Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
“Top Chef” still has the recipe for success. Kicking off a new season this past Wednesday, the Bravo series averaged 2.26 million total viewers, 1.48 million 18- to 49-year-olds and 540,000 page views at BravoTV.com. (Mediaweek 3/13)
HBO again led all rivals in this year’s Sports Emmy nominations. The pay-cable channel received 31 nods — including five for its canceled “Inside the NFL” and five for “Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel” — and ESPN finished second with 27. (The Hollywood Reporter 3/14)
ABC ordered a pilot from Rob Thomas for Cupid, a revamped version of his short-lived 1998 ABC comedy series of the same name about a man who thinks he’s been sent by Zeus to unite 100 romantically-challenged couples. The project is from ABC Studios and Sony Pictures TV. This is the second project picked up this week for Rob Thomas, the other being the new Beverly Hills, 90210 for The CW.
ABC ordered a pilot from Rob Thomas for Cupid, a revamped version of his short-lived 1998 ABC comedy series of the same name about a man who thinks he’s been sent by Zeus to unite 100 romantically-challenged couples. The project is from ABC Studios and Sony Pictures TV. This is the second project picked up this week for Rob Thomas, the other being the new Beverly Hills, 90210 for The CW.
Paris Hilton returns to reality TV as MTV ordered a 10-episode series for fourth quarter called Paris Hilton’s My New BFF (wt). In the series, Paris will search for a new best friend among twenty wannabes who will live together in a house to compete for her attention with the winner getting the chance to go to parties and business functions with her. Produced by independent production company Ish Entertainment, the series will be paired with an online voting site ParisBFF.com which launched this week. Production is set to start in Los Angeles this spring.
The CW handed an eight-episode order to 13, a nonscripted horror-themed series from Sam Raimi and Jay Bienstock, who will both executive produce along with Robert Tapert, Raimi’s Ghost House Productions partner, says Variety. Casting is currently happening to find the show’s thirteen contestants.
NBC is reportedly looking at a pilot project starring Christian Slater in what would be his first television series, reports THR. From Universal Media Studios and writer/producer Jason Smilovic, the story revolves a perfectly normal, middle class husband and father, who realizes he is also an international spy.
Mergers and acquisitions in the media and entertainment field will be steady despite the recent credit crunch, predict several industry experts. The rationale: Media giants have become more active in pursuing digital companies as they embrace the digital future. (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3ida1d365b6d3f5717f6795450ff7a4ddc 3/14)
(Below) HURRAH to Verizon!
Verizon intends to work with peer-to-peer file sharers by helping those who share files legally to do it at greater speeds — company researchers say working with this group can increase download speed 60%, on average. “This test signifies a turning point in the history of peer-to-peer technology and ISPs,” said Robert Levitan, chief executive officer of file-sharing company Pando Networks. “It will definitely show ISPs that the problem is not peer-to-peer technology, the problem is how you deploy it. It is possible to deploy P2P to their advantage.” (cellular-news (U.K.)/Associated Press 3/14)
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts is seen as “guy shy” following the failed bid to acquire Disney four years ago. But media analyst Richard Greenfield argues that Comcast is in “strategic limbo” and that Roberts should be moving more forcefully into programming and the Web. (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_12/b4076048797854.htm 3/13)
The U.S. Government Accountability Office is issuing a 53-page report saying the Federal Communications Commission doesn’t properly collect and analyze data, making it impossible to analyze the effectiveness of its enforcement. But the FCC claims the report is based on inaccuracies. (http://www.informationweek.com/management/showArticle.jhtml;?articleID=206903626 3/14)
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