Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
Versus on May 4 attracted nearly 1.21 million viewers to its telecast of the National Hockey League playoff matchup between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals, according to Nielsen Media Research. It was the most-watched second-round NHL playoff game since May 15, 2002, when ESPN presented a second-rounder featuring the San Jose Sharks and the Colorado Avalanche. Multichannel News (5/7)
NBA-playoff-infused TNT won its first weekly prime-time ratings title of the year, according to Nielsen data. For the week ended May 3, TNT averaged 3.45 million total viewers, 1.9 million viewers in the 18-to-49 demographic, 1.82 million adults 25 to 54 and 967,000 viewers 18 to 34. Mediaweek (5/7)
The worldwide hit video game "Guitar Hero" could become a reality television show and a real-life concert tour. "Hero" is from Activision Blizzard, a leading video game publisher that is looking to turn some of its games, including "World of Warcraft," into TV and film properties. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i5b8b0ca04d790c48fd25fc9ed554ea58 5/8)
Not sure how this work exactly but could be really fun if done right.
VH1 has reupped with the producers of "Tough Love" to develop a second season of the show, which will kick off in the fourth quarter. The reality game show, which helps men and women along the tortuous road of dating, has averaged 1.9 million viewers per episode and a 1.3 rating among viewers 18 to 49 in its first season, which premiered March 15. Variety (5/7)
OWN, Oprah Winfrey’s forthcoming cable network, is going through tough times. OWN president Robin Schwartz has resigned and the launch date has been moved back. And it remains unclear whether "The Oprah Winfrey Show" will move to OWN after its syndication deal expires. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.thewrap.com/article/problems-hit-oprah-winfreys-fledgling-own 5/7)
ABC approved an early series pickup for the comedy Modern Family (previously titled My American Family). ABC gave the 13-episode order for next fall following positive comments from its pilot screenings. (Cynopsis 5/8)
CBS is reporting a Q1 net loss of $55.3 million. Nonetheless, CEO Les Moonves is joining a chorus of rival media execs in predicting easier times ahead. In the earnings statement, Moonves alludes to "early signs of an improving local advertising marketplace." (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/231736-CBS_Reports_Net_Loss_of_55_3_Million.php 5/7)
Cablevision added 9,400 digital-TV subscribers in the first quarter as well as 244,500 phone customers and 141,700 high-speed Internet users. Revenue climbed 5.3%, to $1.33 billion. Additionally, the company’s Rainbow Media programming arm — which includes AMC, WE tv, IFC and Sundance Channel — increased revenue 10.7%, to $249.3 million. Mediaweek (5/7)
Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei says a purchase of its DirecTV unit by another company is possible after the satellite television operator is spun off. Liberty Media is combining DirecTV with its entertainment unit, then spinning them off as a separate company. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090508/ap_on_hi_te/us_directv_liberty_media 5/8)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Apple has plans for kiosks that would enable users to download iTunes content from a local server without access to the Internet. The plans call for the kiosks in locations such as airports and stadiums. Pocket-lint.co.uk (5/7)
Um…why not buy an iPhone and call it a day?
Are you looking for the best beer bars
in the world, good places to make out![clip_image003[1]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00311.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[1]"){kind=small}
in San Francisco, or where to go on the Big Island![clip_image003[2]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image0032.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[2]"){kind=small}
in Hawaii? A travel recommendation site called nextstop![clip_image003[3]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image0033.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[3]"){kind=small}
mixes social recommendations with search and adds a reputation system and elements of gameplay to come up with a new social online travel guide. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/08/ex-googlers-try-to-create-a-better-travel-guide-with-nextstop/ 5/8)
NASA astronaut Mark Polansky![clip_image003[4]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image0034.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[4]"){kind=small}
, who will be commanding the next mission to the International Space Station, has just posted a video to NASA’s official YouTube channel inviting YouTubers and Twitter fans to take part in his next mission, submitting video questions via YouTube and following mission updates over Twitter. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/08/tweeting-from-space-nasa-turns-to-twitter-and-youtube-to-reconnect-with-the-public/ 5/8)
Google execs say they are looking at ways to integrate microblogging capabilities, such as those popularized by Twitter, into its own search product. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSTRE54700220090508 5/8)
Sanford Bernstein is raising its price target on Google by 30% to $600, saying improving economic conditions will rapidly translate into higher revenue for paid search advertising. Also: Google is running its first-ever television commercial to promote its Chrome Web browser. (Iwantmedia 5/8, http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssSoftware/idUSBNG42796620090508 5/8)
Filed under: GAMING
Microsoft has announced that it will acquire BigPark, a video game startup based in Vancouver, British Columbia, that is staffed by many veterans of game publisher Electronic Arts. BigPark, which was co-founded by Don Mattrick, who also is a top Microsoft executive, is developing a game exclusively for the software giant’s Xbox 360 console. Terms were not disclosed. The Wall Street Journal (5/8) , Reuters (5/7)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
The Kindle DX launch might have sparked a wave of hype about the next generation of newspapers, but not everyone’s so quick to agree: Dallas Morning News CEO James Moroney told a Senate subcommittee yesterday that the Kindle isn’t a "platform that’s going to save newspapers in the near term." According to Moroney, Amazon demands 70 percent of subscription revenue from newspapers, and further requires content owners to grant Amazon the right to republish content to other devices — like, say, the iPhone. (http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/07/amazon-takes-70-percent-of-kindle-newspaper-revenues/ 5/7)
Yikes! Bad form Amazon. Consider this. Apple takes 30% of the revenue and gives 70% to the content provider. Amazon wants the opposite. 70% of the profit for content they didn’t help create or fund?!? Are they aware that it costs money to create content or do they assume that because the online environment has pilfered the sh*t out of it, that’s it worth less than half? Ouch. Being a former LA Times employee, this just makes me sad. So, in retaliation, I will continue to lovingly adore my Sunday NY Times and hope that some folks remember the joy of newsprint.
April proved to be a dismal month for technology sector jobs and overall employment, but there may be a light at the end of the tunnel. Granted, this morning brought sobering news
of the U.S. unemployment rate hitting its highest mark since 1983: 8.9%. In the past month, 700,000 jobs were lost in the U.S., bringing the total number of U.S. jobs lost since December, 2007 to 5.7 million in April, 2009. However, while the economy continued to suffer from recessionary conditions over the past month, the pace of layoffs, at least in the tech sector may be decelerating. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/08/tech-jobs-still-scarce-but-layoffs-may-be-slowing-down/ 5/8)
Motorola is developing a TV remote that doubles as a telephone. The company’s R331 VIP rechargeable remote, which was first introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, is compatible with IPTV set-top boxes. Multichannel News (5/7)
Filed under: MISC
The new "Star Trek" film from Viacom’s Paramount Pictures is forecast to rake in more than $70 million its opening weekend. A hit could offer new opportunities for merchandising. The studio promoted the film through the Internet, mobile phones and other non-traditional media. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aLesMe8OgzQ8 5/8)
