Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE
VH1′s debut of Charm School with Ricki Lake Monday night at 9p delivered a 1.4 A18-49 rating and attracted 2.3 million total viewers. (Cynopsis 5/13)
For the second week in a row, TNT, which is televising second-round NBA playoff games, was the most-watched network on ad-supported cable TV, according to Nielsen data. For the week ended May 10, TNT averaged 3.48 million total viewers. Mediaweek (5/12)
FOX pulled the remaining episode of Sit Down, Shut Up from its schedule following a 0.7/3 posting among A18-49 from this past Sunday at 7p, cites Variety. The 30m animated comedy is not expected to return to FOX’s lineup and an encore episode of King of the Hill will air in the 7p Sunday time period instead. (Cynopsis 5/13)
On Showtime’s drama The Tudors, Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) is keeping his fourth wife around for another season, as British singer Joss Stone reprises her role as Anne of Cleves for the series’ fourth and final season, per THR. (Cynopsis 5/13)
In the midst of pilot pick up season, NBC decided to pass on David E. Kelley’s legal drama Legally Mad. Originally thinking the drama would be a midseason series, NBC’s rejection will equate to a seven-figure penalty to the drama produced by Warner Bros. TV. The pilot is not being shopped to any other networks. (Cynopsis 5/13)
Viacom may be forced to sell Paramount Pictures, according to Citigroup analyst Jason Bazinet, despite the success of "Star Trek." Viacom’s cable networks, weakened as more advertising moves to the Internet, will find it more difficult to "subsidize the struggling studio." (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090512-714791.html 5/12)
Disney CFO Tom Staggs is selling 75,000 shares in the media company for $1.9 million — a move seen as bad news for the stock of the parent of ABC and ESPN. Says one observer: "I would not want to be a buyer of Disney when the CFO is selling such a large percentage" of shares. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://online.barrons.com/article/SB124207971494308217.html 5/12)
Insight Communications, the country’s ninth-largest cable provider, added 16,000 basic-video customers in the first quarter as well as 30,700 digital subscribers, 19,900 broadband users and 24,500 phone lines. The company totaled 91,200 new revenue-generating units during the first three months of the year and reported revenue of $236.7 million, 15% higher than the comparable time frame in 2008. CED Magazine (5/2009) , OneTRAK (5/12)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Warner Home Video plans to sync Facebook with the interactive features of its Blu-ray discs, starting with the release of "Watchmen Director’s Cut" in July. Purchasers of "Watchmen" will be allowed to share comments with their Facebook friends as they watch the film. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i4b5caa365ad73b3a32b7e201b5eae9c0 5/11)
Sounds nice but I would love to see it in action…
A few years ago, old-media companies from ABC to Viacom, aiming to show that they had a clue when it came to the Internet, created the position of chief digital strategist. Today some media incumbents are dropping the role altogether, as deals fall by the wayside. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/11/technology/lashinsky_cio.fortune/ 5/11)
Quincy Smith, the head of CBS Interactive since November 2006, is said to be planning to leave to start his own consultancy, possibly as soon as this summer. His departure isn’t believed to be imminent. CBS says it declines to comment on rumor and speculation. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20090511/cbs-digital-boss-quincy-smith-plans-his-next-deal-his-own-ma-shop/ 5/11)
Longtime Time Warner Cable exec Andrew Heller is being named vice chairman of Turner Broadcasting System, where he will act as coordinator for Time Warner’s "TV Everywhere." The initiative aims to make cable TV content available online for verified subscribers. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://adage.com/mediaworks/article?article_id=136593 5/12)
The four co-founders of the file-sharing site The Pirate Bay aim to sabotage the $3.6 million fine owned to media giants for breaking copyright laws. The quartet is asking supporters to make minuscule online payments on their behalf, in hopes that tiny submissions will wreck the system. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://www.nypost.com/seven/05132009/business/swedish_phish__web_pirates_wont_pay_boot_168941.htm 5/13)
iLike
, the popular music discovery site with a huge presence on social networks, is launching a set of new syndication services for musicians. Beginning tonight, iLike now offers extensive integration with Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube, allowing artists to distribute content to each of their online presences from a single control panel. In addition to these, the company is also launching a new self-serve platform for building customized iPhone applications for artists, allowing them to establish themselves on the App Store with a minimum amount of effort and resources. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/13/ilike-launches-custom-iphone-apps-syndication-platform-to-help-artists-cast-a-wide-net/ 5/13)
Entertainment Weekly and YouTube are teaming up to capitalize on ABC’s "Lost," as scores of fans await the season finale. The Time Inc. title is "guest-editing" YouTube’s home-page spotlighted video section, marking the first time a consumer magazine has curated the module. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/national-broadcast/e3i641dc7e691e8df84bac0ada8e62eb50b 5/13)
Ashton Kutcher got his start on the small screen. His roles in That 70s Show and development of the MTV show Punk’d (which is being kind of reborn with Ustream) allowed him to become a movie star. But these days he seems more interested in using the web to further his career. His recent race with CNN to be the first user with a million Twitter followers was just one facet of what he’s doing online. He also has his own web-based show Blah Girls![clip_image003[1]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00313.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[1]"){kind=small}
. But now he’s sending that the opposite way: Back to television. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/13/blah-girls-jumps-from-the-web-to-tv-as-kutcher-does-the-opposite/ 5/13)
AOL is said to be firing a large number of employees in its Platform-A sales unit. Remaining sales reps are being told the fired staffers will be replaced with new ones — "most likely from Google." New AOL CEO Tim Armstrong and sales boss Jeff Levick are veterans of Google.
(Iwantmedia 5/13, http://www.businessinsider.com/aol-fires-17-in-ad-sales-will-replace-them-with-googlers-2009-5 5/13)
After coming under increasing scrutiny from various state attorney generals for the open prostitution listings in its “erotic services” category, Craigslist is now folding![clip_image003[2]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00321.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[2]"){kind=small}
in the face of criminal charges.The company said in a blog post![clip_image003[3]](http://dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/clip_image00331.gif?w=1&h=1 "clip_image003[3]"){kind=small}
that it will replace the erotic services category with a new “Adult services” category where each ad will be individually reviewed before posting. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/13/hookers-no-longer-welcome-on-craigslist/ 5/13)
Production company Gotham City Films has founded a new non-profit charity production division and the company dreamed up a web series to launch it. Nights At The Round Table, (think Jon Favreu’s Dinner for Five without the film focus) will premiere on multiple portals, feature a different celebrity and tackle a different cause each week. Gotham principle Beth Beasley has already lined up Hilary Duff, Shane Black and others and will host each dinner at her West Hollywood abode. (Cynopsis 5/13)
Broadcast Network Websites – Unique Viewers – April ’09
Name Unique Viewers
ABC.com 5.0 million
CBS Television 3.4 million
NBC.com 3.3 million
Fox Broadcasting 2.1 million
Cwtv.com 549,000
Top 10 Programs – Unique Viewers – April ’09
Program Net Unique Viewers
Dancing with the Stars ABC 1.711 million
Lost ABC 1.708 million
The Unusuals ABC 1.069 million
Desperate Housewives ABC 1.053 million
Grey’s Anatomy ABC 998,000
Ugly Betty ABC 721,000
Saturday Night Live NBC 672,000
Survivor CBS 561,000
Castle ABC 537,000
NCIS CBS 528,000
Top 10 Programs – Total Streams – April ’09
Program Net Unique Viewers
Lost ABC 36.7 million
The Office NBC 16.9 million
Heroes NBC 14.3 million
Dancing with the Stars ABC 13.7 million
Young and the Restless CBS 12.3 million
Grey’s Anatomy ABC 11.7 million
NCIS CBS 9.82 million
Desperate Housewives ABC 9.79 million
Castle ABC 8.27 million
House FOX 7.7 million
Source: Nielsen Online
Filed under: WIRELESS
The Imeem app currently available on the Android platform has now been submitted for iPhone App approval.( http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/13/imeem-about-to-expand-iphone-storage-by-way-of-the-cloud/ 5/13)
Apple is still trying to nab users who "jailbreak" their iPhones — that is install software that lets them download unofficial third-party applications, a practice that some groups defend on the grounds that it is free and does no harm to Apple. In a 2008 filing with the U.S. Copyright Office, Apple charged that jailbreaking violates the law, can damage the device and relies on modified software that infringes on its copyright. The New York Times (5/12)
Google introduced a new feature Tuesday that will deepen search connections between cell phones and PCs. Still in development, the tool will automatically send a search that a user performed on a PC to a Web-enabled cell phone. The feature was one of a slew of new search developments Google announced. Reuters (5/12)
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY
Despite reports to the contrary, plasma is by no means "on the way out" in terms of providing a high-quality TV-display experience, according to those who make the displays, such as LG Electronics. "Nope," said LG’s director of product development, Tim Alessi. "Plasma will continue to be a viable technology for flat-panel displays in the near- to mid-term future." HD Guru (5/12)
Borg Displays has introduced the Protege8 and the Protege15, two new home-control-system interfaces that use touch-screen technology. The in-wall units can control a number of home-related functions — including those for DVRs, energy-management tools and Web-based devices — and are highly energy-efficient, according to the company. ElectronicHouse.com (5/11)
Despite improvements in some countries, worldwide software piracy was on the rise last year, according to a new study conducted by researcher IDC for the Business Software Alliance. The report said that piracy accounted for 41% of all PC software in 2008, up from 38% in 2007, and led to $53 billion in estimated losses to companies. Reuters (5/12)
Filed under: MISC
If Hollywood mogul David Geffen ends up acquiring the New York Times, he would convert it into a nonprofit institution, confidantes say. Geffen regards the newspaper as a national treasure meriting preservation into perpetuity. Still, "David would hope the newspaper makes a profit." (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://www.newsweek.com/id/196997 5/13)
Sumner Redstone’s National Amusements has received a first round of bids for its theater chains, with bidders offering enough to help the company pay off its debts. Also: Redstone is being sued by Midway Games creditors over claims the video-game maker was hurt by his stake sale. (Iwantmedia 5/13, http://www.reuters.com/article/americasPrivateEquityNews/idUSTRE54B7ED20090512 5/12)
IMAX and AMC may have some damage control to do here. Bloggers, Diggers and tweeters are passing around a posting by Parks and Recreation co-star Aziz Ansari calling for a boycott of the companies, claiming that the exhibitors are selling an inferior bill of goods. Aziz complains that he paid $5 extra to see Star Trek on an IMAX-branded screen at an AMC multiplex in Burbank, only to discover that the screen size was a fraction of the size of the traditional 76 x 97 feet IMAX screen. The two companies teamed last year to begin offering cheaper co-branded screens in multiple AMC locations. (Cynopsis 5/13)
