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COMCAST plans an imminent release of the first system that allows television ads to be targeted to the individual household level. The system will reportedly be deployed this June to over 100,000 homes in Baltimore. The technology is being developed by INVIDI, a company that has recently seen major investments from WPP, Motorola and others. One thing is certain: this June, the privacy police will be working overtime in Baltimore.
AT&T will launch a live mobile TV service based on Qualcomm’s MediaFlo in May. The service will offer eight channels with full-length content from Comedy Central ESPN, MTV, FOX, NBC, Nickelodeon and more. Two handsets will be supported at launch, LG’s Vu and Samsung’s Access. If you live outside a major metropolitan area, however, you may not be covered by the new service. The MediaFlo network won’t be fully deployed until February 2009, when analog TV shuts down and Qualcomm takes full possession of its spectrum.
GOOGLE is seeing continued decline in clicks on search advertisements, according to new data from comScore. During February, Google saw ad clicks fall 3% from January’s totals. That marks two consecutive months of decline. Google maintains that clicks aren’t the sole indicator of business success but Wall Street isn’t buying it. The company’s stock has fallen 40% since November. I’ve got a different question. How accurate are ComScore’s numbers and are they third party verified?
MTV.COM drew major traffic on Tuesday, serving up 1.8 million streams of a new episode of “The Hills.” The episode drew 4.8 million viewers when it premiered on MTV the night before. The online blockbuster comes at a fortuitous time for the network. MTV will host an upfront on May 8th, during which it will focus on its multi-platform capabilities.
THE FCC released the details of a plan that will allow satellite TV providers to phase in their support for local HD channels between 2009 and 2013.
WARNER MUSIC is hoping to tax your Internet access bill in exchange for unlimited music. Saying the music industry has become “one big tip jar,” Jim Griffen, Warner’s new digital guy, wants everyone to pay into a pool of money to save the industry. Basically, the industry can’t get enough voluntary subscriptions, so they’re going to try to make everyone pay. Good luck with that.
CBS has begun testing online HD streaming using clips from “CSI,” “How I Met Your Mother” and other network shows. Clips are currently offered in 480p, with plans to offer 720p and 1080p soon. There are no full length shows posted yet.