Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: American Broadcasting Company, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords, George Lopez, GilmoreGirls, HBO, Lauren Graham, New York
Next month HBO brings back a third season of hour-long series Big Love on January 18 at 9p followed on the same night by the second season opener of half-hour comedy Flight of the Conchords at 10p. (Cynopsis 12/15)
Happier holidays demand more wives. . .
Big Love on HBO
Screen Actor Guild (SAG) leaders in New York are distancing themselves from SAG leaders based in Hollywood and have asked the guild to halt its strike authorization vote, writes Variety. The NY division leaders cite the nation’s crippling financial crisis as their reason to stop the strike vote. In a statement released last Friday, the New York board said: “While issuing a strike authorization may have been a sensible strategy in October, we believe it is irresponsible to do so now, in the face of widespread layoffs, cutbacks and reduced programming.” (Cynopsis 12/15)
The “George Lopez” family-friendly sitcom helped Nick at Night rise to the top of the ratings heap among 18- to 49-year-old viewers. Now, according to Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group, the network is talking to the star about other projects, including a variety of specials. TVWeek.com (12/14)
Actress Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) will soon be seen again in primetime, this time on ABC as the network okayed a production commitment for a new comedy starring Graham, cites Variety. The yet-to-be-titled half-hour is about a female self-help instructor who fails to follow her own advice when her boyfriend leaves her. (Cynopsis 12/15)
The pay-TV joint venture featuring Viacom, MGM and Lionsgate will be named Epix, according to this report. The cable channel, which was announced last April, is expected to launch next fall and compete directly with premium programmers such as HBO and Showtime. MediaPost Communications (12/12)
Liberty Media board members have given approval for a new, asset-backed stock, hopefully calming investors’fears that Chairman John Malone would use Liberty Entertainment to prop up other assets. Analysts quoted in this article said AT&T might be interested in a merger or purchase of the new unit. The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) (12/15)
After all the recent executive shifts, NBC Universal President/CEO Jeff Zucker confirmed Ben Silverman, Co-Chairman, NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Studio will remain with the company and will soon sign a new contract, reports B&C. (Cynopsis 12/15)
FCC has canceled its meeting scheduled for Thursday after two lawmakers, Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., sent a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin urging him to concentrate the commission’s time and resources on the transition to digital television. The scheduled meeting was to have considered a number of potentially controversial issues, including the rules governing cable-retransmission-rights agreements with broadcasters. Reuters (12/13) , Multichannel News (12/13) , The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (subscription required) (12/12)
Top 10 “Timeshifted” Primetime TV Programs
Rank Program Network % Increase in Viewership
1 HEROES NBC 35%
2 FRINGE FOX 26%
3 LOST ABC 25%
4 BONES FOX 21%
5 GREY’S ANATOMY ABC 20%
6 HOUSE FOX 18%
7 SURVIVOR: GABON CBS 18%
8 AMERICAN IDOL-Tues FOX 13%
9 THE MENTALIST CBS 13%
10 AMERICAN IDOL-Wed. FOX 12%
Source: The Nielsen Company
Data from Jan 01, 2008- Nov 23, 2008. Percent Increase in viewership is based on absolute difference between Live Household Ratings and Live+7
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9f36668f-3d3d-4f2d-8ad4-2056d1330314)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Facebook, Google, Google Friend Connect, Myspace, Plaxo, Twitter, Yahoo
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Following in the tradition of Google’s Zeitgeist and Yahoo’s list of top searches, MySpace has put together its “Top 8’s of 2008″, detailing some of the most popular artists, songs, searches, performers, and blogs on the social network in the last year. The biggest winner overall seems to be Twilight – the vampire flick that took the world by storm earlier this winter ranked highest in terms of overall searches on MySpace as well as for the movie trailer category. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/15/twilight-and-postsecret-top-myspace-lists-for-2008-taylor-swift-and-mobsters-do-okay-too 12/15)
Twilight
Google’s got a new partner at Friend Connect, their service to let users log in to third party websites with their user credentials from social networks. Last week at Le Web conference MySpace was doing all the heavy lifting to promote Google Friend Connect. But it turns out Twitter is the first third party service after Plaxo to actually integrate with Google’s new service. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/15/twitter-google 12/15)
Top 10 Websites in the U.S
Rank Brand Ave. Monthly Unique Audience (000)
1 Google 120,498
2 Yahoo! 114,872
3 MSN/Windows Live 98,414
4 Microsoft 95,479
5 AOL Media Network 90,193
6 YouTube 72,623
7 Fox Interactive Media 68,780
8 eBay 54,680
9 Wikipedia 54,505
10 Apple 49,303
Source: The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from January – October 2008
Top 10 Most Digitally Downloaded Songs
Rank Song Artist
1 Low Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain
2 Bleeding Love Leona Lewis
3 Lollipop Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major
4 I Kissed a Girl Katy Perry
5 Viva La Vida Coldplay
6 Love Song Sara Bareilles
7 Apologize Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic
8 No Air Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown
9 Disturbia Rihanna
10 4 Minutes Madonna Featuring Justin Timberlake
Source: Billboard Hot Digital Songs / The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Billboard issue dates Dec 1, 2007 issue through November 29, 2008
(sales data from Nov. 12, 2007 through November 16, 2008).
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=6b9bc740-a1c8-4038-bb00-701def07a9c4)
Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, AppStore, David White, iPhone, IpodTouch, iTunes, Microsoft, Texas hold 'em
Microsoft’s Live Labs division released its first app for the iPhone/iPod Touch – a mobile version of its elegant photo display software called Seadragon. The technology, also used for Microsoft’s Photosynth suite, is built to zoom in and out of photos found on the net regardless of bandwidth constraints or image size. (Cynopsis 12/15)
Apple upgraded the look of the App Store in iTunes, making it considerably easier to navigate. New sidebars highlight the top 20 paid and free apps separately, showcasing a wider variety of apps. (Cynopsis 12/15)
Mobile cost-per-impression rates are falling as games and iPhone apps begin to command a larger share of mobile ad inventory, finds AdAge. Average CPMs in the mobile space are currently hovering around $15, compared to $20-$25 earlier this year. (Cynopsis 12/15)
Hands-On Mobile, the gaming developer that produces “Guitar Hero” and “Texas Hold’Em” for handsets, said it had laid off an undisclosed number of people, but CEO David White denied that falling revenue was behind the cuts at the San Francisco company. White said the layoffs were necessary after Hands-On sold its international operators. The Washington Post/mocoNews.net (12/14)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8da0df28-59bd-45c8-b4cb-7e726f63c1c2)
Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Console Platforms, Electronic Arts, GAME, Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, Video game, Wii, Wii Music
Slow sales of the roughly-two-month-old “Wii Music” game have some analysts concerned that the exponentially expanding game console from Nintendo may have hit its first roadblock. “It could be Nintendo’s first flop for Wii,” UBS Investment Research analyst Benjamin Schachter. The Wall Street Journal (12/15)
Getty Images
Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, shown demonstrating Wii Music, says he isn’t expecting it to be an immediate hit.
The gaming industry is emerging as a bright corner of the troubled economy as U.S. sales of videogames grew 10% to $2.91 billion in November, according to market research firm NPD Group. Sales of videogame consoles were also up 10%, to $1.21 billion led by the Nintendo which sold more than 2 million Wiis and 1.57 million DS hand-held consoles. Microsoft came in second, with 836,000 Xbox 360 consoles sold. Sony continued to struggle in November, selling only 378,000 PlayStation 3s, 206,000 PS2s and 421,000 of PSP handhelds. (Cynopsis 12/15)
The media industry will be watching Wednesday when video game publisher Take-Two Interactive Software releases its quarterly earnings. According to this report, crashing stock values at many games companies are making them prime takeover targets for larger media companies. The Wall Street Journal (12/15)
Top 10 PC Game Titles in the U.S.
Rank Game Title Publisher AU% Ave. Minutes Played/Week
1 World of Warcraft Blizzard Entertainment .723 671
2 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Activision .163 403
3 Halo: Combat Evolved Microsoft Game Studios .092 295
4 Sims, The Electronic Arts Inc. 0.09 213
5 Sims 2, The Electronic Arts Inc. 0.086 291
6 RuneScape Jagex Ltd. 0.084 451
7 Diablo II Blizzard Entertainment 0.065 313
8 Team Fortress 2 Valve 0.063 371
9 Counter-Strike Sierra Studios 0.062 282
10 CS: Source Valve Sierra Studios 0.061 426
Source: The Nielsen Company
Note: Data from Jan – Oct 2008. AU% = % of PC Gamers playing title in the average minute
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=cf41d9d3-592d-4d90-b8ef-a415126a3677)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Boston Globe, Chicago, Consumer electronics, Fort Wayne Indiana, Indiana, New England, RadioShack, United States
TECHNOLOGY
After a lull around Thanksgiving, December has seen some of the biggest layoffs in the tech industry yet since the economy entered its tailspin in the fall. Our Layoff Tracker is now past 100,000 lost jobs (109,629, as of this writing) across nearly 300 different technology and media companies both large and small. To put this in perspective, Citigroup alone announced 52,000 layoffs in November,
and across the U.S. economy, just counting September and October, there were nearly 500,000 unemployment claims as a result of mass layoffs (data isn’t in yet for November or December). (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/12/tech-layoffs-surge-past-100000 12/12)
In a promotion with RadioShack, AT&T has created what is said to be the first known bundling of wireless-broadband service offered in the U.S. with netbooks, the budget notebooks geared largely for Web browsing. The consumer-electronics retailer is offering customers a $99.99 Acer Aspire One netbook if they agree to a two-year AT&T DataConnect mobile-broadband contract for at least $60 a month. Telephony Online (12/12)
Comcast announced it is rolling out it’s DOCSIS 3.0-powered “wideband” service in Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore and Ft. Wayne, Indiana in the coming weeks. The service, capable of hitting 50Mbps down and 5Mbps upstream, is now available to about 10 million homes and businesses including areas of Minneapolis/St. Paul, Oregon, Washington and New England. (Cynopsis 12/15)
With no time to waste before the end of the holiday shopping season, lucky reporters from The Boston Globe sat down to sample some of the best HDTVs that are popping up on Santa’s wish list this year. The paper field-tested the 50-inch Pioneer Elite Kuro, the 46-inch Sony Bravia XBR 6 and the 65-inch Bang and Olufsen BeoVision 4. The Boston Globe (12/14)
Singapore-based Shiro has launched the SQ-S, a media player that can be recharged by the sun. The solar-powered unit, which also can be recharged via USB port, has as much as 16 GB of capacity and an expected battery life of 35 hours. Pocket-lint.co.uk (12/12)
Digeo is shipping a limited number of its new Moxi HD digital video recorder. The device, with a 500GB hard drive and CableCard support, links TVs, personal computers and the Internet through the Moxi menu. ElectronicHouse.com (12/12)
Establishing a path to connect the bandwidth-intensive multimedia devices that will be available in the future, the International Telecommunication Union has accepted a global standard for power, coaxial cable, phone and other home-network wiring. The standard, which will enable things such as room-to-room HDTV, will help build transceivers that likely will be incorporated into devices by 2010. iTWire (Australia) (12/15) , Cartt News Service (subscription only) (12/13) , EE Times (12/12)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=2c6008d2-1433-42ae-b42e-7056cf1fd70f)
