Filed under: MISC
APPLE UNVEILS MAC OS X LEOPARD
The new features aren’t ground-breaking but they do make the functionality of the Mac OS X platform work even more seamlessly. Click above to view Apple’s guided tour. What’s up with the grandiose hand gestures in all of Apple’s tutorial videos? It makes me feel anxious.
The release of Apple’s new OS, Leopard, will likely provide Mac users with a host of new features and options. Early reviews of the system have been positive,
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner’s CEO-in-waiting, is seen as a “tougher operator” than current chief Dick Parsons. Bewkes says that the question raised by rebel investor Carl Icahn — whether Time Warner should be broken up — is a valid one and is “still on the table.” (http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f742a586-8310-11dc-b042-0000779fd2ac.html 10/25)
Comcast added 1.4 million revenue-generating cable units in the third quarter, a 13% increase over the comparable period in 2006, and operating cash flow rose 20%, to $2.9 billion, according to this story. While the country’s largest cable company saw overall revenue rise 21%, to $7.78 billion, net income slipped to $560 million. (Broadcasting & Cable 10/25)
Comedy-themed video Web site ComedyNet and Capazoo, a new social-networking site, have joined forces to create a cable network. Down the road, the companies are hoping to attract top-tier comedic talent as well as produce and distribute original shows. (Mediaweek 10/25)
As firefighters gained a measure of control Thursday over the deadly wildfires in Southern California, cable company employees began to return to work and service was re-established to certain areas. In one case, two companies, Charter and Time Warner Cable, had to work together to restore a basic cable feed to residents of Lake Arrowhead, Calif. (Multichannel News 10/25)
Viacom’s Spike TV will remain the TV home of mixed martial arts through 2011, thanks to a new deal between the channel and the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The pact also ensures at least four more seasons for “The Ultimate Fighter,” an unscripted reality series that has been a solid performer for Spike since 2005. (Mediaweek 10/25)
ABC and TV Guide Network have entered into an agreement that brings episodes of Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night talk show to the cable channel a day after their broadcast debut. The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show now runs on weeknights at 7 p.m. on TV Guide Network, which reaches 84 million homes. (The Hollywood Reporter 10/26)
Orders for additional scripts on two series — ABC’s Dirty S#xy Money, and CW‘s Reaper both got the call for more pages. Reaper is from The Mark Gordon Co and ABC Studios; Dirty S#xy Money is also from ABC Studios and Bad Hat Harry Prods. Money led its time period this past Wednesday night at 10p and delivered a 3.2/8 in the A18-49 demo and 8.6 million viewers.
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Online amateurs and startups are unlikely to match the commercial returns of a “High School Musical” or any other big hit produced by a traditional media company. However, quality content will be “irrelevant” unless it is easily accessible on new platforms, warns Disney boss Bob Iger. (http://blogs.forbes.com/meetblog/2007/10/something-old-s.html 10/25)
The Mind Behind Disney (Bob Iger at Forbes’ MEET Conference)
The new Denzel Washington movie “American Gangster,” set to open Nov. 2, is already available at several file-sharing Web sites. High-quality DVDs are being sold for $5 on the streets of Los Angeles. A spokesman for distributor Universal Pictures describes the piracy as “devastating.” (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119333891430471773.html 10/26)
Facebook is said to be looking to hedge funds and private equity investors for an additional $260 million in investments on top of the $240 million in funding the social-networking site is already getting from Microsoft. Also: If Facebook is worth $15 billion, then MySpace “is worth $65 billion.” (http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/25/technology/facebook_funding/index.htm 10/25, http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262007/business/myspace_love_facebook_value.htm 10/26)
NBC Universal and News Corp. are preparing their YouTube rival Hulu.com for a test launch next week. “The odds of it succeeding are low,” says Todd Dagres of venture capital firm Spark Capital. Hulu’s offerings will be “a drop in the bucket” in terms of the video available on the Web. (http://www.investors.com/editorial/IBDArticles.asp?artsec=17&issue=20071024 10/24)
Warner Music Group may follow Universal’s lead and switch to a month-to-month contract with Apple when its current deal expires at year-end, according to The Washington Post. Warner is reportedly in talks with Sony and Universal to launch a subscription music service of its own that would compete directly with iTunes. The potential loss of another major record label, following Apple’s highly publicized break-up with NBC Universal, could bode poorly for future iPod sales.
The Granddaddy of social networks Friendster followed in Facebook’s footsteps launching an open source developer platform. Widgets developed for the site, available for users from Nov. 30, will not be tied exclusively to the site meaning apps developed for other platforms can be integrated to Friendster. (http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&taxonomyId=11&articleId=9044158&intsrc=hm_topic 10/25)
Ted Leonsis, vice chairman emeritus of AOL, says the Time Warner unit “needs to take that next step” to become a functional advertising network. “The company’s in good hands,” he adds. However, Revolution Money, his new partnership with Steve Case, will be “bigger than AOL.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=avs2UoXk5jQk 10/26)
Yahoo is changing its home page to add links to outside sites for the first time, as it aims to become “the starting point for most consumers on the Internet.” The Featured section in the center of the page now includes links to external news sources, such as the Wall Street Journal and Forbes. (http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9804863-7.html 10/25)
Actor Owen Wilson is giving the first interview since his reported suicide attempt to his longtime pal, director Wes Anderson. The interview will be posted online Friday at midnight, as part of the “Artist on Artist” series on News Corp.’s MySpace. (http://blogs.usatoday.com/entertainment/2007/10/owen-wilson-ope.html 10/25)
The interview should be posted on the page below at midnight.
A Hollywood writers’ strike would be a blow to the television and film industries. But it could be a catalyst for Web sites looking to make entertainment pay online, such as Heavy.com and My Damn Channel. A strike could “clarify the industries; set a reason for an online model.” (http://www.nypost.com/seven/10262007/business/indie_web_sites_may_win_with_w.htm 10/26)
Vonage and Verizon settled their patent dispute clearing the way for the Voice-Over-IP provider to go back to aggressively marketing its product. Vonage is the leader in the space with 2.45 million subscribers.
Starz Entertainment improved its online Vongo video platform’s ability to link to the TV, adding support of five new portal media devices including gear from Archos and Creative Zen. Vongo also recently announced extenders for Microsoft’s Windows Media Center platform compatible with Windows PCs and the Xbox 360.
Washingtonpost.com, Forbes.com, TechCrunch, Engadget and other leading news sites and blogs are seeing their Google “pagerank” — a number that reflects a site’s rank in search results — drop precipitously in a “warning” by the Internet giant to sites that buy and sell their links. (http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/10/24/google-web-traffic-tech-cx_ag_1024google2.html 10/24)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Following the release of its third-quarter earnings, Nintendo officials ruled out a potential price cut for the Wii gaming console. “We’re still focusing on how to meet booming demand,” Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said. “We’re absolutely not considering a price cut.” (Forbes/Associated Press 10/26)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Toshiba and Microsoft are denying rumors that they are working on a new Xbox 360 console that will include a built-in HD DVD player. Analysts agree that the device would appeal to some consumers, but would not add much benefit to the console itself. (Dealerscope 10/25, TechSpot.com 10/25)
