OMNICOM‘s ZIMMERMAN ADVERTISING has added the Z-Media Exchange to its “virtual advertising agency” concept. The virtual exchange will allow local businesses to purchase radio and TV spots. Agency executives will be able to view a market’s inventory, and make an offer. The exchange is a Zimmerman-branded version of the SoftWave Media Exchange.
UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP will experiment with selling DRM-free music online. Tracks will be available, in unprotected format, in a variety of outlets – Amazon, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, and a long list of others. However, Universal seems to be intentionally leaving out one venue for the DRM-free trial: iTunes.
NBCU‘s DOTCOMEDY will allow ad-supported downloads. The humor-oriented site has signed a deal with HIRO MEDIA that will allow the files to tracked while spread across P2P networks. The video files will contain code that reports back viewing data, so that advertisers can be properly charged.
VEOH has filed a pre-emptive suit against UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP, to prevent being sued by the music company. VEOH learned in July that Universal was planning legal action against it for copyright infringement. In response, Veoh filed in federal court, asking a judge to declare upfront that it holds no liability when individuals upload videos containing Universal music.
COMCAST has launched Fancast.com, in beta form. The site currently offers an IMDB-like database of information on TV shows and movies, along with TV schedules and movie trailers. Interactive features include the ability to rate shows and purchase movie tickets through Fandango. The site aims to tell viewers “what to watch, where to watch, when to watch it.”