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Neuros, which brought us the OSD machine that’s supposed to make it easy to record any digital media, then play it on any device, has released their new “Unlocked” standard they hope will catch fire.   Customers disagree about how good the OSD is, and how easy to use (which probably means it’s a techie Continue Reading →

VIACOM and MICROSOFT have signed an extensive multi-platform partnership. Viacom content will be distributed on Xbox Live and MSN with the two companies splitting revenue. Microsoft will sell and serve display advertising for Viacom sites and purchase advertising on Viacom’s TV and web properties. Lastly, Viacom will produce casual games for MSN and Windows and Continue Reading →

NBC has decided to use reruns from USA Network and internationally-produced shows to help fill the void created by the writers strike. The network will air the “Monk” and “Psych” reruns on Sunday during prime-time. According to Ben Silverman, two shows are currently being produced for NBC outside the US using foreign writers not bound Continue Reading →

NBC officially announced that Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien will return to the air on January 2nd without their writing staffs. Conan expressed his support for the writers and said his show “may be terrible” without them. Ratings have dropped off considerably during reruns, with both shows losing over 30% of their audience. THE FCC Continue Reading →

If you’re working in the media business today, you have to be thinking about the five most important digital consumer touchpoints: email, websites, paid search, display ads and video. And, if you’re like most of my clients, this is an ongoing, dynamic, relatively expensive process.   Over the past few months there have been some Continue Reading →

THE GAO released a study yesterday finding that the FCC has “no comprehensive plan” in place for the upcoming transition to all-digital television. The report claims there is a risk of inadequate funding for converter boxes and potential failure to properly inform citizens of the end of analog. In related news, the NTIA announced that Continue Reading →

STRIKE NEGOTIATIONS have broken down, signaling a turn for the worse in the ongoing labor dispute. The AMPTP claims the current problems stem from “radical demands” being made by the WGA, such as the right to join strikes on behalf of other industry guilds. The producers are insisting that the WGA remove certain demands before Continue Reading →

The Writer’s strike has been going on just a bit too long now. Both sides are back at the negotiating table. That’s good. Talking is a good thing. However, if you are going to talk, it’s better if you know what you are talking about. Before we start, I want to make it clear that Continue Reading →

FACEBOOK made further concessions in its war against user privacy. Mark Zuckerberg publicly apologized on the company blog for “a lot of mistakes” surrounding Beacon — admitting the company did a “bad job” with its release. Most importantly, he announced that users will now be able to completely opt-out of Beacon. VERIZON has rolled out Continue Reading →

NIELSEN has partnered with DIGIMARC to create a service that both watermarks and fingerprints digital content, allowing it to be tracked across the web. Fingerprinting will be done by matching the audio track of a video to known content in the Nielsen database while watermarking will embed content information (such as when a show first Continue Reading →