Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Academy Awards, Arts, California, HBO, James Gandolfini, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Twenty-five outfits worn by James Gandolfini in HBO’s The Sopranos were sold at a Christie’s charity auction yesterday which raised $187,750 for Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that helps wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. James Gandolfini attended the auction (which may have helped encourage the bidding) and vouched the outfits were genuine. What took the top bid? The ensemble Tony Soprano wore when he was shot by Uncle Junior went for a cool $43,750. (Cynopsis 6/26)
MTV’s season two debut of Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew on June 19 (10p) delivered a 2.3 P12-34 rating and averaged more than 2.3 million total viewers. (Cynopsis 6/26)
VH1′s “Critics’ Choice Awards” show has been scheduled for Jan. 8 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in California. The annual event typically is seen as the first indication of how the Academy Awards field will shape up in the new year. (TVWeek.com 6/25)
While younger audiences drive growth in digital and mobile media, consumers over the age of 50 continue to devote “significant attention” to the more traditional formats, says a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The growing 50+ population will “help sustain” traditional media. (http://blogs.mediapost.com/research_brief/?p=1737 6/25)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Access Providers, Arts, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Google, Myspace, New York, Television, Time Warner Cable
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
MySpace, NBC News and MSNBC.com are running a contest among MySpace users seeking reporters to cover this summer’s U.S. political conventions. The contest is open to anyone over the age 18 who submits a short video answering questions such as: “Why do you vote?” (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia3615a89aeb51bb8b60a6fd408faeccf 6/26)
Google, which turns 10 later this year, is focusing on blending new media with new technologies for search queries, such as mobile phones, company execs say. The search giant plans to “offer more content than anyone else,” not just Web pages but also news, video and images. (http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080626/NEWS09/806260355 6/26)
The trailer for Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Josh Wheaton’s 40 minute internet musical series Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog popped up on Vimeo . It stars Neil Patrick (Doogie Howser) Harris. (Cynopsis 6/26)
Professional actor in online content. I dig.
Trailer
Robert Zitter, HBO‘s chief technology officer, says the company will be more likely to expand its HBO on Broadband video service on the high-speed networks of cable providers with which it already has carriage agreements. So far, the service is available to customers of Time Warner Cable in Milwaukee and Green Bay. (OneTRAK 6/25)
Oil Press signed a deal with online production house 60Frames to create a series of web and print-based comic books beginning with Men with Guns: Assassin created by Tom Fontana (Oz, Homicide) and Ark from Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah (Freaks and Geeks, the Beverly Hills 90210 redux.) (Cynopsis 6/26)
NBC signed on to become the first broadcast network to release its show-specific demographic data for the shows it streams online measured through Nielsen Online’s VideoCensus, beginning in July. So far broadcast networks have kept this data close to the vest. (Cynopsis 6/26, http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/nbc-issue-show-specific-stream-data/story.aspx?guid=%7BB95C031F-1778-4E09-9CF6-311EEA8DA06C%7D 6/25)
As part of its VivaKi initiative (see below) Publicis announced it will create a buying tool compatible with Google’s DoubleClick, Yahoo’s Right Media Exchange, AOL’s Platform-A and Microsoft’s systems to help clients buy individual slices of audiences without having to go to each portal separately. (Cynopsis 6/26)
As Gay Pride events wrap up across the country this week, MTV’s Logo launched a new site devoted to celebrating Gay Pride, sponsored by Southwest Airlines and NYC & Company. The centerpiece of the site is The Pride Guide, featuring sponsored videos, guides to local events, photo albums and Pride-themed Logo programming. (Cynopsis 6/26)
Check out TubeMogul’s latest top 40 video provider list, which measures views of syndicated online video productions across top video sharing sites. (Cynopsis 6/26)
Next New Networks announced additional distribution deals with Yahoo, Hulu and Metacafe. Both Yahoo and Metacafe will offer access to NNN’s entire line up of web programming while Hulu will begin with 6 shows including BarelyPolitical, (starring Obama Girl) DIY fashion show Threadbanger and daily car vlog Fast Lane Daily. (Cynopsis 6/26)
The BBC’s high profile video streaming efforts have helped make online video viewing as common as taking afternoon tea in the UK, according to comScore’s latest Video Metrix report from across the pond. More than 80% of the UK users viewed video in March, watching a combined 172 million hours. BBC sites were second only to Google’s, of course. YouTube UK’s 20.5 million uniques watched nearly 1.7 billion videos (That’s an average of 47.3 videos/user.) (Cynopsis 6/26)
Top U.K. Online Video Properties Ranked by Total Unique Viewers – March 2008
Property Total Uniques (000) Ave. Videos Per Viewer
Total Internet 27,406 127.7
Google Sites 20,727 81.1
BBC Sites 6,318 6.7
Fox Interactive Media 5,450 5.5
Microsoft Sites 4,821 5.2
Yahoo! Sites 3,720 5.4
Viacom Digital 2,272 6.0
DailyMotion.com 1,773 8.8
Disney Online 1,603 8.7
FACEBOOK.COM 1,560 3.3
Metacafe 1,556 8.4
Source: comScore Video Metrix Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks. Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video.
Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Financial Times, Helio, Mobile phone, PlayStation Portable, SK Telecom, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Mobile USA
Never mind a price that is one-half the original model: Apple’s new 3G iPhone’s profitability will outstrip its entire iPod line, according to a study from iSuppli, a research firm. ISuppli cited the reduced costs of components and subsidies from wireless carriers as major forces behind the gains. (
ClipSyndicate/Bloomberg 6/25, Yahoo!/Reuters 6/25)
Virgin Mobile USA plans to acquire SK Telecom‘s Helio phone service and fold it into the pay-as-you-go Virgin Mobile USA brand, according to the Financial Times. That’s good news for Helio’s 200,000 some odd users as rumors have been swirling that the socially-oriented MVNO was about to pack it in. (Cynopsis 6/26)
Sony will introduce a mobile phone by the 2009 holiday season that will carry the PlayStation brand and incorporate features from its PlayStation Portable, according to reports in a U.K. trade publication. (MarketingWeek 6/25)
Global gaming revenue from mobile devices should reach $4.5 billion this year, a 16.1% increase from 2007, the consultancy Gartner predicts. Despite its sluggish growth, mobile gaming carries plenty of upside because of its potential popularity across all of the industry’s user base and its viability in emerging markets as a low-cost alternative to PCs and console platforms. (mocoNews.net 6/25)
If any city needs this it’s LA. NBC4 in Burbank partnered with 3rd Dimension to launch a new Traffic Cam service for mobile phone users, providing live feeds of trouble spots from a network of over 270 roadside cameras in LA and San Bernardino County. To download the application, commuters can enter their mobile number by clicking on the NBC Los Angeles Traffic Cam link at KNBC.com or by calling 1-877-NBC-LA04 (1-877-622-5204). (Cynopsis 6/26)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Intel Corporation, Microsoft Windows, Toughbook, Toughbook CF-U1, Ultra-Mobile PC, Wal-Mart, Windows Vista, Windows XP
It’s OK to put your hands on the new Genius SP-T1200 speakers, which feature touchpanel controls for volume, bass and treble levels. The 30-watt speakers, which retail for $99, are compact enough to go on the road with laptops and other small devices. (ElectronicHouse.com 6/25, Engadget 6/24)
Weighing in at a featherweight 2.3 pounds, Panasonic Computer Solutions’ new ultramobile PC, or UMPC, is being touted for its “rugged” construction, which houses Intel’s new low-power Atom processor. Priced at $2,500, the Toughbook CF-U1 runs on full-function Windows Vista or XP and contains 1GB of memory, a 5.6-inch WSVGA LCD touch screen that is sunlight-sensitive and a 16GB solid-state removable drive. (TWICE 6/25)
Vizio will ship three new flat-panel HDTVs next month with screens of 42 to 50 inches that feature full 1080p resolution priced between $1,500 and $1,900, the company said. Vizio also has struck an exclusive deal with Wal-Mart to bring the 42-inch VP422 and the 32-inch VP322 to market, priced low at $799 and $599, respectively. (PC Magazine 6/25, TheRetailBRIDGE.com 6/26)
Mitsubishi says its new line of LaserVue large-screen TVs will offer viewers twice the color and half the power usage of conventional high-definition screens. The company also announced that the 65-inch LaserVue “Diamond” model will begin shipping in the third quarter of this year and that the 73-inch version would follow shortly thereafter. (Pocket-lint.co.uk 6/25)
