Group items tagged

Facebook, Twitter, and the iPhone are TV's only hope, according to Elisabeth Murdoch, CEO of Shine Limited, a British television production and distribution company. According to Broadcasting & Cable, Ms. Murdoch told TV producers and distributors at the annual National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) convention: "We in the TV business have to catch up with \nwhat our audience is doing. We can no longer afford to be one-screen business."

Congressional hearings for the Comcast/NBC case are scheduled for Feb. 4. There are many opponents to the deal, including consumer activists and media watchdogs, Local affiliates are concerned that Comcast could "gradually migrate some or all of the most compelling sports, news and entertainment programming and talent away from free, over-the-air distribution on NBC to its newly owned cable channels that are made available only to paying subscribers, such as Bravo and USA Network."

"ABC News content is being added to Hulu on its own dedicated channel. Short and long form programming from Good Morning America, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, Nightline, This Week, 20/20 and Primetime will be available, as well as select programming from ABC News' digital channel ABC News Now."

Bravo is hoping to make some of its programming more interactive with viewers' phones.

"RealNetworks Inc. said it will pay $4.5 million and drop its appeal of a court order barring sales of its DVD-copying software to settle a lawsuit by Walt Disney Co. and other Hollywood movie studios claiming the technology violates copyright-protection laws. RealNetworks also will refund about 2,700 customers who bought RealDVD, a $30 software program that allows users to save one backup copy of a movie to a computer hard drive."

""Over the past several decades, our industry has consolidated from literally dozens of independent entrepreneurs and suppliers, including many writer-owners making innovative and groundbreaking programming to a handful of large media conglomerates most often controlling content from start to finish," Wells said. The result, he said, is that decisions on which shows go on television are based more often on money than quality. "

"Federal regulators trying to bring high-speed Internet connections to all Americans will propose tapping the government program that now subsidizes telephone service in poor and rural areas. The Federal Communications Commission will include a proposal to revamp the Universal Service Fund as part of a national broadband plan due to Congress on March 17. Although the proposal itself has been expected for months, Friday's announcement offered the first solid details."

"Federal regulators are proposing to expand broadband services by tapping a program that now subsidizes phone service in poor and rural areas."

"Earlier this week, federal prosecutors in New Jersey unveiled a 43-count indictment charging four men with using sophisticated computer programs to bypass security measures to buy up blocks of tickets through online vendors like Ticketmaster. They sold the tickets to brokers, who in turn marked them up for ravenous fans who found the available supply of tickets scarce. According to the indictment, the defendants reaped more than $20 million in profits from 2002 to 2009 through purchases of more than one million tickets by their company, Wiseguy Tickets."

Good description of the relationship between affiliates and the moves that have occurred in Late Night programming.

More evidence of changing business models in the television business. The networks programming new scripted content in the summer.

"The trial, which should begin by this spring, will transmit up to 20 channels of free and premium programming using signals from eight mobile DTV stations: WDCA (Fox Television Stations); WUSA (Gannett Broadcasting); WPXW (ION Media Networks); WRC (NBC Universal); WHUT (Howard University/PBS); WNVC (MHz Networks); WNUV (Sinclair Broadcast Group); and WFDC (Univision Communications). "One of the key advantages of mobile DTV is the built-in ability to measure viewer activity, giving broadcasters a much better picture of what consumers are actually watching, when they watch, and where," said Brandon Burgess, OMVC President and ION Media Networks Chairman and CEO."

"the Wings have found mobile devices to be the #1 viewing medium fans are using to see videos accounting for an overwhelming 22% of fans viewing linked videos nearly 2,000 times all the way through. We're very excited at the possibilities this technology provides our team in giving more access and we've only just begun to tap into the capabilities it provides us in both marketing to our fans and giving them exactly what they are asking for in terms of access to their team. Moving forward, we're looking to create exclusive video content that is complimentary to stories included in the magazine, create opportunities for our advertisers to include offers in their ads via QR codes and put our fans in the driver's seat when it comes to giving them information on the Detroit Red Wings.""

Explains why television remakes of TV series always fail whereas movie adaptations of TV shows have a better track record. Nevertheless remakes of Rockford Files, Charlie's Angels, and Hawaii Five-O are forthcoming.

The Knight Foundations responds to shifting media industry economics by donating $2 million dollars to fund freedom on information act requests. While these requests are traditionally paid for by newspapers and news organizations, economic challenges facing the industry are undercutting traditional funding models.

Feb. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Comcast Corp.'s proposed takeover of NBC Universal would test the future of free, over-the-air television, U.S. Representative Henry Waxman said as Congress began considering the deal. "Many are concerned that this transaction could result in the best of NBC's programming being transitioned to a pay-TV service," Waxman, a California Democrat and chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said today.

Big changes in measurement methodologies. Refocus on time-shifting measurement.

The Universal Music Group could rewrite U.S. music pricing when it tests a new frontline pricing structure, which is designed to get single CDs in stores at $10, or below. Beginning in the second quarter and continuing through most of the year, the company's Velocity program will test lower CD prices. Single CDs will have the suggested list prices of $10, $9, $8, $7 and $6.