FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN MARTIN is scheduled to speak today in support of The Family Choice Act of 2007. The proposed legislation will suggest several ways to protect children from viewing indecent and violent material on TV. One such measure, which Martin supports, is to allow consumers to purchase programming on an a la carte basis.
EBAY has pulled all advertising from GOOGLE, apparently in response to a marketing event scheduled by the search giant. Google had invited top eBay sellers to an event promoting “freedom” for Google Checkout, which eBay has banned from its auctions. The event was quickly canceled.
NEWS CORP. plans to sell 9 of its 35 local TV affiliates. The stations are currently profitable, but the Internet is quickly emerging as a competitor to local TV.
NBC has completed the first major upfront deal based on the new commercial ratings. Group M has committed almost $1 billion on behalf of clients.
NBCU announced two digital distribution initiatives. Today and Friday, NBCSports.com will stream live coverage of the U.S. Open golf tournament during the afternoon, targeting viewers at work. NBCU will also debut NBC Sports Mobile. The channel will be available on cellphones via MobiTV.