Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

More than 92% of the 3,775 television writers voted Tuesday night to end the 100-day strike that changed the media landscape on cable and broadcast networks and wreaked havoc on future production plans. On the cable side, most channels escaped costly development delays and still are expected to be able to premiere their new shows this summer. (ClipSyndicate/Associated Press 2/12,  The New York Times 2/13, Broadcasting & Cable 2/12)

During the writers strike, people watched a record number of online videos on sites like YouTube. Teens spent more time on social networking sites such as MySpace. Online game-playing surged. Even DVD sales, which had been in a slow decline, picked up in January. (http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-habits13feb13,1,5774009.story  2/13)

UBS analyst Michael Morris is raising his rating on Time Warner to buy from neutral, citing the company’s initial steps “toward sustainable improvement.” Morris says he would view a separation of AOL positively, “as it would facilitate increased focus on content.” (http://blogs.barrons.com/techtraderdaily/2008/02/12/time-warner-ubs-upgrades-bullish-on-shedding-aol  2/12)

The media industry is yet to figure out how to make a business out of the “long tail,” says Chris Anderson, the editor in chief of Wired and author of “The Long Tail,” while at the Radio Advertising Bureau conference in Atlanta. “We have not figured out how to scale it down.” (http://adage.com/adages/post?article_id=125021  2/12)

Verizon conducts systematic and illegal marketing tactics to retain telephone customers after they have switched to cable companies for voice services, according to a complaint filed with the FCC by Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Bright House. Verizon’s so-called “win-back” campaigns have resulted in the loss of thousands of new cable customers, the filing said. (Light Reading 2/12)

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin in House testimony today is expected to soften an earlier stance to require satellite-TV providers to carry local broadcast signals after the February 2009 digital transition, according to this article. Satellite companies such as DirecTV and Dish Network currently are not required to carry local stations, as is the cable industry. (Multichannel News 2/12)

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Bill Miller of U.S. asset manager Legg Mason — Yahoo’s second-biggest shareholder — says Microsoft must raise its unsolicited $41.6 billion takeover offer for the Internet firm. Miller estimates Yahoo’s fair value at $40 a share; Microsoft had offered $31 a share. (http://www.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUSN1226014320080212  2/12)

Yahoo and News Corp. are said to be in marathon talks to put together a bid to compete with Microsoft’s takeover offer. One possible deal structure would spin off Fox Interactive Media into Yahoo, along with a cash injection from News Corp. and an unnamed private equity fund. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/12/yahoo-and-news-corp-continue-marathon-discussions-possible-bid-to-counter-microsoft  2/12)

Yahoo on Tuesday began its previously announced layoffs of some 1,000 employees. Cuts are said to be hitting groups across the company, including media and search marketing. One exec says that managers have been told to lay off staffers without cutting projects that generate revenue. (http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/12/layoffs-across-yahoo-finally  2/12)

MySpace plans to announce the formation of a business incubator called SlingShot Labs to spawn Internet startups for parent News Corp.’s Web properties, which now include WSJ.com. Chief Rupert Murdoch and MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe plan to be closely involved. (http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/feb2008/tc20080212_308910.htm  2/13)

Viacom may have filed a $1 billion copyright lawsuit against YouTube, but the company’s MTV Networks isn’t at war with technology. MTV now offers an embeddable video player that allows users to post network content. Nowadays, says MTV boss Van Toffler, “cats have to marry dogs.” (http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9870641-7.html  2/12)

After Microsoft invested $240 million in Facebook last year, chief Bill Gates is said to have spent 30 minutes a day on the social-networking site. But Gates is no longer using Facebook after he started getting some 8,000 friend requests a day “and spotting weird fan sites about him.” (http://blogs.wsj.com/biztech/2008/02/12/bill-gates-quits-facebook  2/12)

See now.  Tila Tequila would be all over 8,000 requests a day. . .

IFC.com will launch its first-ever daily web series “Lunchbox“ on March 10 during the 2008 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film and Music Festival, which the network and site will cover extensively again this year. Lunchbox, an online news magazine covering trends in music, film, culture and politics, will coincide with the re-launch of IFC.com and air every weekday on IFC at 12pm ET/PT.

ABC.com is sharing the love with digital Valentines Day cards featuring photos of the stars from hit shows Lost, Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty. The site has also put together a series of video montages of some of the shows’ steamier scenes.

Massify.com is hosting The Ghosts in the Machine contest to help After Dark Films develop a feature length horror film entirely on the internet. Massify offers tools to create and submit story ideas and audition for the movie. One filmmaker will be selected to produce, and four actors will have the chance to star based on community input.

(Below) Once a cable affiliate is allowed to discriminate access of any kind to the internet, we are all in trouble.  Here’s the analogy.  Freedom of speech exists even when that speech is highly regarded as offensive to most.  No matter.  Freedom of speech should stand.  Why?  Because once that freedom is removed, the flood of restrictions keep coming.  No love for Comcast on this one.

Comcast is telling the U.S. Federal Communications Commission that hampering some file-sharing by its subscribers is a justifiable way to keep Web traffic flowing for everyone. The cable giant is being accused by consumer groups and law professors of breaching “‘Net Neutrality.” (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080213/ap_on_hi_te/comcast_data_discrimination  2/12)

Multimedia platforms will capture $12.6 billion in ad revenue by 2012 according to a new report from Parks Associates, with broadband revenues accounting for more than $6.6 billion of that total.

WIRELESS

Sony Ericsson has introduced its first Windows Mobile phone, a full-featured multimedia handset designed to take on Apple’s iPhone. The company took the wraps off its 5.1-ounce Xperia X1 and said it would begin marketing the phone in the second half of the year. (Yahoo!/Newsfactor.com 2/12)

Even as Bebo is rumoured to be in sale talks, it has today signed a deal to to allow its 40 million plus members to produce and share content on their mobile phones, reports TechCrunch UK. Bebo’s new client application for handsets is provided by Intercasting, which has the Anthem product for social sites. Yesterday Bebo said it had signed a distribution deal with T-mobile in the UK ,where it also has an existing partnership with operator Orange. In Ireland, Bebo is currently partnered with O2. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/02/13/bebo-extends-its-mobile-reach-as-sale-talks-buzz  2/13)

Yahoo! expects to launch its new oneConnect integrated cell phone service in the spring, the company announced, saying it will combine seamless e-mail, instant messaging and social networks with an open architecture. “The key driving force in opening up the platform is putting content into the device. No company can create these ecosystems alone. We have to be open,” Executive Vice President Marco Boerries said. (MSNBC/Associated Press 2/12)

RIM has blamed a software upgrade designed to speed up users’ e-mail handling for the three-hour blackout of its BlackBerry service Monday. The company had given a similar reason for the April 2007 outage that shut down service for 10 hours. (The New York Times 2/13)

AOL by midyear hopes to launch an open platform to enable third-party developers to create mobile applications. Programmers using the AOL Open Mobile Platform will have the option of incorporating AOL tools and services, including its ad platform, into their applications, according to this article. (InfoWorld/IDG News Service 2/12)

The iPhone will soon be able to support Adobe’s Flash format, according to Gearlive.com, opening it up to a world of online video content. So far only low quality H.264-formatted video has been viewable.

Nokia, one of the world’s largest mobile handset makers, is making a play to become one of the largest mobile advertising networks. Nokia is expanding its Nokia Media Network, which places ads on publishers’ mobile Web pages, with new publishers including Hearst, Reuters and Discovery. (http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3628406  2/12)

Nokia has allied with Google to integrate the search firm’s technology with the mobile-phone manufacturer’s own search services. (International Herald Tribune/Associated Press 2/12)

GAMING

Disney is looking to expand its gaming division by stepping outside its usual kid-friendly demographic. The company will release “Turok,” which carries a mature rating, under the Touchstone label, with the hopes of separating the title from the company’s more family-friendly games. (The Hollywood Reporter 2/13)

Gamers may interested to know that Electronic Arts officially confirmed the release of the highly anticipated but long delayed Spore on Sept. 7, simultaneously on PC, Mac, Nintendo DS and mobile.

Game developer Factor 5 is looking to disprove the industry opinion regarding the Nintendo Wii’s lack of visual appeal. “It inherently comes. But a lot of it is about exploiting the uniqueness of the Wii. I mean, on the graphical side, we’re going to try and do everything to outdo everything else on the platform, the same as we did for the Star Wars games back on the GameCube,” Factor 5 President Julian Eggebrecht said. (GameDaily BIZ 2/12)