Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Many striking movie and television writers are expected to be back on their sets on Wednesday, pending the outcome of a guild membership vote on Tuesday on a new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. The agreement reportedly gives writers 2% of whatever fee a TV show’s producer is paid to permit streaming of the program on the Web, with this condition kicking in starting in the final year of the contract. (The New York Times 2/11, The Wall Street Journal 2/11, Advertising Age 2/11)
Standard & Poor’s says its ratings on Time Warner remain on negative watch, after the company last week announced likely restructuring moves in cable and AOL. Also: Time Warner has blown billions of dollars “chasing the wrong business model” with AOL, according to one rival exec. (http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/newstex/AFX-0013-22869783.htm 2/7, http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article3340944.ece 2/10)
NBC‘s coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics rolls out on 8-08-08, and among the NBC networks carrying the Games will be the newly-acquired Oxygen with two hours of gymnastics and other sports beginning each evening at 6p for a period of 10 days beginning August 11th. The other NBC networks carrying Game coverage are NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Telemundo, and NBC’s various HD networks. (Broadcasting & Cable 2/9)
Time Warner Cable has started rolling out the high-definition version of its new Start Over service, in which viewers can zip back to the beginning of a show whether they were watching it or not. The company expects to offer Start Over in most of its service area by the end of this year; the HD version currently is available in the South Carolina division only. (CED Magazine 2/8)
Kevin Martin, chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, is calling for the approval of Liberty Media’s purchase of a controlling stake in DirecTV from News Corp., with some conditions. Martin wants another Malone company to restructure or divest holdings in Puerto Rico. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=awKnmM7A7Hk4 2/8)
Comcast Spotlight acquired the remaining share of online/on demand automotive portal Vehix.com from the Ken Garff Automotive Group the MSO sales division did not already own. Vehix displays inventory from more than 3,000 car dealers, operating virtual multiplatform show rooms that aggregate content from J.D. Power & Assoc., Car and Driver and NADA Guides.
Transmission gaps could cause nearly 6 million TV households with digital receivers to lose some TV signals after the February 2009, DTV transition, according to a new study from Centris. The problem may force some viewers, even those who purchased converter boxes, also to acquire outdoor antennas to maintain their reception, according to the study. The New York Times (2/11)
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