Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: American, Football, National Football League, NFL, NFL Network, Nielsen Media Research, Roger Goodell, Sports
E! announced a season two renewal for the 30m reality series Denise Richards. New episodes will begin production early next year and will follow the actress as she gets into physical shape for movies, pilots and other acting projects all the while surrounded by her supportive family and friends. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Sci Fi Channel is developing a new reality series with a working title of “GameQuest,” in which 12 top-notch video gamers battle one another’s best scores to win prizes, including $100,000. The show is scheduled to debut in the first quarter of 2009. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (10/30)
Nickelodeon on Nov. 8 will premiere “True Jackson, VP,” a comedy starring 15-year-old Keke Palmer as a girl who serendipitously becomes a top design executive at a major fashion company. The show should get plenty of sampling: Its lead-in that night will be the new “iCarly” movie, “iGo to Japan.” TVWeek.com (10/29)
A strong third-quarter showing by Scripps Networks Interactive‘s Food Network pushed SNI’s Lifestyle Media channels — which also include HGTV, Fine Living and DIY — to $144 million in profit, 5.1% higher than the comparable period in 2007. According to Nielsen Media Research, the Food Network averaged about 900,000 viewers each night in prime time during the period, a high-water mark for the 15-year-old channel. Mediaweek (10/29) , Variety (10/29)
Several U.S. Senators, headed by Arlen Specter (R-PA) delivered a letter to Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner late Tuesday, calling out the League for airing specific games only on the NFL Network starting November 6 and saying the NFL Network is showing an “interest in moving toward a pay television model.” In response to the Senator’s letter, the NFL Network issued a statement assuring Sen. Specter of its goal to provide NFL games to a national audience. (Cynopsis 10/30)
A&E Network introduces a new reality crime show with Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force premieres December 9 at 10p. Viewers will follow agents of the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force NY/NJ Division based in New York City as they ferret out the most violent criminals. (Cynopsis 10/30)
VH1 Classic debuts a new series taking a look at the heavy metal music genre over the last 40 years. The Metal Show opens November 15 at 11p, and features three hosts Eddie Trunk, Jim Florentine and Don Jamieson as well as special guests who will all debate about which bands remain on top of the pack and which have gone by the wayside. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Millennials are more likely than baby boomers to use DVRs, watch TV outside the home, switch channels during prime-time commercials and watch programs with other people, according to a new Knowledge Networks study. Use of DVRs has increased from 27% in 2004 to its current 38%, with 48% of the survey respondents indicating they turn on the TV when they intend to watch a particular show. TVWeek.com (10/29)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: 216, Crackle.com, Facebook, Jonathan Shambroom, New York Times, Sony, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Television
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Netflix and TiVo will begin a partnership in December that will enable viewers to watch Netflix’s Web-based “Watch Instantly” TV episodes and movies via their TiVo set-top boxes. The collaboration is seen as a big advancement in the video industry’s drive to offer online TV and movie content on regular TV sets. The New York Times (10/30) , The Washington Post/The Associated Press (10/30)
Facebook blew past MySpace in visitors from across the world back in April, but the global gap continues to widen. According to the latest figures from comScore, Facebook attracted 161.1 million unique visitors worldwide in September, compared 117.9 million for MySpace. For Facebook, that number was up from 4.7 percent from the 153.9 million people who visited the social network in August. Visitors to MySpace declined 1.6 percent globally from 119.8 million. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/29/facebook-widens-the-gap-with-myspace-internationally 10/29)
Sony Pictures Entertainment is installing new management, opening a new headquarters and preparing to commit a range of new full-length Sony TV shows and movies to Crackle.com reports THR. Eric Berger, who oversaw mobile entertainment at Sony, will take over at Crackle replacing Jonathan Shambroom, who has overseen the site since February. The site plans to premiere as many as five 13-episode original series each quarter beginning early next year with Angel of Death from comic-book artist Ed Brubaker. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Turner Sports-managed NBA.com launched the NBA League Broadband service offering access to up to 40 live games per week, the first time NBA games have been available online. Bells and whistles include a mosaic video player allowing fans to watch and track up to 3 games at once. The service is currently available for the early bird price of $169 for the season. Subscribers to the TV version get the broadband service for free. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Meanwhile the NHL is offering free access to its Game Center Live service today to drum up interest. A full season of hockey games also costs $169. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Comcast’s Fancast.com launched a new weekly blog called “Ask Judah,” featuring 30 Rock co-star Judah Friedlander fielding questions from users on any and all topics. His blog will run on Thursdays and Fridays to promote both linear and online viewing of 30 Rock. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Last month AOL began releasing parts of its new tear-down-the-walls home page strategy, allowing users to view email from Yahoo and Gmail. Today they launch the rest of the new features. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/30/the-walls-come-down-on-aolcom 10/30)
Retailer Hot Topic, Inc launched ShockHound a music-based site offering MP3s, band merchandise, music videos and editorial content allowing indie artists upload and sell their work. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Zazzle
, the site that lets you custom-design and sell everything from T-shirts and hoodies to sneakers and skateboards, has launched a new feature that may well put it leagues ahead of its competitors: embroidery. And while the prospect of having an embroidered shirt may not sound appealing at first (I’ve always associated embroidery with tacky nametags emblazoned on polo shirts), Zazzle’s new feature is very impressive and will likely draw a large number of new customers. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/30/zazzle-launches-custom-embroidered-clothing-who-knew-stitching-could-be-this-cool 10/30)
MSNBC‘s newest politico Rachel Maddow has got her own site now featuring full podcasts of her nightly show and a customizable interface allowing users to create embeddable playlists of their favorite clips. Viewers can also interact with Rachel using msnbc.com’s own social media news site Newsvine or via Twitter. (Cynopsis 10/30)
The growth rate of online video ad spending will peak at 78.9% in 2012 when both traditional and alternative media companies will be distributing far more professional-quality video content online, and when the national elections and the summer Olympics will contribute far more to video ad spending than they did in 2008, according to eMarketer projections. (Cynopsis 10/30)
U.S. Online Video Advertising Spending Growth, 2008-2013
Year % change
2008 55.9%
2009 48.5%
2010 53.3%
2011 65.2%
2012 78.9%
2013 70.6%
Source: eMarketer
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, Mobile phone, Spore Origins, Wall Street Journal, Wi-Fi
After months of giving and taking back free Wi-Fi to iPhone users, AT&T announced that all BlackBerry users will be privy to the “nation’s largest Wi-Fi network” if you have an unlimited data plan. Other Wi-Fi-enabled devices will receive the same treatment in the future. (http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/30/att-plays-nice-gives-blackberry-users-free-wi-fi-too 10/30)
Google’s Android mobile OS is slowly but surely accumulating some interesting apps. Electronic Arts unveiled three classic games for the platform yesterday including Tetris, available now, followed by the popular Bejeweled and Monopoly Here & Now coming in Nov. EA has developed a number of hit games for the iPhone including Scrabble and Spore Origins. (Cynopsis 10/30)
To save money, an increasing number of lower-income families are using their iPhones in place of other music devices and a traditional broadband connection, according to a new study from comScore, a media-measurement firm. ComScore said iPhone sales to homes earning less than the median income had soared since Apple introduced its 3G upgrade in July. The Wall Street Journal (10/30)
Cell phone users, by and large, see their handsets as vehicles to only talk and send text messages, not as multimedia devices capable of sending e-mail, watching videos and playing games, according to findings released recently by Accenture, which conducted the study in December 2007. But Accenture analysts predicted that mobile content and advanced services will gain more traction as cell phone companies begin to focus more on the consumer market rather than catering mainly to enterprise users. eMarketer (10/27)
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Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Games, MTV, New York Times, Nintendo, Rock Band, Video game, Wall Street Journal, Wii
“Rock Band,” the music-oriented video game owned by Viacom‘s MTV Networks, reportedly has won the rights to include Beatles songs in its play-along lineup for would-be musicians, according to people close to the deal. The lads from Liverpool join acts such as Aerosmith, Metallica and AC/DC in licensing their songs to “Rock Band.” The Wall Street Journal (10/30) , The New York Times (10/29)
Buoyed by strong sales of its DS and Wii game platforms, Nintendo reported that operating profit during the most recent quarter was 36% higher than the comparable period a year earlier. But with the international economic slowdown still threatening earnings, the Japanese firm pared back its full-year profit forecast about 3%. During the past six months, Nintendo reported Wii console and DS sales in the Americas of 4.6 million and 5.2 million, respectively. Reuters (10/30) , PCWorld/IDG News Service (10/30)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Hewlett-Packard Company, Laptop, Netbook, VerizonWireless, Wall Street, WIRELESS
TECHNOLOGY
Borrowing a page from the playbooks of European and Asian computer makers, Hewlett-Packard is considering a strategy that would involve selling bare-bones “netbook” laptops at a discount if buyers also buy a wireless-service contract. HP’s Kevin Frost, who oversees the company’s notebook business division, mentioned Verizon Wireless and AT&T as potential partners in the venture. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires(10/30) , Reuters (10/29)
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Filed under: MISC | Tags: Don Cheadle, IronMan, Jon Favreau, Marvel Studios, Robert Downey, Terrence Howard, Tony Stark, War Machine
Robert Downey Jr. inked a four-film deal with Marvel Studios. The deal includes the first Iron Man movie as well as reprising his Tony Stark character for Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3. The fourth titles is in addition to The Avengers about a team of superheroes including Iron Man, Captain American, Hulk, Wasp, Giant Man, Hawkeye and Thor. The Avengers, slated for release in 2011, also brings in director Jon Favreau from Iron Man and Iron Man 2 as executive producer. Don Cheadle will also appear in The Avengers as Stark’s best friend, Jim Rhodes aka War Machine. (Cynopsis 10/30)
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