Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: CBS, Credit Suisse, Google, Hulu, Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Vimeo, YouTube
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Information Architects has released the final beta
for the fourth iteration of its awesome Web Trends Map series. This is a great visualization of current Internet trends, and how companies and individuals fit into it. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/06/great-visualization-web-trends-map-4-final-beta 4/6)
Several questions come to mind straight away…like how is Vimeo ranked higher as a web trend over Hulu? I have some issue with the content of the map but as a conversation starter, it’s quite interesting.
CBS Sports.com wraps up its video coverage of March Madness tonight with live steaming of the championship game on NCAA.com between the MSU Spartans and the UNC Tarheels. Improved latency and a high-quality viewing option helped MMOD improve its reach to nearly 7 million users this year through last Sunday (up 56% from 2008.) Visitors collectively consumed 8.04 million hours of live streaming and audio thus far- up 71% from 2008. (Cynopsis 4/6)
Google’s YouTube could lose $470 million in 2009, according to a report from Credit Suisse. The video-sharing site is estimated to generate $240 million in revenue this year. However, various expenses, especially pricy bandwidth costs, could add up to $711 million. (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://www.webpronews.com/topnews/2009/04/03/analysts-estimate-youtubes-losses-at-470-million-this-year 4/3)
YouTube is said to be in talks to acquire licensing rights to full-length content from Sony Pictures, home of such films as “The International” and “Spider-Man.” Google’s video-sharing site appears to be aiming to become a player in Hollywood as online video is booming. (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-10212585-93.html 4/6)
YouTube is in negotiations with Sony Pictures to get licensing rights to some of the studio’s movies. “The Professional” is from Sony Pictures and is available at Crackle.com.
(Credit: Crackle.com)
Several Nickelodeon shows and Comedy Central’s “South Park” are being added to the instant streaming service on Netflix. The online movie rental service currently offers MTV Networks properties on DVD and obtained its first digital license from the company last year. (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://www.worldscreen.com/articles/display/20489 4/6)
Google will have to defend itself against a trademark lawsuit over advertisements linked to certain keyword searches, says a new U.S. appeals court ruling. If the court adopted Google’s argument, search engines could use trademarks “in ways designed to deceive.” (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123878987982287605.html 4/3)
The slow but steady march towards a unified online healthcare management system continues. Google has announced that it has forged a new partnership with CVS, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy chains, allowing CVS customers to import their full prescription history into Google Health. CVS joins other major pharmacies including Longs Drugs and Walgreens in offering the same functionality, which combined now allow over 100 million Americans to import their medical histories into Google Health, which launched last May. (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/06/cvs-signs-on-with-google-health-to-offer-comprehensive-pharmacy-history 4/6)
Earlier this week, Google finally announced the formation of a new venture arm called Google Ventures. It is where all smaller-scale venture investments from Google will now originate. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2009/04/04/the-google-ventures-cheat-sheet 4/4)
The Associated Press and its member newspapers will take legal action against Web sites that use newspaper articles without legal permission, the group says, in a clear shot at aggregators like Google. “We can no longer stand by and watch others walk off with our work.” (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/07/business/media/07paper.html?_r=1 4/6)
Facebook began testing a SecondLife-style virtual currency system enabling community members to purchase “credits” to put toward virtual gifts and other goodies, per VentureBeat. The service is currently being tested on 15 US college Facebook networks as well as within Facebook’s own company network. (Cynopsis 4/6)
Newspaper company CEOs are said to be planning “private talks” on how to charge for digital content during this week’s Newspaper Association of America convention. Publishers are also expected to discuss whether to demand pay from online aggregators. (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/04/publishers-zero-in-on-charging-for.html 4/5)
Procter & Gamble will make a bigger push to develop digital media properties for women following the cancellation of its CBS soap opera “Guiding Light,” which it used for decades to peddle soap and household necessities. P&G is “just trying to keep up with the times.” (Iwantmedia 4/6, http://www.smartmoney.com/news/ON/?story=ON-20090403-000824-1525 4/3)
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Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Arts, BattlestarGalactica, NBC, Peter Griffin, Programs, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Television, Tonight Show with Jay Leno
President Obama’s appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” attracted the largest audience to the NBC program in more than four years. The first late-night talk-show appearance by a sitting U.S. president posted an 11.2 rating. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aE4s6jqewwQs 3/20)
Fast national ratings of Sci Fi Channel‘s finale of Battlestar Galactica finds the two hour season closer drew in 2.4 million viewers, 1.5 million in the coveted A18-49 demo, making it the most watch episode of the series in over three years. These numbers mark a 56% increase over last season’s finale in total viewers, and up 37% in the demo. (Cynopsis 3/23)
Comedy Central has inked a multiplatform programming agreement with comedian Jeff Dunham that will include an original TV series, a stand-up special, a DVD release and merchandising. A stand-up special by the ventriloquist on Comedy Central last year attracted 6.6 million viewers, the most-watched show in the history of the network. Variety (3/22) , Mediaweek (3/22)
Outgoing News Corp. president Peter Chernin is lending his voice to the Fox animated series “Family Guy.” Chernin, who formally steps down from his post in June, plays himself as he hears a show pitch from Peter Griffin, voiced by creator Seth MacFarlane. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/03/the-family-guy.html 3/20)
Sony Pictures Entertainment, which, for the last year, has been expanding its U.S. and foreign television operations, this week will fuse its domestic and international divisions, according to this report. The combined unit will be led by Steve Mosko, who will oversee international efforts as well as the cable, syndication and network initiatives of Sony Pictures Television. The New York Times (3/22)
Former Time Warner chairman and CEO Dick Parsons will step down from the board by its next annual meeting. Parsons, who has been on the Time Warner board since 1991, helped the company negotiate the difficult aftermath of its widely derided merger with AOL. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSTRE52M78C20090323 3/23)
Time Warner will pay $241.5 million for a 31% stake in Central European Media Enterprises, the Bermuda-based broadcast company founded by cosmetics billionaire Ronald Lauder. Warner Bros. is forming a partnership with the company to launch TV channels in Europe. (Iwantmedia 3/23, http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/090323/na_us_time_warner_central_european_media.html 3/23)
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Filed under: MISC | Tags: Arts, DVD, Entertainment, Japan, Movie studio, Movies, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Television
Sony Pictures Entertainment, the movie studio subsidiary of the Japanese electronics maker, is laying off nearly 250 people and eliminating nearly 100 open positions in an effort to cut costs. The studio cites declines in television syndication, DVDs and advertising sales. (Iwantmedia 3/11, http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090310/ap_on_hi_te/sony_pictures_cuts 3/10)
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Cell Phones, iPod, Magazines, Michael Lynton, Mobile device, Mobile phone, Science and Technology, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Hollywood studios may change the way they pay actors, directors and producers as DVD sales decline, says Sony Pictures chief Michael Lynton. “It’s not so much cutting salaries but making sure our partners share in the risk.” Studios can no longer count on DVD sales. (Iwantmedia 2/19, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=asMEvVm92mtc 2/19)
HP has reported that its profit fell 13% in the first quarter, while overall revenue showed a less-than-expected increase of 1%. Despite the slowdown, its printer and tech-services divisions boasted 18.5% and 12.8% gains in profit margins respectively. The Wall Street Journal (2/19) , Financial Times (2/19)
Despite a 17% uptick in global flat-panel shipments, overall shipments of TVs slid 5% in the fourth quarter, the first drop in two years. Total revenue in the category dropped 7%. PC Magazine (2/18) , Digital Trends (2/18)
Young, multicultural consumers are on the leading edge, embracing new media platforms; especially video-enabled handled devices, according to a new Horowitz Associates’ Broadband Content and Services 2008 report. The study found that nearly nine in ten (86%) of 15 to 17 year-old Internet users have a handheld device, whether it is a cell phone (69%), an iPod or other MP3 player (66%), a PSP (31%) or a Smartphone (12%). One quarter (26%) of 15 to 17 year-old users pay for internet access on their cell phone, compared to 11% of 35 to 49 year-old users. Similarly, one quarter (24%) of 15 to 17 year-old Internet users watch video on their handheld devices on a monthly basis. (Cynopsis 2/19)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: 216, Crackle.com, Facebook, Jonathan Shambroom, New York Times, Sony, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Television
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Netflix and TiVo will begin a partnership in December that will enable viewers to watch Netflix’s Web-based “Watch Instantly” TV episodes and movies via their TiVo set-top boxes. The collaboration is seen as a big advancement in the video industry’s drive to offer online TV and movie content on regular TV sets. The New York Times (10/30) , The Washington Post/The Associated Press (10/30)
Facebook blew past MySpace in visitors from across the world back in April, but the global gap continues to widen. According to the latest figures from comScore, Facebook attracted 161.1 million unique visitors worldwide in September, compared 117.9 million for MySpace. For Facebook, that number was up from 4.7 percent from the 153.9 million people who visited the social network in August. Visitors to MySpace declined 1.6 percent globally from 119.8 million. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/29/facebook-widens-the-gap-with-myspace-internationally 10/29)
Sony Pictures Entertainment is installing new management, opening a new headquarters and preparing to commit a range of new full-length Sony TV shows and movies to Crackle.com reports THR. Eric Berger, who oversaw mobile entertainment at Sony, will take over at Crackle replacing Jonathan Shambroom, who has overseen the site since February. The site plans to premiere as many as five 13-episode original series each quarter beginning early next year with Angel of Death from comic-book artist Ed Brubaker. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Turner Sports-managed NBA.com launched the NBA League Broadband service offering access to up to 40 live games per week, the first time NBA games have been available online. Bells and whistles include a mosaic video player allowing fans to watch and track up to 3 games at once. The service is currently available for the early bird price of $169 for the season. Subscribers to the TV version get the broadband service for free. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Meanwhile the NHL is offering free access to its Game Center Live service today to drum up interest. A full season of hockey games also costs $169. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Comcast’s Fancast.com launched a new weekly blog called “Ask Judah,” featuring 30 Rock co-star Judah Friedlander fielding questions from users on any and all topics. His blog will run on Thursdays and Fridays to promote both linear and online viewing of 30 Rock. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Last month AOL began releasing parts of its new tear-down-the-walls home page strategy, allowing users to view email from Yahoo and Gmail. Today they launch the rest of the new features. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/30/the-walls-come-down-on-aolcom 10/30)
Retailer Hot Topic, Inc launched ShockHound a music-based site offering MP3s, band merchandise, music videos and editorial content allowing indie artists upload and sell their work. (Cynopsis 10/30)
Zazzle
, the site that lets you custom-design and sell everything from T-shirts and hoodies to sneakers and skateboards, has launched a new feature that may well put it leagues ahead of its competitors: embroidery. And while the prospect of having an embroidered shirt may not sound appealing at first (I’ve always associated embroidery with tacky nametags emblazoned on polo shirts), Zazzle’s new feature is very impressive and will likely draw a large number of new customers. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/10/30/zazzle-launches-custom-embroidered-clothing-who-knew-stitching-could-be-this-cool 10/30)
MSNBC‘s newest politico Rachel Maddow has got her own site now featuring full podcasts of her nightly show and a customizable interface allowing users to create embeddable playlists of their favorite clips. Viewers can also interact with Rachel using msnbc.com’s own social media news site Newsvine or via Twitter. (Cynopsis 10/30)
The growth rate of online video ad spending will peak at 78.9% in 2012 when both traditional and alternative media companies will be distributing far more professional-quality video content online, and when the national elections and the summer Olympics will contribute far more to video ad spending than they did in 2008, according to eMarketer projections. (Cynopsis 10/30)
U.S. Online Video Advertising Spending Growth, 2008-2013
Year % change
2008 55.9%
2009 48.5%
2010 53.3%
2011 65.2%
2012 78.9%
2013 70.6%
Source: eMarketer
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Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Apple, Best Buy, Blu-ray Disc, MacBook Pro, Sony, Sony Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Wal-Mart
TECHNOLOGY
The MSI Wind netbook will go on sale at Best Buy priced at $399 and equipped with a 120GB hard drive and 1GB of RAM, MSI said Monday. Best Buy is one of the few major U.S. CE retailers to stock the Wind, which keeps its price lower partly by using a less powerful battery pack. Electronista (10/6)
With reports swirling across the Internet speculating on Apple‘s next major release, code-named “brick,” 9to5Mac.com is reporting the term refers to how Apple will make the MacBook and MacBook Pro laptops: They will be carved out from a single block of aluminum. That has led observers to consider how such a revolutionary production process would affect its manufacturing costs. BusinessWeek (10/7)
Consumers who buy Blu-ray disc titles with BD-Live bonus features that come from Sony Pictures can earn points to buy other Sony products through membership in Sony Pictures Blu-ray Club. The studio launched the loyalty plan — a component of the Sony Rewards program — partly as a way of promoting its new video release, “You Don’t Mess With the Zohan.” TWICE (10/6)
This fall, the California company started selling its low-price LCD TVs in Japan after claiming 10% market share in the U.S., and it is planning further global expansion. Vizio credits its success in the U.S. to low production costs coupled with a strong presence in discount stores such as Costco, Wal-Mart and Target. International Herald Tribune (10/6)
At $249, the Samsung SC-MX20 falls delicately between cheap flash-based camcorders and more expensive hard drive-based camcorders. It strips down some features that may not be necessary in the first place – high definition video, still photos, etc. – but adds something that most less expensive flash camcorders don’t have: an optical zoom. (http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/07/review-samsung-sc-mx20-digital-memory-camcorder 10/7)
A recent update to the net-connected Chumby
device adds Pandora Radio as an option under the Music menu. (http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/10/07/chumby-now-supports-pandora-radio 10/7)
Integra’s DBS-6.9 Blu-ray player, which launched this week, supports interactive content and formats including CD, DVD and MP3. The DBS-6.9 is priced at $600. TWICE (10/6)
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Filed under: ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA | Tags: Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Intellectual Property, Playstation 3, Sony, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Pictures Television, Television
ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Netflix is testing a service that allows users to order high-definition movies from its Blu-ray library for a premium. Blu-ray discs cost 25% more than standard DVD titles, but offer superior definition. Netflix has not announced how much more a subscription including Blu-ray would cost, but Netflix subscribers report paying an additional $1 to $2 per month for the high-definition discs. InformationWeek (8/4)
Rocketboom, the daily video blog, is turning over its distribution and ad sales to Sony Pictures Television in return for a seven-figure guarantee plus a share of revenues. Rocketboom will be distributed on Sony’s Crackle video site, as well as across other Sony platforms such as the PS3, PSP, and Bravia I-Link TVs. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/08/05/rocketboom-inks-seven-figure-distribution-deal-with-sony 8/5)
Golf fans will be able to find plenty of complementary coverage of this weekend’s PGA Championship on PGA.com, produced by Turner Sports. The site will host 4 channels of content presented in a new wide-screen format (some 224% larger than the previous player,) including a simulcast of the TNT production. The Playercam follows two select groups during the first two days then one group during the weekend. (Cynopsis 8/5)
Tribune’s TV-themed news and listings service Zap2it has created a handy Olympics widget sponsored by Comcast you can post on your profile page to help keep track of what events are on what channel. (Cynopsis 8/5)
Sundance Channel unveiled its latest web series, the 13-part “Eco-Heroes,” hosted and created by environmental activist Majora Carter, host of The Green. In each two-minute webisode Majora interviews one person who has been an inspiration to her and her work. Sundance Channel will also air episodes of the series as an interstitial on Tuesday nights. (Cynopsis 8/5)
Interactive broadcast application provider Jacked completed an integration with Comcast’s Versus to provide complementary programming around the network’s NHL, College Football and NCAA basketball games. The Jacked SportsTop is an online app that synchronizes with live sportscasts allowing users to customize the interface with a variety of widgets including up-to-the-second stats, video highlights, news and interactive features such as live chat and trivia. (Cynopsis 8/5)
The syndicated entertainment news show “Entertainment Tonight” will provide content to the MSN Web portal in a new deal between Microsoft and CBS. As part of the deal, “ET” will begin 24-hour operations to provide round-the-clock updates. Currently, “ET” operates its own Web site, attracting of late a reported 1.7 million monthly unique users. Broadcasting & Cable (8/4)
Disney Interactive Media is acquiring the parenting advice site Raisingkids.co.uk. The site will be added to the Disney Online portfolio, which also includes the recently launched UKfamily.co.uk. Rasingkids claims more than 100,000 registered users. (Iwantmedia 8/5, http://www.nma.co.uk/Articles/39036/Disney+buys+parenting+advice+site.html 8/5)
