Filed under: Feature
Mobile post sent by Marauder using Utterli. Replies.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Fox is the first broadcast network to decline President Obama’s request for primetime coverage. Fox will air regular programming Wednesday night instead of an Obama news conference. Obama’s interruptions are costing networks millions of dollars in advertising. (Iwantmedia 4/28, http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/04/fox-rejects-obamas-request-for-airtime.html 4/27)
In the past month, Time Warner and News Corp. shares have risen nearly 20%, while CBS has surged about 40%. Still, advertising is not yet showing signs of a comeback, and there is little consensus about when a turnaround will occur. Opinions on the matter are “all over the board.” (Iwantmedia 4/28, http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE53Q4P720090427 4/27)
Verizon Communications has announced that it now has 2.2 million subscribers for its FiOS TV service. The company said it added 299,000 FiOS customers in the first three months of this year, a bit of a drop from the 303,000 it added in the fourth quarter of 2008. OneTRAK (4/27) , MediaPost Communications (4/27)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Just last month, we wrote that Hulu had gained some 10 million viewers to become the fourth largest video portal on the web. Now, it’s slain another rival to the list: Yahoo, to move into #3 — at least in terms of videos viewed. To be clear, the new March U.S. numbers released by comScore
show that Hulu is still slightly behind Yahoo’s video properties when it comes to unique viewers. But the NBC and Fox-backed Hulu should pass it any day now in that category as well. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/28/as-youtube-passes-a-billion-unique-us-viewers-hulu-rushes-into-third-place/ 4/28)
“$5 Cover,” a new series both on MTV and at fivedollarcover.com, is “a fascinating experiment in new-media storytelling.” The series, which follows a group of real-life musicians in Memphis, encompasses reality TV, music videos and mini-documentaries on several media platforms. (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/the_big_picture/2009/04/5-cover-mtvs-new-media-and-music-franchise-.html 4/27)
Google News, the news aggregation site run by the Internet search giant, is unveiling the @googlenews Twitter feed. The Google News updates on the microblogging service provide links to stories from the 25,000 news sources which Google News aggregates on its home page. (Iwantmedia 4/28, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/afp/20090428/tc_afp/usmediaindustrynewspaperscompanytwittergoogle 4/28)
Online retailer Amazon has acquired Lexcycle, maker of the Stanza e-book reader application for the Apple iPhone, for an undisclosed sum. Unlike the recently released Kindle reader iPhone app, which uses a proprietary format, the free Stanza software allows users to browse more than 100,000 titles, most of which are open-source titles. The Wall Street Journal (4/28) , Macworld/iPhone Central blog (4/27)
Online video site Joost is shopping itself around to different cable TV operators, but at least one, Comcast, is said to have declined to buy it. Comcast owns a competing online video site called Fancast. Time Warner Cable is in talks with Joost for a possible acquisition. (Iwantmedia 4/28, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090427/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_cable_joost 4/27)
Cablevision on May 11 will begin rolling out speedy, DOCSIS 3.0-powered Internet service with download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second and upload speeds of up to 15 Mbps, according to these reports. The company also said it was working on doubling the speed of its Wi-Fi wireless Internet service. Reuters (4/28) , The New York Times/GigaOm (4/28)
Filed under: WIRELESS
Google has issued the final version of the software development kit for its Android 1.5 software update, which provides application writers a road map for the operating system and everyone else a peek at new features in the program Google code-named Cupcake. T-Mobile plans to release the first Android 1.5-powered handset — the HTC G1 — in Germany next month, and subscribers will see video support, speedier GPS and Web browsing, a software-based touch screen and other changes. Computerworld (4/27) , CNET (4/27)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
Senseg.com is a haptic interface company based in Helsinki, Finland. Instead of using vibrating motors, the device surface is completely motionless. Instead, the Senseg system stimulates your fingers or hand with an electrical field to simulate the feeling of friction or texture. (http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/04/28/senseg-amazing-haptic-technology-that-could-come-to-a-device-near-you/ 4/28)
One of the longest running patent battles in the tech space has finally come to an end. Qualcomm agreed to pay rival Broadcom $891 million over four years in a settlement of all their legal disputes. The two chip makers have been fighting for 4+ years across three venues over patent issues related to mobile processing and the battle has significantly slowed the evolution of 3G mobile technology. (Cynopsis 4/28)
Hewlett-Packard hopes the low price and optional Linux-based OS will make its ProBook s-series a worthy replacement to its previous mainstream business notebook — the HP Compaq. The ProBook, which starts shipping today, will be marketed toward users at small and medium-size companies. Reuters (4/28)
After a surge in shipments of set-top boxes during the next few years, the devices will reach a peak point in global sales at 127 million units in 2012, according to a new study from London-based Screen Digest. By 2013, the report forecast, shipments of set-top boxes will fall to 119 million. Home Media Magazine (4/27) , ipTVnews (4/27)
Hurt by falling consumer demand for LCD products and a strong yen, Japanese electronics maker Sharp this week reported its first annual loss since the company was taken public in 1956 as revenue dipped 17%. Still, company executives expect the company to regain its profitability in the next year. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (4/28) , Reuters (4/27)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: CNN, Fox News Channel, Jay Leno, Lou Dobbs, News broadcasting, Television, Television network, Television program
Beatrice Arthur, 86, star of two iconic television series, died peacefully Saturday at home. Beatrice won Emmy Awards for her role in the 1970s television series Maude and also for her role as Dorothy in the 1980s series The Golden Girls. (Cynopsis 4/27)
With an average prime-time delivery of 2.26 million in the first quarter, Fox News Channel with relative ease locked up the No. 2 spot among ad-supported cable networks. But now, the right-leaning news outlet is even looking to oust general-interest network USA as the top cable programmer. Mediaweek (4/27)
President Obama’s communications handlers acknowledge that today’s evolving media landscape works to their advantage. Both network television and newspapers are “bleeding” and are “less powerful.” And Obama is “more popular” than all of the media “combined.” (Iwantmedia 4/27, http://washingtontimes.com/news/2009/apr/27/new-media-no-match-for-popular-president 4/27)
The major television networks are said to be unhappy with President Obama’s frequent primetime speeches, which are costing them some $10 million per hour in lost advertising revenue. Their revenue models didn’t “anticipate monthly State of the Unions.” (Iwantmedia 4/27, http://www.nypost.com/seven/04252009/business/an_obama_overload_166061.htm 4/25)
NBC says Jay Leno is its top marketing focus for 2009. “Leno is the single most important marketing priority of the year,” according to marketing head Adam Stotsky. The network is considering positioning the new primetime Leno show as a companion to its news programming. (Iwantmedia 4/27, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/209983-NBC_Leno_Top_Marketing_Priority.php 4/27)
Fox is facing an uncomfortable future, as Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell — the two biggest stars on its No. 1-rated show “American Idol” — openly discuss leaving, which could send viewership plummeting in future seasons. Millions of dollars in advertising revenue could be at risk. (Iwantmedia 4/27, http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSTRE53M0NB20090425 4/24)
CNN, whose strategy is to steer the middle course in its news coverage, is ranked fourth among the cable news channels. Even CNN’s own staffers say its news formula may be preventing the network from competing effectively. (Iwantmedia 4/27, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/business/media/27cnn.html?_r=1 4/27)
CNN uses less opinion than its competitors. Lou Dobbs is an exception.
MTV on Tuesday is expected to announce a new reality show called “The Stylist,” an occupational-competition series about fashion and accessory designers who will vie for a major contract. According to published reports, the show is a bit of a departure for MTV because its format will be reminiscent of series on Bravo, the CW and TLC. The Hollywood Reporter (4/26)
Two financial earnings reports to be released this week — Time Warner on Wednesday and Viacom on Thursday — are expected to provide the first detailed indication of how the cable industry fared financially in the first quarter of the year. Time Warner owns cable networks such as TNT, TBS and CNN, and Viacom’s channels include Comedy Central, MTV and Nickelodeon. The Wall Street Journal (4/26)
Analysts are blaming Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman for everything from MTV’s sagging ratings to the 44% fall in the company’s share price since he started. Some investors say they hope that “someday a CEO will come along” who can get more out of the company’s assets. (Iwantmedia 4/27, https://home.crainsnewyork.com/clickshare/authenticateUserSubscription.do?CSProduct=newyorkbusiness-web&CSAuthReq=1240855640:373352450840243&CSTargetURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crainsnewyork.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Fsection%3Ftemplate%3Dlogin_response 4/27)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=a4f48cbe-df33-4643-85d9-5a10fde3dbeb)
