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NBC has announced its plans for a modified upfront. In April the network will release a 52-week schedule of staggered show premieres and then hold small presentations for advertisers in New York, LA and Chicago. On May 12 it will host a “spotlight event” in New York to present the full range of advertising opportunities Continue Reading →

TOSHIBA has officially announced that it will stop producing and marketing HD DVD players. Shipments to retailers will cease by the end of March. The company said it “simply had no chance to win,” and that continuing the format would harm consumers. APPLE has signed a multifaceted deal with American Idol, making iTunes the exclusive Continue Reading →

TOSHIBA is planning to retire the HD DVD format. Reuters reports that the company is in the final stages of planning its exit from the high-def disc market, handing Blu-ray the role of industry standard. The move comes just days after Wal-Mart ended support for HD DVD in favor of Blu-ray. MTV NETWORKS has acquired Continue Reading →

When it comes to file-sharing, piracy, bootlegging or whatever name you like to call the act of infringing on other people’s intellectual property (IP) rights there is a general rule: Those with more time than money, steal — those with more money than time, buy. Although it is a gross over-simplification of a very complex Continue Reading →

NIELSEN has released the results of a major study of online viewing habits. The study found that women are twice as likely as men to tune into network television on the web. Men 18-34 are twice as likely as women to watch user-generated content on YouTube and other video-sharing sites. The study found that 73% Continue Reading →

THE STRIKE is officially over. WGA members voted to return to work today and contract ratification is expected to conclude on February 26th. Next up: SAG contracts expire in June. YAHOO confirmed its rumored $160 million acquisition of Maven Networks and its online video ad platform. Meanwhile, both TechCrunch and Silicon Alley Insider are reporting Continue Reading →

MICROSOFT responded to YAHOO‘s rejection of its takeover bid with a statement calling its offer “full and fair” and promising to pursue any steps necessary to close the deal at the original offer price. In related news, Microsoft will acquire DANGER INC., the company behind the popular Sidekick mobile phone. The terms of the deal Continue Reading →

This week, Greg Sandoval posted a story on CNET about revver.com. The article says that Revver (the online video site) has fallen on hard times and the company, which raised almost $13 million in venture capital, is on the block for “$300,000 to $500,000, as well as the assumption of the company’s debt, which is Continue Reading →

NBC has asked NIELSEN to move sweeps to January next year to avoid complications associated with the transition to digital television. If accepted, the February 2009 sweeps would start on January 15th and conclude on February 14th – 3 days before all analog television signals are turned off. The impact of the digital transition is Continue Reading →

CBS will announce a new experimental mobile advertising venture, which provides customized ads depending on a user’s location. The targeted ads will appear on the mobile versions of CBS News and CBS Sports using GPS technology from Loopt. Users with GPS-capable phones will be asked to opt-in to the service to ease concerns over privacy. Continue Reading →