| Media & Marketing -- Advertising: New ABC Show: Ad Dollars at Work | The Wall Street Journal May 13, 2008 | Under pressure to prove the effectiveness of TV advertising, ABC will announce today a new measurement tool for marketers that offers various details about the viewership of particular shows beyond just ratings.
While advertisers increasingly have access to assorted data about their target audiences -- including much of the information in ABC's new index -- a surprising number still make decisions the old way: based simply on the sheer number of people in a particular age range who watch a show.
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| Corporate News: HBO Nears Deal To Distribute Shows on iTunes | | The Wall Street JournalMay 13, 2008 | Time Warner Inc.'s HBO and Apple Inc. are close to announcing a deal to make HBO series available for download on Apple's iTunes service, according to people familiar with the matter.
The service marks an evolution in strategy for both HBO and Apple.
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| | Disney to create lab to test ads for ABC, ESPN | | Associated Press/AP OnlineMay 13, 2008 | LOS ANGELES - Will people remember three-second video ads on their mobile phones?
Is the sports ticker crawl distracting or does it add value to the 30-second TV spot?
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| Person close to talks: NBC installing Fallon on 'Late Night' | | Associated Press/AP OnlineMay 11, 2008 | NEW YORK - Jimmy Fallon will officially be given the keys to NBC's "Late Night" franchise following Conan O'Brien's exit.
A person close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement hadn't been made confirmed the widely rumored change Sunday and said a news conference was planned for Monday.
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| | ABC's Digital Video Pitch | | Television WeekMay 05, 2008 | As ABC aims to land more digital advertising dollars, the network plans to unveil new features and more short-form programming for its video player during upfront conversations with advertisers.
The network's decision to add more functionality to its Web video offerings, timed to the upfront, is the latest sign that the online video business is growing more competitive.
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| ABC to Keep Key Executive | | Los Angeles TimesMay 09, 2008 | Walt Disney Co. has signed its hard-charging top television programmer to a new contract.
Steve McPherson, 43, ABC's entertainment president, has been the chief architect of the network's ratings revival, developing such shows as "Grey's Anatomy," "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" and greenlighting other favorites, including "Dancing With the Stars" and "Brothers & Sisters."
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| | Media & Marketing: Cablevision to Buy Sundance Channel | | The Wall Street JournalMay 08, 2008 | Cablevision Systems Corp. confirmed Wednesday that it is buying the Sundance Channel and, according to people familiar with the talks, it has decided to let the channel exist on its own for now, rather than merge it with Cablevision's other independent-film network, IFC.
The deal will add Sundance, which is in nearly 30 million homes, to Cablevision's stable of cable channels, which, in addition to IFC, includes AMC and WE.
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| Comcast Signs 'Internet-on-the-Go' Deal | | The Philadelphia InquirerMay 08, 2008 | May 8--On a bus ride in January through Portland, Ore., Brian L. Roberts, chairman and chief executive officer of Comcast Corp., began to see the future of Internet-on-the-go.
In that transaction, Comcast Corp. joined with other cable companies, a chip-maker, and two wireless-phone companies to create a new venture it says will provide high-speed Internet-on-the-go in the nation's top 100 markets by 2010.
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| | ABC Enrolls at Five Campuses | | Los Angeles TimesMay 08, 2008 | ABC News is going back to school.
The network announced Wednesday that it was opening five college campus bureaus in September at journalism schools around the country.
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| Media & Marketing: Cablevision Nears Deal for Sundance | | The Wall Street JournalMay 07, 2008 | Cablevision Systems Corp. is close to an agreement to buy the Sundance Channel, jointly owned by General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, CBS Corp., and actor Robert Redford, in a cash and stock deal valued at close to $500 million, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
Terms of the deal may be announced as early as Wednesday morning.
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| | Media & Marketing: 'Runway' Producers Sign Deal to Stay With NBC | | The Wall Street JournalMay 06, 2008 | General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal on Monday fired another salvo in its battle to stop Weinstein Co. from moving "Project Runway" from NBC-owned cable channel Bravo to rival Lifetime Networks -- announcing an exclusive deal that would prevent the reality show's longtime producers from following the series to its new home.
NBC countered with a lawsuit claiming that Weinstein Co., which produces "Runway," had given NBC Universal a right of first refusal to the show.
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| Microsoft to Offer TV Shows: NBC PROGRAMS SET FOR ZUNE AFTER RIFT WITH APPLE | | San Jose Mercury NewsMay 06, 2008 | May 6--Microsoft this week will start selling television shows to Zune media player owners through its affiliated online store.
Among the company's partners for the new service is NBC Universal, which had a highly publicized falling out with Microsoft rival Apple last year.
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| | Arris Sees Rebound in Comcast Business. | | Multichannel NewsMay 05, 2008 | Arris Group's first-quarter revenue was hurt by a drop in orders from Comcast, but the cable-technology supplier expects that business to bounce back in the year ahead - particularly as DOCSIS 3.0 equipment starts shipping in the second and third quarters.
First-quarter 2008 revenue was $273.5 million, up 16% compared with the year-prior period, primarily reflecting the acquisition of C-COR.
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| Viacom's $100M Game-Changer. | | Multichannel NewsMay 05, 2008 | Viacom plans to invest as much as $100 million in the 'premium entertainment service' it will launch in conjunction with three major movie studios next year, and said it is in talks with possible distributors and additional partners.
The joint venture between Viacom's Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate has been able 'to speak freely to potential distributors across many, many platforms,' Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said during the company's first-quarter earnings call Friday.
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| | A&E Networks Touts 'High' Gains. | | Multichannel NewsMay 05, 2008 | As programmers jockey for carriage of their high-definition networks, A&E Television Networks will try to emphasize its early successes gaining placement, and highlight support for its upcoming launches, with a new affiliate-relations campaign.
David Zagin, executive vice president of affiliate relations and marketing, said that phrase refers to many aspects of the company's HD offerings: they're available in wide screen, have great variety and appeal to a wide array of demographics.
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| Media & Marketing: NBC Super Bowl Ads to Cost $3 Million | | The Wall Street JournalMay 06, 2008 | The Super Bowl has always been a tough ticket, but now NBC is telling advertisers it will cost them $3 million just to get into the game -- for 30 seconds.
It represents a price increase of more than 10%, roughly double the usual annual rise.
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| | Channel Changer; Three Years Ago, Reggie Hudlin Came To Save a Troubled BET. But Has He? | | The Washington PostMay 04, 2008 | NEW YORK -- To understand the irony, skip back four years: Reginald Hudlin, Hollywood director and comic book nerd, is ensconced with his close friend, firebrand cartoonist Aaron McGruder, gleefully penning a graphic novel, "Birth of a Nation."
Skip forward to the present: Now Hudlin's dividing his time between Los Angeles and New York as BET's president of entertainment, the man in charge of the images tumbling from the cable network's airwaves.
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| Viacom Earnings Rise 33% | | Los Angeles TimesMay 03, 2008 | Boosted by advertising growth at its cable TV networks and strong sales of its "Rock Band" video game, Viacom Inc. on Friday reported a 33% surge in first-quarter profit.
Chief Executive Philippe P. Dauman said that despite the faltering economy, he expected the company to match the 8% global advertising growth rate that it achieved in the first quarter.
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| | CBS Pitching Sticky Videos | | Television WeekApril 28, 2008 | When selling marketers on digital deals at this year's upfront advertising market, CBS plans to claim that it engages audiences better than its competitors.
The network is coming armed with research on engagement, how many video streams it serves and how audiences use full-episode streaming of its TV shows on the Web.
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| MTV owner Viacom reports 33 pct 1Q profit rise | | Associated Press/AP OnlineMay 02, 2008 | NEW YORK - Entertainment company Viacom Inc. reported a 33 percent rise in first-quarter earnings Friday, lifted by stronger sales of the "Rock Band" video game.
The company, which is controlled by billionaire Sumner Redstone and owns MTV, BET, Nickelodeon and the Paramount movie studio, earned $270 million, or 42 cents per share, in the first three months of the year, up from $203 million, or 29 cents per share, in the same period a year ago.
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| | Media & Marketing: Comcast Raids Its Rivals | | The Wall Street JournalMay 02, 2008 | Results at Comcast Corp., which posted a 13% decline in first-quarter profit, point to a new reality for U.S. cable-television companies: TV is less important to them than ever.
The results -- on top of strong first-quarter customer gains from Time Warner Cable Inc. -- may mean cable companies are better situated than expected to ward off competition.
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| HBO Airs It Out on Blogosphere | | The Milwaukee Journal SentinelMay 01, 2008 | There was enough comment and contradiction to recommend the other four segments of the 90-minute "Costas Now" show that aired Tuesday night on HBO, but all of it shriveled away next to what was to be a "discussion" about the impact of the Internet and sports bloggers on the sports media landscape.
"Discussion" is not quite the word to describe what took place between author Buzz Bissinger and Deadspin.com editor and author Will Leitch, in a live town hall style show before a New York audience.
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| | Media & Marketing: Time Warner Net Drops 36%; Cable Unit to Split Off | | The Wall Street JournalMay 01, 2008 | Time Warner Inc. Chief Executive Jeff Bewkes pulled the trigger on his first major move to shake up the company, unveiling plans to spin off Time Warner Cable Inc. But investors gave the widely-telegraphed move a lukewarm reception and shifted their attention to the fate of the AOL unit.
Although investors had expected a lower result from AOL as the New York company phases out its Internet-access subscription business, the division showed unexpected weakness in display advertising.
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| Cablevision's Bid for Newsday to Top Rivals' By $70M | | New York NewsdayMay 01, 2008 | In a bid that would leapfrog two competing offers from a
pair of New York tabloid tycoons, Cablevision Systems Corp. is expected to make a $650-million offer for Newsday before week's end, possibly with a new Long Island partner, sources familiar with the cable operator's offer said yesterday.
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| | Warner Bros. To End Lag On Pay-TV Movie Release | | The Wall Street JournalMay 01, 2008 | In a sign of Hollywood's interest in new forms of distribution that can replace the DVD, Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. unit this year plans to release almost all of its movies via video-on-demand services on the same day the DVDs are released.
The move could have broad ramifications for Hollywood, which has relied heavily on DVD revenue in recent years, even as that market has matured.
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| 'American Idol' Can't Keep Fox Tops: CBS Wins Week | | Los Angeles TimesApril 30, 2008 | Fox failed to finish atop the weekly prime-time ratings last week for just the second time in the 15 weeks since "American Idol" began its season, with CBS' dominance in scripted programming helping it to the victory.
Fox was second, followed by ABC and NBC.
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| | CBS Profit Jumps 14% | | Los Angeles TimesApril 30, 2008 | Led by stronger-than-expected results in its TV division, CBS Corp. on Tuesday beat Wall Street expectations and posted a 14% jump in net income for the quarter ended March 31.
Although analysts had expected results to be hampered by the labor strife, CBS said the ratings decline was more than offset by lower TV production costs and the sale of reruns for the shows "Everybody Loves Raymond" in the U.S. and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" abroad.
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| Corporate News: Blockbuster Is in Talks on Taking Stake in Viacom-Led TV Channel | | The Wall Street JournalApril 29, 2008 | Blockbuster Inc. is in talks about taking a stake in the new Viacom Inc.-led premium television channel that plans to compete with HBO, Showtime and Starz, according to people familiar with the situation.
As part of a deal being discussed, Blockbuster would get digital rights to the new channel's programming in return for an investment in the partnership, these people said.
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| | Judge Delays Televisa-Univision Trial | | Los Angeles TimesApril 29, 2008 | A federal judge agreed Monday to delay a much-anticipated trial that would pit one giant of Spanish-language television, Mexico's Grupo Televisa, against another, Univision Communications Inc.
Televisa sued Univision three years ago, alleging breach of contract and unpaid royalties.
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| Viacom Chief Puts Media Giant Back in the Picture | | Chicago TribuneApril 27, 2008 | In his 17 months at the helm, Viacom Inc. Chief Executive Philippe Dauman has won over investors and halted a sliding stock price.
It's a tall order, but many investors say Viacom shares (VIA) are poised to pop.
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| | Fox Sweetens the Digital Pot | | Television WeekApril 21, 2008 | To coincide with the start of the upfront selling season, Fox is revamping how it presents full-episode videos on its Web site this week for shows such as "House," "Bones" and "Prison Break."
That's because streaming TV shows have become the top driver of traffic to the network's Web site.
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| More Cable Channels Go Digital | | Richmond Times-DispatchApril 25, 2008 | Apr. 25--Four more channels have left Comcast analog cable television for the greener -- and more expensive -- pastures of Comcast digital cable.
The History Channel, Cartoon Network, ION and G4 are now available only to digital subscribers.
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| | ABC Learning Sells Stake in U.S. Business | | The Wall Street JournalApril 23, 2008 | Australian child-care provider ABC Learning Centres Ltd. finalized a deal to sell 60% of its U.S. business to Morgan Stanley Private Equity, with the proceeds to be used to pay down debt.
The transaction with the Morgan Stanley division values 100% of the U.S. child-care business at $700 million, less than the $775 million originally proposed when the deal was first flagged March 5.
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| Clear Channel Arbitration Sought | | Los Angeles TimesApril 23, 2008 | The banks involved in the $20-billion buyout of radio station operator Clear Channel Communications Inc. offered to enter binding arbitration with the private equity buyers to settle a dispute over funding.
The offer, which came two days before a court hearing in the dispute, was rejected by the equity buyers, Thomas H. Lee Partners and Bain Capital Partners.
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| | Comcast's Network Practices Need Scrutiny, FCC Chief Says | | The Washington PostApril 23, 2008 | Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin yesterday challenged several of Comcast's claims about how it operates its Internet network, taking his strongest stance yet against the cable operator.
Martin's comments came during a hearing held by the Senate Commerce Committee on the future of the Internet.
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| Siblings Viacom, CBS Battle | | Los Angeles TimesApril 21, 2008 | One part of Sumner M. Redstone's media empire took aim at the other Sunday, when Viacom Inc.'s Paramount Pictures teamed up with two studios to create a premium television channel that would compete with Showtime Networks, which is owned by Viacom's sister company CBS Corp.
But Paramount and its partners, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Lionsgate Entertainment Corp., have been under pressure to do something.
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| | Studios Join to Start Pay Channel | | The Wall Street JournalApril 21, 2008 | Pay-TV channels HBO, Showtime and Starz are about to get a new competitor in their lucrative and insular world.
Viacom Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. Sunday announced a new joint venture to launch a premium channel, scheduled to debut in the fall of 2009.
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| Comcast Opens Up About How It Manages Traffic | | USA TODAYApril 21, 2008 | Managing online traffic can be risky stuff.
The cable TV giant came under fire recently when it slowed a "peer-to-peer" transmission of the King James Bible sent as a test by an Associated Press reporter.
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| | CBS Chief Says Couric is Staying | | Chicago TribuneApril 19, 2008 | Katie Couric isn't going anywhere.
That's what CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves told the staff of the "CBS Evening News" during a surprise visit to the newscast's regular Friday midday meeting in New York.
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| World News: CNN's Coverage of China Is Raising Hackles | | The Wall Street JournalApril 19, 2008 | HONG KONG -- A growing movement to protest CNN's coverage of China has in recent weeks generated its own Web site, theme song, and now, it seems, army of hackers.
No one has taken credit for Friday's outage, but Chinese hackers on Internet bulletin boards have called for attacks on the site in recent days.
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| | Ex-HBO Executive Stakes His Comeback on SlamBall | | The Wall Street JournalApril 18, 2008 | A year ago, Chris Albrecht was on the receiving end of a very public dismissal from a very lofty perch in the entertainment world.
With the feel of a live-action videogame, SlamBall is essentially basketball combined with rugby and trampoline gymnastics, and if Mr. Albrecht is right, it will become a phenomenon as successful and profitable as the latest sports craze, ultimate fighting.
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| ABC News Aims for Digital History | | Broadcasting & CableApril 14, 2008 | After five years of planning, ABC News has taken on the massive task of digitizing its content archive.
IBM is the prime contractor, providing long-term storage for ABC News' content on an outsourced basis through a multi-year, multimillion-dollar contract.
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| | BET Wants Buyers To Vote for Them. | | Broadcasting & CableApril 14, 2008 | BET will structure its New York upfront stage show around an election theme.
Network executives will pitch advertisers on the idea that BET is the way to reach those consumers through TV.
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| Media & Marketing: News Corp. Targets German TV | | The Wall Street JournalApril 15, 2008 | News Corp. plans to increase the stake it has recently built in leading German pay-TV group Premiere AG, as part of a strategy to expand its presence in Europe's biggest TV market, according to a person familiar with the situation.
With 25%, News Corp. would be able effectively to block any other shareholder from gaining control of the company.
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| | TV Nets Move the Ads to Boost Ratings | | .April 14, 2008 | The quest for better ratings has prompted two broadcast networks to revamp the way they run ads during their flagship late-night programs, the latest sign of how the TV industry's shift to the audience measure known as commercial ratings, or what is being called "C3," is prompting tweaks and alterations to the viewer experience.
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| HBO Hopes New Top Exec Makes a Difference | | Chicago TribuneApril 14, 2008 | We're used to HBO making news, but in recent weeks, most of the buzz has revolved around who would get the channel's most visible job -- president of the network's entertainment division.
Longtime HBO executive Carolyn Strauss, who helped bring forth signature shows such as "The Sopranos" and "Sex and the City," was eased out of that job a few weeks ago amid much "where has HBO's mojo gone?"
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| | A Friend to Writers at HBO | | Los Angeles TimesApril 14, 2008 | PRIOR to last week, when she was tapped as the new chief of HBO Entertainment, Sue Naegle had spent her entire career as an agent representing television writers.
"My biggest heartbreak as an agent was, I'd work with my clients and hear what they wanted to do and really get excited and really love it, take it into the network [or] wherever it was going, and then watch it slowly die, by a thousand people with different opinions," Naegle told me with a rueful chuckle last week.
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| Nielsen Has Principles but Lacks Staff and Cash | | The News & ObserverApril 13, 2008 | Apr. 13--Since retiring from the Air National Guard in 2002, Dennis Nielsen has filed an employment lawsuit against the state and successfully sued Nash County to force a cut in charges to the public for copies of government documents.
Having run for the state legislature as a Republican and then a Democrat, Nielsen this year is engrossed in a campaign for the Democratic nomination for governor, seeking to lead the government he once took to court.
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