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800 LOCAL TV STATIONS have formed The Open Mobile Coalition to approve standards for local mobile television before the February 2009 digital transition. The group made the announcement at NAB in Las Vegas, where mobile television is getting all the attention. NAB president David Rehr opened the convention with strong predictions about the future of mobile TV, claiming it would be a $2 billion market within four years. I’m not sure how that’s possible, but we’ll check it out and get back to you.
ADOBE announced that it is working on CinemaDNG, a new open standard video format. Adobe hopes the new format will eliminate incompatible video file formats and the need for proprietary video tools. Camera manufacturers and other hardware-makers will be free to implement the standard with their devices. Of course, the original Adobe DNG “standard” for still photographs has still not been widely adopted.
JIMMY KIMMEL will begin performing live commercials in May. ABC hopes the live spots will reduce ad-skipping and make “Jimmy Kimmel Live” a more attractive purchase for advertisers. The move comes one year after Jay Leno experimented with a live spot for Garmin during “The Tonight Show.” That ad benefitted from higher recall rates than the company’s pre-recorded ads.
ABC announced that its O&O’s will continue to offer cable operators an analog feed for one year after the digital transition in February 2009. The move is an attempt to hang on to some analog customers after the analog wireless spectrum shuts down. The connection will be a wired analog feed directly into cable systems. Participating stations include WABC-TV in New York.
VISIBLE WORLD raised $25 million in funding while MOVE NETWORKS pulled in another $46 million.
COMSCORE says that AOL’s Platform A now reaches over 90% of American Internet users, making it the most extensive online ad network in the country.
TIME WARNER will layoff 450 New Line employees.
SAG begins negotiations with the AMPTP today. AFTRA rejected its offer to join them in the process.
OPRAH will broadcast in HD starting this fall.
YOUTUBE grabbed over 73% of all U.S. visits to online video sites in March.