, provided that customers know they can lease a digital set-top box. The Hollywood Reporter (9/11)
The Carlyle Group has reportedly put the sale of Insight on the back burner. According to a published report, bids for Insight were less than $3 billion and about $200 million shy of what Carlyle had anticipated. (Broadcasting & Cable 9/10)
PBS Kids Sprout has signed a new carriage deal with Time Warner Cable. With the new deal, Sprout will be available in 34 million unique households. (World Screen News 9/10)
Cox is bolstering its data network in the Tucson area and, when the $25 million project is complete next year, will have upgraded its bandwidth from the current 750 MHz to 1 GHz. The project will allow Cox to offer more choices in HDTV and video-on-demand without raising customers’ bills. (Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) 9/11)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
The new “TMZ on TV” is said to be distinguishing itself from rival “Entertainment Tonight” by being aggressively snarky. News stories are read by unidentified narrators who have “strong opinions.” One describes Victoria Beckham as looking like “a slutty Malibu Barbie.” (http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/09/11/2007-09-11_on_tmz_on_tv_beware_snark_attack.html 9/11)
Even this simple teaser got me excited. Who doesn’t love snarky Hollywood gossip? My absolute favorite part of this teaser campaign is the tag line: You make them stars. We make them real.
The digital production model may start resembling the TV one if a new plan by Warner Bros. is any indication. WB’s digital production arm Studio 2.0 announced a new slate of 23 short form projects for broadband and wireless and, according to The New York Times, will begin paying the upfront costs for the productions instead of trying to line up sponsorships beforehand. Studio 2.0’s current production slate includes three new live action puppet series produced with Jim Henson Company and RealNetworks, a 3D animation project with artist Alex Pardee and a 10-project commitment with comedians Joey Manderino and David Young, creators of web series joeyanddavid.com.
News Corp. will not pull its television shows from Apple’s iTunes as NBC Universal has done over a pricing dispute, says president Peter Chernin. “But let me say this,” he adds, “we’re the ones who should determine what the fair price for our product is, not Apple.” (http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSL1053262920070911 9/11)
After declining to join the News Corp./NBCU joint venture Hulu.com, ABC is in talks with several internet portals including AOL, Comcast, MSN, MySpace and Yahoo to form its own digital distribution platform, according to Mediaweek. Central to ABC’s strategy is to require partners to offer content through its proprietary video player, thereby insuring a quality user experience. (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003637087 9/10)
Comedy site My Damn Channel is launching a branded channel on MySpaceTV to increase distribution of its original content from artists including Harry Shearer, David Wain and Andy Milonakis.
Social-networking phenom Facebook “is the very definition of ‘hot,’” according to Adweek. Facebook ranks No. 1 on Adweek’s third annual Digital Hot List. While newcomers dominate, the online properties of established media brands Disney and Discovery also make the Top 10. (http://www.adweek.com/aw/iq_interactive/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003637662 9/10)
Yahoo’s U.S. audience was smaller than Google’s by about 6 million people in the month of August, but Yahoo visitors lingered about twice as long, according to data from Nielsen//NetRatings. Yahoo is seen as a content company, while Google is “mainly a search engine.” (http://blogs.business2.com/utilitybelt/2007/09/yahoos-audience.html 9/10)
Barry Diller’s IAC/InterActiveCorp, the parent of Home Shopping Network, is revamping its shopping-comparison Web site, Pronto.com, to incorporate social networking, creating a “Facebook for shopping.” Users will be able to rate products, write reviews and interact online. (http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20070911-000005-0016&hpadref=1 9/11)
Swedish mobile company TerraNet is testing a peer-to-peer technology that will allow its mobile customers to communicate with one another without the use of a base station. The system uses other TerraNet handsets to create a mini-network that routes calls to their target and is expected to be valuable in outlying areas of some emerging markets. (BBC 9/11)
Nielsen unveiled a new ad monitoring service to help agencies with the chore of “Keeping Trac” of where, when and if their clients’ spots ran. Carat is the first agency to sign-up for the system, which tracks commercial airings on a daily or weekly basis to see if Gross Ratings Point commitments have been achieved.
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
In 74 days since the iPhone’s U.S. debut, Apple has sold its 1 millionth unit. Apple had forecast hitting 1 million units sold by the close of September. (Scientific American/Reuters 9/10)
Apple is the latest tech powerhouse to consider stepping up to the plate to bid for the 700Mhz wireless spectrum the FCC is auctioning off on Jan. 16, according to Business Week. The spectrum could be used to provide faster and cheaper network access for Macs, iPods and iPhones, potentially increasing the market for the devices exponentially. Apple also announced it sold its 1 millionth iPhone exactly 74 days after its release on June 29.
Mobile services provider Veveo launched vTap, a mobile search engine for video clips now available for the iPhone and Microsoft Windows Mobile devices.
Search is an extremely interesting landscape. How can a company provide a search engine that serves up the content that you’re looking for at the top of the pile every time without fail? This is the question that Google struggles with every day in text and now in video. I’m still waiting for that one fantastic application.
Test vTap
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Nickelodeon has entered into a licensing deal with Take-Two Interactive to bring Nick characters to hand-held and home consoles. The first games under Take-Two’s 2K Play label, expected this fall, will be based on “Dora the Explorer” and “Go, Diego, Go.” (The Hollywood Reporter 9/11)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Altec Lansing has released five new audio products, featuring several new Bluetooth speakers for MP3 and mobile-phone users. The flagship iMT521 SoundBlade Stereo Bluetooth Speaker has two 2-inch, full stereo Bluetooth v.2 for wireless connectivity and will connect to most A2DP stereo Bluetooth mobile phones and laptops. (Pocket-lint.co.uk 9/11)
