Filed under: Feature | Tags: Arts, Facebook, Games, PEEK and POKE, Programs, Recreation, Television, Violence
ONLINE VIDEO OF THE WEEK: POKE POKE, CONFIRM OR IGNORE?
Need a real world analogy for the Facebook experience? Point. Set. Match.
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Cox Communications, Jonas Brothers, NBC Universal, Rogers Cable, Television, Television program, Time Warner Cable, Warner Bros.
The Jonas Brothers are tearing up the tween scene and are poised to become a nine-figure franchise for Disney. The boy band could become “the next billion-dollar brand,” say industry marketers. The Jonsas are the subject of Disney movies, albums, books and TV shows. (Iwantmedia 8/15, http://www.portfolio.com/culture-lifestyle/culture-inc/2008/08/14/The-Jonas-Brothers-Phenomenon 8/14)
With just a month before new television shows begin airing for the fall season, pilots are taking file-sharing networks by storm. More than 10 episodes of highly anticipated shows, including J.J. Abrams’ Fox sci-fi drama “Fringe,” have leaked online before their debut air dates. (Iwantmedia 8/15, http://blog.wired.com/underwire/2008/08/leaked-tv-pilot.html 8/14)
Fringe
NBC Universal, taking advantage of its ability to attract 168 million viewers to its Olympics coverage, sold an additional $10 million in advertising space between Monday and Wednesday of this week, according to this report. NBC has scheduled six to seven commercial pods per hour during the games, compared with an average of five for prime time. Advertising Age (8/14)
Warner Bros. Digital Distribution has made 85 movies available to the video-on-demand platforms of cable providers such as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Charter and Rogers Cable. The offering — which involves classic titles such as “Casablanca,” “Blade Runner” and “Rebel Without a Cause” — is in honor of the 85th anniversary of Warner Bros. Entertainment. Broadcasting & Cable (8/14)
Percy Miller, also known as rapper Master P, has announced plans to launch a new cable network in 2009 called Better Black Television that will target blacks and Hispanics. “I believe that there is a market in our community for a new diverse network that provides a new brand of superior programming that caters to all aspects of television, from reality to original programming,” Miller said. Yahoo!/Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (8/15)
Harbinger Capital Management informed the government Thursday that it had acquired 11.45 million of Cablevision’s Class A shares, a 4.9% stake that makes it the company’s fifth-largest stockholder, according to this report. The article goes on to say that it is unclear exactly what Harbinger plans to do with its newfound power, but one observer with knowledge of the situation believes it’s unlikely the company would launch a proxy fight. In reaction to the investment, Cablevision said: “We welcome all investors and are focused on enhancing value for all shareholders.” The Wall Street Journal (free content) (8/15)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: AOL, CBS, Facebook, FriendFeed, Katie Couric, Last.fm, Pandora, socialthing
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Yesterday, CBS sent out a press release touting the success of Last.fm’s month-old redesign, citing a 20 percent increase in unique visitors and a 36 percent increase in total minutes between June and July. Despite a few bugs on the day of launch, the redesign seems to be paying off. But why is CBS so keen on beating its chest when it comes to Last.fm? Ever since CBS bought Last.fm in May, 2007 for $280 million, it’s been under pressure to justify the purchase. At the time of the purchase, Last.fm was running neck-and-neck against social music network imeem and music radio service Pandora.. Today, imeem is killing Last.fm (see Google Trends for Websites chart above), and Pandora is still holding its own. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/15/lastfm-needs-more-than-a-redesign-to-catch-up-to-imeem 8/15)
Techcrunch received confirmation from AOL that the company has acquired Socialthing!, a lifestreaming service that competes with FriendFeed. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/14/confirmed-aol-acquires-lifestreaming-service-socialthing 8/14)
CBSNews.com and CNET.com will feature live, Web-exclusive specials anchored by Katie Couric each night following CBS’s prime time coverage of the 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions. The Webcasts will be archived for on-demand viewing. (Iwantmedia 8/15, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6587662.html 8/14)
Facebook’s controversial and widely-disdained Beacon service, which it originally introduced in November, has led to the company behind slapped with another class action lawsuit. The suit alleges that Facebook never sought user approval before collecting personal information, and was also keeping tabs on people who weren’t even signed up for Facebook. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/14/facebook-gets-slapped-with-another-lawsuit-over-beacon-wishes-it-could-opt-out 8/14)
After more than two months of testing, Google has finally turned on AdSense for Feeds. Formerly, these were FeedBurner ads. The acquired company has moved its advertising program over to Google’s system, and now any AdSense advertiser can tap into the Feedburner network. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/15/google-turns-on-adsense-for-feeds 8/15)
With the appointment of Frank Biondi, Jr. and John Chapple to Yahoo’s board of directors today, the last two slots on the board are now filled. Biondi, the former CEO of Viacom, and Chapple, the former CEO of Nextel, were both on Carl Icahn’s original alternate slate when he was still trying to replace the entire board. As part of his compromise with Yahoo, Icahn backed down from his proxy battle in return for three seats on the board. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/14/yahoo-rounds-out-its-board-with-former-ceos-from-nextel-and-viacom 8/14)
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Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo, Nintendo DS, NPD Group, Playstation 3, Video game, Wii, Xbox 360
The NPD Group reports that video game sales for July were up 28%, with total sales for the year standing 35% above last year at nearly $9.5 billion. Nintendo sold 555,000 Wii consoles last month, moving more units than the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 combined. Variety (8/14)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, App Store, Apple, Google, HTC, iPhone, Microsoft, YouTube
The long wait for the first Android phone should be over this fall, when T-Mobile is expected to release an HTC phone based on the Google-backed mobile operating system called the Dream. Following up on growing rumors online, the New York Times has confirmed that T-Mobile is hoping for a pre-holiday launch. (FCC approvals seem to be the last hurdle). The Dream is expected to have a Sidekick-like keyboard that slides out, and will be the first phone to run Android apps. There is even a shaky YouTube video going around purporting to show the Dream. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/15/t-mobile-is-dreaming-of-android-riches 8/15)
One of the biggest problems with Apple’s still-fledgling App Store is that there’s no efficient way to sift through new applications. While users can view a list of the most recently uploaded apps, the list can be overwhelming and unorganized. Most users rely on the “Top Apps” lists, which do seem to change often, but these tend to consist mainly of games and “fun” apps that aren’t particularly useful. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/14/gotapps-brings-alerts-to-apples-app-store 8/14)
If you’re looking to stream your iTunes itunes-overtakes-wal-mart-in-music-sales Apr-4-2008 
collection to up to 30 friends, a new app called SimplifyMedia from a company of the same name will let you do just that. According to the company, SimplifyMedia will let Mac, Linux, and Microsoft users take all their songs and playlists from their iPhone or iPod IPod Touch and stream it over a broadband connection to 30 preset friends. Even better, it’ll work over WiFi, 2G and 3G.
Some users have complained the iPhone 3G has a tendency to disconnect during phone calls, a problem that reportedly has Apple scrambling for a solution to save the phone’s reputation as a must-have gadget. The company is expected to have a software update available to users to address the issue within weeks. Apple did not comment on the report. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (8/15)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Health, Life expectancy, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, Panasonic, Television, United States, us, Wassily Kandinsky
TECHNOLOGY
Loiminchay, a company known for its luxury pens, is taking a stab at the sound market with its Kandinsky limited edition speaker. The brainchild of designer Patrick Chu, the Kandinsky features both horn and bass housed in hand-molded Birch laminate. ElectronicHouse.com (8/14)
Panasonic’s 1080p Viera series plasma sets can operate 100,000 hours before losing half of their brightness, while the 720p Viera is expected to get 60,000. The average U.S. household tunes in 6.5 hours per day, giving the 1080p a life expectancy of just over 40 years. ElectronicHouse.com (8/14)
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