Saturday, September 27, 2008

Comcast Caps Download Usage

Hi, this is Mike, lead blogger for this week. I found this article on Comcast to be of interest as they’re issuing an internet download cap for their resident users of 250gb per month. This enforcement by the FCC, charges that Comcast, previously has done very little in informing their customers of what is considered to be heavy use. Heavy users will be notified/warned by Comcast to lower their usage or either be suspended for repeated violations or be recommended to switch to a higher premium. Grant it, 250gb seems to be an overwhelming amount that would be hard for most of us to ever exceed especially with capabilities of streaming videos, music, etc. I’m curious of other possible motives on behalf of Comcast. Could this be a 10 year, 5 year plan before too long when/if Comcast decides to lower this amount to a level that could concern us all?

Comcast Caps Residential Internet Use At 250GB Per Month

Comcast has set 250 gigbytes (GB) per month as the limit for residential Internet subscribers' data usage

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/28/2008 4:36:00 PM

Comcast has set 250 gigabytes (GB) per month as the limit for residential Internetsubscribers' data usage, effectively quantfying the threshhold for "excessive use."

Comcast has for several years contacted the heaviest users and warned them they needed to upgrade to a commercial service or cut back usage below that threshold, the company says, but it had not informed them of what the threshhold was.

Comcast says that to exceed that 250 GB threshold, a customer would have to 1) send 50 million e-mails; or 2) download 62,500 songs; or dowload 125 standard-definition movies (it did not say how many hi-def downloads that 250 GB would represent); or upload 25,000 hi-res photos at 10 megs per picture.

The announcement comes three weeks before Comcast must report to the commission on how it has managed Internet traffic and how it will better inform customers of that network management, the result of an FCC finding Comcast had violated the FCC's open access principles, including by not sufficiently informing customers about its network management practices.

Comcast spokesman Charlie Douglas would not comment on whether Comcast would offer up this new policy as an example of better communications with subscribers, only saying Comcast is evaluating the FCC's order and "exploring out options."

Douglas says Comcast has been thinking "for a couple of years" about defining the threshold.Comcast says the policy change, in the form of an amendment to its Acceptable Use Policy, takes effect Oct. 1.

Comcast made a point of emphasizing that this was the same system of warning its heaviest users it has had inplace and that the only change was establishing the limit that would trigger the warning and informing customers of what that limit was.

Could Comcast move to a consumption-based model for Internet pricing? "That is not what we are talking about today," said Douglas, "but yes, that is something we have looked at."

Thursday, September 25, 2008

So, America's Going Steady With 'Survivor'

I saw this article from the Washington Post late last week and forgot to post it, but I found it to be pretty interesting. It takes a look at the 18-49 demographic, and shows which shows have "emotionally attached" viewers. Ringing in at number one was Survivor, while some other popular shows didn't have the attachment that I expected. In fact, many of the shows that I deem successful were not considered to have emotional attachments according to this study. Wonder why?

So, America's Going Steady With 'Survivor'

Friday, September 19, 2008; Page C01

Of all the series returning to the broadcast networks' prime-time lineups in the fall, CBS's "Survivor" has the most emotionally attached 18-to-49-year-old viewers. This according to a new study from a leading market research company that goes by the ridiculously long name: Marketing Evaluations Inc., the Q Scores Co.

This Story

Following "Survivor" in ability to emotionally attach 18-to-49-year-olds are NBC's "Heroes" and Fox's "House," according to the study, which looked only at shows returning in the fall -- sorry, all you "Lost"-heads and "24"-aholics. The study also looked only at 18-49ers, because that's whom advertisers care about.

Briefly, MEITQSC is the company that puts out the well-known "Q" scores that tell you, for example, whether Tom Cruise is better recognized than, say, Oprah Winfrey.

In this study, the company looks at what it calls the Emotional Attachment Index, which indicates the commitment 18-49ers have to continue watching a show in the future. The higher the index -- 100 is "average," whatever that means -- the stronger the emotional attachment the viewer has going into the new TV season. "Survivor" has an Emotional Attachment Index of 177. This means the 18-to-49-year-olds watching the show were practically having sex with it. ("Survivor" actually made the Top 20 list in two places: Last season's "Survivor: Micronesia" is No. 1, while "Survivor: China" ranks fifth, American viewers apparently being more emotionally attached to a mess of islands than to an emerging world power.) But in this new study, the company also threw in what it calls the Impact Q, or "IQ" -- get it? That's based on likability, and it indicates the program's capacity to satisfy 18-49ers during the season. The higher the index, the stronger the satisfaction level. Henry Schafer, executive vice president of MEITQSC, says the difference between IQ and the Emotional Attachment Index is like "going from liking to loving."

Did you know that 18-49ers who watch CBS's "Criminal Minds" are more attached emotionally to that show than 18-49ers watching any show on CW? And 18-49ers watching CBS's "Ghost Whisperer" cling to that show more than the 18-49ers watching NBC's "30 Rock"? Of course you didn't!

Actually, comedies don't do well in the emotional attachment arena; NBC's "The Office" is the only comedy that seems to attract the emotionally attachable. Since we have by now begun to suspect that this study is really a reflection of what kind of viewers are attracted to certain genres of TV shows -- well-rounded viewers who are emotionally committed to things like their boyfriends, their dogs, etc., as opposed to those unnaturally attached to their TV shows -- we think this does not speak well of "The Office" fans. We're also beginning to suspect the fact that "30 Rock" and even the country's most watched sitcom, "Two and a Half Men," were nowhere to be found on this list speaks highly of the viewers of both shows. "Two and a Half Men" only ranked in the 40s out of 75 shows evaluated for this scary, scary study, which just goes to show you what a sane, well-rounded bunch we "Two and a Half Men" viewers are, even though it does star Charlie Sheen.

Not coincidentally, many series on the Emotionally Attached Top 20 are grisly procedural crime dramas and sci-fi shows: "Heroes," "CSI," "Criminal Minds," "Ghost Whisperer," "Without a Trace," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," blah, blah, blah. We think there's something vaguely Stockholm syndromey going on here. We're getting more and more creeped out the deeper we probe this study.

For instance, the only CW show to make the 18-49 Emotional Attachment Top 20? Not "Gossip Girl." Not "Top Model." Not even "Smallville," though those three series are, according to CW itself, the hit series of the millennium, century and decade, respectively.

The CW series with the most emotionally clinging 18-to-49-year-olds is . . . "Supernatural," the show that incinerated Mom in the very first episode, remember? Though it was hardly a barnburner in the ratings last season, it has the eighth highest ranking of any returning series on any broadcast network on the Emotionally-Sucking-In-Advertiser-Coveted-Viewers-O-Meter.

This, according to MEITQSC, just goes to show you that "Supernatural" is a "cost-effective advertising environment." We think it shows something far more insidious.

"What these scores are tapping into is not so much the number of viewers that are tuning in, which is what Nielsen is reporting. It's the commitment and loyalty that the viewers have to the show -- an emotional connection, not only in terms of future viewing . . . but strength of the emotional commitment of the core audience of the show," Schafer explained to The TV Column while we fought the urge to scream and run.

Monday, September 22, 2008

The WB Channel Debuts Exclusively on V CAST from Verizon Wireless

HEY, IT'S BLAKE O'NEAL AND I AM THE LEAD BLOGGER FOR THIS WEEK. THE TREND OF MOBLIE MEDIA IS BECOMING MORE AND MORE PROMINENT THESE DAYS WITH DEVICES LIKE THE PSP AND THE iPHONE, AND I WAS WONDERING HOW EVERYONE FELT ABOUT VISUAL PORTABLE MEDIA. I RECENTLY FOUND THIS ARTICLE WHILE DOING SOME RESEARCH ON MY COMPANY. THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT V-CAST PROGRAMMING BEING OFFERED THROUGH VERIZON WIRELESS.

The WB Channel Debuts Exclusively on V CAST from Verizon Wireless with Premiere of Original Series Sorority Forever
September 10, 2008

From CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2008 in San Francisco, Verizon Wireless, builder and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, and the Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) today announced The WB Channel is now available on V CAST Video. Available exclusively on mobile through Verizon Wireless' V CAST Video service, The WB Channel features made-for-mobile programming from five original series on TheWB.com, beginning with the mobile premiere of Sorority Forever, an innovative drama that gives a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most intriguing secret societies in the world: the sorority.

In Sorority Forever, director/producer McG (Terminator Salvation, The O.C., Chuck, Supernatural and the Charlie's Angels movies), through his Wonderland Sound and Vision banner, teams up with Big Fantastic, producers of the hit digital series Prom Queen. With a mystery around every corner, Sorority Forever will provide viewers with a sexy and immersive experience that is simultaneously realistic and voyeuristic, as if Prom Queen met The O.C., but set in college. The series stars Jessica Rose (lonelygirl15), Mikaela Hoover, Taryn Southern, Anabella Casanova, Candice Patton, Annemarie Pazmino, Jessica Morris, Cary Hungerford, Angie Cole, David Loren and Joaquin Pastor. McG will executive produce, along with Big Fantastic creators/executive producers Douglas Cheney, Chris Hampel, Chris McCaleb and Ryan Wise. Producing alongside McG at Wonderland Sound and Vision are Peter Johnson, Matthew King and Jeff Grosvenor.

Commercial-free episodes of Sorority Forever will be available on The WB Channel on V CAST Video over the span of eight weeks, allowing fans to catch up with their favorite online series and watch previews of new episodes while they are on-the-go, even with just a few minutes to spare. Additional series from TheWB.com will make their mobile debuts on V CAST Video later this year.

Verizon Wireless is committed to delivering a variety of V CAST Video programming to meet ongoing customer demand for news, sports, weather and entertainment while on-the-go. In the first half of 2008, Verizon Wireless customers downloaded more than 71 million video clips and songs from the company's V CAST Video and Music services. With the addition of The WB Channel, Verizon Wireless is able to offer a broader line-up of content on V CAST Video to help satisfy the mobile cravings of Verizon Wireless customers.

The WB Channel is located in the TV section of the Picture & Video shopping aisle within V CAST Video. Customers with select V CAST-enabled phones can check out V CAST whenever they want for just $3.00 for 24-hour use or by signing up for the $15.00 V CAST VPak monthly subscription, which also includes access to Verizon Wireless' ESPN MVP, Get It Now® and Mobile Web services. Customers get unlimited basic video – including The WB Channel – but application download fees may apply for 3D games and premium video. There are no airtime or megabyte charges to download, stream or watch V CAST content with any V CAST subscription.

About Warner Bros. Television Group
The Warner Bros. Television Group oversees the entire portfolio of Warner Bros. television businesses, including worldwide production, traditional and digital distribution and broadcasting. WBTVG is committed to creating, producing and distributing content across all traditional, emerging digital and future platforms in the evolving entertainment and media landscape. In the traditional television arena, WBTVG produces primetime, first-run, cable and animation series which are distributed worldwide. WBTVG is also an innovative leader in developing new business models for the evolving digital television marketplace, including ad-supported video-on-demand as well as broadband and wireless destinations featuring original content produced by WBTVG. The Group provides unmatched digital media sales opportunities tailored to clients seeking multiplatform campaigns across broadcast, cable, broadband and wireless outlets. Warner Bros. Entertainment is also a partner with CBS in The CW Television Network.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Video service Mogulus reels in Gannett funding

Hey everyone, it's Brian Scheffler. This is an older post, but I know some people who have played around with this streaming video interface at Mogulus.com. This service doesn't just provide streaming video services, but rather allow producers and individuals to mix in multiple cameras or video sources, add graphics and logos, and playback pre-recorded content.

This article is about Gannett Broadcasting outfitting several of their owned stations with equipment to broadcast live on Mogulus. For example, they sent one of their NBC affiliates to Beijing to stream live from their newsroom with behind-the-scenes Olympics coverage. Other Gannett stations have used live streaming on Mogulus for hurricane coverage.

This shows another example of TV stations steering away from the traditional "television" medium.

Link to original article

Mogulus, a New York-based company that's part of the crowded pack of live-video streaming sites, has raised a new round of funding from news media conglomerate Gannett, publisher of USA Today and about two dozen other newspapers.
The two companies have had a partnership in place for the past three months, and the new investment is considered to be an extension of the partnership.
Financial terms were not formally disclosed, but a source close to the deal told us that--consistent with blog reports--the capital is about $10 million.
So far, Gannett's partnership with Mogulus has given the video site some bragging rights: when former Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton made some controversial remarks about the Robert Kennedy assassination in 1968, that interview had been recorded and live-streamed on Mogulus by one of the participating Gannett newspapers--the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls, S.D. Other newspapers picked up on the remark, and the rest is (recent) history.
Besides cementing the relationship with what is probably its highest-profile client, Mogulus likely could use the extra cash: live video is bandwidth-heavy, and there are plenty of competitors in the field, from Kyte to Ustream to Justin.tv. Additionally, the company is working on supplementing its ad-supported free service with a paid offering.

ZeeVee Builds New Bridge From PC to TV

Hey, this is Brad. It's my week to be lead blogger. I wanted to write about ZeeVee because it ties into previous discussions we've had about the Sling Box, and it's technology. ZeeVee is a new product that is similar to a reverse Sling Box. It aims to allow users to watch HD feeds from a computer on televisions in the house.

ZeeVee would deliver internet content from providers, much of which is in HD online, to consumers by allowing them to watch the computer feed on their home televisions. Also, users could use the ZeeVee to perform functions like checking e-mail, browsing the web, and managing photos, etc., from the TV. I found this to be an interesting concept. ZeeVee reminds me of a new, enhanced version of the WebTV technology that was available, but ultimately failed to succeed in the market.

Another feature I liked is that you could put a HD or BluRay DVD into your computer, and then watch it from your HDTV, for around the same price of purchasing a HD DVD player. I think that ZeeVee has a good concept, and could very well show slow, yet steady growth (like in the Sling Box) in the market. However, I do not that that it will be able to survive in the long run until its $499 retail price lowers to make it more affordable for consumers.

ZeeVee Builds New Bridge From PC to TV

ZeeVee is the latest firm to take on the problem of porting content from the Internet to the television. Its first product, ZvBox, feeds high-definition content from a desktop or laptop to televisions throughout the house using existing coaxial cables. With competitors that include Apple TV, it's got quite a task ahead.

When startup ZeeVee launched its ZvBox last month, it entered a fray in which high-profile contenders have already found success elusive.

The ZvBox aims to let consumers watch any Internet TV, online video or computer content on their home high-definition TVs, and it marks one of the latest attempts in the industry to solve the persistent problem of how to bring Internet content onto HDTVs.

"Every content provider is now putting content up on the Internet, and some make it available in high definition," Vic Odryna, ZeeVee's cofounder and CEO, told TechNewsWorld. "Usually, however, you're huddled around a laptop or desktop to see it -- it doesn't make its way into the living room."

Many players -- including Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Latest News about Apple with its AppleTV -- have tried to attack the problem. "The problem is, they only let you reach certain amounts of that content," Odryna explained. AppleTV, for example, delivers primarily content from iTunes, he noted.

"The only thing that can do a good job is the computer, so we saw an opportunity to connect the computer with home theater," he said.

A Channel of One's Own

ZeeVee's ZvBox achieves that by connecting to the monitor output of the computer and turning it into a new high-definition TV channel called Zv, which is then broadcast across the existing cable wiring to all HDTVs in the home.

"We built a box that lets you become your own HDTV broadcast station," Odryna explains.

Users can then tune to their HD channel just as if it were any other broadcast channel, though its programming is the content on the computer and can be accessed either directly, using the computer's regular desktop interface, or through a new graphical interface called the "Zviewer."

The result is that consumers can watch anything available online or on their computer, with no new subscription fees and with just one box for the whole house. Any computer application is also accessible from the HDTV, including e-mail Learn how you can enhance your email marketing program today. Free Trial - Click Here., Web browsing, photos, music, home movies and the computer's own DVD player.

Due at the end of June, the ZvBox is being offered as a bundle including the ZvRemote and Zviewer. It is available for preorder exclusively at Amazon.com's (Nasdaq: AMZN) Latest News about Amazon.com electronics store for US$499.

'The Light Bulb Moment'

The ZvBox brings to fruition an idea that several members of ZeeVee's founding team had been kicking around since 2002, Odryna says.

They realized that the TVs "already know how to display the content," and saw that other solutions required consumers to buy a separate box for each TV, he explained. "The light bulb moment was the idea of letting people build their own HDTV stations," he says.

They filed for a patent about six months later, but didn't found the company yet because "we honestly couldn't believe other people weren't already doing it," Odryna recalls. "We spent close to a year trying to figure out if anyone was."

The right technology at the right price point also had to become available. "People have been building TV stations for a long time with equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars," Odryna notes. "We needed to have the right technologies come together -- some we had to develop ourselves, and others had to reach the right cost point."

'Hiring Rock Stars'

Video encoding, for example, required a processor with enough power and a low enough cost, along with "a tremendous amount of custom software," he notes.

ZeeVee started building its business plan in late 2006 and early 2007, and raised its A-round of funding in early April 2007.

Most of the company's first year was focused on research and development. "We put in place 20 engineers, all in very different disciplines," Odryna says. "We went after 'rock stars,' so that took some time."

'Building Company 1.0'

There was no single "most daunting" challenge during ZeeVee's startup process -- rather, "this is one of those multidimensional problems," Odryna says. "One, we have to compress the data coming in in HD in such quality that it looks great on HDTV. Then we had to build all the technology to be able to broadcast it -- the real RF work."

Keeping costs down and finding a manufacturing partner in China were also challenging parts of what Odryna calls "building Company 1.0."

The company's biggest accomplishment so far? "Getting it to work," Odryna laughs. "Also, when we wrote it out on the back of a napkin, we put our stake in the ground and said we'd have it out in April," he adds. "We're only about a month and a half out, which I think is pretty impressive."

Commercial Versions

Looking ahead, ZeeVee is focused on "building the best company we can possibly build," Odryna says. "We're in the business of profitably selling hardware that people are interested in buying. We don't have any quick-exit strategies or anything like that."

There will be new generations of the ZeeVee box, including commercial versions aimed at such venues as sports bars and airports, he noted. "Overall, our goal is to spread as rapidly as we can while building a quality product."

Given the industry it's in, ZeeVee faces a daunting challenge, Mike Paxton, a principal analyst with In-Stat, told TechNewsWorld.

'A Very Steep Challenge'

"There are some very high-profile companies trying to build a business in that space, and success has been elusive for virtually all of them," Paxton said. "A startup that doesn't have the resources or branding of Apple has a very steep challenge."

Consumers are interested in the types of capabilities ZeeVee offers, but they have questions about prices -- which tend to be high -- as well as ease of use and installation, he said. Whether there's enough compelling content is also something consumers wonder, he added.

"The Internet is billions of video slices and programming -- it's just a fire hose blasting straight at you," Paxton explained. "If this is similar to other models, there will need to be some refinement before it goes mainstream."

Looking forward, "it'll be interesting to see if this market really develops," Paxton concluded. "So far there are a lot of people with their oars in the water but not really doing much."

International Trend

ZeeVee and its ZvBox "are examples of the big movement that is currently under way to connect people's TV sets directly to their broadband Internet connection," Gerry Kaufhold, also a principal analyst with In-Stat, told TechNewsWorld.

Indeed, a Netherlands-based company, DailyMedia.tv, has already launched an offering with a free set-top box and free basic service that lets consumers watch TV from their high-speed Internet connection and pay only for up-sell services like movies on demand, home security Free Trial. Security Software As A Service From <span class=Webroot

." width="17" border="0" height="16"> video monitoring and premium content, Kaufhold noted.

Other contenders in the space are the recently announced Netflix/Roku box as well as the Xbox 360 Latest News about <span class=Xbox 360" width="17" border="0" height="16"> and AppleTV, he added.

'Battle Royale'

"The big 'gotcha' for all these set-top boxes that connect your Internet service to your TV set is that most people are watching TV on a wide-screen HDTV set, and that requires a really good connection to the Internet," Kaufhold explained.

Comcast's (Nasdaq: CMCSK) Latest News about <span class=Comcast" width="17" border="0" height="16"> video-on-demand services currently provide "an excellent experience for end-users," Kaufhold said, but "the online services can present a much glitzier user interface, with animation, graphics, video and audio.

"We see a battle royale shaping up between the cable TV companies delivering high-definition video-on-demand up against these 'over the top' or Internet bypass approaches," he concluded. "It will be a race to see who gets legal access to the hottest content and can deliver it to consumers with the most convenience."

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

How convincing is the news media??

September 16, 2008
Volume 2, Number 20
Nets Peddling Anti-Palin Lies
In their scramble to discredit Sarah Palin, news networks are now citing left-wing falsehoods as fact. Last Monday, MSNBC's new far-left host Rachel Maddow misrepresented Palin with an out-of-context clip of the Alaska governor speaking in church. "[Palin] said that the commander-in-chief for our side in the Iraq war is a mighty general who's initials are G-O-D," Maddow scoffed. "She's asserting that the [Iraq] war is part of God's plan!"
Three days later, ABC anchor Charles Gibson pushed the "holy war" line in his interview with Palin: "You said recently, in your old church, ‘Our national leaders are sending U.S. soldiers on a task that is from God.'...Are we fighting a holy war?" According to the ABCNews.com transcript, Palin protested — "I don't know if that was my exact quote" — but her complaint was omitted from the interview. [Audio/video (1:15): Windows Media (4.71 MB) and MP3 audio (357 kB)]
The governor explained she was merely paraphrasing Lincoln's words: "Pray not that God be on our side, but pray instead that we be found on God's side." Yet Gibson stuck with his initial interpretation: "But you went on and said, 'There is a plan and it is God's plan.'"
Gibson and Maddow are simply wrong. Here is what Palin said at the Wasilla Assembly of God church on June 8, 2008: "Pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending them out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for: that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan. So bless them with your prayers, your prayers of protection over our soldiers."
Similarly, back on September 4, CNN's Soledad O'Brien cited "a lot of e-mails" when she berated a McCain spokeswoman about how Palin, the mother of a baby with Down's Syndrome, supposedly slashed spending for special needs students: "She's not fighting [on behalf of disabled children], she's cut the budget by 62 percent since she came into office." [Audio/video (1:10): Windows Media (4.56 MB) and MP3 audio (339 kB)]
That's another fabrication. On Monday, FactCheck.org included O'Brien's claim as an example of "Sliming Palin." The facts: "Palin did not cut funding for special needs education in Alaska by 62 percent....In fact, she increased funding and signed a bill that will triple per-pupil funding over three years for special needs students with high-cost requirements."

Monday, September 15, 2008

One in Four Homes Has At Least One DVR: Study

68% of DVR Owners Watch Recorded Content Instead of Live Programming

By Larry Barrett -- Multichannel News, 9/15/2008 12:35:00 PM

Digital video recorders are now found in more than 27% of U.S. households but their presence isn’t having a significant impact on television viewing habits, according to a report by consumer research Leichtman Research Group Inc.

And more than 30% of U.S. homes have at least two DVRs and 87% of DVR owners said they would recommend the device to a friend. On a scale of 1-10, 81% of owners rate their DVR 8-10 with 45% assigning it a perfect 10.

“The number of US households with DVRs has essentially doubled in the past two years, and—with a continued push from cable, DBS, and Telco TV providers—will likely double again over the next four years,” said Bruce Leichtman, president and principal analyst for Leichtman Research Group. “DVRs, along with on-demand, continue to change the way that many people watch TV. LRG forecasts that DVR and on-demand’s share of total TV viewing time in the U.S. will increase from about 6% today to 16% at the end of 2012.”

Other finding based on a survey of 1,300 households:

-- 35% of DVR owners feel that they spend more time watching programs recorded on their DVR than regularly scheduled programs.

-- 45% of DVR owners record five or fewer programs per week.

-- 68% of digital cable subscribers say that they have used video on demand—with 85% of this group having used VOD in the past month.

-- 42% of VOD users are more likely to keep digital cable because of on-demand.

Twentieth TV hits 'Mother' lode

I posted one more article because I love the show How I Met Your Mother. It surprised me to know that there is such a huge bidding war going on over the syndication of the show, giving that it gets decent, but not great ratings. This article supposed that because it has drawn more and more of the 18-49 demographic, people are wild about it. It also may be the next sitcom to run through syndication for awhile, so everyone is drooling over it.

Twentieth TV hits 'Mother' lode


Comedy draws $350 million from stations

One of the most spirited auctions in the past couple of years has turned Twentieth TV's "How I Met Your Mother" into a potential nonstop revenue machine, whose reruns are poised to harvest upward of $350 million in its first cycle.

At least three station groups -- Tribune, Fox and CBS -- have ponied up bids in some or all of the first seven cities opened by the distributor: N.Y., L.A., Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, Houston and Washington. Twentieth could disclose the identity of the winning bidders in the various cities as early as Wednesday.

In cable, the bidders include TBS, Lifetime, ABC Family, FX, Comedy Central and Spike. The cable deal will take longer to close because it encompasses two separate exposures of the series. The first is the standard 12 runs a week that kicks off in fall 2010, when cable will share the plays with TV stations. The second comprises two extra runs each week in advance of fall 2010, a repurposing that's not available in syndication and that could start on cable before the year is out.

Twentieth TV declined to comment on the negotiations, but Chuck Larsen, the producers' rep on "Mother," while not discussing any financial details, said: "I'm really impressed that potential buyers are being so aggressive in bidding for the show."

One of the reasons for the elevated demand is that "Mother" has consistently averaged more than 9 million viewers in CBS' Monday-night sitcom block since the comedy premiered in September 2005.

Even more significantly, while the show's total-viewer number has declined slightly each year, in the 2007-08 season, "Mother" has, on average, added 450,000 people in 18-to-49, the demo most sought after by Madison Avenue.

Another reason for the booming sellers market for "Mother" is that "there are so few sitcom reruns coming down the pike," said Bill Carroll, VP and director of programming for Katz TV, which represents hundreds of TV stations. Broadcast networks have cut back drastically on sitcoms, filling their primetime schedules with lots more reality series, which are cheaper to produce, and a continuing steady stream of hour dramas.

Whatever the reason for the ascendancy of "Mother," Twentieth could end up pocketing $2 million an episode from syndication through 1) cash license fees from stations, and 2) revenues from the three 30-second national spots the distrib is holding back in each half-hour run of the series.

Similarly, an additional $1 million an episode could flow into Twentieth's coffers from the cable-network license fee and from the value of the three 30-second spots in cable.

The four-year contract calls for the delivery to the buyers of 110 half-hours in 2010. For each additional year that CBS renews the show beyond 2010, an extra year gets tacked on to the contract.

In TV syndication, "Mother" has leapfrogged over another Twentieth off-network sitcom, "My Name Is Earl," which is available to stations in fall 2009, a year earlier than "Mother." The distrib has sold "Earl" to TBS for cable exclusivity, but has not cleared any TV stations yet.

In effect, the buzz over "Mother" has forced Twentieth to shove "Earl" into the backseat.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Spanish-Language WXTV No. 1, 6 P.M.-Midnight

Hey I'm lead blogger this upcoming week, so here is my article. I found this to be unique because I never would have guessed that a market like New York would be won by WXTV in the 6PM-Midnight time slot, being how important that time slot is. I don't normally think of Spanish language stations as controlling the audience, so it was rather shocking. Do you think this attests to the fact that the Spanish population in the United States is growing so rapidly? I think that this will open the door to different kinds of advertising and such too, and we will begin to notice the swing to more Spanish-based programming and advertising.

Spanish-Language WXTV No. 1, 6 P.M.-Midnight


By Staff
TVNEWSDAY, Sep 11 2008, 3:26 PM ET

For the first time, a Spanish-language TV station is poised to win the New York audience race from 6 p.m. to midnight, a time period which includes early fringe, access, prime time, and late fringe, on a weekday basis during a September ratings survey.

At the halfway point of the Nielsen Station Index (NSI) Local People Meter (LPM) September survey (Aug. 28 through Sept. 24, Spanish-language Univision O&O WXTV leads all other New York TV stations — regardless of language — in the 18-49 demo.

WXTV is seen by 154,000 persons aged 18 to 49 on an average quarter hour (AQH) basis weekdays from 6 p.m. to midnight. WNBC places second with 126,000. It is the best September survey performance ever in the time period by a Spanish-language TV station in New York. The previous record was fifth place, held by WXTV in the September surveys of 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Here are the highlights:

WXTV leads New York's 6 p.m. weekday news race with 99,000 AQH viewers for Noticias Univision 41 (Univision 41 News) with Rafael Pineda. WABC-TV is second with 98,000.

Noticero Univision (Univision Network News) with Jorge Ramos and Maria Elena Salinas leads New York's 6:30 p.m. weekday news race with 98,000 18-49 viewers in a tie with ABC World News with Charles Gibson.

For the first September survey ever, WXTV leads New York's prime time access (7-8 p.m.) race with 137,000 viewers for its novela, Querida Enemiga (Dear Enemy), up 111 percent from its eighth place finish in the September 2007 survey. WPIX is second with Two and a Half Men and Family Guy while Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune on WABC are third.

In New York's prime time (8-11 p.m.) race, WXTV leads with 176,000 viewers, its first ever September survey win. That's up 40 percent from its third-place finish a year ago. Second place goes to WNBC with 161,000 viewers 18-49 on an AQH basis.

WXTV is closing in on first-place WABC in New York's 11 p.m. news race with 144,000 18-49 viewers vs. 148,000 for WABC. That second-place finish is the best September rank ever for Spanish-language TV in New York in the 11 p.m. local news race.

WXTV wins the late night (11:30 p.m.-midnight) news race as well with 117,000 18-49s for Noticiero Univision Ultima Hora (Univision Late News), a network news program. That's up 77 percent from its fifth-place time period finish a year ago, and almost double the audience of WABC's Nightline, which attracts 70,000 18-49 viewers.

Friday, September 12, 2008

So does "Remote TV" work?

When I read this I got very excited - basically, "remote TV" is an experiment used by Fox to use less commercials! Basically, they addressed the DVR / Tivo situation - commercials are less effective if they are skipped (obviously), especially throughout an hour long drama. So what they did was give less room for commercials - about half as much, and charged more. This move is to try and prevent the DVR to be used as much. And suprisingly, the brand recall from the commercials shown during "Fringe" were 32% higher than commercials appearing in traditional broadcast TV. If "Fringe" gets good commercial ratings, more advertisers will be interested in this idea. Personally, I hope that this catches on so we will only have to deal with nearly half of the commercials we see now.





NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Like its title, Fox's "Fringe" is something that rests on the edge. In a practice still relatively scarce on broadcast TV, the network is running fewer, shorter commercials during the program. But it seems unlikely the practice will become the norm anytime soon.
The 9 million viewers who tuned in to the Tuesday-night premiere of 'Fringe' were introduced to Fox's 'Remote-Free TV.'
The 9 million viewers who tuned in to the Tuesday-night premiere of 'Fringe' were introduced to Fox's 'Remote-Free TV.'
Photo Credit: Fox


The 9 million viewers who tuned in to the program's Tuesday-night premiere watched FBI agent Olivia Dunham untangle a mystery that involved foiling a flesh-eating virus, taking LSD and floating in a sensory-deprivation tank. They also were introduced to Fox's "Remote-Free TV," which meant the show contained half the amount of commercials normally found during prime-time.

The initial read is that the idea seems to work. Brand recall of ads that appeared during the first episode of "Fringe" was 32% higher than that of commercials appearing in traditional broadcast-TV programs, according to Nielsen IAG. The level of "program engagement," or audience attentiveness, for "Fringe" was the second highest among debut episodes on broadcast TV in the past year (only NBC's "Chuck" did better, IAG said). In the current TV season, audience attentiveness for "Fringe" is only trumped by that for CBS's "Swingtown" and the CW's "One Tree Hill," according to IAG.

More value for ads
The theory behind the move is that ads can't make as great an impact when viewers can skip past them or have to watch so many in the course of an hour-long drama. Fox's solution, announced at this year's upfront sales presentation, is to cut the amount of ads, yet charge more for them. Other networks have flirted with this notion, but never on the scale that the News Corp. network is attempting. (Another drama, "Dollhouse," is expected to run with the same format when it debuts later this season.)

"This is being driven by [people like] Kim Kadlec at Johnson & Johnson, who over the last few years have put the networks under pressure to deliver and so, Fox is, 'OK, we hear it. We're going to do it, prove [the ads] deliver more value and [ask clients] to pay more for it.' If Fox proves that, you'll see less clutter on TV," said Alan Gould, co-CEO at Nielsen IAG, a service that tracks viewer response to and recall of TV advertising.

The hope is that shorter ad breaks "prevents time-shifting" by viewers with digital video recorders, said Carrie Drinkwater, senior VP-director of broadcast at Havas' MPG. If Fox is successful, she said, "then the model should expand to other shows, other properties, other networks." At the same time, networks have to make certain they can keep afloat financially when reducing commercial time. "The issue for doing it has been the dollars and cents involved, because it's hard to make up the revenue," said John Swift, exec VP-managing partner at Omnicom Group's PHD U.S.

Still waiting for results
If "Fringe" boasts good commercial ratings, buyers said, advertisers may show more interest in using the technique on a wider basis. Commercial ratings, known as C3, typically aren't available for a week or more after a program airs, so it won't be immediately known if "Fringe's" shorter commercial pods got better viewing than those of normal length.

Others believe the format will have legs, but in a limited fashion. "When you reduce clutter, you do get better unaided recall," said Pam Zucker, who monitors emerging ad formats and technologies as exec VP-marketplace ignition at Publicis Groupe's MediaVest. "But to date, we haven't seen where it totally makes up for the pricing differential, so I think it's a hard model, therefore, to take over the marketplace."

This stuff isn't always easy to put into practice. Network affiliates and local stations also get to run ads during prime-time shows, and these plans can often require them to follow suit with whatever the network is doing. A commercial-free show sometimes means no local ads, either -- not necessarily music to a local ad-sales executive, particularly at a time when local stations are facing an economic pinch. Local, or spot, TV advertising was off 10.2% in 2007, according to TNS Media Intelligence. Another potential challenge: Running fewer ads could also prompt issues with "traffic," giving networks less room to maneuver when it comes to keeping rivals in the show but in separate ad breaks.

Will it work?
Under Remote-Free TV, the national ads consisted only of occasional reminders that told viewers "Fringe" would return in 60 seconds or 90 seconds. Advertisers in the debut episode included Warner Brothers, 20th Century Fox and AT&T. But Fox needed to accommodate affiliates too, so two longer pods that ran during the debut episode's 95-minute run were longer than other breaks and contained promos for local Fox news and Fox network programs, as well as a commercial or two.

Can TV run on fewer ads if advertisers pay more for them? It's a question that has come up time and time again as more marketers seek to finely tune their advertising, placing more money against specific pieces of programming. Philips Electronics made waves, for example, when it bought up all the ad time during an episode of CBS's "60 Minutes" and gave some of the time back to the broadcast for news stories. Nissan Motor has in the past sponsored the season premiere of NBC's "Heroes," running fewer ads, but ensuring all were from Nissan.

That's not to say the method doesn't have its uses. By reducing ads, Fox is drawing advertisers to two high-quality dramas that might get less attention in a crowded field. "Fringe" and "Dollhouse" are backed by hit-maker producers J.J. Abrams and Joss Whedon, and are no doubt costly to produce. Fox's maneuver might serve to safeguard its investment in those two shows. The format also offers opportunities for advertisers to devise distinctive ads that could play off "Fringe" and its themes. "I hope it does become more prevalent," said MediaVest's Ms. Zucker, "but I don't think it will become pervasive."

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

NBC and Google

In this latest article that I posted, NBC Universal and Google have formed a partnership with TV advertising, something that Google has been trying to crack into for some time. The intriguing aspect of this advertising for Google is that it affords them more of an opportunity to customize ads and select the best outlets for those ads. Many think this might bring new advertisers to television because many of Google's clients do small-time advertising that isn't run on cable and network television. I also found it interesting that the advertising was made available only on certain NBC Universal owned stations, and not others. Why do we think that is?

NBC Universal, Google to Work Together on Ad Sales


Partners Will Adapt Technology for Local Ads, Gather Data on TV Viewers

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- NBC Universal and Google said they would form a strategic partnership that would give the search-advertising giant access to TV-ad inventory on various NBC cable channels, a move that could be seen as a major victory in Google's quest to sell ad time in more targeted fashion and in a way that would have a TV network give up some of its control over the ad-sales process.

Google has been experimenting with the sale of TV ads for some time, brokering ad time on EchoStar Communications Corp.'s Dish network. Under the system, known as Google TV Ads, Google acts as a middleman of sorts, helping advertisers upload video advertising so that it can be played on networks that the marketer picks. The concept, if successful in more widespread fashion, would give advertisers more ability to customize their ad plans, and select media outlets they think help them reach audiences based on demographics or even common interest.

Zeroing in as audiences fragment
NBC Universal sees the alliance as a way to develop better ad-effectiveness measures for current advertisers and a way to bring new clients to TV, Ed Swindler, chief operating officer, NBC Universal ad sales, said in an interview. "Google has access to many, many clients that are not currently buying television," Mr. Swindler said. The system is "well positioned to attract" smaller advertisers "who just can't be serviced by traditional TV channels. As TV continues to fractionalize, these clients will play a more important role in growing TV ad sales. That's true for national advertising. It's particularly true for local advertising."

But Google's idea has been a controversial one. As Mr. Swindler indicated, Google often deals with smaller advertisers who are unaccustomed to national promotions of the sort that run on cable and national TV networks, so its effort is seen as one that might bring new advertisers to TV. But its work in this area has made TV networks and media-buying agencies wary, because it sets the search-advertising company up as an interloper in an area that more traditional players have long controlled.

Indeed, many TV networks were initially aghast at an online-auction idea floated by eBay and other marketers that would have allowed advertisers to bid electronically for advertising inventory. While cable channel Oxygen took part in that effort, before its purchase by NBC Universal, the idea was ultimately scrapped.

Much to gain, if successful
Under the plan, NBC and Google will form a multiyear advertising, research and technology partnership and "will work together to develop more effective advertising metrics, attract non-traditional advertising partners to NBCU" and help marketers "incorporate self-service buying opportunities," the two companies said in a statement.

NBC Universal, owned by General Electric, will make national advertising time available to Google from cable channels Sci-Fi, Oxygen, MSNBC, CNBC, Sleuth and Chiller, with potential to expand to NBC properties in the future. The company's broadcast network, NBC, is not part of the pact at this time; certain technology issues may be at play. The two parties also agreed to work jointly on adapting the Google technology for local advertising.

As part of the agreement, NBC Universal will "maintain its direct relationships with agencies and advertisers and can set parameters around the purchase of the available ad time." The two companies said they will share in all ad revenue.

The pair said they will also collaborate on a series of marketing and research projects using Google TV Ads, which can report second-by-second set-top-box data. That measure has become more popular as companies such as Starcom USA, TNS and Nielsen have offered plans to help advertisers get more precise data about how viewers watch TV, skip across channels, and use digital video recorders.

Getting "better metrics that are clearer, richer, deeper" is an "imperative" for NBC Universal, said Mr. Swindler. "And it doesn't stop with set-top-box data."

Broadcasters Tag for Microsoft's Zune

I chose this article this week to show the everlasting power of radio. Many may think that radio is being replaced by Cd's and MP3 players. Radio companies realize this and come up with an innovation with the help of Microsoft to incorporate listening to radio so that one can buy a singles for their mobile device. This show that radio is making an effort to keep up with the changing times. They realize that they cannot stop their listeners from listening to other forms of media while driving or at work, but by accommodating radios so that they can buy a new single once they here it on air, makes radio stations the place where songs are heard first and then delivered to mp3 players.

Broadcasters Tag For Microsoft's Zune

REDMOND, WA -- September 8, 2008: More than 450 radio stations belonging to Clear Channel, CBS Radio, Beasley, Bonneville, Citadel, Cox Radio, Emmis, Entercom, and Greater Media are now tagging their songs with RDS technology for Microsoft's Zune portable media player, and more stations will be coming on board soon.

The "Buy From FM" song tag is an encrypted digital code that identifies a specific song. The code is embedded in an analog FM broadcast, and when a listener "tags" a song, it can be purchased and downloaded to a Zune immediately (if the user is in a WiFi hotspot) or queued for later purchase. The technology isn't Zune-specific, and other consumer electronics manufacturers may decide to offer the feature as well.

"Radio's decision to push the digital envelope doesn't mean that our analog broadcasts need to be left behind," said Clear Channel Radio President/CEO John Hogan. "Clear Channel Radio will have 450 stations live with RDS song tagging at launch. And we applaud Microsoft's leadership and shared commitment to making cutting-edge entertainment experiences available to the masses."

Buy From FM is obviously comparable to the iTunes Tagging feature rolled out earlier by Apple with the support of several major broadcasters, and encoding for iTunes Tagging will continue. But Buy From FM works with analog FM, while iTunes Tagging is an HD Radio product, and Buy From FM-tagged music can be downloaded to the Zune over the air, while iTunes Tagging requires an iPod to be first docked with a compatible HD receiver, then hooked up to a computer that has the iTunes Store. And iPods, of course, do not have built-in radio tuners.

"We are thrilled to be part of bringing music tagging to Zune listeners," said Emmis Chairman/CEO Jeff Smulyan. "This is the next step in the evolution of radio: providing our listeners with the ability to download music instantly." Said Entercom CEO David Field, "We are moving toward a future where music discovery, purchase, and fulfillment is a convenient and seamless experience."

Bonneville CEO Bruce Reese said, "The combination of encrypted digital code with Microsoft's Zune and the outstanding products our stations broadcast daily, we are now able to give consumers a fully integrated digital experience. It offers instant for our listeners who tune in daily to hear their favorite music and the possibility of new discoveries that happen when each song is played."

Cox President/CEO Bob Neil said, "The connection between the music discovery radio has always provided, and its resulting sales, make this interactive radio feature a natural for the radio industry." "This innovative technology is yet another compelling example of how radio is embracing today's interactive world," said Greater Media President/CEO Peter Smyth. "We are thrilled to be able to offer our listeners the opportunity to further interact with our stations through tagging and ultimately purchasing their favorite music."

A Kelton Research study funded by Microsoft found that 61 percent of people discover new music by listening to the radio, and Zune GM/Global Marketing Chris Stephenson said, "Radio is one of the primary ways people discover new music, which is why we have built an FM tuner into every Zune portable media player. "The leadership of these radio broadcaster has played an integral role in enabling millions of Zune users to tag and purchase songs directly from FM radio."

Buy From FM tagging will be included in the new 16-gigabyte ($199) and 120-gigabye Zunes ($250) that will be in stores on September 16, and older Zunes can be upgraded to include the new feature. Zune Pass subscribers can download or stream unlimited music for $14.99 a month, or any user can buy songs by the track. Also, the Zune Marketplace music store is now directly accessible from a WiFi hotspot or home wireless network.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

‘WING’-ing It for ENG

Hey everyone, it's Brian. It is not my week to post, but I was reading TV Technology and ran across an article about SlingBox. I can only find the September version of the publication online and my article is in the print version of the August issue. I did find the article though on SlingBox's website.

The Idaho station in this article chose build a newsgathering vehicle that can potentially use Wi-Fi locations such as coffee shops and airports to do live shots with the SlingBox. While this is an easy and relatively cheap way for stations to do live-shots, I don't think we're going to be seeing this as a common substitute for satellite trucks on "The Evening News" or other broadcast networks very soon. I know it has been used before on the major networks, but I have only seen it used during situations where a satellite or live truck cannot operate (in the strong winds of a hurricane or the minutes after a news story breaks.)

When I am watching the news and see a SlingBox or other webcam in action, it is very noticable to me. To me, it interrupts the flow of the broadcast because it goes from great quality video (even HD) to much less quality with the internet live shot.

Anyways, on to the story from the August edition of TV Technology:

In the mountainous area of Idaho Falls, Idaho, the capabilities of point-to-point microwave
liveshots are quickly exhausted, and in that high ADI television market, a half-million dollar satellite uplink truck is not a reality.

Mark Danielson, general manager of KIFI, the ABC affiliate in the area, had been looking at
wireless Internet solutions for several years. “It just occurred to me that with companies launching wireless Internet services, we ought to be able to send our video over that bandwidth,” he said.

He found that most such services offered ample download speeds, but not much upload speed.
To send video over the ’net, he needed just the opposite.

Then WiMAX provider Digital Bridge Communications of Ashburn, Va. came to town. “They were in my office to tell me about what they believed to be the first commercial application for WiMAX in the country,” he said, “in of all places, Rexburg, Idaho, 40 minutes north of Idaho Falls.”

Danielson explained to his guests how ENG worked. “They got very excited about it. They told
me they never thought of this as an application, and they promised they’d work with me, they
wanted to make this happen.”

While Digital Bridge readied its system in Rexburg, KIFI shopped vendors for the right system to pair with the WiMAX service. They identified Streambox as a provider who could
handle both live and file-based video over IP.

The station also coined the term “WING,” for Wireless Internet Newsgathering, and built a WING truck, with a Streambox encoder housed within. “We tested it, we executed, and we got liveshots,” said Danielson. “Rexburg, Idaho was our first one, even in a place where it had
been impossible for us without a satellite truck.”

KIFI’s WING setup takes an upload speed of a bare minimum 1.2 Mbps, according to Danielson.
“That’s what we consider the bare minimum to execute a live shot that we consider acceptable
for broadcast television,” he said. “It gets better as you go up in speed, and they’re working now
to deliver 2 Mbps to us whenever we’re up.” Digital Bridge guarantees the station that uplink speed, a point that was critical to making the deal.

At the station end, the Streambox decoder received the data as a packet stream. “Sometimes there’s packet loss, data gets lost and the decoder says to the encoder ‘send that data again,’” Danielson said. “Of course it does it so fast you don’t notice it, and that’s what allows us to get a live shot.”

Danielson said they’ve measured the total system delay at about three seconds. “In my opinion,
it’s usable,” he said. “Your IFB has to be sent to the reporter with mixed minus. I believe our newsroom is cuing the talent just a little bit earlier, to make it seamless, as tight as possible.”
To date, Digital Bridge has also now launched WiMAX service in KIFI’s market in the Idaho communities of Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Chubbuck, and Twin Falls.

Craig Johnston

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Tribune gives CW the cold shoulder

Hey everyone, it's Adam Kimble. I was not supposed to be going this week either, but since the CW was mentioned briefly in class, I found this article to be relevant! The article addresses the fact that the Tribune company is trying to re-brand their affiliates and get rid of the CW tag that is associated with many of them. It comes as part of the changes brought about by the Tribune company's new president Ed Wilson. Many stations that have been known by the CW brand are now being changed. For example, CW39 out of Houston is now being called just "Channel 39." Additionally, station call letters with CW in it are changing as well. The article makes reference to the fact that when CBS announced the plans to merge UPN with Time Warner's WB to make the CW, Fox News Corp. was quick to remove the UPN name from their affiliates. This begs the question, why is Tribune Broadcasting making this move?

Tribune gives CW the cold shoulder


Broadcasting unit rebranding affiliates

As the CW preps for what could be its make-or-break season, Tribune Broadcasting has thrown a wrench into the net's branding efforts.

Over the past few weeks, Tribune's station group has scrubbed the network's name off most of its 13 CW affils. Instead, the company, whose stations are CW's most crucial affils in top markets, is introducing new station identities without the CW moniker and is de-emphasizing the network affiliation on its station websites.

In Houston, Tribune even changed the station's call letters, from KHCW to KIAH, removing the CW's name in the process (that station, once known as "CW39," now just calls itself "Channel 39"). In Dallas, what had been known as "CW33" is now being called "The 33." Tribune's Washington station, which had referred to itself as "CW50," is now "DC50."

Move reps the latest salvo from Tribune in what's become an increasingly strained relationship between the Sam Zell-led company and the CW. Tribune earlier dropped the CW from its San Diego station in favor of Fox (although the CW ultimately benefited by trading up to a VHF outlet there). Tribune was also instrumental in driving CW's partnership with financier-producer Media Rights Capital to take over the CW's Sunday-night lineup.

Adding insult to injury for the CW is that Tribune is so far still utilizing the News Corp.-approved logo and brand for its two MyNetworkTV affils, in Seattle and Philadelphia.

As of now, Tribune's New York flagship, WPIX, is still calling itself "CW11" -- at least online -- but the CW brand is harder to find on the redesigned websites for L.A.'s KTLA and Chicago's WGN.

The CW-free rebranding effort comes as Tribune Broadcasting continues to make changes under new prexy Ed Wilson. Decision to rebrand the Trib stations also is reminiscent of News Corp.'s quick move to strip UPN's name off its affils soon after CBS announced plans to merge UPN with Time Warner's WB to create CW in early 2006.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991420.html?categoryid=1238&cs=1

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Chrome...not just for wheels anymore...

Hey everyone, it's Jessica Roach. I'm finally getting the hang of the blogging world. I was really interested in the new browser coming out, Chrome, that Pitts had talked about in class, so I made it my mission to find an article about it. This article is about the feud that is going down between Microsoft and Google about what people are going to want, Explorer or Chrome. I often use the word Google as a verb...oh, you don't know who sings that song, I'll go google that. I personally am really excited about the idea of google having it's own, but is it necessary? Do we need another browser? Sometimes I wonder if people are coming out with better ones, or are they just coming out with something that has their name on it to continue the branding. You decide what Google is doing here...

Microsoft Faces New Browser Foe in Google

Published: September 1, 2008


The browser war is back on.

This time, Microsoft’s opponent is Google, a familiar foe.

On Tuesday, Google will release a free Web browser called Chrome that the company said would challenge Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, as well as the Firefox browser.

The browser is a universal doorway to the Internet, and the use of Internet software and services is rapidly growing. Increasingly, the browser is also the doorway to the Web on cellphones and other mobile devices, widening the utility of the Web and Web advertising. Google, analysts say, cannot let Microsoft’s dominant share of the browser market go without a direct challenge.

Google already competes with Microsoft in online search and Internet advertising. They both make operating software for cellphones. Google is increasingly competing with Microsoft head-on in software that handles basic productivity like word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and e-mail programs. Google has Web-based software in these markets that are low-cost or free alternatives to Microsoft’s lucrative desktop software.

Despite the frequent clashes with Microsoft — including the role Google played in thwarting an attempted acquisition of Yahoo — Google has come out on top only in search and search advertising. But Google does not have to win the browser war. Strategically, opening yet another front against Microsoft forces it to divert resources to defend franchises.

Now, Chrome heightens the rivalry and marks a shift for Google, which has strongly backed Firefox, the open-source browser that has gained about a fifth of the market against the dominant Internet Explorer.

Google’s browser project has been under way for more than a year, a person close to the company said.

In a brief statement, Microsoft welcomed the new entry and expressed confidence that people would prefer Explorer, which is on every Windows PC sold.

“The browser landscape is highly competitive,” said Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of the Internet Explorer group. “But people will choose Internet Explorer 8 for the way it puts the services they want right at their fingertips, respects their personal choices about how they want to browse and, more than any other browsing technology, puts them in control of their personal data online.”

Google has clashed with Microsoft before, saying it had designed IE to gain ground in search, a market where Google is the runaway leader.

After Microsoft introduced IE 7 in 2006, Google complained that the browser’s search box favored Microsoft’s search service. Microsoft responded and made modifications, and a federal judge overseeing the antitrust consent decree against Microsoft determined that the browser design was not anticompetitive.

The first round of the browser wars in the 1990s led to a sweeping federal antitrust suit against Microsoft for the tactics it used to stifle competition from the commercial pioneer in browsing software, Netscape Communications. A federal appeals court ruled in 2001 that Microsoft had repeatedly violated the nation’s antitrust laws. Microsoft later reached a settlement with the Bush administration, which included some sanctions but left the company free to bundle browsing software with Windows, which runs more than 90 percent of all personal computers.

Microsoft recently stepped up its own browser development efforts, given the increasing importance of the browser and signs that Firefox is nibbling at its lead. Microsoft released a new version, IE8, last week to generally favorable reviews.

Microsoft still holds 73 percent of the browser market, according to Net Applications, a research firm. The market share for Firefox has climbed to 19 percent, while Apple’s Safari has 6 percent.

Chrome also puts Google in competition with an ally, the Mozilla Corporation, which manages the Firefox project. Just last week, Google renewed its deal with Mozilla. Under the arrangement, Google Search is the home page for Firefox and Google is its default search bar, and Google makes substantial payments to Mozilla. The agreement runs through November 2011, and will continue.

Google’s cooperation with Mozilla, however friendly, meant that it was ceding control of the Internet’s vital gateway technology — and the dominant supplier of that technology is its archrival, Microsoft.

Given the increasing importance of the browser and its widening competition with Microsoft, Google’s entry into the market is not surprising, said John Lilly, chief executive of Mozilla.

“It would be more surprising to me if Google didn’t do something in the browser space,” Mr. Lilly said. “After all, Google is 100 percent on the Web.”

Google’s move, he said, would put “more competitive pressure on us to keep coming up with great browser technology. But having more smart people competing to improve browser technology and the user experience is a good thing.”

Mr. Lilly also noted that Mozilla, while a private company, is entirely owned by the Mozilla Foundation. The browser project was begun to provide an alternative to Microsoft’s browser. “The mission of Mozilla is to keep the Web open, a pure public benefit,” he said. “Others have other motivations and Google’s move also serves to highlight our position in the marketplace.”

Chrome will be available to download in a test, or beta, version on Tuesday, Google announced on its Web site Monday afternoon. The browser will run on Windows. Google is also working on Chrome versions for Apple’s Macintosh, as well as Linux, an open source operating system.

In a curious twist, Google made its online announcement after its plans appeared as a digital “comic book” that was posted by Google Blogoscoped, a Web site that tracks the Internet search giant.

According to Google’s Web site post, by Sundar Pichai, an engineering director and vice president for product management, Chrome is designed for speed and ease of use.

But the other design goal, it seems, was to make sure Google could control how well the growing range of Web-based software it is developing will perform, instead of having to run on a Microsoft browser.

“Under the hood,” Mr. Pichai wrote, “we were able to build the foundation of a browser that runs today’s complex Web applications much better.”

Later, he wrote, “we improved speed and responsiveness across the board. We also built a more powerful JavaScript engine, V8, to power the next generation of Web applications that aren’t even possible in today’s browsers.”

Chrome is based on an open-source rendering engine, WebKit, and an open-source version of Google’s Gears technology. Chrome will also be able to run in a privacy mode, InCognito, so that no information about a person’s browsing is collected. With IE8 last week, Microsoft added a privacy mode of browsing, called InPrivate.

The privacy features, analysts note, could undercut the Internet advertising business of Google, but also Microsoft, Yahoo and others that depend on ads aimed at users based on their browsing behavior. But it is unclear, analysts say, how large a share of users will opt for the privacy browsing mode and give up the convenience of having a browser store sites recently visited in tabbed settings for easy navigation.


Longhorn TV: Will It Hook 'Em?

Hey this is Brad Snook. I know it's not my week, but I saw this article and I thought it was appropriate. The University of Texas is flirting with the idea of launching their own TV channel to broadcast solely Longhorn sports. This would be very controversial to cable and satellite companies. The Big Ten Conference recently launched it's own TV channel, and after a year long battle, most of the major cable companies just recently started delivering the Big Ten Network as part of the cable package. Having its own TV channel is a way of colleges to make massive amounts of money by controlling the broadcast rights to all its athletic events. However, this could also mean higher cable bills for the consumers. Also this brings into question ethics. Should one certain school, or of the trend continues a handful of the laargest schools, have their own sports channels while the smallers schools get priced out of the market? It will be interesting to see where this goes.


http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/59883

Longhorn TV: Will it hook ’em?

By MICHAEL SMITH & JOHN OURAND
Staff writers
Published September 01, 2008 : Page 01

One of cable’s worst nightmares could become a reality in the Lone Star State, where the University of Texas is exploring the viability of a statewide TV channel devoted to Longhorn sports.

Texas and its multimedia rights partner, IMG College, have been in discussions with prospective partners, while also trying to determine how much content it could produce and how widely it might be distributed.

“We’re not just researching it, we’re diligently exploring this opportunity,” said Chris Plonsky, Texas’ women’s athletic director and the athletic department’s marketing chief. “This is not a file sitting around gathering dust. Could it be a linear channel, should we increase the online TV offerings for our Web site? We’re looking across all platforms.”

This comes on the heels of the Big Ten Network finalizing deals with the top cable operators in its market just last week.

During carriage battles with conference networks, like BTN, cable executives often complained about a slippery slope that could see individual colleges launch networks. Cable operators say they don’t have the space or the money to account for those kinds of channels.

“Inevitably, the more networks that are created, the higher the cost to consumers,” said David Cohen, Comcast’s executive vice president, in an interview earlier this summer about sports channels in general.

But Texas is considering becoming the first school to launch its own network as soon as next August. It would exclusively carry Texas sports, coaches shows, highlights, interviews, magazine feature shows, replays and an archive of old games.

If they move forward with a channel, IMG officials will push to be part of a digital basic tier, though they would not say how many homes they would want to be in.

“[It’s] a moving target, depending on subscription rates [that] partners are willing to pay us,” said Tom Stultz, senior vice president and managing director of IMG College. “We’re not going to come out if we’re going to have limited distribution.”

Texas’ successful programs and huge fan
base would help its chances for success.

Texas has had talks with AT&T, Time Warner Cable and Fox Cable Networks, as well as a variety of private equity firms, about partnering on the channel.

For the channel to succeed, it’s critical to get Time Warner Cable on board, since it reaches 1.8 million subscribers, about a quarter of the homes in Texas, and it covers Austin, home of the Longhorns. Time Warner Cable was one of the longest to hold out against carriage of the Big Ten Network, before it finally signed on last week.

Still, some TV network executives predicted that a Texas channel would be a tough sell in today’s climate.

“The school’s best product is already spoken for,” said one media industry source who asked not to be identified since he has negotiated with the University of Texas in the past. “They’re talking about starting a channel with filler, and distributors are not going to go for it.”

Texas could be one of the few schools that could pull off its own channel because of its immense appeal across the state and its huge base of students and alumni. The Longhorns have ranked first in licensed merchandise sales among clients of the Collegiate Licensing Co. for three straight years, which speaks to its popularity.

About 50,000 students attend the school and it counts another 420,000 as living alumni. The Longhorns tout that they have 5 million fans in the state, and 48.4 percent of them have an annual household income of more than $75,000.

“This isn’t something that works for every school,” Stultz said, “but Texas is such a huge brand and there are so many households in the state that we need to see if there is a distribution model that works.”

IMG and Texas have identified between 2,000 and 3,000 hours of potential programming. They also are exploring Texas’ right to run replays of games that are broadcast on Big 12 Conference partners ABC/ESPN and Fox Cable.

But a media industry source openly wondered whether that content was compelling enough to launch a channel.

“After ESPN and Fox make their basketball and football selections, the pickings are slim,” he said. “The leftovers are more suited for video-on-demand, not a linear TV network.”

Texas already has a VOD channel up and running, having launched BEVO-D with Time Warner Cable in 2004. Time Warner carries the channel in four Texas markets, charging $3.95 per month, and offers classic games, highlights and exclusive interviews, as well as a Longhorn Sports Center show.

Texas is also part of a growing trend of broadcasting Olympic sports and other content on its athletic Web site, Texassports.com, so many of its athletic events are already being produced for some medium.

If the channel materializes, a studio likely would be built on campus close to the football stadium and an estimated 40 to 60 employees would produce and edit content from there. Revenue would be shared among the entities involved, but the university would be protected from the risk of any financial losses, Stultz said, because IMG College and a channel partner would take on any risk.

“Production is the easy part, it’s always the distribution,” Plonsky said. “But could this be the right next step, given where our brand is? It’s a very important discussion for us right now.”

Munchausen at work

As we've learned, it is paramount for a manger to praise and reward employees for a job well done; however, it is now necessary to examine these accomplishments a little closer as it is possible that the employees are creating their own problems at work to get accolades for fixing those same issues. How should managers address these concerns in order to stop Munchausen at work?



'Munchausen at Work'
Employees Advance By Fixing Problems They Had Created
By PHRED DVORAK
Wall Street Journal
In late 2005, the night manager of a suburban Atlanta restaurant called owner J.D. Clockdale to boast about how well she had handled an irate female customer. The customer "ranted and raved" about a botched order, but calmed down after the manager gave her a free meal, Mr. Clockdale recalls being told.

The problem: the tale was untrue -- as Mr. Clockdale discovered by reviewing surveillance footage and phoning the customer, who was an acquaintance. He concluded the order mistake was minor and remedied without histrionics.
Mr. Clockdale confronted the night manager, who confessed that she invented the altercation to look good. "She wanted more responsibility," he says.
The story illustrates a troublesome workplace phenomenon that's now attracting attention: employees who quietly cause problems so they can later take credit for fixing them. Georgia Institute of Technology business professor Nathan Bennett dubs the behavior "Munchausen at work," because it resembles a rare psychological disorder in which sufferers seek attention by making up an illness or inducing sickness in others.
Mr. Bennett says most experienced managers he has interviewed have encountered Munchausen at work and consider it disruptive. Such actions can be hard to detect and eradicate; perpetrators may gain promotions or recognition, encouraging additional attempts. "You get the kind of behavior you reward," Mr. Bennett says.
Workplace psychologists say they see a range of similar behaviors. Some staffers withhold help or key information, then step in to save the day, says Ben Dattner, an organizational psychologist in New York.

He often sees this type of behavior among business executives who have named successors but don't like to cede control. He says such executives may undermine their protégés, then swoop in to "repair" the resulting problems -- thus showing how indispensable they are.
Sometimes, the behavior is unconscious, says Manfred Kets de Vries, a psychoanalyst and director of the global leadership center for Insead, a French business school. Mr. Kets de Vries, who has coached chief executives for 18 years, hears corporate turnaround specialists confess boredom when things turn quiet; he has seen them create trouble. "If there's no mess, those people can be very dangerous," he observes.
Mr. Bennett says that he first heard U.S. managers complain about Munchausen-like behavior when he studied team dynamics several years ago. Employees at a Louisiana-based chemical company described a plant manager who concocted layoff rumors, then told his workers a few weeks later that he had saved their jobs.
In another case, a consultant told Mr. Bennett about a co-worker who had "fixed" strained relations between her and other team members. The consultant later found out the co-worker had helped cause the strains -- by telling her teammates that she shouldn't be trusted.
Maria Copeland, an information-technology manager at media company Cox Enterprises Inc., tells a similar tale. She says a male colleague tried to turn her against a female co-worker a few years ago. The man told each woman that the other was working to undermine her, then called a meeting with their boss to improve their collaboration, according to Ms. Copeland. The women realized what was going on when they compared notes before that meeting. The collaboration problems disappeared after the man left the group, she says.
Spotting the deception is the first step toward stopping it. Health-care administrator Gary Barnes suspected an office manager was causing the problems she took credit for solving at a Pittsburgh clinic where he worked during the 1990s. The manager blamed computer glitches for a delay in depositing insurance checks, then claimed to have fixed the problem. Mr. Barnes searched the manager's desk and found she had kept the checks in her drawer; he fired her.
Mr. Clockdale, the restaurant owner, dealt less harshly with his night manager. He talked to her, and learned she wanted a raise, but didn't feel comfortable asking for one. Mr. Clockdale says he felt partly to blame.
"Not every environment makes an employee feel empowered to ask for things, like raises," he explains. Mr. Clockdale gave the manager more weekend shifts, boosting her paycheck. He later sold the restaurant.
The current economic slowdown may curb the prevalence of Munchausen at work, however. There are enough fires "that people don't have to set their own fires," Mr. Dattner says.