Techno-politics

THE OSCARS drew 32 million viewers, the lowest since 1974. That’s a 20% drop from last year’s 40 million viewers. This year’s broadcast averaged an 18.7 rating and a 29 share, compared to last year’s 27.7 rating and 42 share. The falloff is being blamed on the dark nature of the top films, such as Continue Reading →

Scott Boyarsky, Director of Program Management at the Walt Disney Internet Group called me to chat about an extraordinary website called newsclipper.org. It’s extraordinary for a bunch of reasons (which I shall explain) but the most interesting part of our conversation centered around a simple, unavoidable truth: newsclipper.org does exactly what you or I might Continue Reading →

SHELLY PALMER and KEVIN MARTIN will talk about the transition to digital television on BLOOMBERG TV today at 12:10 ET. THE FCC is backing down from a plan to force TV stations to air up to 12 PSA’s per day warning viewers about the upcoming digital transition. Instead, the Commission is expected to accept a 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 →

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 →

SUPER BOWL XLII was the most-watched sporting event on record and the second most-watched TV program in history. Nielsen says an average of 97.5 million viewers watched the Giants-Pats contest. The most-watched program is still the M*A*S*H finale, which drew 106 million viewers in 1983. THE FCC is facing a lawsuit from six cable programmers Continue Reading →

THE FCC launches the highly-anticipated 700 MHz spectrum auction today. Bidding is anonymous and will last two months before winners are declared. Daily updates will be available on auctions.fcc.gov. NBC clarified its stance on pilot season, saying it will not cancel any pilot orders for the upcoming season but will scale back in the future. Continue Reading →