Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Cartoon Network, Gordon Ramsay, JayLeno, Kitchen Nightmares, National Basketball Association, National Football League, NBA, NBC
Hoping for input into Jay Leno‘s fall primetime program, the NBC affiliates board is conducting a study to keep local newscasts from suffering due to the network’s decision to move “Leno” to 10 p.m. The study will help reveal, for example, the ideal length of Leno’s monologue. (Iwantmedia 3/24, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/190391-NBC_Affils_Launch_Study_to_Shape_Leno_.php 3/23)
In a sign that media rights for major sports may defy the recession, the National Football League is entering a four-year extension with DirecTV valued at $4 billion — a 43% increase over the current deal. The league will soon seek new deals with broadcasters. (Iwantmedia 3/24, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123786503490122053.html 3/24)
Lifetime’s latest adaptation of a Nora Roberts novel, “Northern Lights,” attracted 4.5 million viewers in its premiere on Saturday night. The movie scored 1 million women between the ages of 18 and 49 and 1.2 million in the 25-to-54 group. Variety (3/23)
Hmmm…could their affair have anything to do with it? Don’t know what I’m talking about. Grab an Us Weekly or check out your favorite gossip blog.
Fox has ordered up a second season of Kitchen Nightmares feature Gordon Ramsay‘s visits and fixes of restaurants in dire need of help. (Cynopsis 3/24)
Turner is expanding its 25-year relationship with the National Basketball Association with a number of projects in development for the television, online and mobile platforms. First up is a short-form TV series about the kids of NBA players titled “My Dad’s a Pro,” which is slated to debut on Turner’s Cartoon Network this fall. The Hollywood Reporter (3/23)
A year ago, the smart money was on GE dropping NBC Universal, but the media company has shed its “black sheep” image and is a cash-contributing asset, according to this report. GE’s overall profits were down 22% in 2008, but NBC Universal, with cable assets such as USA and Bravo, saw profits increase 1%. The New York Times (3/23)
AT&T’s U-verse IPTV service is expanding its ethnic programming line-up adding international channels to serve Chinese, Indian, Vietnamese and Korean viewers in the U.S. New offerings include Mandarin-language based ET News and ET Global; Hindi-based STAR India PLUS, added to the South Asian package for no extra charge; Korean drama and variety channel MBC America; and the Vietnamese-dubbed TVBV drama channel. (Cynopsis 3/24)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: CBSSports.com, Dish Network, Facebook, Google, Netflix, Television, Twitter, YouTube
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Google, which has nearly $16 billion in cash and securities in its coffers, is seen as unlikely to be out of the deal market for long. The increasing popularity of Twitter is raising speculation that Google may see a need to co-opt the service to protect its own search business. (Iwantmedia 3/24, http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE52N0B120090324 3/24)
CBSSports.com‘s March Madness traffic numbers continued to climb over the weekend as an aggregate 5.6 million unique visitors consumed a total of 6.5 million hours of video throughout the first four days of the tournament – y/y increases of 65% and 71% respectively. (Cynopsis 3/24)
Netflix is taking advantage of the Facebook Connect service to allow subscribers to the movie-rental service to share their ratings and movie queues with social-network contacts. Those who opt in to the service will have their movie ratings posted on their Facebook profile pages, with those ratings linking back to the Netflix site. Reuters (3/24)
YouTube is giving Lionsgate two rich-media units and exclusivity on its home page to advertise the upcoming horror film, “The Haunting in Connecticut.” The Lionsgate ad is said to be part of a $500,000 buy that includes search and display across Google’s network. (Iwantmedia 3/24, http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=135449 3/23)
Showtime is demoing the iTV Marketing App it has been using to market its Pay TV service to Dish Network subscribers at the Cable Show next month. Utilizing a platform-agnostic series of updatable templates, the application allows users to sample Showtime programming then sign up for the service directly from the remote. (With call-in customers costing operators and an average of $8 per call, this one should be a no-brainer.) Showtime estimates it has added 100,000 subs from Dish since deploying the app two years ago. (Cynopsis 3/24)
Apple’s move to include HD video titles at its iTunes Store could pose a threat to video providers, according to this report, which suggests that audiences are getting more comfortable with viewing programming over a variety of gateways. Apple’s challenge could be especially strong because it sells current TV episodes and — since it does not stream video — lacks the bandwidth-quality issues faced by Web-based providers. xchange (3/20)
MTV Network’s Atom.com premiered Nick’s Big Show, a weekly six-episode mockumentary directed by Luke and Jeremy Jackson (Highway 61). It stars up-and-coming comedian Nick Thune. (Cynopsis 3/24)
Popular media and BitTorrent client Vuze released a new media streaming/downloading update allowing users to convert and play HD video on a variety of devices including the iPhone, iPod, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Drag-and-drop videos from your Vuze Library to the device of your choice from the Sidebar section then use iTunes or the PS3 or Xbox 360 interface to access the titles. The software automatically converts the video the proper format. (Cynopsis 3/24)
Twitter has started to advertise a number of applications using the small box on profile pages that it first introduced earlier this month. Before today Twitter had reserved the space for links to its own services like Search
, but now they are advertising a number of sites and apps, including Tweetie, a popular iPhone client. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/23/twitter-opens-the-revenue-faucet-starts-serving-ads/ 3/23)
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Filed under: WIRELESS | Tags: Apple, Blackberry, iPhone, Microsoft Windows, Mobile phone, Smartphone, Time Warner, Windows Mobile
The iPhone now accounts for 50 percent of mobile Web traffic from smartphones in the U.S., according to an AdMob Mobile Metrics report released this morning. Over the past six months, the iPhone has taken share from Blackberry and Windows Mobile. In August 2008, the iPhone made up only 10 percent of mobile Web traffic from smartphones. During the same time, Blackberry’s share has gone from 32 percent to 21 percent (with the Curve and the Pearl coming in stronger than the Storm), while Windows Mobile has taken an even bigger hit, declining from 30 percent to 13 percent. Palm is also down to 7 percent from 19 percent six months ago. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/24/iphone-now-50-percent-of-smartphone-web-traffic-in-the-us/ 3/24)
Time Warner’s AOL is releasing a version of its online coupons service, Shortcuts.com, optimized for mobile phones. Registered users will be able to redeem the coupons in-store without a paper receipt. Competition among mobile coupon purveyors is said to be growing. (http://download.cnet.com/8301-2007_4-10202079-12.html 3/23)
Dell will have to go back to the design table after cell phone carriers showed little interest in the PC maker’s attempt to compete with the iPhone and BlackBerry in the smartphone market, according to Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu. Wu said the pending Palm Pre, however, is already being viewed as a viable rival to the market leaders. vnunet.com (3/24) , InformationWeek (3/23)
Are iPhone app developers getting paid on time from Apple? Not all of them. On this iPhone developer forum, there are numerous threads from developers who are complaining about delays in payments for January and not being paid the amount of money the developers are in fact due from sales. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/24/iphone-app-developers-gripe-about-payment-delays-and-dismal-customer-service/ 3/24)
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Filed under: GAMING | Tags: Browser Based, Casual game, Games, Mountain View, NeoEdge Network, Online game, Television, Video game
A study commissioned by NeoEdge Networks, a Mountain View, CA-based casual gaming advertising network, says that video advertising within online games is more effective than TV advertising. Preliminary results of the study, which will conclude at the end of this month, seem to indicate online gaming audiences are more inclined to remember and positively percieve brands who experiment with pre, mid and post-roll video advertisements inside Web-based games. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/24/study-in-game-video-advertising-trumps-tv-advertising-in-effectiveness/ 3/24)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Android, Asus, ASUS Eee PC, Google, Linux, Mobile phone, Netbook, Operating system
Google, according to this report, could have a huge opportunity in the future if it decides to migrate its Linux-based Android operating system, originally designed for cell phones, to low-power, low-cost netbook computers. Android performed well during a test run on Asus Eee PC netbooks, and Asus engineers apparently are working on a model that runs on the Android OS. CIO.com (3/23)
Sharp Japan has three new Aquos HDTVs on tap that are all said to be energy-efficient while also featuring 1920×1080 resolution 120Hz speed panels, a 15,000:1 contrast ratio and 450cd/m2 brightness. The new line comes in 40-, 46- and 52-inch models. Electronista (3/23)
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Filed under: Feature, TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Bicycle, Bike Shops, Cycling, Mavic, Sport, TECHNOLOGY, Tire, United States
BIKE FITTING GOES HIGH TECH: BODY GEOMETRY
This weekend, on a trip home to RI to hang with the rents, I was enticed into bike sale wonderland at East Providence Cycle. I imagine a bike sale to me is like a car sale or purse sale to most other normal people. For me, a bike sale represents a mecca of Mavic Rims, Ultegra parts, and carbon frames. Hmmmmm…. Anyways. During my trip into the bike shop, I tested the Roubaix Compact Comp (above), a bike I clearly don’t need. But seriously, aren’t those red tires the hotness?
More importantly, I learned what it means to be properly fit for a bicycle at this level. Last year, I thought that I had gone the distance when I biked over to my local NYC-bike shop and scheduled a $100 bike fitting. Turns out, it all gets much more scientific than this. It’s called the Specialized Body Geometry 3D fit and it takes anywhere from 1 – 3 hours. And here I thought nothing could top the embarrassment of riding my bike on a trainer in ill fitted bike shorts in the middle of a bike store for my fitting. Turns out, they have loads more measurements they can pull out to make sure you don’t feel back pain at mile 50.
The Measurements
Click on the image above to check out the many measurements the BG Fit technology takes into account when fitting you to your bike. You could also just have fun making bike dude do random things and wield your new-found control. As Dean from East Providence Cycle tells me, each technician is trained specifically for this type of fitting.
The fit differs from standard fittings in that the technician evaluates the riders’ body structure, flexibility (of which I have none), strength, and possibility of leg discrepancy. In essence, it’s pretty freakin’ cool. Yes, probably for the more elite riders out there but before I ride 500 miles this spring, I probably owe it to my body to have one.
To make a general donation to the AIDS Lifecycle Ride, click here.
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Arts, BattlestarGalactica, NBC, Peter Griffin, Programs, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Television, Tonight Show with Jay Leno
President Obama’s appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” attracted the largest audience to the NBC program in more than four years. The first late-night talk-show appearance by a sitting U.S. president posted an 11.2 rating. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aE4s6jqewwQs 3/20)
Fast national ratings of Sci Fi Channel‘s finale of Battlestar Galactica finds the two hour season closer drew in 2.4 million viewers, 1.5 million in the coveted A18-49 demo, making it the most watch episode of the series in over three years. These numbers mark a 56% increase over last season’s finale in total viewers, and up 37% in the demo. (Cynopsis 3/23)
Comedy Central has inked a multiplatform programming agreement with comedian Jeff Dunham that will include an original TV series, a stand-up special, a DVD release and merchandising. A stand-up special by the ventriloquist on Comedy Central last year attracted 6.6 million viewers, the most-watched show in the history of the network. Variety (3/22) , Mediaweek (3/22)
Outgoing News Corp. president Peter Chernin is lending his voice to the Fox animated series “Family Guy.” Chernin, who formally steps down from his post in June, plays himself as he hears a show pitch from Peter Griffin, voiced by creator Seth MacFarlane. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/03/the-family-guy.html 3/20)
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which, for the last year, has been expanding its U.S. and foreign television operations, this week will fuse its domestic and international divisions, according to this report. The combined unit will be led by Steve Mosko, who will oversee international efforts as well as the cable, syndication and network initiatives of Sony Pictures Television. The New York Times (3/22)
Former Time Warner chairman and CEO Dick Parsons will step down from the board by its next annual meeting. Parsons, who has been on the Time Warner board since 1991, helped the company negotiate the difficult aftermath of its widely derided merger with AOL. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE52M78C20090323 3/23)
Time Warner will pay $241.5 million for a 31% stake in Central European Media Enterprises, the Bermuda-based broadcast company founded by cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder. Warner Bros. is forming a partnership with the company to launch TV channels in Europe. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090323/na_us_time_warner_central_european_media.html 3/23)
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