Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Actress Kristin Chenoweth is moving on to a new network as she was signed to star in NBC’s new David E. Kelley legal drama, Legally Mad. Chenoweth will play Skippy Pylon, a smart, bubbly attorney who at times displays moments of psychosis and likes it when people mistake her for a teenager. The drama, set in Chicago, is produced by Warner Bros. Television marking the first Kelley project under his new deal with Warner. Most recently, Chenoweth starred in ABC’s Pushing Daisies. (Cynopsis 12/22)
Maria Bello, the actress who appeared in “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor,” now is developing a series for HBO in which she also will star. The as-yet-untitled vehicle apparently is about a woman who is forced into a life of crime and then enlists the help of her three teenage sons. Variety (12/21)
HBO
In further HBO news, the premium cable network has a new drama called Cocaine Cowboys from Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay, per THR. Meredith Stiehm will write the project based on Billy Corben’s 2006 documentary Cowboys about the genesis of cocaine trafficking in Miami. Warner Bros. Television will produce where Jerry Bruckheimer TV is located. (Cynopsis 12/22)
While broadcast news shows saw little to no growth in 2008, cable news networks, thanks to the one-two jolt of the financial morass and the presidential election, saw prime-time ratings soar. Fox News was up 41% in total viewers, while CNN and MSNBC saw ratings jump 72% and 84%, respectively. Broadcasting & Cable (12/19)
With its split from Comcast now complete and the plan to put the company up for sale on hold, top executives at Insight Communications are aggressively moving toward an all-digital distribution strategy. Insight CEO Michael Willner said the company was now experimenting with digital simulcasting as an interim step before going all-digital. Multichannel News (12/22)
The transition to digital television has slowed down as the year comes to an end, according to the latest Nielsen figures. Nearly 7% of U.S. TV households remain “completely unready” for the digital conversion in February, Nielsen said. The Hollywood Reporter (12/19)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
YouTube has just released a new feature for its analytics platform that allows content owners to see how many unique visitors are watching their videos. While YouTube videos have long displayed their view counts to the public, until this point it hasn’t been possible to tell if the hits were coming from a wide audience or just a few devout fans who repeatedly watched the same clips. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/19/youtube-unveils-unique-view-counts-now-you-can-tell-if-your-mom-is-your-only-fan 12/19)
MySpace is getting back into the business of blocking third party widgets, it seems – today they’ve banned embedded music widgets from the fast growing Project Playlist
. But unlike previous 2006 and 2007 blocks of iMeem, Photobucket and many others, this time MySpace is doing it under threat of litigation from the major labels. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/19/myspace-puts-the-hammer-down-on-project-playlist 12/19)
Comedy Central has ordered six episodes of Secret Girlfriend, a comedy series from FremantleMedia North America based on a the online dating-themed web series featured on Atomicwedgietv.com . The show consists of various girls vying for the attention of the male viewer on the other end of the webcast – i.e. the viewer. The series is expected to premiere on Comedy Central in the latter part of 2009, containing two back-to-back 11-minute scripted minisodes. (Cynopsis 12/22)
So Business Week gets their hands on Digg’s financials and reports that the company had 2007 revenues of $4.8 million and losses of $2.8 million. The first three quarters of 2008 Digg had revenues of $6.4 million and losses of $4 million. That implies total 2008 revenue of $8.5 million, with $5.3 million in losses. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/20/diggs-sorry-revenue-stream-and-rumors-of-an-experimental-ad-product 12/20)
The NPD Group came out with an interesting report that says 15% of online users purchased music from the internet in 2008, up 2% from last year, and that legal music download volumes increased 29% during Q3 vs. the same period last year. Positive numbers were seen for all age groups except the 50-and-older segment, which represents a small portion of buyers. At the same time the percentage of users who pirate music has remained steady at 14%, which means legit music downloaders are growing at a faster rate than pirates. (Cynopsis 12/22)
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Filed under: WIRELESS
Earlier this morning, Nokia released a public beta version of its Mail on Ovi service, which enables users to sign up for a free e-mail account directly from their Series 40 handsets. The new service is available worldwide and available in a dozen languages, after a test period of one month during which users in India, Malaysia and the Philippines were able to try out the service. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/22/nokia-debuts-worldwide-mail-on-ovi-beta-service 12/22)
Google has announced improvements that provide for speedier searches on the Apple iPhone and T-Mobile G1, as well as several additional enhancements to its Android mobile platform. Bug fixes affecting e-mail and other functions and new features such as the ability to save MMS attachments are among the improvements scheduled to be completed by January. CNET (12/19) , CNET (12/19)
Best Buy has rolled out a new iPhone 3G promotion in its stores that offers shoppers a $10 discount, bringing the cost of the 8GB model to $190 and the 16GB version to $290. The discount will be offered through Dec. 31 and will be packaged with a free “walk-out-working” service, which includes e-mail setup, contact transfers and information on how to use the phone’s features. InformationWeek (12/19)
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Filed under: GAMING
Looking for ways to expand its Xbox game franchise while maintaining its original focus, Microsoft is adding family-friendly options and more pay-per-view movies through its new strategic partnership with Netflix. The company also is considering adding a music service and other content through Microsoft and outside partnerships. “We are just beginning to scratch the surface,” said Microsoft’s Shane Kim. The New York Times (12/19)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
Now through Jan. 31, customers who buy a select Sharp AQUOS TV model will also get a free Blu-ray player, compliments of Sharp. Shoppers can choose the free Blu-ray BD-HP21U or receive $300 off the BD-HP50U. Both units offer profile 1.1 features and JPEG viewing and an AQUOS link. ElectronicHouse.com (12/19)
Whether it is because of the recession or a desire for simplicity, consumers have been gravitating to less expensive electronics with fewer bells and whistles. One defensive strategy is for marketers to offer new products with more features at the same price as older products. Another, as seen with the iPhone, is to offer a more expensive device that is versatile yet simple to operate. International Herald Tribune (12/21)
Sanyo signed off on Panasonic‘s offer to acquire the company for $9 billion after Panasonic raised its offer by 1 yen/share. The deal is expected to give Panasonic a huge advantage in the rechargeable and solar battery markets. (Cynopsis 12/22)
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