Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: CNN, Facebook, Kirkland & Ellis, Mark Zuckerberg, Myspace, Netflix, Social network service, Twitter
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Here’s a clean look at the upcoming Facebook homepage redesign that will go live next week. The new design will give users the ability to easily feed the news stream by friend type and network, and gives users a much easier way to post links, photos and videos. The news feed will also begin updating in real time without page refreshes. See more here
. CEO Mark Zuckerberg also wrote a blog post summarizing the changes here. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/04/screen-shots-the-new-facebook-home-page 3/4)
I love the real-time update on the news feed. Now I won’t need to refresh Facebook 5.000 times a day. This will convince me that I don’t in fact have a social networking addition. Sigh. Dodged that bullet!
(Below) The only one I don’t really like is that company pages will become profiles much like MySpace enabled companies to have their own profiles. Why would I want to be friends with CNN? That feels wrong… I mean. I like CNN but I don’t like like CNN. I can’t exactly see what it looks like from the photos but I guess I’ll wait till next week.
Facebook made a number of announcements today about changes to its home page, profile pages, and activity streams. Taken together, these represent a concerted response to the rise of Twitter as a real-time message broadcasting system that goes beyond members’ personal circle of friends. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/04/facebooks-response-to-twitter 3/4)
DVD-rental icon Blockbuster, which has faced a competitive onslaught from companies like Netflix, has hired a law firm to analyze a possible restructuring. The company said it brought on Kirkland & Ellis to aid in “ongoing finance and capital raising initiatives,” but that it was not planning on seeking bankruptcy protection. 
ClipSyndicate (3/3) , The Wall Street Journal (3/4) , Reuters (3/3) , The New York Times (3/3)
Following the larger open access distribution trend, CBS Sports is looking to expand traffic to their NCAA March Madness on demand product by again offering third-party sites access to free applications that feed live scores and other info from the games. CBS has exclusive rights to video of NCAA tourney games (offered in HD this year via Microsoft’s Silverlight platform) but rivals sites including ESPN.com and Yahoo! Sports will have access to the apps, along with the extended CBS Interactive family. The NCAA March Madness on Demand Developer Platform‘s selection of widgets are more sophisticated this year, including applications dedicated solely to brackets, live scoring, news or each of the Division I Men’s Basketball programs. CBS drew 4.8 million unique visitors on its March Madness On Demand site last year, delivering 4.9 million total hours of live streaming video. Video consumption jumped an astounding 81% compared to the 2007 tournament. (Cynopsis 3/4)
After months of rumors, Google Health finally launched last May, promising to store our medical records in a secure way that is more accessible, easier to understand, and useful than traditional paper records. Since there hasn’t been too much news about the service, which isn’t particularly surprising given the sensitive nature of the information involved. Today, Google has announced that it has launched a significant new feature, giving users the ability to share their medical records with designated family or close friends. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/04/google-health-now-lets-you-share-your-medical-history-with-loved-ones 3/4)
MySpace may be in deep trouble, but that isn’t stopping them from capitalizing on middle America (and Los Angeles), which still rampantly loves the site. You can now get a MySpace branded credit card and rack up points to download free music on the site. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/03/04/will-a-credit-card-solve-myspaces-woes-who-cares-get-free-music 3/4)
Proving that Myspace can figure out how to become just a bit more lame. As someone who used to work in credit card marketing, I can tell you that co-branded cards usually don’t work. Remember the Sony Citi card? Yah, I didn’t think so…
The highly publicized Pirate Bay copyright infringement trial concluded yesterday in Stockholm with the site’s young defendants claiming that the P2P portal is simply an innocuous piece of internet infrastructure – a tool used to search for content uploaded by others. In closing statements on Monday, prosecutors asked the judge to issue one-year prison sentences to each defendant for enabling illegal copyright infringement. Industry lawyers weren’t that generous, pushing for the maximum penalty of 2 years. The final verdict is scheduled to be handed down on April 17. (Cynopsis 3/4)
Philippe Dauman, the chief executive officer of Viacom, has pronounced his company “very open” to initiatives such as TV Everywhere, Time Warner’s plan to make cable content available online to multichannel subscribers. “We think it has to be seamless to the consumer, and we’re working (with the distributors) on the consumer and technology side,” he said. Advertising Age (3/3)
(Below) Comcast and free Wi-Fi? Never thought I’d live to see the day…
Comcast has begun testing free Wi-Fi hot spots at commuter rail stations in New Jersey. Separately, the country’s largest cable provider launched DOCSIS 3.0-powered broadband service in the San Francisco Bay area with download speeds of up to 50 Mbps. CED Magazine (3/2009) , Light Reading (3/3)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: CNN, Fox News Channel, Golf, Jeff Probst, MSNBC, NBC Universal, Tiger Woods, WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship
President Obama’s first address to a Joint Session of Congress this past Tuesday in primetime reached nearly 52.4 million total viewers. The speech was carried live on 10 television networks: ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, Telemundo, Univision, CNBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC. (Cynopsis 2/27)
Bravo’s season five finale of Top Chef: New York Wednesday night at 10p cooked up 2.77 million A18-49 viewers and 3.74 million total viewers. According to Nielsen, this season ranks as the highest rated ever as Top Chef: New York averaged 2.14 million A18-49 viewers and 3.02 million total viewers, up 18% and 19% respectively versus Season #4. (Cynopsis 2/27)
The Golf Channel on Wednesday attracted 1.7 million viewers to its first-round coverage of the Accenture Match Play Championship, the largest audience ever to have tuned in to a first round of golf televised by the network. Not coincidentally, it was also the return to action of Tiger Woods. The New York Times (2/26)
FOX ordered two more seasons of The Simpsons ensuring the longest-running primetime series in history goes through its 22nd season. The network approved 44 additional episodes, taking the total library episode count just under 500 at 493. Currently the show is in its 20th season and a global year-long celebration called “Best. 20 Years. Ever” is underway through January 14, 2010, the actual 20th anniversary of the show’s premiere. (Cynopsis 2/27)
CBS confirmed it will continue reality competition series Survivor through the 2009-2010 season, serving up the 19th and 20th editions. Jeff Probst will also remain as host. (Cynopsis 2/27)
General Electric is slashing its quarterly dividend by nearly 68%, a move expected to save about $9 billion a year. The parent of NBC Universal has been paying a regular dividend for more than 100 years. Shares of GE have fallen nearly 70% since mid-September. (Iwantmedia 2/27, http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/GE-slashes-quarterly-dividend-save/story.aspx?guid=%7B618EAEEE%2DE61D%2D4522%2DA8B3%2D21D8DE89E8FE%7D 2/27)
Discovery Channel on Wednesday will debut “Hudson Plane Crash: What Really Happened,” the story of the US Airways flight that crash-landed in the Hudson River in January without the loss of life. The one-hour documentary will feature interviews with passengers, rescuers and aviation experts as well as a new computer animation that will break down the miraculous landing. Broadcasting & Cable (2/26)
Comedian/producer Jerry Seinfeld reunites with NBC for a new primetime comedy-reality series created by Seinfeld’s Columbus 81 Productions and executive producer Ellen Rakieten (The Oprah Winfrey Show) called The Marriage Ref (wt). The series will feature celebrities, comedians and sports stars all judging and offering advice to real-life couples dealing with typical marital problems. In describing the show concept Seinfeld said, “This is not a therapy show, it’s a comedy show. After nine years of marriage I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich.” NBC so far has not indicated when the show will premiere or be scheduled. (Cynopsis 2/27)
Time Warner says it will complete the spinoff of cable unit Time Warner Cable on March 27. The spinoff is intended to transform the conglomerate into a company more focused on movies, TV programming and magazines and to make both companies more competitive. (Iwantmedia 2/27, http://www.smartmoney.com/news/ON/?story=ON-20090226-001239-1731 2/27)
The cable division within highly diversified Cablevision Systems Corp. reported that revenue grew 7.4% in the fourth quarter of 2008. The cable provider added a total of 101,000 revenue-generating units during the period, including 53,000 VoIP subscribers. Chief Operating Officer Tom Rutledge announced that the company had a wideband service for residential and business customers in the works, but he did not give a specific release date. OneTRAK (2/26) , The Wall Street Journal (2/27) , Light Reading (2/26)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Arts, Boston Globe, Chace Crawford, CNN, Fox News Channel, Lou Dobbs, MSNBC, Television
Comcast will serve up on its video-on-demand platform in March an exclusive music video package featuring the rock band U2 and its new album, “No Line on the Horizon.” The company, which has more than 1,000 HD offerings via VOD, already has premiered one song off the new album. The Boston Globe (2/24) , NewsOXY.com (2/24)
The CW has announced a handful of renewals for Fall 2009 – five dramas and one reality show. Among the early pickups for next season are Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill; frosh series 90210; a ninth season of Smallville; a fifth season of Supernatural; in addition to cycles 13 and 14 of America’s Next Top Model. (Cynopsis 2/25)
Spotted: Ed Westwick and Chace Crawford last night in the meatpacking district looking as good as I thought they would.
Fox News and MSNBC are seeing big audience gains, while CNN is shedding a large share of its audience. CNN shows hosted by Anderson Cooper and Lou Dobbs are losing viewers; MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is bringing in 134% more viewers than the time period had last year. (Iwantmedia 2/25, http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2009/02/fox-news-and-ms.html 2/24)
“Army Wives,” Lifetime’s most successful series, has been picked up for a fourth season on the female-friendly network even before the third season has premiered. Lifetime ordered 18 new episodes for Season 4, which will debut sometime in 2010. Broadcasting & Cable (2/24)
Summer reality competition series So You Think You Can Dance is scheduled to open its fifth season on FOX with a two-night, four-hour premiere May 21 and May 27 at 8p. (Cynopsis 2/25)
Turner Networks, the big cable programmer that last year made headlines when it scheduled its upfront presentation for ad executives in the midst of the broadcast sessions, and drew comparisons between its lineup and that of NBC, is at it again: The company, with powerhouse networks TNT and TBS, will stage this year’s upfront event on May 20, the same day as CBS. Variety (2/24)
The CW approved a drama pilot order for The Beautiful Life, a drama from executive producer Ashton Kutcher. Featuring an ensemble cast, the drama follows a group of young models living together in New York City. (Cynopsis 2/25)
An updated version of Melrose Place also received a pilot order from The CW. CBS Paramount Network Television will produce the drama about a group of twentysomethings living in the upscale Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Cynopsis 2/25)
Andy Richter is joining Conan O’Brien as NBC’s The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien begins June 1. Richter will be show’s announcer and also be involved in live and pre-taped comedy sketches. (Cynopsis 2/25)
Nickelodeon has the No. 1 ad-sales organization in television, according to results of the 25th annual “Myers Survey of Advertising Executives on National TV Value and Sales Organization Performance.” The Nickelodeon Kids and Family Group bested more than 35 other national TV sales groups from cable and broadcast to win the competition for the first time. Multichannel News (2/24)
Cable provider RCN added 12,000 customers in the fourth quarter of last year and generated revenue of $188 million, a 12% increase. News of the company’s better-than-expected quarterly results sent its stock 14.7% higher in Tuesday trading. The Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones Newswires (2/24) , CED Magazine (2/2009) , OneTRAK (2/24)
The latest data from Nielsen show that 15 ad-supported cable networks increased their prime-time ratings — nine of them by double digits — from Jan. 26 to Feb. 22. USA Network was the top network with 3.41 million viewers in prime time during that period, a 13% increase, and made a strong showing in all the key demos. Mediaweek (2/24)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: CNN, Fox News, Fox News Channel, Leo Burnett, MSNBC, Ronald Reagan, Television, United States
According to Nielsen and based on Live+Same Day data, nearly 37.8 million U.S. viewers tuned in between 10a and 5p to watch inauguration events from a combined total of 17 broadcast and cable networks. This is the most viewers on an inauguration day since Ronald Reagan‘s in 1981 when 41.8 million viewers watched. (Cynopsis 1/22)
From 11a to 2p during the pinnacle of the inauguration coverage Tuesday including the swearing-in ceremony, CNN pulled in the most viewers among the cable news networks with an average of 6.9 million total viewers and 2.8 million A25-54 viewers. FOX News came next with 4.4 million total viewers and 1.3 million A25-54 viewers while MSNBC was third with 2.5 million total viewers and 923,620 A25-54 viewers. (Cynopsis 1/22)
The Sunday night premiere of “The United States of Tara” on Showtime attracted 880,000 viewers. That was better than the debuts of popular Showtime shows such as “Weeds,” “Dexter,” “The Tudors” and “Californication.” The Hollywood Reporter (1/21)
Click on the image below to watch the first episode. I personally can’t wait for the next one. Bravo Showtime.
“Trust Me,” a new series on TNT that debuts next week, features a fictional ad agency named Rothman Greene & Mohr. The interesting part is that during the show the made-up ad shop competes with real agency nameplates such as Leo Burnett and DDB for the right to market actual products, such as Unilever’s Dove line, which is a real sponsor of the TNT series. The New York Times (1/21)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: CNN, Election, Jessica Yellin, Politics, Sony, StarWars, Windows XP, Wolf Blitzer
TECHNOLOGY
In addition to the huge touchscreen “Magic Wall”
(which was originally military technology), CNN’s Wolf Blitzer gets to play with Holograms today during their coverage of the presidential elections. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/11/04/forget-the-magic-wall-cnn-now-has-holograms 11/4)
Asus, the computer manufacturer best known for its lightweight, inexpensive Eee netbooks, has introduced the Eee Top 1602, a loaded version that features a 15.6-inch touch screen. The model also boasts Windows XP, 1GB of main memory, a 1.3-megapixel webcam and a 160GB hard drive. Techworld (11/4)
Sony has launched a new audio CD format dubbed Blu-spec, which apparently allows users to burn discs with the Blu Laser Diode system without losing compatibility with existing CD drives. Sony expects to offer about 60 titles by Christmas time, but Blu-spec discs currently are only available in Japan. Pocket-lint.co.uk (11/5)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Amazon.com, Apple, CNN, Health, iReport.com, Sony, Steve Jobs, Time Warner
TECHNOLOGY
Sony‘s third iteration of its Reader e-book device has a built-in light and a touch-sensitive interface, features designed to set it apart from its rival, Amazon.com’s Kindle. The PRS-700, which Sony will put on sale for $400 at the end of the month, contains a stylus for talking notes or highlighting text, but still lacks wireless access to download content. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (10/2)
Apple shares are rebounding after the computer maker issued a statement saying reports that CEO Steve Jobs had a heart attack are “not true.” The shares fell 5.4% after a post on Time Warner‘s CNN citizen-journalist site iReport.com said Jobs had suffered “a major heart attack.” (Iwantmedia 10/3, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601204&sid=aVFjKJ.nEO5c 10/3)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: CNN, Fox News Channel, Hallmark Channel, HBO, MSNBC, News broadcasting, Time Warner, Weather Channel
HBO is developing what is being described as a dark comedy about a down-on-his-luck father who discovers that his below-the-belt girth can help transform his life. The show, titled “Hung,” is the first project for Sue Naegle, who became HBO’s entertainment chief Monday. (Variety 4/23)
A Chinese school teacher and a beautician are filing a lawsuit against Time Warner‘s CNN over remarks they say insulted the Chinese people and are seeking $1.3 billion in compensation — $1 per person in China. Commentator Jack Cafferty had described the Chinese as “goons and thugs.” (Iwantmedia 4/24, http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSPEK30866720080424 4/24)
CNN’s coverage of the Pennsylvania Democratic primary Tuesday averaged nearly 2.56 million viewers, good enough to overcome the other top cable news channels for the night, according to Nielsen. Fox News Channel recorded 2.36 million viewers, and MSNBC had 1.62 million. (Multichannel News 4/23)
Based on a Hallmark Channel analysis of Nielsen’s C3 commercial-ratings data, Nick at Nite retained 95.5% of its audience through commercial breaks in the first quarter — the best of any cable net. Hallmark finished second with 93.2% and was followed by The Weather Channel with 92.5%, TV Land with 92.1% and Cartoon Network with 91.4 to round out the top five. (TVWeek.com 4/23)
NBC and the National Hockey League are continuing their partnership through the 2008-2009 season. Under this agreement, NBC will air the NHL Sunday Game of the Week during the regular season per usual utilizing flexible scheduling, broadcasting nine Sunday afternoon games in all. The network will also provide coverage of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final which may equal 15 post-season games in total. (Cynopsis 4/24)
Fox has ordered up a new pilot from exec producer JD Roth called Bad Dads, hunting down deadbeat dads who owe ex-wives child support, reports THR. At the helm is Jim Durham, who is also the head of the National Child Support Center. Durham first calls the dads and offers them a chance to make things right, and when that doesn’t work, in classic ambush TV style, he finds and confronts deadbeat dads in public places. (Cynopsis 4/24)
Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications have pulled out of a joint venture with Sprint Nextel to develop a quadruple play of voice, video, Internet and wireless services under the banner Pivot, according to this article. “We remain committed to bringing a wireless component to our portfolio of services, but we don’t believe Pivot was the best option,” said Jill Ullman, a spokeswoman at Cox. (MSNBC/Associated Press 4/23)
Comcast filed for a restraining order against AT&T in Chicago complaining its U-Verse service is causing problems for its cable modem customers, reports Ars Technica. AT&T says it added 148,000 new U-verse customers this quarter, bringing its IPTV base to 379,000. (Cynopsis 4/24)
Computer hacker Christopher Tarnovsky is testifying in court that News Corp. unit NDS Group hired him to develop pirating software. But he denies using it to penetrate the security system of rival satellite-TV service Dish Network. The trial could result in millions of dollars in damages. (Iwantmedia 4/24, http://www.news.com.au/technology/story/0,25642,23591694-5014239,00.html 4/24)
