MediaBytes

CW is preparing to launch its new “cwickie” ad format. On August 10th, during “Friday Night Smackdown,” ELECTRONIC ARTS will lead off three pods with a 10-second cwickie. In addition, EA will run a 60-second isolated spot near the start of the program, and a 90-second isolated spot near the end. All ads will lead Continue Reading →

MICROSOFT has acquired AdECN, a small broker of Internet ad space. It will remain a separate company to encourage the growth of a neutral network, but will begin brokering Microsoft ad inventory. aQuantive inventory will be included in the mix. Senator Claire McCaskill told a Senate Commerce Committee that the lack of preparation for the Continue Reading →

DIGG has dumped GOOGLE for advertising services, and signed a three-year deal with Microsoft. The deal will utilize Microsoft adCenter to deliver contextually relevant text ads. Digg.com is one of the top social-news sites, drawing almost 10 million visitors in June. FOX and MYSPACE will team up to produce The Storyteller Challenge, an online user-generated Continue Reading →

ABC is now streaming high-definition online video. On Tuesday the network launched a beta high-def player on ABC.com, offering one episode each of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and Ugly Betty. ABC.com is the first network site to reach the high-def milestone. TUBEMOGUL has launched Load & Track, a free universal video uploading and tracking Continue Reading →

AOL will purchase TACODA, the online behavioral-targeting ad firm. Tacoda serves ads to 4,000 websites, reaching approximately 125 Million people. AOL is reportedly paying between $200 million and $300 million for the acquisition. CROWN CASTLE has pulled the plug on Modeo, its DVB-H mobile TV service. Modeo began trials earlier this year in New York, Continue Reading →

GOOGLE plans to participate in the upcoming auction for the 700 MHz wireless spectrum, provided the FCC adopts certain auction requirements. Google pledged to spend up to $4.6 Billion on spectrum if the auction rules require that winners allow open access to compatible wireless devices. In addition, Google wants auction winners to be required to Continue Reading →

CBS plans to make its television content available on over 400 different websites, executives said on Wednesday. CBS Interactive president Quincy Smith said CBS is committed to open, non-exclusive online partnerships. The network has seen traffic on CBS.com grow rapidly since embracing new online partnerships. The number of unique monthly visitors has jumped from 21 Continue Reading →

VERIZON is partnering with VEOH to bring user-generated clips to cellphones, FiOS TVs, and Verizon’s broadband site. In exchange, Verizon will advertise on VeohTV, the planned online video aggregator. A Veoh channel will launch on Verizon’s V-Cast sometime this week. THE NHL has signed a deal with NEULION to stream live, ad-free games over the Continue Reading →

REVVER will begin testing a new ad model. The site currently offers a clickable billboard at the end of videos. However, this month it will experiment with pre- and post-roll video ads for the first time. As with the billboard model, content creators will share ad revenue 50/50 with Revver. CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS has revamped the Continue Reading →

TIVO has announced a new monthly commercial rating service. The “Top Commercial Rankings” are based on second-by-second data from TiVo DVR’s, and made available via TiVo’s StopWatch data service. The data undercuts many fundamental assumptions about commercial viewing. According to TiVo, four out of five of the most-watched commercials did not run during the ten Continue Reading →