Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman told an investment conference Tuesday that the company would do fine, even if it lost the services of noted film director Steven Spielberg. The remark sparked talk that Spielberg and partner David Geffen could leave Viacom when their contracts expire next year. (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/business/media/21dreamworks.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1190392114-26KX5Xt/XsAskV4IUhgRTA 9/20) 

CBS is expected seek a quick financial settlement in Dan Rather’s $70 million “Memogate” lawsuit to avoid the spectacle of the former network star taking depositions from top company execs. Rather says he will give a “substantial” portion of the money to journalism groups if he wins. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/09/20/ST2007092001664.html 9/21)

Broadcast networks may be in for a challenging fall season. The premiere of CBS’ “Kid Nation” fared OK but didn’t open to the numbers commensurate with the publicity it generated. The debut of CW’s “Gossip Girl” scored big with female teens but didn’t do well in other demos. (http://www.variety.com/VR1117972363.html 9/20) 

All reports indicate AMC will be renewing its freshman scripted series Mad Men for a second season. Tho nothing official from the network as yet, reports are another 13 episodes will be ordered. The series, created by exec producer Matt Weiner, has averaged 1.1 million viewers season to date. The finale of Season #1 is scheduled for October 18.

Logo, part of MTV Networks, acquired the first five seasons of the Showtime drama The L Word from CBS Television Distribution and will begin the series next summer. Airing all 62 episodes, The L Word chronicles a group of lesbian friends living in L.A. through all their romantic, work and family lives. (The Hollywood Reporter 9/21) 

Production work has begun on “Manhattan Moms,” a new docudrama for Bravo that will highlight the lives of socialites in New York City. The channel already carries a West Coast version: “The Real Housewives of Orange County.” (Reuters/Hollywood Reporter 9/21)

Male-skewing cable channels Spike TV, Sci Fi Channel and Comedy Central will form the backbone of Microsoft’s marketing blitz leading up to the launch next week of Xbox 360 game “Halo 3.” The last-minute push kicks off Saturday on Comedy Central with a series of two-minute interstitials titled “Fully Loaded.” (Variety 9/20) 

Nickelodeon’s “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” which begins its third season tonight, has significant untapped marketing and entertainment potential that could translate into big success in movie theaters, according to network President Cyma Zarghami. “If we do this right, it could become our Harry Potter,” Zarghami said. (USA TODAY 9/20)

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Comcast and 10 other U.S. cable television providers are being hit with a lawsuit over claims their bundling of channels forces consumers to pay for services they don’t want. The complaint, filed on behalf of consumers in California, Virginia and Indiana, is seeking “millions of dollars.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aSpvVtE6RV.s 9/20) 

The cable industry has taken the initial steps in developing a technology platform that will help attract more interactive-advertising revenue and present a unified front to potential marketers, a move that Comcast CEO Brian Roberts outlined earlier in the week. The effort by CableLabs, code-named Canoe, so far includes cable-technology vendors, advertising agencies and marketing companies, according to this article. (Multichannel News 9/20)

Time Warner Cable will break ground this fall on a new $18 million state-of-the-art facility in Appleton, Wis. The 130,000-square-foot building will house a production studio for Time Warner Cable Sports and Wisconsin On Demand and an employee training facility. It is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. (American City Business Journals/Milwaukee 9/20)