MediaBytes

BEBO unveiled “Open Media,” a new video service offering free content from Turner, CBS, BBC, MTV and others. Broadcasters will create channels on the system using their own players, which allows them to sell advertising and retain control of the user experience. Bebo will not take any advertising money from in-video spots but will offer Continue Reading →

KEVIN MARTIN is proposing a 75% reduction in the rates that cable operators can charge to lease extra channels. To promote more diverse programming, prices would drop from 40 cents a month per subscriber to 10 cents. The plan will be voted on this month and could be enacted next year. GOOGLE is reportedly in Continue Reading →

NBC has launched NBC Direct, a service that allows consumers to download NBC content. Users can subscribe to shows and have them automatically download when new episodes become available. However, they must watch them within 48 hours of downloading. NBC Direct has some other major drawbacks: it requires a proprietary player, Windows Media 10 and Continue Reading →

NBC is in talks to acquire Quarterlife, the “TV-quality” series that debuts this Sunday on MySpace. The pending deal has been spurred by the Writers Guild strike and may bring the show to NBC as early as February. Quarterlife is currently scheduled to run for 36 eight-minute episodes online. Show creator Marshall Herskovitz recently expressed Continue Reading →

AOL has purchased advertising network QUIGO for around $350 million. Quigo sells ads for the sites of ESPN, Forbes, Time Inc. magazines and more. It will become part of the newly formed Platform A division. Time Warner announced its 3Q earnings yesterday, and AOL revenue was down 38% to $1.2 billion. Almost half of that Continue Reading →

FACEBOOK officially unveiled a multi-faceted ad system that taps into user referrals and exploits the site’s “social graph.” The system allows brands to establish company profiles on the network. When a user interacts with a company page, the activity (and a display ad) will be reported virally to that user’s network via news feeds. Beacon Continue Reading →

JEFF BEWKES will replace Richard Parsons as the CEO of Time Warner, effective January 1st. The move comes after months of speculation about Parsons’ future at the company and pressure from Wall Street due to a sagging stock price. Parsons will remain Chairman of Time Warner and said that Bewkes has his “full support” as Continue Reading →

THE WGA began its strike at midnight after Sunday’s 10-hour marathon negotiation broke down. Writers are expected to begin picketing at 9 AM this morning outside high-profile locations, including major studios on the West Coast and Rockefeller Center in New York. The Guild issued a memo telling its writers to spend at least 20 hours Continue Reading →

THE WRITERS GUILD negotiating committee has announced a unanimous recommendation to go on strike, perhaps as early as this Monday. The committee announced its decision Thursday night and drew an enthusiastic response from the meeting of 3,000 Guild members. The final decision is expected to be made at a meeting of the East and West Continue Reading →

THE WRITERS GUILD contract expired this morning and no new agreement has been signed. A strike could be ordered at anytime. Last night, in last-minute meetings, the companies and producers told the WGA to withdraw its demand for higher residuals from DVD sales. WGA negotiators rejected the order and halted the negotiations. The Guild has Continue Reading →