Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Fans of the reality competition series Project Runway will turn to Lifetime Television starting November 2008, as the series moves to the female-targeted network with the opening of season six. Lifetime Networks and The Weinstein Company made a five year agreement for the series, and supermodel/host Heidi Klum and mentor to the contestants, Tim Gunn will remain with the series. One more season will air on Bravo before the series moves to Lifetime and launches there in November 2008. (Cynopsis 4/8, The New York Times 4/8, The Wall Street Journal 4/8)

Christian Siriano, a contestant, with a model in the “Project Runway” final show at Fashion Week in New York in February.

Jennifer Graylock/Associated Press

On the heels of this announcement, NBC Universal, which retains the rights for the show’s fifth season and encore airings, filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court against The Weinstein Company. NBC contains it had the right to meet or beat any offer by a competing network; Weinstein Co lawyers deny NBC had that right, and that NBC had turned down the same deal Weinstein Company ultimately struck with Lifetime. (Cynopsis 4/8, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=akJ62RV9xvjs 4/7)

Season two of NFL Network’s NFL’s Top 10 starts April 15 at 8p with the first of a two-part look at college football. The weekly countdown series focuses on a variety of NFL topics with commentary from network analysts, sports journalists, players, coaches and NFL insiders. (Cynopsis 4/8)

E! is developing a new reality series that will spotlight Pamela Anderson, the former leading lady of TV shows, a Playboy centerfold, three short marriages and an online sex tape. The show, tentatively titled “Pamela,” is set to launch this summer. (MSNBC/Reuters 4/7)

CBS is said to have held talks with Time Warner about a deal to outsource some of its news-gathering operations to CNN. The talks include reducing CBS’s news-gathering capacity while keeping top personalities like anchor Katie Couric. Also: CBS News says it has no plans to outsource to CNN. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/08/business/media/08cbs.html 4/8, Variety 4/7, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/07/national/main4000535.shtml 4/7)

As soon as April 21, Verizon will begin switching off analog FiOS TV channels in New York in preparation of next year’s digital switchover, reports Multichannel News. FiOS customers can go to Verizon.com/godigital for more info. (Cynopsis 4/8, CED Magazine 4/7)

Although 83% of teenagers like to watch their favorite shows on television, 44% say they also view programs on a desktop computer and 24% tune in with a laptop, according to a new study from the Cable & Telecommunications Association for Marketing. CTAM will host a webcast Thursday to provide “an in-depth look at the next generation of viewers.” (Multichannel News 4/7)