Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Arts, Beverly Hills Hotel, Google, Mark Cuban, Sumner Redstone, Television, Tom Cruise, Viacom
Viacom chief Sumner Redstone and actor Tom Cruise are agreeing to put the past behind them after Redstone ended Viacom’s partnership with Cruise in 2006 because of his public behavior. Redstone says the two agreed to “renew” their relationship during lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel. (Iwantmedia 3/28, http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB120665977580270081.html 3/28)
HDNet founder Mark Cuban said Wednesday that the Internet was dead as an entertainment source and that cable companies had the best potential to offer high-definition and interactive-viewing experiences in the future. “You guys have the future right here, and you just don’t know it,” Cuban said at a cable show. “The Internet is dead. It’s had its time; say goodbye.” (San Antonio Express-News (Texas) 3/26)
Google TV Ads director Michael Steib says that the Web giant is eager to work with broadcasters to bring a much wider swath of the ad market onto television. Like Web ads, he says, Google’s television ads can be measured for accountability thanks to data pulled from set-top boxes. (Iwantmedia 3/28, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6545652.html 3/27)
Kyle Chandler, star of NBC’s Friday Night Lights, confirmed the drama will return to NBC for a third season in an interview for NPR’s Fresh Air program, reports B&C. Chandler said an agreement was reached regarding costs so the show can continue and he said production will resume in Austin this June. NBC has not made a statement about the series. (Cynopsis 3/28)
Speaking of baseball, overbuilder RCN is set to deliver up to 80 weekly out-of-market MLB Extra Innings games in its systems, including select games to be broadcast in HD. Comcast, Cox, Time Warner and Advance/Newhouse-owned In Demand will deliver the games in both standard and high def to cable operators, leaving it up to individual MSOs to decide whether or not they want to spend the extra bandwidth. A year ago fans were up at arms when MLB almost signed an exclusive deal with DirecTV for the Extra Innings package. (Cynopsis 3/28)
Unilever’s Dove brand and MTV have created a new microseries titled “Fresh Takes” and starring R&B singer Alicia Keys. The series, which will play out in three-minute episodes, premiered this week during MTV’s “The Hills.” (The Hollywood Reporter/Billboard 3/27)
The congressional fight over changes to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission’s media-ownership rules is headed for its first Senate vote next week. A “resolution of disapproval” is co-sponsored by several senators, including presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. (Iwantmedia 3/28, http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=125972 3/27)
Charter is now offering super high-speed Internet service in parts of its North Texas footprint. Charter’s High-Speed Internet Max, which offers download speeds as fast as 16 megabits per second, allows users to pull in a song in about three seconds. (The Dallas Morning News 3/27)
Comcast is upping its high-definition offerings in California, with HD versions of nine channels going into service as early as Monday. The move involves popular networks such as Discovery Channel, HGTV, USA, Food Network, Sci-Fi, TLC, ABC Family, Disney Channel and Discovery Science. (The Sacramento Bee (Calif.) 3/28)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: CBS, H.264, H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, HD, High-definition television, Hulu, Streaming, Video
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
CBS released a high definition player yesterday in the labs area of their site, along with a few clips. They are currently streaming (not progressive download) in H.264/AVC format at 480p, with 720p and 1080p coming soon, they say.Hulu and others are also beginning to test high definition streaming. Some shows on Hulu, for example, are optionally available in 480p format. They also have a few clips available in 720p. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/27/cbs-testing-high-def-streaming/ 3/27)
Techcrunch learned yesterday that Warner Music, the third largest music label, is gunning for a $5/month music tax on U.S. residents. Some of the details were in the article: they’ve hired industry veteran Jim Griffin to create a new entity around the project, presumably to get other labels involved. Griffin threw out the idea of a $5/month tax (which would be added to people’s ISP bill), generating $20 billion/year in revenues. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/the-music-tax-details-of-the-plan-they-dont-want-you-to-know/ 3/28)
Sony BMG is in talks with other music labels and partners to offer an online music subscription service. Warner Music Group is also discussing a subscription service, at a cost of perhaps $5 a month added to Internet bills, that would allow users to download and share music. (Iwantmedia 3/28, http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-music28mar28,1,1966017.story 3/28)
The record labels love to sue Michael Robertson, the founder of MP3.com (sold to Vivendi in 2001 for $372 million) who now incubates a number of Web startups. One of them is MP3Tunes, which is billed as a music storage locker. But the record labels still don’t like it. EMI is suing MP3Tunes for copyright infringement and demanded that the service turn over the more than 100 million music files stored in all 125,000 MP3Tunes accounts. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/emi-suffers-a-setback-in-case-against-mp3tunes/ 3/28)
Showtime is hoping to trump up interest in season two of The Tudors offering the first episode for free on over 60 partner sites including Yahoo, MSN, AOL and the CBS Audience Network. Original episodes will be available for purchase throughout the season (which kicks off Sunday night) on iTunes, Amazon’s Unbox and (for Showtime subscribers) via Comcast, DirecTV and Charter portals. (Cynopsis 3/28)
Preview of the New Season of Tudors
CPM rates remain miniscule on social networks despite amazing membership growth, according to a report in Wired. Display ads on MySpace, Facebook and Bebo managed only 13 cents/1,000 impressions. Yahoo’s CPM is estimated at $13. Video ads on MySpace TV run just $25/1,000 views. Local media sites and professional social network Linkedin are faring much better, charging as much as $75/1,000 views or impressions. (Cynopsis 3/28)
Illustration: Nate Williams
If Yahoo agrees to Microsoft’s buyout offer, the deal would still have to be pass muster with antitrust regulators here in the U.S, in Europe, and in China. As John Markoff points out in the NYT, a new Chinese law that will go into effect in August gives the Chinese government regulatory oversight over any merger that “involve acquisitions of Chinese companies or foreign businesses investing in Chinese companies’ operations.” Yahoo owns a big stake in Chinese Web marketplace Alibaba, which also runs Taobao, Alipay and Yahoo China. It is unclear what China’s position would be on a Microsoft-Yahoo merger, but it could be the first big test of how it is going to exert its new regulatory muscles. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/could-china-throw-a-wrench-in-microsofts-yahoo-deal/ 3/28)
Time Warner’s AOL wants to benefit from the takeover battle for Yahoo, says European division CEO Dana Dunne. Advertisers may prefer AOL as the struggle between Microsoft and Yahoo will tie up both companies. Microsoft’s hostile bid offers a “unique chance to convey our message.” (Iwantmedia 3/28, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aUNKeSO3g8uE 3/28)
Filed under: WIRELESS
Warner Bros. Domestic Television’s TMZ and TMZ.com launched an ad-supported, cross-carrier mobile website for the show, delivering breaking celebrity news and on demand video to handsets. The site, accessible by typing tmz.com into a web-enabled phone, was designed by Quattro Wireless, which will also serve ads, along with AOL subsidiary Platform A’s Third Screen Media. (Cynopsis 3/28)
AT&T is scheduled to launch its mobile-TV service in May and will use Qualcomm’s MediaFLO network to air live video to mobile phones. At least eight channels have agreed to provide programming, which includes full-length TV episodes and sporting events, the company said. (Multichannel News 3/27, The Wall Street Journal 3/28)
Loopt, a mobile social network that can be used to see where your friends are currently located, has partnered with Verizon to put its software on that carrier’s phones. It’s a big win for Loopt since Verizon has more location-aware handsets than any other carrier. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/28/loopt-embraced-by-verizon-starts-to-spread-its-wings/ 3/28)
North Carolina-based TapRoot Systems aims to bring software to market that will turn Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 smartphones into hot spots. The goal is to eventually have a handset support access for up to five Wi-Fi users, according to this article. (Google/Associated Press 3/26)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Blu-Ray, Blu-ray Disc, HD, HD DVD, HDTV, Home Entertainment, Sony, Toshiba
Helped by a strong first week for Oscar-winner “No Country for Old Men,” sales of Blu-ray discs have topped 3 million this year — 9 million overall — and are on pace to reach 15 million this year, according to HMR Research. Before Toshiba‘s waving the white flag on the rival HD DVD format, the best first-week sales for a Blu-ray disc had peaked at 30,000, HMR reported. (Electronic House/High-Def Digest 3/27)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Arts, Chris Lilley, HBO, Hills, MTV, MTV.com, Summer Heights High, Television
Monday’s episode of MTV’s “The Hills” pulled in an average 4.8 million total viewers, its biggest audience ever, according to Nielsen. The following day, the episode was downloaded 1.8 million times at MTV.com. The New York Times/Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (3/27)
For the full season 3 premiere, click below.
HBO picked up the Australian comedy series Summer Heights High, an eight-episode mocumentary which will join the late-night Friday comedy block this June. Created, written and performed by comedian Chris Lilley, Summer Heights High depicts high school through three characters all played by Lilley: a flighty drama teacher, a snooty female exchange student and a break-dance loving delinquent. The twist of this series is that it was shot on location at a real high school with actual students and faculty interacting with Lilley’s characters. Also joining the HBO’s late-night Friday block will be the new animated comedy The Life and Times of Tim, produced by MRC, about an ordinary guy whose instincts keep him on the wrong path. (Cynopsis, 3/27, The Hollywood Reporter 3/26)
Summer Heights High
Discovery Channel begins the first of six new episodes of Man vs. Wild on May 2 at 9p. Adventurer Bear Grylls is back for the second season taking on the Siberian Tundra, flash floods in Southern Africa to an earthquake prone region of Indonesia. The series is produced by Diverse Productions. (Cynopsis, 3/27)
Man vs. Wild: To Pee or Not to Pee
The broadcast networks, ramping up production following the Hollywood writers’ strike, are finding that most of the 10 comedies and dramas launched in the last three months — such as NBC’s high-profile Internet pickup “quarterlife” — are striking out with viewers. (Iwantmedia.com 3/27, http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSN2745783820080327 3/27)
NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker is said to be appearing in an on-air promo slated to air April 3 before the return of NBC’s “My Name is Earl.” In it, “JZ,” as he calls himself, offers a recap of the show’s fall season, as well as some zingers about the Hollywood writers’ strike. (Iwantmedia.com 3/27, http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/has-nbc-unis-jeff-zucker-lost-his-mind 3/26)
Apparently, Zucker has lost all touch with reality. This promo seems more like a local insurance commercial rather than a network promo. Dear Mr. Media Executive, Please let the actors do their jobs while you continue to do yours. Things get all murky when y’all think you can act.
ABC socked away two more pilots. The first is an untitled comedy from Dave Hemingson produced by 20th Century Fox TV about a young law school graduate with a middle-class background who goes to work for a boutique firm in Los Angeles. The other pilot is Prince of Motor City produced by ABC Studios from Jessica Goldberg and Hamish Linklater. Prince is a take-off of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set in Detroit’s auto industry. (Cynopsis, 3/27)
Comedy Central ordered two new series that had appeared on its recently announced development slate: David Alan Grier’s Chocolate News and Reality Bites. (Cynopsis, 3/27)
FX made a preemptive offer for 15 theatrical titles from Universal, many of which have not yet been released. Titles include The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Wanted, Hellboy II: The Golden Army and Leatherheads. The license fee for the four year package will end up at a minimum of $115 million, based on the total domestic box office receipts. Universal retains the rights to carve out a separate broadcast license deal as well as another cable license deal. Additionally, Universal granted FX free VOD rights to the movies for a set period during the four-year term. (Cynopsis 3/27, Variety 3/26)
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Just days after several top cable firms accused Verizon of improperly contacting customers after they agreed to try the cable companies’ VoIP services, Verizon has asked the FCC to force cable companies to immediately disconnect their customers if they switch to the telecom’s video offerings. But NCTA Vice President of Communications Brian Dietz said, “Verizon’s fairy tale complaint is a lame attempt to deflect criticism from its years-long illegal practice of misusing proprietary information to prevent consumers from switching to a new phone provider.” The (Washington Post 3/27)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Amazon MP3, David Pakman, Digital rights management, DRM, EMI, EMusic, ITunes Store, Warner Music Group
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Amazon‘s DRM-free music sales outlet Amazon MP3 overtook eMusic as the #2 online music outlet and is now second only to iTunes just 6 months after launching, reports USA Today. Amazon has deals in place with Warner Music, Sony/BMG and Universal, offering a catalog of about 4.5 million DRM free songs. Apple, which still controls 80% of the digital download market, offers about 2 million DRM free tracks, including EMI and indie labels, according to the article. eMusic CEO David Pakman disputes the findings in his company’s blog, 17dots. (Cynopsis Digital, 3/27, USA TODAY 3/25)
Forget the traditional radio premiere: R.E.M.’s new album, “Accelerate,” debuted on the social networking application iLike. The roll-out, the first of its kind for a major act, will allow fans to stream and share “Accelerate” in its entirety beginning March 24, a week ahead of the album’s April 1 release date.
I will say this, finding the album on iLike was not as easy as clicking my heels together and googling “R.E.M. Accelerate.” Instead, I had to google “R.E.M.” and “iLike” which seems to demonstrate that I, the typical music fan, would need to remember where exactly I had heard the album was debuting one week early. Hmmm. This R.E.M. album is an interesting temptation back to the sound of their past. It’s the end of the world as we know it and frankly that’s alright with me.
Shares of Google declined after a report by comScore showed slower growth in the number of people clicking on Internet advertisements in February, the second straight month of disappointing results. Google got about 99% of its $16.6 billion in sales last year from online ads. (Iwantmedia.com 3/27, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=amGIKMv25vHI 3/27)
Barack Obama sure knows how to capitalize on his celebrity fame in order to fundraise for his campaign. Anyone who makes a donation from now until 11:59 EST on Monday March 31st will be entered into a sweepstakes to have dinner with the candidate. The contribution amount does not matter. One entry per donation.
YouTube has rolled out a new tool designed to help content producers, advertisers and media planners analyze viewer traffic. The free YouTube Insight provides metrics on the popularity and effectiveness of clips or ads and offers publishers specific data such as days when traffic spikes, U.S. states that demand the most streaming or the duration when a clip remains popular. (Mediaweek 3/27, The Wall Street Journal 3/27)
(Below) Glad to see Comcast finally trying to attack the problem by working with the network rather than against it. VERY impressive new strategy by a generally conservative distributor. Props Comcast. Props.
Comcast and file-sharing firm BitTorrent have entered into an agreement to work together on issues related to management of online traffic. Executives hope the collaboration results in BitTorrent’s technology running more efficiently on Comcast’s broadband network and enabling Comcast to handle higher numbers of video files, particularly during peak usage times. (The Wall Street Journal 3/27)
As Techcrunch alluded to in an earlier post, online photo-editing applications keep getting better as the competition heats up between startups like Picnik and FotoFlexer. Today, a very large competitor, Adobe, is entering the market by releasing a Web-based version of Photoshop for editing pictures called Photoshop Express. It is in public beta and anyone can sign up. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/26/adobe-unveils-webtop-version-of-photoshop-picnik-is-not-scared 3/26)
April 1st marks the kick off of a new season of Sundance Channel‘s The Green block, but viewers can get a free sneak peek of the documentary series Big Ideas for a Small Planet on iTunes this week. Subsequent episodes go on sale for $1.99 a day after they air. (Cynopsis Digital, 3/27)
Former AOL directors Laurence Hooper and Dan Goodman are launching a new venture on Facebook. Their startup, Loladex, is a local search engine that uses recommendations and ratings from online social networking platforms to return more specific results. (Iwantmedia.com 3/27, http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2008/03/24/daily32.html 3/26)
I like the functionality of the application but I’m just wondering if anyone thinks about the design element here. Can’t anyone apart from iLike design an application that’s pleasurable to look at? One other thing about Loladex that needs to be fixed: the application lists restaurants as my recommendations on my Mini-Feed even if I give a restaurant a thumbs down.
It takes either a very brave or very foolish company to enter the browser wars. But that is exactly what AT&T is doing—in a small way. I was just shown a demo for Pogo, a 3D browser based on Mozilla that is in private beta (we should be getting invites in a couple weeks). It is a project that comes out AT&T’s business development group and Vizible, a Toronto-based company whose 3-D rendering engine gives Pogo a very different look than other browsers. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/26/att-is-working-on-its-own-3d-browser-pogo-what-are-they-thinking 3/26)
Guinness World Records TV, already available on YouTube and Joost, added channels on Dailymotion and Veoh this week. Plans include launching language specific channels with the platforms. (Cynopsis Digital, 3/27)
ROO Group signed a deal to integrate Viewdle‘s white-label facial recognition search software into its media player environment. The software will be able to search faces instead of just metadata tags. (Cynopsis Digital, 3/27)
Online video views recovered in February, according to the latest Nielsen VideoCensus results. A total of 115.8 million users (down from 116.7 million in Jan.) watched 6.3 million streams (compared to 5.9 million last month.) YouTube increased its share of worldwide videos served on the web significantly. The sites were responsible for 2.9 million videos (48.5% of all videos, compared to 42.9% last month) and 70 million of the web’s 115.8 million unique video viewers. (Cynopsis Digital, 3/27)
Top Brands by Video Streams for Feb. 2008
Name Total Streams (000) Unique Viewers (000)
YouTube 2,918,799 70,222
Fox Interactive Media 405,996 21,028
Yahoo! 244,784 21,220
MSN/WindowsLive 163,812 9,323
Nickelodeon Kids & Family 155,961 5,769
Google 122,948 18.638
Disney Online 121,933 9,606
Turner Entertainment New Media 96,991 6,850
ESPN 84,053 4,464
AOL Media Network 81,537 11,469
Source: Nielsen Online VideoCensus
Filed under: WIRELESS
Motorola introduced six new products and technologies Wednesday, including its first mobile TV with a touchscreen interface. Dubbed the Mobile TV DH02, the phone cannot actually access digital-TV signals until U.S. regulators allocate spectrum for the broadcasts, but Motorola is confident a standard will emerge by early next year. (Computerworld 3/26)
WiMax is going nowhere fast but that is not stopping a consortium of cable and tech companies from considering a plan to invest $3 billion more into a proposed bailout-through-merger of Sprint Nextel’s WiMax business (known as Xohm) and Craig McCaw’s Clearwire. The consortium that is reportedly being put together would include Comcast ($1 billion), Intel ($1 billion), Time Warner Cable ($500 million), Bright House Networks and Google ($500 million). (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/03/26/why-cable-and-wimax-shouldnt-mix 3/26)
