MediaBytes

JEFF ZUCKER delivered the NATPE keynote yesterday, warning that the television industry is undergoing a “forest fire.” He discussed his decision to reduce pilot season and possibly curtail upfront expenditures as necessary steps toward “making less waste.” Zucker’s goal is to make NBC everywhere – from NBC.com to Hulu and beyond. He said the industry’s Continue Reading →

VERIZON announced that it has reached over 1 million FiOS TV customers, making it the 10th-largest multichannel service provider in the US. The company added over 700,000 customers during 2007, netting 226,000 in 4Q alone. The rapid growth rate means it will soon surpass Mediacom, which has 1.3 million cable subscribers. NIELSEN will use its Continue Reading →

MEDIAVEST is in talks with two cinema ad networks to transfer up to $100 million in prime-time TV ads to in-theater movie advertising. President of investment and activation Donna Speciale said that with ratings continuing to erode and a lengthy writers strike, “We can’t keep our money in TV.” The company is speaking with National Continue Reading →

YOUTUBE has updated its mobile site to include almost its entire library of videos, the social-networking functions and more. Users will be able to upload videos directly from phones to YouTube.com. YouTube also released a free downloadable application that can be installed on phones to access the video site without using a mobile browser. Combined, 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 →

FOX and CW both released statements promising scaled-back and “truncated” pilot seasons. Fox has cut 8 scripts from 20th Century Fox while CW will drop around a dozen projects. ABC may reduce script orders by as much as 30%. Meanwhile, Jeff Zucker gave more details on his plans for scaling back NBC’s pilot season. He Continue Reading →

THE FCC will start the highly anticipated 700 MHz spectrum auction this Thursday, January 24th. On the block are some of the nation’s most valuable radio waves, which Chairman Kevin Martin calls “the building blocks for the next generation of broadband services.” This is expected to be the most lucrative auction ever conducted by the Continue Reading →

HBO will soon begin testing HBO on Broadband, a service that will allow current subscribers to watch the channel’s content online. The service requires a PC application that offers both automatic downloads and live streams of HBO channels. The service will enter a trial period this week in Green Bay and Milwaukee before spreading to Continue Reading →

THE DGA has reached a three-year deal with the AMPTP that delivers significant new media advances. The Guild will have jurisdiction over content created for the web and residuals for downloads will be based on distributors’ gross instead of the 20% of producer’s gross used under the home video agreement. Directors will receive .3% of Continue Reading →

NBC officially unveiled “NBC Everywhere” and expanded the digital out-of-home network to include two new platforms. Ideacast will now carry NBC@TheGym, which will bring MSNBC and CNBC content to over 900 fitness centers. University Network will add NBC on Campus, bringing NBC content to “high traffic areas” on 181 college campuses. Existing platforms include screens Continue Reading →