Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Disney will merge its digital media and video gaming units under one banner: the Disney Interactive Media Group. The move combines the company’s online, mobile and video gaming efforts and will be run by Steve Wadsworth, formerly president of the Walt Disney Internet Group. (paidContent.org 6/4)

Shares of Disney rose the most in almost three months on speculation its ABC unit is commanding advance advertising rates above analysts’estimates. ABC may boost rates 8% to 10% from a year earlier, which is “much stronger than even the most ardent bulls anticipated.” (Iwantmedia 6/5 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601213&sid=a.9lUowHBQXc 6/4)

Joe Scarborough‘s “Morning Joe” talk show on MSNBC averaged 360,000 viewers during the recently concluded May sweeps period. That’s about what his predecessor, Don Imus, was posting and, according to this article, Scarborough’s performance so far has exceeded the expectations of the cable company and its parent, NBC Universal. (The New York Times 6/5)

Joe Scarborough, the host of the three-hour talk show “Morning Joe,” on MSNBC.

Librado Romero/The New York Times

Showtime has greenlighted 12 episodes of “The United States of Tara,” a comedy about a woman with multiple personalities. Executive producers will include Steven Spielberg, who hasn’t held that title on a TV show since “Taken,” which had a limited run on the Sci Fi Channel in 2002. (Variety 6/4)

The Travel Channel has launched a video-on-demand service in high definition, which will be distributed by TVN Entertainment. The channel, now available to more than 91 million homes, features shows such as “Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations,” “Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern” and “Samantha Brown’s Passport.” (Multichannel News 6/4)

Vin Di Bona Productions acquired the rights to the Japanese competition series Masquerade from Nippon TV, which has been on the air in that country since 1979. Competitors perform live acts with the help of “invisible” people dressed to blend into the background or act as props all in the effort to trick the eye. Some of the segments have gotten millions of hits on YouTube such as this on depicting a “ping pong game”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dcmDscwEcI&feature=relatedlinks . (Cynopsis 6/5)

Seriously amazing stuff.

According to media agencies, FOX is netting 35%-40% pricing premiums for its two new series Fringe (set to debut this fall) and Dollhouse (premiering midseason) that are part of the network’s Remote Free TV scheme, reported Mediaweek. In each of these shows, FOX is running half the number of commercials and promos in an effort to increase viewership. Reports indicate FOX has sold nearly 70% of its upfront primetime inventory and could wrap up by tomorrow, bringing in CPM increases in the low double digits (including the Remote Free TV numbers). (Cynopsis 6/5)

TBS and CBS have come up with a unique promotional deal in which both sides swap TV time but no cash is exchanged. First, on Monday, CBS will air a repeat episode of TBS’ “The Bill Engvall Show” and Turner will get to promote the series’upcoming season; then CBS will get to run a major marketing campaign for its upcoming lineup on TBS this fall. (Variety 6/4)

What is Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer’s outlook for the future of media? “In the next 10 years, the whole world of media [is] going to be turned upside down. There will be no newspapers, no magazines that are delivered in paper form. There are going to be far more producers of content.” (Iwantmedia 6/5 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060403770.html 6/5)

Time Warner expects its Time Inc. publishing unit to be a “growth business,” says CFO John Martin. He does not, however, rule out the sale of certain magazine titles. (Iwantmedia 6/5 http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/time-warner-cfo-time-inc/story.aspx?guid=%7B2A373FA1%2DEB25%2D43BC%2DB95E%2D1C1603576EAB%7D 6/5)

E.W. Scripps CEO Kenneth Lowe says discussions are intensifying on buying the 31% stake in the Food Network held by Sam Zell’s Tribune, but no deal is imminent. He adds that the newly formed Scripps Networks Interactive is “not for sale and won’t be for the foreseeable future.” (Iwantmedia 6/5 http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=athaf_jevJj8 6/4)

John Malone-controlled Liberty Media and Advance/Newhouse Communications will combine their shares in Discovery Communications, allowing the company to go ahead with its plan to become publicly traded, according to this report. The news came on the same day that Discovery launched Planet Green, the first such launch under David Zaslav, who will remain chief executive officer of the public entity. (The Washington Post 6/5, (The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires 6/4)