Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: A&E Network, Barack Obama, CBS Paramount Television, Conan O'Brien, NBC, NBC Universal, Tonight Show, us
AMC attracted 1.75 million viewers last Sunday for the initial showing of its season finale of “Mad Men.” According to Nielsen’s fast national ratings, the show about advertising executives in the 1960s scored a cumulative audience of 2.9 million that night, running the finale during three separate telecasts that evening. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (10/28) , Broadcasting & Cable (10/27)
Comcast on Monday night on its video-on-demand platform began offering a sneak peek at the upcoming “iCarly” movie, which won’t run on Nickelodeon until Nov. 8. Besides “iCarly iGo to Japan,” the cable provider served up four “iCarly” episodes as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Multichannel News (10/27)
A&E Network renewed its scripted drama series The Cleaner for a second season. Starring Benjamin Bratt and produced by CBS Paramount Television in association with Once A Frog Productions, the series will begin production on 13 new episodes scheduled to debut in 2009. (Cynopsis 10/28)
Jay Leno’s boss says NBC Universal is still trying to convince the top-rated late-night host to stay with the network after he hands off “The Tonight Show” to Conan O’Brien” June 1. “We’ve made him lots of offers. He’s weighing his options,” says NBC exec Rick Ludwin. (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081028/ENT/810280334 10/28)
One month into the 2008-09 television season, CBS is U.S. television’s top-rated network in viewers, adults 25 to 54, as well as adults 18 to 49. “It’s still about the programming,” says CBS boss Les Moonves. Even in an age of video streaming and DVRs, “scheduling does matter.” (Iwantmedia 10/28, http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/moonves_tradition_serves_cbs.php 10/26)
ABC finally offered Barack Obama‘s camp the 8 p.m. half-hour on Wednesday for his campaign program, which will air at that time on the other broadcast networks. However, the U.S. presidential candidate’s team passed on the offer, saying it has allocated the funds elsewhere. (Iwantmedia 10/28, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102702774.html 10/28)
ABC Family has greenlighted a pilot for a drama series titled “Perfect 10.” The potential series, which will begin production later this fall, focuses on a group of outstanding teen gymnasts who are battling to represent the country in the Olympics. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (10/27)
As the FCC heads toward what will be a highly watched vote next Tuesday on the use of “white spaces” in the broadcast spectrum by portable TV band devices, the National Cable and Telecommunication Association sent a letter to the commission officially asking that the vote be put off to allow more study. “We urge the commission not to rush to a decision that would ignore the unique and proven hazards of such devices to cable television viewers,” the letter said. TVNEWSDAY (free registration) (10/27)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Advertising, Blip.tv, Facebook Connect, Microsoft, Mike Hudack, NBC Universal, Television, Video
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Measuring viewer “engagement” on TV is simple. You count how many people tune into a given show. It stands to reason that the most popular shows would also be the most popular ones on social networks. But that is not exactly the case. Networked Insights
, a company that measures brand engagement on social networks, compared the top ten TV shows for the week of September 22 to 28, as measured by Nielsens, to the most talked about TV shows on social networks, as measured by which ones were most commented on, linked to, shared, or rated. The comparison is for the 18 to 49 year-old demographic. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/27/the-most-watched-tv-shows-are-not-the-most-talked-about-online 10/27)
For most people, watching Web video is predominantly a streamed experience on their computers. But an important and substantial portion of Web video is still downloaded to be watched later, or transferred to a different screen (usually an iPod, but sometimes a flat-screen TV). The problem with downloads is that they don’t fit neatly into the advertising model that rules most other Web video. CEO Mike Hudack of Blip.tv revealed that his company has found a way to dynamically insert ads from DoubleClick into video downloads on iTunes and elsewhere. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/28/bliptv-figures-out-how-to-serve-ads-in-itunes-videos 10/28)
Microsoft made a major announcement today – they will be offering “lightweight” versions of Office applications – Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote – through the browser. Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari will be supported. Users will be able to read and edit documents from the browser. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/28/microsoft-office-embraces-the-browser-thank-you-google 10/28)
MTV launched a free online music-video service this week that eventually will be supported by advertising, according to this report. The site, at mtvmusic.com, is looking to capitalize on the popularity of other online video ventures, including Hulu.com, the partnership between NBC Universal and News Corp., which currently is the sixth-most-popular U.S. video site on the Web. Advertising Age (10/27)
An update to Techcrunch’s recent post on Facebook Connect: Facebook is pushing partners hard to be prepared for an official November 30 launch. 24 of 26 announced launch partners have yet to integrate Facebook Connect. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/28/facebook-connect-launch-scheduled-for-november-30 10/28)
Some online-advertising networks are shutting down while others are cutting costs as growth in online spending slows and venture-capital funding begins to dry up. AdBrite recently cut 40% of its work force. Other ad networks “are in severe trouble and could be closing their doors.” (Iwantmedia 10/28, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122514803617173825.html 10/28)
On the heels of announcing an expanded relationship with the New York Times website last week, Brightcove is adding all of AOL to its video-distribution client list. Like the New York Times, AOL is an investor in Brightcove. But the deal is a coup for Brightcove 3, the latest version of its online video platform. Brightcove 3 will power all the video on AOL, which is one of the top ten destinations on the Web for video. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/27/brightcove-snags-aol-video-deal 10/27)
There’s been more downsizing in the start-up space (TechCrunch’ s Layoff Tracker counts 573 tech start-up layoff so far) and cost-cutting moves have begun to hit the creative side of the business. Web studio Revision3 announced a wave of layoffs and is shutting down production on Pixel Perfect, PopSiren and Internet Superstar. Revision3 also said it will cease distributing EPIC FU and Wine Library, both of which are produced by independent studios. EPIC FU producer Smashface followed with the news it was forced to lay off three members of its production team. (Cynopsis 10/28)
The Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers, on behalf of a broad class of copyright holders, will join with Google to host a teleconference today to discuss a settlement agreement that would expand online access to millions of in-copyright books and other written materials in the U.S. from the collections of a number of major U.S. libraries participating in Google Book Search. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/28/authors-and-publishers-associations-settle-with-google-over-125-million-lawsuit 10/28)
Leading online firms Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! along with human rights groups have agreed to a common set of principles that will serve as a guide for doing business in countries that place strictures on free speech. Under the Global Network Initiative, the companies promise to “narrowly interpret and implement government demands that compromise privacy.” The Wall Street Journal (10/28) , The New York Times (10/27)
SlideRocket, an online presentation application that produces slideshows that rival (and in many cases, better) PowerPoint, has launched to the general public. The site had previously been available under a public beta, and is now removing the beta tag and introducing a set of pricing tiers along with some impressive new features. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/28/sliderockets-impressive-online-presentation-app-hits-general-release 10/28)
Top 10 Search Providers for September 2008, Ranked by Searches (U.S.)
Provider Searches (000) YOY Growth Share of Searches
All Search 8,089,226 9.4% 100.0%
Google Search 4,825,556 20.8% 59.7%
Yahoo! Search 1,464,478 1.5% 18.1%
MSN/Windows Live 953,504 7.1% 11.8%
AOL Search 335,187 -24.6% 4.1%
Ask.com Search 178,217 12.1% 2.2%
My Web Search 53,825 33.4% 0.7%
Comcast Search 51,935 -13.1% 0.6%
AT&T Worldnet Search 30,086 237.7% 0.4%
NexTag Search 17,775 -29.3% 0.2%
Dogpile.com Search 17,574 -5.3% 0.2%
Source: Nielsen Online, MegaView Search
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Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Baseball, College Football, ESPN Major League Baseball, iPhone, iPod Touch, Major League Baseball, National Football League, NFL
ESPN‘s casual gaming portal ESPN Arcade recently launched Cameraman – the network’s first downloadable game for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Find and tap on the differences between two nearly identical photos taken from the Olympics, the NFL, Major League Baseball, College Football, soccer and other sports. EpicTilt developed the game. (Cynopsis 10/28)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, iPhone 3G, KDDI, T-Mobile USA, Wal-Mart
Casio said Monday that it would soon introduce in Japan a flip phone with an 8.1-megapixel camera that the company said would be among the most advanced in the world, complete with a nine-point autofocus and a wide-angle mode. Working with Japan’s KDDI, Casio has built a CDMA handset that features a 3.1-inch screen that rotates like a tablet PC. Electronista (10/27)
Wal-Mart will begin discounting T-Mobile USA‘s G1 “Android” phone in 550 stores Wednesday, selling the Google-powered handset for $148.88 under a two-year contract, the retailer said Monday. Buying the G1 through T-Mobile costs $180, and Wal-Mart is offering the price break for new customers and existing ones who are eligible for an upgrade. CNNMoney.com/Dow Jones Newswires (10/27)
A group of third-party developers may have figured out how to unlock Apple‘s iPhone 3G by simply downloading software to the device, according to Gizmodo.com. By gaining access to the baseband processor in the iPhone, the chip that controls the device’s connection to the network, the iPhone Dev Team’s application could make it possible for users to make calls with carriers other than Apple’s designated service providers. CNET (10/27)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Best Buy, Blu-ray Disc, Consumer electronics, HD DVD, us, Wal-Mart, Wall Street Journal, Warner Bros.
TECHNOLOGY
Consumer-electronics stores such as Best Buy and RadioShack are reporting a surprising trend: Sales are through the roof for converter boxes that enable analog TVs to keep working after the digital-television transition. Analysts observe that, with the economy still in tumult, many Americans would rather spend about $50 on a converter box than buy a brand-new digital model. The Wall Street Journal (10/28)
Consumer-electronics retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart have cut prices on Blu-ray disc players to less than $230. The cost of the new-format players, once as high as $400, have gone down due to slow uptake by U.S. consumers: “We have a job to do in explaining to customers why Blu-ray is important,” said Mike Mohan, the senior vice president of consumer electronics at Best Buy. 
ClipSyndicate/WISH-TV (Indianapolis) (10/27) , The Wall Street Journal (10/28)
Lagging retail prices, higher material expenses and a strong yen compared with the U.S. dollar all conspired to send Japanese manufacturer Panasonic’s profit 16% lower in its fiscal second quarter, which ran from July to September. Overall, the company said electronics sales were strong, namely in the categories of flat-panel TVs and DVD recorders. The Seattle Times/The Associated Press (10/28)
Members of the AV Science Forum selected the Samsung LN46A650 as their favorite liquid-crystal-display television in the 42- to 50-inch range in a recent survey by the Electronic House Web site. Survey participants also selected eight other models — with a total of five coming from Samsung — that deserve to be on Santa’s list this holiday season. ElectronicHouse.com (10/27)
Hitachi has added a 3LCD projector to its menu of high-tech devices for home or office. The CP-WX410 puts the “wide” in widescreen projector, with a 16:10 aspect ratio and optical zoom. The unit, which includes an anti-theft mechanism and closed captioning, features Quick Start and Instant Off functions to make setup easier. ElectronicHouse.com (10/27)
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