Apple TV shipping… finally
Three weeks late, the highly-anticipated Apple TV is just beginning to ship.
2 comments March 19th, 2007
Archive for March 19th, 2007
Watch live TV on your Google home page
I’m a little baffled by this new widget that’s available for your Google home page that lets you watch live cable TV from a variety of channels such as CNN, MSNBC, ESPN and CNBC. Well, turns out it’s not a Google production, but a third-party from Amsterdam. You can also embed the live player on your own blog. Pretty slick, but I realize by blogging this, at least one of the aforementioned media companies will contact Google and ask them why they’re promoting this widget, which clearly breaks U.S. copyright laws. So enjoy it while it lasts…
6 comments March 19th, 2007
Online radio hit hard by court ruling
Clear Channel, NPR and other broadcasting and online companies are challenging a recent court ruling that jacks up royalties for music streamed online. NPR argues the ruling would have “crippling effects” of its ability to serve the public interest.
1 comment March 19th, 2007
Wii top selling console in Feb., blows away PS3
The Nintendo Wii has emerged as the top seller of late in this generation of gaming consoles. In fact, it’s starting to be the runaway hit. Since launch, it has outsold the PS3 by a near 2-1 margin and the gap is growing. According to USA Today: “In February, the Wii was the top-selling console video game system with an estimated 335,000 sold, outpacing the Xbox 360 (228,000) and the PS3 (127,000), according to The NPD Group.” (Of course, the 360 came out a year before the other two, so its numbers are skewed.) So even though the PS3 has the more powerful machine, its price tag appears to be a big turnoff. The PS3 costs $500 - $600. You can get a Wii for $250. (Of course, you still need to hold on and make sure you don’t lose the Wii remote…)
Adds flotsam in comments: “I think one of the most interesting things about this console ‘war’ is that Sony (in its many press releases) is stressing availability of its product, while Nintendo is recognizing demand and shortage of supply.”
Adds Hussman: “The Wii’s ultimate success will come when Nintendo starts to take full advantage of the ‘Channels’ feature of this console. The Wii is positioning itself to become an appliance, rather than just a video game system, and from what I have seen of it (we have one), it is well on it’s way to doing this.”
8 comments March 19th, 2007
Reports say a ‘Google Phone’ under development
Reuters cites “industry insiders” as saying Google is working on its own mobile phone, and a Google exec confirms the company is “investigating” the idea but as more of an entry-level phone and not an “iPhone killer.” And that has the gadget sites a-twitter with mockups (real or otherwise). Various analysts describe it as “Blackberry-like,” having a “color, wide-screen design,” and being aimed at a mass-market. Either way, LR humbly suggests a name for the new device: the “Gooph.”
4 comments March 19th, 2007
INHD gets name change, adds orginal series
HD junkies looking for more fixes are in luck, at least if their system carries the soon-to-be-renamed INHD hi-def channel, The channel is changing its name to Mojo (Hello, Austin Powers?). Mojo began as a block of programming on INHD last year. Now it appears Mojo has the right demo - males, 25 to 54 - to take over the channel. Mojo is launching three new reality shows, including one that focuses on rookies trying to make the Arizona Diamondbacks, one that’s about poker champs, and one that’s about a rising comedian. Mojo also has a live music show form London and another program about an international pub crawl. I’d say that’s knowing your demo. Check out the video previews at the site:
3 comments March 19th, 2007
Reminder: Please take the ‘affinity survey,’
Researcher Nick Geidner would still like a few more responses to his survey on whether people develop virtual bonds with bloggers similar to the way viewers develop bonds with TV anchors. Nick’s a good guy and a grad student, and we have always like LR to be a test bed for new ideas. We know the LR Faithful enjoy pitching in to be a positive force in this industry. So please, when you have a moment, take the survey. It’s brief and, honestly, very interesting.
Add comment March 19th, 2007
High praise for mystery Obama ad
An anonymous video masher posted this Barack Obama ad on YouTube, “Vote Different,” which remixes the classic 1984 Apple ad at Hillary Clinton’s expense. “It may be the most stunning and creative attack ad yet for a 2008 presidential candidate — one experts say could represent a watershed moment in 21st century media and political advertising,” writes Carla Marinucci in the S.F. Chronicle. Agree?
Adds Blackcloud in comments: “The Apple ad had some originality, but it borrowed from predecessors like the silent movie ‘Metropolis.’ This struck me not as anything important, just someone playing around with their home editing setup who doesn’t like Hillary.”
Adds adm: “One likely consequence of this ad and its success is that the candidates’ political consultants will outsource the production of ‘amateur’ ads to firms/individuals who can’t be traced back to that candidate. people will be able to do all their swift-boating anonymously.”
Adds Jim: “How is it LEGAL? I understand fair use rules, but it borrows SO HEAVILY on the Apple ad it’s got to fall into the stolen category.”
13 comments March 19th, 2007
More proof pro sports teams don’t want your coverage
NESN, the cable channel that shows the Red Sox games - and which is owned by the Red Sox - is clamping down on TV newscasts that dare to show highlights from Sox games in progress. While rights-holders usually have the claim to do this, it’s rarely enforced and, more to the point, makes no sense. As WBZ (CBS affil) sports producer Jackie Connally said: “They are totally within their rights to do this… (but) I don’t see anyone leaving a live game broadcast to go to the local news to watch highlights. But if I’m airing partial highlights of, say, the opener, I’m sure some people are going to say, ‘Oh, I forgot about that,’ and switch over to NESN. We’ll definitely be driving people over to them.” This is consistent with major league sports’ ever-increasing bans that prohibit web news sites from showing game highlights. We’ve been saying for years how local news should shift its focus from showing highlights of the major leagues to finding great local sports stories instead. This is one more reason why: the big leagues don’t want your coverage on your terms, only on theirs. And they’ll keep changing the terms and dictating your coverage. Forget ‘em. Fans get their major league sports scores from the web and ESPN. Find the local stories they can’t get anywhere else instead. Differentiate your product. As a bonus, you won’t have the rich teams bossing you around. (Disclosure: I worked with Jackie at WBZ.)
1 comment March 19th, 2007
US Customs seizes ‘YouTubed’ death threat
As a good web libertarian, your first reaction is to tell the government “How dare you seize records from YouTube and Hotmail in your intrusive, heavy-handed, politcally-motivated investigation! The internet is about free expression!” Then you read the rest of Steve Bryant’s article and find out how U.S. Customs believes the suspect in a drug case sent death threats to his brother via YouTube. That’s right. YouTube. And you start to think “The heck with it. Take whatever evidence you want.” (Warning - the death threat contained adult language. However it also was set to music, which is a nice touch.)
Add comment March 19th, 2007
Portals devouring online ad sales, finds study
Look at this latest eMarketer study on the Big Four (Google, Yahoo, AOL, MSN).
While ad spending is still growing fast, the portals are taking an increasing majority share of it. Two-thirds! Not good news for media companies, to say the least, especially when you consider how the portals are aggressively going after local ad dollars.
2 comments March 19th, 2007
The craziest TV web promo ever
I’m told this is a real promo for KLTV.com in East Texas. (Thanks, Jan!)
10 comments March 19th, 2007
Mike Salmi is Viacom’s Web guru
CNET says that Mike Salmi, who runs Global Digital Media at MTV, may be Viacom’s ace in the hole in the Web game. Salmi has an interesting background that blends discovering musical acts like Nine Inch Nails and starting online Cinderella stories like Atom Entertainment. He says the future of big portal sites will eventually give way to smaller communities dedicated to niches, networks or shows - turf that MTV knows very well. MTVN recently announced it plans to build “thousands” of sites.
1 comment March 19th, 2007
Build vs. buy at the networks
There’s an interesting tidbit in this TV Week story about how the networks are depending on their own technology teams to do much of their video development. For example, ABC.com built its own video player in house, which ABC.com classifies as content, not just technology. “Our core competency is creating content,” said Albert Cheng, executive VP for digital media at the Disney-ABC Television Group. “We have that expertise in-house and it didn’t seem to make sense to go out when we have people to do it.” This is the classic battle at many media companies — what to build and what to oursource to a vendor — and a big danger is trying to separate content from technology to make these decisions. In some cases, they’re inexorably linked, just like ABC.com’s video player.
ABC won an Emmy for its player, and Disney has filed for a patent.
7 comments March 19th, 2007
Digital moves: Scripps, TechCrunch
- Deanna Brown leaves Yahoo to joins Scripps as president of interactive
- Heather Harde shifts from Fox Interactive Media to CEO of Techcrunch
Add comment March 19th, 2007
False posting on Wikipedia reports Sinbad dead
Expect a ton of those “Wikipedia is Satan” reports today. On the Wikipedia entry about Sinbad, the comedian, someone posted that he died of a heart attack. People saw the posting and the emails began flying. Sinbad’s daughter called him and he assured her he was, in fact, not dead. The comedian, well, reportedly found it kind of funny. Sinbad told an interviewer: “I wish that people would’ve called me back like this when I was alive. I gotta die more often. I’m writing a movie about this now… Seriously, my death is gonna be my comeback.” Newsrooms, note: The headlines today are along the lines of “Wikipedia reports Sinbad dead.” Wikipedia doesn’t report anything. It’s not a news organization, it’s a site where people freely post information. Treat it as such. Just like the rest of the web, there are jokers who post fake stuff. I feel a Colbert story coming on…
55 comments March 19th, 2007
