Filed under: MISC
SOCIALIGHT: RECOMMENDATIONS ANYWHERE ON THE GO
I recently discovered this mobile location application which allows users to create notes about points of interest, plot on a Google map and share those referrals with friends. Above is Socialight’s demo video. I love that I can access my friend’s recommendations on the go. Checking out Citysearch or Zagat’s is the standard course of action when selecting a restaurant but I trust my friends’ recommendations above all others.
Below is my first note: my favorite tapas restaurant in NYC, Kasadela. Their chicken wings changed my life.
And here is what those notes look like over top a Google map. Project Runway has partnered with Socialight to locate points of interest as noted by the judges from the show. Smart. Very smart. It’s easy to see how this idea could translate with other TV shows and other locations.
The notes that users post in Socialight can be seamlessly posted in a variety of social networking environments. My note was posted easily on Facebook. See the bottom post below.
For more on the Project Runway partnership, see the Wireless section below.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
BROADCAST/CABLE
Writers Guild of America writers picketing at the World of Disney store in Manhattan on Wednesday distributed a leaflet saying that Disney has projected $1.5 billion in digital revenue. Disney immediately issued a rebuttal: “The WGA leadership is deliberately distorting the facts.” (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i025192b39d66ffb521b4155fcabf3992 11/15)
Some 75% of Americans say they are “not very concerned” about the Hollywood writers strike, says a study by Pepperdine University. Also: A report by Magna Global projects that if the strike continues through May, the prime-time audience decline will average 9% per month. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/14/AR2007111402371.html 11/15, http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2007/11/15/2007-11-15_scribes_could_pen_end_to_network_dominan.html 11/15)
Upstart entertainment Web sites like Break.com hope to benefit from the Hollywood writers strike by luring both television viewers and out-of-work scribes. The current strike may bring attention to webisode sites; cable TV rose in prominence during the writers strike of the late 1980s. (http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB119509014459193579.html 11/15)
Back in 1984 when cable was still relatively new, there was a law passed that reads in essence, once the cable industry surpasses the 70% US households served mark, the FCC gets more regulatory power over the industry. The reminder of that law is contained in the FCC’s annual report and that report will be presented to the full Commission on November 27, according to a Reuters report. As you might imagine, several from the cable side are more than a little concerned at this prospect. One of the new regulations that is already on the Nov 27 agenda as a result of this law is a proposal from FCC Chairman Kevin Martin that would require cable operators to charge programmers less for leasing spare channels.
Elsewhere at the FCC, Chairman Martin has relaxed his stand on the cross-ownership rules of owning a television station and the local newspaper in the same market. His latest proposal allows for the cross-ownership in the top 20 markets, and while it can also happen in the smaller markets, there are some pretty hefty rules you have to get pass. For instance, for Tribune which owns the Fox and CW stations in the Hartford-New Haven market, as well as the local Hartford Courant, for it to hold on to all of these assets, there are some criteria it needs to meet. For instance, if a newspaper is being acquired there must be at least “8 independent voices” beyond the acquisition; and if a station is being purchased it cannot be one of the “top 4″ watched stations in the market. A vote is scheduled for December 18. (http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-fcc-chairman-proposes-relaxing-consolidation-rules-in-major-media-marke 11/13)
HBO and ABC had the most shows nominated in the TV categories of the 2008 Producers Guild of America Awards, with four nominations each. NBC follows with three nominations, while Bravo, the Discovery Channel, CBS and Fox ranked third with two apiece. Showtime and Comedy Central received one nomination each. (The Hollywood Reporter 11/15)
Monday night’s premiere of The Salt-N-Pepa Show on VH1 (10p) delivered 1.9 million total viewers and earned a 1.1 A18-49 rating with 1.2 million A18-49 viewers.
A little program juggling at MTV – the newest scripted series on the schedule, Kaya, has been taken off of Mondays at 1030p where it enjoyed a lead-in of The Hills, and will land on Saturdays at 10p as of November 24. Additionally, the reality series Making Menudo has been moved to daytime, airing at 3pm starting this week. This marks the third move for this show which debuted in late October on Thursdays at 1030p, then was moved to Sunday mornings at 930am.
British Chef Jamie Oliver crosses the pond again to introduce a new series for the Food Network, Jamie At Home, premiering January 12 at 930a. This new 30m series joins the network’s In the Kitchen daytime block and will showcase Jamie in his home as he cooks using produce from his own country garden.
MTV and VH1 have an exclusive first look production deal for reality TV projects with actor Jamie Foxx and FoxxKing Entertainment. The pact includes executive producer services attached to developing, supervising, producing and consulting on MTV and VH1 branded programming. The first project emanating from this deal is From Gs to Gents about a group of guys competing to become gentlemen.
TV One and Disney-ABC Domestic Television have struck a multiyear deal to bring Disney shows and movies to the black-skewing cable channel later this fall. The deal includes the claymation comedy “The PJs” and “Where I Live,” which features Doug E. Doug, as well as theatricals such as “Glory Road” and “Crimson Tide.” (The Hollywood Reporter 11/15)
Cablevision Systems is expected to announce Thursday the launch of Caller ID on iO TV, which provides incoming call information on a subscriber’s television screen, available at no additional charge to customers of the operator’s triple-play bundle. (http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6501293.html 11/14)
Cable company RCN is boosting its commitment to video-on-demand with the purchase of new transmission devices from Harmonic. The devices will upgrade RCN’s capabilities in a variety of VOD-related functions, including multiplexing, program routing and RF upconversion. (Broadcasting & Cable 11/14)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Fox and Microsoft have come up with a new way to permit copying of DVDs to PCs. The upcoming release of Live Free or Die Hard on Nov. 20 will allow consumers who buy the DVD to make a digital copy to their PC or other USB-attached device running Microsoft’s PlaysforSure DRM technology. Users must simply enter in the serial code printed on the package and they’re good to go. Unfortunately PlayforSure is not currently compatible with the Apple iPod, Sony PSP or even the newly revamped Microsoft Zune, but the concept is promising.
While NBC Universal and News Corp. are the majority owners of the new online-video hub Hulu, programming from rival networks CBS and ABC are also accessible through the site. Hulu appears to be developing a name for itself as a place to find online video from shows on any network. (http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=121925 11/12)
This is a very smart way to conduct yourself Hulu, especially if you want to be the portal to all video content on the internet. I searched for “Grey’s Anatomy” and found a list of items that could be played off of the Hulu site. Very nice. If this keeps up, Hulu will be my first stop for all video content. This one-stop aggregator experience is exactly what I was looking for on the internet to simplify my online experience. Thank you Hulu.
YouTube co-founder Steve Chen, speaking at the NewTeeVee Live conference, confirms that high-quality YouTube video streams are coming soon. The service is testing a player that detects the speed of the viewer’s Internet connection and serves up higher-quality video if they want it. (http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9817732-7.html 11/14)
A California (web) surfer filed suit in state court against Comcast on Tuesday for limiting access to peer-to-peer video sites, arguing such blocking violates federal law and the company’s ads touting “crazy fast speeds” are misleading. In court documents Jon Hart writes he specifically upgraded to Comcast’s Performance Plus service to use such services, and nothing in Comcast’s terms of agreement mentioned limiting traffic. Comcast has denied that it targets P2P users when limiting bandwidth, but independent tests have found otherwise. Wired.com has posted a faxed copy of the suit here. (http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071114-comcast-hit-with-class-action-lawsuit-over-traffic-blocking.html 11/14)
MTV Networks’ Logo produced its first scripted online comedy, Big Straight Sketch Show available now only on Logoonline.com. It’s a mockumentary-style show within a show parodying the straight life of a Logo programming exec. Eight 4 1/2 minute episodes will appear in all, timed with the DVD release of season one of the linear Big Gay Sketch Show this week.
Episode 1. . .not so funny. Episode 2. . .MUCH better.
Fluid announced the launch of Audiobox.tv, a new music/video mashup tool that allows users to upload video online then select and mix tracks from Fluid’s extensive original music catalog.
In a new twist for Bravo, viewers will get the chance to select two of the participants for the upcoming competition series Make Me A Supermodel. The series debuts in January, yet viewers can go to www.BravoTV.com now through November 26 and vote for one male and female out of six finalists who will become contestants on the show and compete for $100,000. Hosted by supermodels Niki Taylor and Tyson Beckford, Make Me A Supermodel is produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, a division of IMG Media.
Custom 3D avatar creator Meez has partnered with AboveTheLine.TV’s “Antics Animated Music Video Contest” to enable users to create animated music videos using Meez’s animation technology. Emmy winning animator Phil Roman will judge the contest.
Om Malik, the former Business 2.0 writer and founder of tech blog GigaOM and its video-convergence spinoff NewTeeVee, is announcing a new round of funding. The amount is said to be more than $1 million, coming largely from GigaOM’s current investor True Ventures. (http://www.beet.tv/2007/11/gigaom-raises-1.html 11/14)
Online advertising is poised to disrupt the traditional television ad business, say participants in a panel discussion on video production during the OMMA Video conference. The production cost of an online video ad is about “one-eighth or even one-tenth” of a traditional TV spot. (http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=71066 11/15)
Google, AOL and other online advertising companies would fare better in a U.S. recession than Internet companies did during a collapse of the industry in 2000, says a report by Sanford C. Bernstein. Internet ad spending is forecast to increase “even in the face of an overall ad downturn.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aG60L_ZhCQbo 11/14)
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama visited Google’s Mountain View, Calif., campus on Wednesday. “We need to make sure that the next Google happens here in America,” he told hundreds of Google employees. Hillary Clinton, John McCain and other candidates have visited Google as well. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/services/newspaper/printedition/thursday/chi-google_thursnov15,0,1097323.story 11/15)
Photo Credit: Jann Schwarz
AT&T is joining Disney affiliate Steamboat Ventures as an investor in Vobile, a company that markets a technology that tracks video content. The total outside investment is said to be less than $10 million. Vobile specializes in identifying pirated movies on the Internet. (http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1442690120071114 11/14)
The new LaunchBox Digital, which aims to fund digital start-ups, is founded by former IAC/InterActiveCorp exec Julius Genachowski, Away Network founder Sean Greene, and former AOL exec John McKinley. LaunchBox plans to hold a contest to select entrepreneurs to receive funding. (http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSN1422034120071114 11/14)
eMarketer is projecting spending on recorded music worldwide will drop from $31.8 billion in 2006 to $26.6 billion in 2010, predicting that digital downloads, ringtones and subscription services will fail to keep up with the losses in CD sales.
Higher broadband penetration among African Americans, Hispanics and inner-city youth are spurring hip hop entrepreneurs to launch media-rich social web sites targeting the urban youth demo, reports Business Week. Sites include Russell Simmons and Accel Ventures’ Global Grind, MC Hammer’s DanceJam and Damon Dash’s BlockSavvy.com.
Top Visited US Broadcast Network TV Show Websites (Week ending November 10, 2007)
Rank Network Website Market Share of Visits
1 ABC Dancing With The Stars 15.8%
2 CBS NCIS 15.1%
3 NBC Deal or No Deal 7.2%
4 NBC Heroes 5.1%
5 ABC The Bachelor 3.8%
6 FOX America’s Most Wanted 3.1%
7 NBC The Office 2.5%
8 ABC Grey’s Anatomy 2.4%
9 NBC The Biggest Loser 1.9%
10 CBS CSI 1.8%
Source: Custom report from Hitwise
Filed under: WIRELESS
WIRELESS
Nokia has unveiled a new high-end mobile phone with a 5-megapixel camera and a built-in GPS navigation system. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/14/Nokia-unveils-successor-to-N95-phone_1.html?source=NLC-WIRELESS&cgd=2007-11-15 11/15)
An increasing number of users are updating or accessing their online social network, such as MySpace, via cellphone. Mobile social networking “is where the Internet was in 1994,” says TNL.net analyst Tristan Louis. The challenge: turning mobile networking into a profitable venture. (http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/2007-11-13-moible-networking_N.htm 11/14)
MTV Networks launched a new mobile social network with Intercasting Corp. targeting bi-cultural Hispanics. Con3xion, positioned as an extension to MTV’s Tr3s network, will utilize Intercasting’s Anthem platform to allow users to view and post photos, messages, comments and profiles integrated with Tr3s programming. (http://www.adweek.com/aw/national/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003672316 11/14)
Bravo launched a mobile fan club for Project Runway fans offering exclusive video and interaction with designers and partnered with Socialight.com to highlight actual locations featured on the show. Bravo also unveiled an online component to its Make Me A Supermodel competition series, enabling viewers to cast votes for this season’s 6 finalists.
After a much ballyhooed announcement last July that saw Sprint Nextel and Clearwire promise a nationwide rollout of high-speed mobile WiMax by the end of 2008, the deal between the two companies has officially fallen through. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/12/Sprint-hints-at-cutback-on-ambitious-nationwide-WiMax-rollout_1.html?source=NLC-WIRELESS&cgd=2007-11-15 11/12)
Microsoft and the GSM Association are promoting 3G mobile telecommunications by asking companies to build laptop PCs that automatically connect to the Internet wirelessly over mobile phone networks. (http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/13/Microsoft-GSMA-promote-3G-laptops_1.html?source=NLC-WIRELESS&cgd=2007-11-15 11/13)
M:Metrics launched its first mobile advertising tracking service collecting usage data on mobile display ad campaigns. It provides details on which mobile web sites ads are running on and which products are being advertised. (Mediaweek 11/14)
Four of the country’s largest cable companies have taken initial steps to form a partnership to develop their own mobile-phone service, according to this article. The joint venture involving Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Cox, and Advance/Newhouse is reportedly hiring telecommunications-industry experts to work on the project. (Houston Chronicle/Associated Press 11/14)
Filed under: GAMING
GAMING
Nintendo is marketing to women over 40 a yoga-training game that is part of its “Mind, Body and Console” series for the Wii. The game requires players to strike 5,000-year-old poses on top of a touch-sensitive mat, letting the game’s digital yogi master guide them to their center of balance. (The Times (London) 11/14)
A virtual yoga teacher takes Wii gamers through the moves
Sales of the Playstation in the U.S. rose sharply after Sony dropped its price by $100 in October, growing from about 40,000 to 100,000 units sold per week. The company hopes to make the product more attractive as it prepares to compete with Nintendo and Microsoft for holiday shoppers. (The New York Times/Associated Press 11/15)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
The PRS-505 can store up to 160 books in standard memory and turn 7,500 electronic pages on a single battery charge. At about $300 and a half-inch deep, the device has all the heft of a beach book and, unlike some displays, reads well in sunlight. (ABC News 11/14)
Sony is putting significant resources into CES this year, hoping to interest new media distributors in both its technology and content. Jerry Seinfeld and Tony Bennett are scheduled to perform at Sony’s 100,000 square ft. booth on Jan. 7 on behalf of SPT. Grammy winner Joshua Bell will perform in part to promote the VIAO Wireless Digital Streamer. And executives from partners AOL, Yahoo! and Grouper will be on hand to demonstrate Sony’s Xross Media Bar that enables users to watch HD internet video on a Bravia flat panel TV through a remote control interface.
