Daily Marauder

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Viacom/CBS chief Sumner Redstone, in remarks at the Media & Money conference, says that while he doesn’t “pretend to be a technology maven,” the old media companies will benefit if they play things right. “Copyright is even more right in the digital age,” he insists. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ic62850cbeffe32955f738b3a78228d9d 11/8)

According to the LA Times, here is a quick look at the status of current shows which have been, or will be affected by the current WGA strike:

• Late night: nearly all now are in reruns, with the exception of Nightline. 
• Daytime: Soaps should be fine until some time mid-first qtr 2008; The View on ABC will continue as usual
• Primetime:  A quick review of the primetime series finds most have approx half of their ordered episodes written.  A few exceptions of shows that are now fully written and expected to air as originally scheduled: HBO’s In Treatment and The Wire; The Shield and Thirty Days on FX; and Stargate Atlantis on Sci Fi.

Disney warns that its ABC television business could be hit by a prolonged Hollywood writers’ strike but says its film studio would be unlikely to feel any effect until 2009. CEO Bob Iger admits that Internet streaming helps deliver “more targeted messages for our advertisers.” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21698408 11/9)

Revved up by a remark by News Corp. exec Peter Chernin about how the writers’ strike is “probably a positive” for his company, the Writers Guild of America plans to focus its fury on Fox’s Los Angeles studio on Friday. News Corp. is likely to “save money” from the walkout, Chernin had said. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/08/AR2007110802438.html 11/9)

The Martha Stewart Show has been renewed for a fourth season. NBC Universal Domestic Television Distribution renewed the daytime show in more than 60% of the U.S. including 17 of the top 20 markets and NBC O&Os in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Dallas, Miami and San Diego. Other stations clearing the show for the 2008-09 season including several affiliated stations from Fox, Belo, Fisher, Scripps, Hearst, Allbritton, Clear Channel and other broadcast groups.

In January, Comedy Central will begin the twelfth season of Comedy Central Presents, the half-hour series featuring stand-up comedians. A few of the comedians in the new upcoming season include Brian Posehn, Big Jay Oakerson, Dan Mintz and Bonnie MacFarlane.

The Walt Disney Company brought in another strong quarter, increasing net income to $877 million from $782 million in the same quarter last year. (The quarter ending Sept. 30 marked the end of Disney’s fiscal year.) Revenues rose 3 percent to $8.93 billion from $8.65 billion. Segment operating income was up 14 percent, to $1.81 billion from $1.59 billion. (http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-earnings-dis-net-income-up  11/8)

Challenged during the Disney earnings call to defend the company’s narrow online video distribution, CEO Bob Iger did just that-then said the company will expand the number of online outlets. (http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-earnings-iger-disney-will-expand-online-video-options-more-platforms-no  11/8)

AT&T is in talks with Disney and NBC Universal about embedding a “content-recognition” system into its Internet transmission apparatus that would be used to guard against illegal distribution of those companies’ shows and films, raising equal-access fears. (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_47/b4059049.htm 11/19)

The technology to provide the long-awaited union of television and the Internet is said to be in place. The convergence, however, is being held up by Hollywood studios and cable companies that are “unwilling to jeopardize revenues until it becomes clear how the new model will pay.” (http://www.nypost.com/seven/11092007/business/new_releases_144629.htm 11/19)

Charter more than doubled its number of phone subscribers, to 802,600, and increased revenue 10%, to $1.53 billion, according to the company’s third-quarter results. But Charter also had higher programming and expansion costs and posted a $407 million loss during the period. (CNNMoney.com/Associated Press 11/8)