Michael Gay
Grand Theft Auto IV sold 3.6 million copies on the first day, and earned $500 million in the first week. To give you some context, the largest opening weekend for a movie worldwide was Spider-Man 3 at $381.6 million. I’ll post this so Cory doesn’t have to say, I told you so, “As I’ve written off and on over the years, video games are becoming interactive movies, and they’ll ultimately replace most of the traditional Hollywood movie industry.” Grand Theft Auto appears to be the first to realize that possibility.
Filed in Grand Theft Auto, sales, video games
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May 7th, 2008
Don Day
With Microsoft out of the hunt for the Yahoo! prize — will Facebook be its consolation prize? The Wall Street Journal reports today that Microsoft put out feelers to the hot social networking site to see if acquisition talks made sense. Neither MSFT or FB officials are talking. The software giant already has a $240 million take in Facebook - which tags the overall value at about $15 billion. (Here’s a Reuters write-up of the WSJ piece.)
I can just see it now: Soft Face. No?
Filed in Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo
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May 7th, 2008
Don Day
If you’re still calling the Internet business “new media” — stop. The “new” new media is placed-based — gas stations, malls, stores - etc. The local Albertsons now has “CheckOutTV,” the mall has a big TV ad kiosk - and even many gas stations are now using services like PumpTopTV. There’s big opportunity for advertisers here, because you can provide your existing (or repackaged) content - and perhaps even sell the surrounding ads. Part of the WNBC restructuring (below) is an increased focus on placed-based TV.
Filed in place based media, WNBC
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May 7th, 2008
Michael Gay
NBC Local Media is starting a 24-hour local news channel in New York, and rebranding WNBC as a “content center,” according to the NY Times.
NBC’s plan calls for rebuilding Channel 4’s newsroom and melding its content closely with the coming news channel, the existing local Web site, and out-of-home video displayed in locations like gas pumps and back seats of taxicabs. NBC will even take WNBC’s name off its local news Web site, simply calling it NBC New York.
The report says John Wallace, president of local media, says there will be no layoffs because of the new strategy, but that’s doesn’t mean there won’t be major changes for employees:
Among other things, Mr. Wallace planned to tell the employees that the moves NBC was initiating would not entail layoffs but would mean many producers and other staff members would have to undergo extensive retraining, and would likely be working different shifts.
“We look at our content and we believe it’s relevant content,” Mr. Wallace told the Times. “It’s just not convenient because of the way people’s lives have changed with technology.”
Wallace told TVWeek ‘that In order to remain successful, local stations must put the appropriate weight on the additional platforms beyond their core television station. Consumers are demanding relevant content, round-the-clock, on the platform of their choice.’
Filed in local news, NBC Universal, news channel, WNBC
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May 7th, 2008
David Johnson
Stephen Colbert picked up a special award for innovative use of the Web to engage fans. The New York Times, The Onion, National Geographic and PostSecret were also big winners (full list here). HBO Voyeur and the Discovery Channel’s UK videogame site got the nods in the Television category. As usual, congratulations to all.
Filed in awards, colbert, Discovery, HBO, National Geographic, New York Times, The Onion, webby
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May 6th, 2008
Cory Bergman
Last year, NBC didn’t renew its contract with iTunes over a disagreement on flexible pricing, so the network pulled its shows off the download service. Now “The Office” and “Heroes” are appearing on Zune Marketplace for $1.99 each — the same price they sold on iTunes. But in this case, the Zune deal includes a provision for flexible pricing, although there are no “concrete plans” to do so.
Filed in apple, iTunes, Microsoft, NBC, Zune
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
After the end of KARE-TV’s convergence show, OnLive, the TV station “information center” is experimenting with novel ways to add value online. For example, they recently webcast an expanded newscast that answered “viewser” questions about an investigative piece that had just aired.
Filed in KARE, local TV, online news
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
You may not be able to watch free streams of “Gossip Girl” on The CW’s site anymore, but you can certainly buy ‘em on iTunes — where it currently ranks as the most downloaded show. For the record, the show’s TV ratings the first week after the online episodes were yanked are up a notch. But it’s still early, and as I wrote before, I think pulling the shows off the web after building up a loyal online audience will only reduce the show’s changes of long-term survival.
Filed in online video, programming, video downloads
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
ABCNews.com says traffic is continuing to grow at a record pace. In April, the site saw 221.7 million page views, up 37% from the previous year — which makes four consecutive months of record page view growth. Press release…
Read more... | Filed in ABCNews, metrics
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
Called Newsware, it’s MSNBC.com’s “laboratory for news-infused games, tools and other experimentation.” For example, this is Spectra, a “customizable kaleidoscope of news” which allows you to navigate on a 3D plane…
More tools explained in the press release below…
Read more... | Filed in MSNBC, online news
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
TV sites in the MyFox network will soon offer self-serve display and video ads for small and mid-sized advertisers. Called the FIM AdStore, advertisers will place ads through an auction system, but on a CPM basis. The ad platform will also “connect advertisers to a pool of video producers, writers, and others who will create ad elements and templates for the do-it-yourself Web spots and banners,” explains ClickZ.
Filed in Fox, online advertising
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
NBC has debuted iCue.com, a site that leverages NBC News archives to provide a free “collaborative learning community” for ages 13 and up. “There is tremendous opportunity to combine our vast resources of information with an audience that is hungry for it in an environment they are comfortable consuming it,” said NBC News President Steve Capus. NBC built the site in coordination with MIT’s Education Arcade.
Press release…
Read more... | Filed in NBC, online news, online video
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
With the launch of AT&T Mobile TV, the New York Times looks at how mobile TV has caught on in other countries. In Japan, 20 million phones are equipped with TV receivers. South Korea has 8.2 million. By contrast, it’s estimated than 100,000 people have subscribed to Verizon’s mobile TV service since it launched in March of last year.
Meanwhile, members of the Open Mobile Video Coalition — local broadcasters who plan to use their digital signals to broadcast to handheld devices — continue their quest for TV anywhere. But lots of questions remain: Is there enough spectrum? How to monetize it? How many people will watch it?
Filed in mobile
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
B&C’s Michael Malone profiles Google’s Michael Steib, who’s has the challenge of selling the Google TV Ads concept to broadcasters. Steib, as you may remember, launched Weather Plus while GM of Strategic Ventures at NBC Universal.
Filed in Google, people
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May 5th, 2008
Cory Bergman
After raising its bid to $33 a share and seeing no response, Microsoft yanked its bid and is abandoning efforts to acquire Yahoo. “After careful consideration, we believe the economics demanded by Yahoo do not make sense for us,” said CEO Steve Ballmer. Yahoo, meanwhile, is claiming victory. “This process has underscored our unique and valuable strategic position,” CEO Jerry Yang said. Ballmer says that Yahoo’s board wanted $38 a share, which is double Yahoo’s stock price when Microsoft first made an offer.
Nobody will be buying them at that price.
Update: Yahoo’s stock price loses 15% right off the bat
Filed in M&A, Microsoft, Yahoo
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May 4th, 2008
Michael Gay
Web streaming could be turning more into TV if ABC goes forward with adding more commercials to online show streaming. ABC will begin testing multiple commercials in the breaks of episode streams as soon as next week, according to THR.com. The executive vp digital media of Disney-ABC told the paper, “It would be premature for us to say people only want one ad.” Really? I only want one ad. Oh, and I want it to be :15 seconds or less. And, I’d like it to be relevant to me. No more ads for drugs that cure things I’ve never heard of. Would you say it’s premature to say people only want one ad?
Filed in ABC, advertising, video
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May 2nd, 2008
Cory Bergman
What, you thought Microsoft would give up? The mega deal could happen as early as this weekend.
Update: Well, it looks like Microsoft is giving up. Offer withdrawn.
Filed in M&A, Microsoft, Yahoo
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May 2nd, 2008
Cory Bergman
At the Drilling Down on Local conference in Seattle, media consultant and NowPublic chairman Merrill Brown said that old media needs to wake up and innovate or face extinction. Writes tech blogger John Cook: “Brown is especially skeptical about television, saying the business models for the big networks and their affiliates will make it difficult to make the transition.”
Filed in local TV
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May 2nd, 2008
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