Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
NBC clarified things vis-a-vis the Upfronts. The network will forgo its usual dog and pony show and instead schedule a series of one-on-one client meetings in New York, LA and Chicago, culminating in an event on May 12 in Manhattan that will showcase the “platforms and capabilities” of the NBC group as a whole. Digital properties, out of home assets, wireless and mobile offerings will be emphasized as integral parts of integrated campaigns in this new “customer-first” approach. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/business/media/20adco.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 2/20)
The 100-day Hollywood writers strike took a $2.5 billion toll on the Los Angeles County economy. The cost of the walkout was previously estimated at $3.2 billion. The last writers strike, a 153-day walkout in 1988, resulted in an estimated $500 million in lost wages. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080219/ap_en_mo/hollywood_labor 2/19)
Martha Stewart Omnimedia has acquired the licensing rights to some of The Food Network star Emeril Lagasse’s far-flung assets, including TV shows, Web sites, cookbooks and food products. The deal, estimated to be worth $50 million, does not affect Lagasse’s relationship with The Food Network, which currently is producing “The Essence of Emeril.” (Multichannel News 2/19)
FOX ordered many current series, such as Bones, House, Back to You and ‘Til Death, back into production and also announced premiere dates this spring for other new series.
USA Network has ordered up another season of Monk from Universal Media Studios with Mandeville Films and ABC Studios. The 7th season is scheduled to debut this May. Also scheduled to launch this spring/summer on USA are the new series The Starter Wife and In Plain Sight as well as new seasons of Psyche, Burn Notice and Law & Order: Criminal Intent.
TNT’s Sunday telecast of the NBA All-Star game was a slam dunk with the key 18-to-34 demographic, according to Nielsen Media Research. Total adult viewership, ages 18 to 34, was up 18%, to 2.28 million, from the previous year, and males in that category increased 20%, to 1.47 million. (Mediaweek 2/19)
Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes should sell AOL’s Internet access business, separate Time Warner Cable and focus on lifting returns at the company’s cable networks, says Sanford Bernstein analyst Michael Nathanson. The steps may get the company’s shares to “break out the multiyear funk.” (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=a3MM_.bjFfh0 2/19)
Starting March 17, Mel B (Melanie Brown) will become part of the Access Hollywood team as a guest correspondent to cover the new season of ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission is giving about 40 ABC affiliates until Feb. 21 to pay fines of $27,500 apiece for airing a bare behind in an episode of “NYPD Blue,” reaffirming its commitment to indecency regulation: Broadcast media “have a uniquely pervasive presence.” (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6533658.html 2/19)
DirecTV and Dish Network have partnered to block an FCC proposal that would require satellite operators to carry all broadcast HD signals in markets where they carry at least one outlet after the transition to digital. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., concerned that an HD requirement would cause such operators to abandon local markets, asked Chairman Kevin Martin, via a letter, to “closely examine” the proposal. (Broadcasting & Cable 2/19)
Cable provider Suddenlink Communications now has more than 100,000 customers for its Voice over Internet Protocol service. The company offers VoIP to about 80% of its 1.3 million subscribers, the vast majority of whom reside in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, West Virginia, North Carolina and California. (Multichannel News 2/19)
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