Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: AOL, Carl Icahn, Facebook, Huffington Post, Lazard, Los Angeles, Time Warner, Tucker Carlson
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Internet investment group Digital Sky Technologies, based in London and Moscow, is investing $200 million in Facebook for a 1.96% equity stake at a $10 billion valuation. The new investor says it sees “tremendous value” in social networks “as they redefine how people communicate.” (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/social_network/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=217700121 5/26)
Conservative political pundit Tucker Carlson is planning to launch a political news competitor to the Huffington Post, reports The Hill today. <!–
class=”snap_preview_icon”> The site will be called TheDailyCaller.com and will be focused on reporting news about the Obama Administration but will add “facts to the conversation.” (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/05/26/political-pundit-tucker-carlson-to-launch-competitor-to-huffington-post 5/26)
Lazard eviscerated Time Warner in 2006 with its report supporting activist investor Carl Icahn’s campaign to break up the media giant. The investment services firm is now said to be vying for a mandate from Time Warner to spin off AOL. The move could make Lazard “millions.” (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124337772665256101.html 5/27)
Two AOL subscribers are filing a lawsuit against the company for inserting advertising in its email service. Los Angeles residents Rande Bronster and Robert Nachshin allege that such ads are unlawful under the federal Electronic Communications Act and California law. (Iwantmedia 5/27, http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=106721 5/26)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=883bcc97-cb84-45f5-91d0-5e939695cdf5)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Times, Staples Center, United States, Washington DC, West Coast
ABC daytime soap “General Hospital,” the network’s longest-running dramatic serial, is set to be broadcast in HDTV starting April 23. “The people and places in Port Charles will never look better,” says ABC. The network’s “The View” made the HD transition in 2006. (Iwantmedia 4/07, http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2009/04/06/General-Hospital-going-high-def/UPI-64771239073122/ 4/6)
ESPN has opened its new West Coast studio, a 12,300-square-foot facility across the street from the Staples Center, where the Los Angeles Lakers play their home games. The studio — with amenities including three production control rooms, two master control rooms, a newsroom-screening area and eight editing suites — is expected to allow the cable network to offer more West Coast coverage. Los Angeles Times (4/6)
On April 13 at 1030p, MTV will present College Life, a new series documenting the freshman college year of a group of kids attending a Big Ten University in Madison, Wisconsin. The students tell their own stories by putting cameras in the students hand, and capturing their daily lives, their academic successes and failures, and personal interactions with roommates, etc. (Cynopsis 4/7)
Cartoon Network on May 1 will begin re-televising the first season of its popular “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” with a twist: The 22 episodes will feature text windows carrying trivia, background and insight into the series. The so-called “enhanced” showings will be dubbed “Star Wars: Clone Wars: Decoded.” Broadcasting & Cable (4/6)
The CW will launch two original series this summer: Hitched or Ditched, debuting Tuesday, May 26 at 9p, is a docu-series focusing on couples in long-term relationships who have not taken that final leap of faith into marriage & Blonde Charity Mafia, a docu-series set in Washington DC and following the lives of that city’s most influential 20-something “Alpha Girls” who run the DC social circuit from charity functions to society parties. (Cynopsis 4/7)
SCI FI‘s original series Sanctuary, ordered for a second season, has begun production in Vancouver. The show is slated to return to the schedule this fall with 13 original episodes of the one hour drama. (Cynopsis 4/7)
On-demand customers of Charter Communications are about to get a free upgrade — all of NBC’s prime-time programming within 12 hours of its original broadcast. NBC on Charter on Demand is expected to be available to all of Charter’s on-demand customers by the end of April. TVWeek.com (4/6)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=255b70dc-fe47-4aae-abad-ac33b398894f)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: California, CNN, Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Los Angeles, Los Angeles California, The New York Times Company, USA Network, VH1
CNN‘s Saturday night talk show D.L. Hughley Breaks the News will end later this month after only being on the air five months, reports The New York Times. The show, taped in front of a studio audience in New York, averaged 750,000 viewers. CNN explained the show’s abrupt ending by saying comedian Hughley wants to be closer to his family in California and will remain as a contributor for the cable news network based in Los Angeles. (Cynopsis 3/11)
Sunday night’s third season premiere of E!’s Keeping Up with the Kardashians at 10p attracted 1.6 million total viewers and posted a 1.07 rating with A18-49 and a 2.06 rating with W18-34. Immediately following at 1030p, the new series debut of Candy Girls stayed sweet for the network by drawing in an average 1.1 million total viewers and delivering a .70 rating with A18-49 and a 1.54 rating among the core audience of W18-34. (Cynopsis 3/11)
For the week that ended March 8, USA Network averaged 3.06 million total viewers in prime time, including 1.47 million in the 25-to-54 demo, 1.38 million in the 18-to-49 segment and 640,000 in the 18-to-34 group … all No. 1 performances, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data. It was the network’s 10th straight prime-time ratings win. Mediaweek (3/10)
Also on Sunday night, VH1‘s season finale of Tool Academy at 10p averaged 1.8 million total viewers and delivered a 1.2 rating with A18-49 viewers. (Cynopsis 3/11)
Then Monday’s new series opener of Battles BC on History at 9p ushered in 656,000 A18-49 viewers, 719,000 A25-54 viewers and 1.5 million total viewers, making it the #1 Monday night series debut in the network’s history. (Cynopsis 3/11)
MTV is getting aggressive with its growing slate of original, scripted comedy projects, giving the go-ahead to a new series and five pilots. Among the projects is an animated series, “DJ and the Fro,” which features drones who swap viral videos at the workplace. The Hollywood Reporter (3/10)
Fueled by some rare positive economic news, the Dow Jones industrial average soared more than 300 points Tuesday and lifted cable providers’ stocks right along with it. Cablevision Systems led the way with a 16.2% rise in its share price, and Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Charter Communications saw upticks as well. Multichannel News (3/10)
The largest U.S. cable TV MSOs added 3.2 million broadband subscribers in 2008 – about 1 million more than their telecom rivals, according to a study by Leichtman Research Group. But broadband growth is slowing across the board as annual net broadband additions were down to 5.4 million new subs compared to 8.5 million in 2007 and the peak of 10.4 million in 2006 – the fewest in the seven years that LRG has tracked the industry. The top broadband providers now account for nearly 67.7 million subscribers – with cable companies having 36.9 million broadband subscribers, and telcos serving 30.7 million subscribers. (Cynopsis 3/11)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4aab8f01-c7a4-4331-bfe1-c1419ae667f6)
Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Facebook, Hitwise, Los Angeles, Los Angeles California, Universal Music Group
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
For those Web companies that comply by it, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
is turning out to be their best friend. Last week, Universal Music Group (UMG) was denied a summary judgment by a Los Angeles court in its copyright infringement case against Veoh. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/01/05/point-veoh-court-upholds-dmca-protections-in-suit-brought-against-it-by-universal-music-group 1/5)
Social networkers seemed to use the holiday break to catch up with their profiles as Facebook saw its highest-ever traffic surge on Christmas Eve, according to Hitwise. The site achieved a 2.18% share of overall US internet visits on Dec. 24 vs. an average 1.42% average for the month of Nov. 2008. Traffic to the site increased 41% on Christmas Eve 2008 compared to 2007 and also increased 41% on Christmas Day 2008 compared to 2007. (Cynopsis 1/5)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=4534abe6-7ed7-4ba2-87f7-fe12cb6c1b37)
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Alan Rosenberg, George Clooney, Gordon Ramsay, Kevin Spacey, Los Angeles, Matt Long, Sally Field, Tom Hanks
Heating up a cold January will be FOX’s American Idol slated to return for an eighth season with a two-night, four-hour premiere at 8p on January 13 and January 14. The new season begins with three weeks of audition episodes until January 29 followed by “Hollywood Round” episodes on February 3 with the first viewer voting starting February 17. (Cynopsis 12/16)
FOX is getting further fired up over a fifth season of Hell’s Kitchen opening January 29 at 9p. Chef Gordon Ramsay will preside over 16 aspiring chefs who are vying for the “Head Chef” position at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. (Cynopsis 12/16)
“The Real Housewives of Atlanta” has been picked up for a second season on Bravo. The show averaged almost 1.5 million viewers per episode, and a reunion special attracted 2.1 million adults in the 18-to-49 demo and a total of 2.8 million viewers. Associated Content (12/15) , Variety (12/15)
ABC approved a pilot order from writer Dave Hemingson for a 60m legal dramedy, per THR. The project with 20th TV producing is about a law school grad, played by Matt Long with a blue-collar background who joins a Los Angeles boutique law firm. (Cynopsis 12/16)
A cadre of more than 130 top box office actors including George Clooney, Tom Hanks, Kevin Spacey, Sally Field among others sent a petition to SAG national president Alan Rosenberg, national executive director Doug Allen and other leaders, asking for a cancellation of the strike authorization vote. SAG leaders have not publicly commented on the letter. (Cynopsis 12/16)
Reelzchannel, the basic-cable network that recommends a VOD movie each month and guarantees that subscribers will like it or get their money back, will continue with the promotion. Reelzchannel Chairman and CEO Stan Hubbard said the channel was reconsidering a number of programming options, but noted that the VOD promotion would remain in place at least through the first quarter. Multichannel News (12/15)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=0190c21d-967a-49d4-a8e4-384c97e812ee)
Filed under: GAMING | Tags: 505 Games, iPhone, Los Angeles, Michael Phelps, United States, us, Video game
Famed Olympian Michael Phelps and global videogame publisher 505 Games announced a partnership to develop a series of next generation videogames for consoles and the iPhone. The first title is scheduled to be released in spring 2010 and will be developed by 505 Games’ newly formed U.S. studio in Los Angeles. Cynopsis 12/16)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8e49dfc9-09a6-421a-8b0a-d54b61e5bbe6)
Filed under: MISC | Tags: AndromedaStrain, ER, First Great Train Robbery, JurassicPark, Los Angeles, Lost World, Michael Crichton, Westworld
Author/screenwriter/filmmaker Michael Crichton, 66, died suddenly Tuesday in Los Angeles after a private battle with cancer. Michael was a household name for his best-selling novels turned blockbuster movies such as Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain. Michael also created NBC’s long-running hospital drama ER in 1994. (Cynopsis 11/6)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=3154b7ff-fa53-485f-8882-3af5b236c3e1)
