If you are having trouble viewing our video player, check out MediaBytes on YouTube.
Tiger Woods will return to PGA play this weekend for the first time since June. Back from rehab Woods will participate in the Accenture Match Play Championship and his sponsors and the broadcast networks are particularly excited. While Tiger almost guarantees higher ratings for networks, the economic downfall may hinder their ability to turn big ratings into big advertising revenue.
Yesterday at Apple’s shareholders meeting, the board of directors defended its decision to keep shareholders in the dark regarding Steve Jobs health. The board noted that Jobs is still involved in strategic matters and will be returning to Apple in June. Unfortunately for concerned investors, the meeting provided little to no detail about Jobs health.
According to Nielsen, President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Tuesday night drew 52.3 million viewers. The ratings company reported that the address, which aired on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Telemundo, Univision, CNBC, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, took in a 32.5 rating/49 share and was viewed in roughly 37.1 million homes. However, the real story were the members of Congress Tweeting about the speech as it happened.
The FCC is set to issue a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) over implementation of its Child Safe Viewing Act. The NOI will collect data on advanced ways to block video content on TV’s, DVD players, cable and wireless handsets. Many broadcasters are up in arms over the Act, as they believe the V-chip is a more suitable tool for blocking content.
Jerry Seinfeld is set to return to television as creator and executive producer of The Marriage Ref. Seinfeld, who has been on an 11 year hiatus from television, is working with longtime Oprah executive producer Ellen Rakietan in creating the show, which will air on NBC. The show will feature celebrities giving real life marriage advice with a comedic twist. Seinfeld noted “This is not a therapy show, it’s a comedy show…After nine years of marriage, I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich.”