Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
FX’s “Nip/Tuck” attracted 4.3 million total viewers for the debut of its fifth season. The series, which now is set in Los Angeles, also scored well with key demographic groups, averaging 3.5 million total viewers in the 18-to-49 category. (The Hollywood Reporter 11/1)
Talks between Hollywood writers and producers over a new contract ended abruptly Wednesday night, with both sides saying they are still far apart on several key issues. A strike could happen as early as Friday, with writers meeting Thursday night to discuss their options. (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/business/la-fi-writers1nov01,1,7600319.story 11/1)
Fox network appears to have a built-in advantage in case of a prolonged strike. The News Corp. broadcast network already runs a schedule with six hours of unscripted programming. “American Idol,” set to return in January, could go on as many as three nights a week. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ibcaa4be5fd5d93e812d660ddf1d58010 11/1)
ABC ordered three more scripts of Women’s Murder Club the new drama based on the James Patterson mystery novel series starring Angie Harmon. ABC has now given a green light for more episodes to other freshman series Samantha Who?, Pushing Daisies and Private Practice.
HBO’s new series In Treatment starring Gabriel Byrne will kick off on Monday, January 28 at 930p. HBO has ordered 45 episodes, all of which will air over the course of 9 consecutive weeks, reports Variety. In Treatment is about a psychologist (Byrne) and his patients. Each full episode Monday-Thursday will represent a one-on-one session with each of four patients. On the fifth day, Fridays, the therapist takes the couch as he sees his analyst played by Dianne Wiest. So every Monday it’s the same patient for five straight weeks, every tuesday the same patient, and so on. (Variety 10/31)
Exclusive agreements between cable companies and owners of apartments and other multiple-dwelling units were nullified Wednesday by the FCC. Comcast called the move anti-consumer, saying: “The net result is that many consumers are likely to wind up paying more for services if the FCC’s interference in the competitive marketplace stands.” The FCC plans to study whether the new rules should apply to satellite and other telecom providers as well. (Broadcasting & Cable 10/31, The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires 11/1)
The FCC on Wednesday voted to extend video-franchise relief to current cable companies, effective immediately. The relief, which includes franchise fees, public, educational and government channel duties and non-cable-related services, bars local franchising authorities from “unreasonably refusing to award competitive cable franchises,” the commission said. (Broadcasting & Cable 10/31)
AT&T may sell cable TV services without being regulated as a cable company, a Superior Court judge in Hartford, Conn., has ruled. Last month, the state’s Department of Public Utility Control found that AT&T needed a cable license to offer its IPTV U-verse service, a finding that was reversed by the court ruling. (The Boston Globe/Associated Press 10/31)
DirecTV now offers NBA TV in high-definition. The satellite provider has 74 HD channels and is on a self-imposed mission to reach 100 by the end of the year. (Broadcasting & Cable 10/31)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Google has a name for its open application programming interfaces (APIs) it hopes will challenge Facebook’s dominance in incubating cool new applications. The first wave of OpenSocial APIs were posted yesterday, providing the code necessary to write widgets that access user profile data and friends lists from YouTube, AdSense, Sitemaps, Feedburner and dozens of other Google applications for use on other sites. (In that sense, Google has opened its doors even wider than Facebook whose applications work only within the Facebook environment.) Google’s Orkut, hi5, iLike, Linkedin, Ning and Slide are among the social networks supporting OpenSocial out of the gate. Facebook and MySpace are not.
Pushing ahead in the digital music space are Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails and … Bob Dylan? Yes Dylan is conducting a user generated video contest with Sony BMG and YouTube, asking fans to submit renditions of “Like a Rolling Stone.” The best bits, chosen by Bob’s editing team, will be spiced together to create a single video. It seems only the visuals matter, as Dylan himself will be doing the singing.
A coalition of privacy groups is calling for creation of a “Do Not Track” list to prohibit advertisers from tracking online movements of consumers. The proposal comes as online advertising revenues are growing rapidly, providing critical revenue to Google, Yahoo and others. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-track1nov01,1,6308721.story 11/1)
AOL unveiled a new user interface akin to a digital do not call list that will allow users to opt out of targeted ads on its sites. The system, launched to coincide with a series of meetings the Federal Trade Commission is holding on how behavioral targeting affects consumers, will also encourage users to enter personal information that may be used to serve ads that may interest them. (http://www.informationweek.com/research/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=202800905 11/1)
Project Gatineau, Microsoft’s answer to Google Analytics, is now inviting requests to participate in beta testing. Gatineau offers click and visitor tracking, market campaign reporting and demographic breakdowns for site visitors.
NBC Universal plans to shut down its comedy venture DotComedy.com just over a year after it launched. The Web site for clips from “Saturday Night Live” and other NBC fare is struggling to gain traction. NBC is now backing Hulu, the new online video venture with News Corp. (http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003665961 10/31)
Hulu.com, the new NBC-News Corp. online video venture, will pair traditional 30-second ads with long-form video, such as an airing of the NBC comedy “The Office” — but with only 25% of the ads one might have to sit through while watching television. (http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=121636 10/30)
Google is increasingly turning to videos on YouTube to explain its policies and even how to use its products. The Internet giant’s new YouTube privacy channel offers videos explaining what type of information is collected by Google servers when users conduct a search. (http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9808540-7.html 10/31)
FoodNetwork.com is now offering full episodes of The Next Iron Chef online for the first time. New episodes will be available every Monday, after airing on Food Network on Sundays at 9 pm ET/PT.
VH1 and the Broadcast Film Critics Association launched VH1′s eCritic, an online contest to find the best amateur film critic. Film aficionados are encouraged to upload a video of themselves reviewing a movie to VH1.com. The winner, determined by user voting, gets to serve as an honorary critic for the Critics Choice Awards airing live on VH1 on Jan. 7, 2008.
Truveo expanded its online video search presence internationally, opening up new online portals in France, Germany, India, Japan, Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom. The sites will index video from Europe and Asia’s most popular video sites including L’Equipe from France, Berlin TV from Germany, KBC from Korea and BBC from The UK. Truveo plans to launch additional video search sites in Australia, Brazil, Italy, Mexico, The Netherlands, Russia and Turkey in the coming months.
UK-based white label video company Mydeo is powering a new user generated video site launched by Best Buy that charges users about $7 for hosting 100 minutes of personal video for sharing on web sites, blogs or via email. Best Buy also took a minority stake in the company.
Big Internet companies like AOL, Google, and Yahoo are acquiring advertising networks to boost ad revenue. But some Web site owners are expressing concern that the companies placing ads on their pages are now owned by some of their largest competitors. (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2007/tc20071031_089266.htm 11/1)
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Motorola’s popular Q smartphone will be available on AT&T’s wireless network beginning Friday. The e-mail-friendly device will tout W-CDMA high-speed downlink packet access technology, giving it download speeds of up to 3.6Mbps, according to a Motorola official. (TWICE 11/1)
Motorola has completed its joint-development agreement with Phiar, which the company will reportedly use in several upcoming products, including next-generation 60-GHz mobile wireless, point-to-point networks, wireless HDMI and imaging technologies. “By working together with Phiar, we were able to validate the performance of metal-insulator diodes in our receivers,” Vida Ilderem, vice president of physical and digital realization research for Motorola Labs, said. (EDN/Electronic News 10/31)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Sony hopes new games and cheaper console prices will help raise demand for its PlayStation 3 console this holiday season. “There is no doubt that the window that Sony has to turn this around and bolster their position in the marketplace is narrowing,” NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier said. “November and December will be absolutely critical.” (MSNBC/San Francisco Business Times 10/28)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
The new Slingbox Solo lets users view their cable programming on the go using any device that can connect to the Internet. The new model is smaller and less expensive than its “Pro” predecessor, and it is expected to appeal to consumers looking for simple setups. Sling Media also is gearing up to launch new software that will enable users to pause, rewind and then fast-forward transmissions. (The New York Times 11/1)
