MediaBytes

REUTERS received a preliminary takeover approach from an unidentified entity. YOUTUBE will begin sharing revenue with top-ranked videos today. The revenue will come from banner ads, and involve a select group of the most popular content creators. YouTube’s VP of Marketing said the payments are justified because “these guys are media entities in their own Continue Reading →

The DOLAN FAMILY privatization bid for CABLEVISION has been accepted by the board, but still must pass a shareholder vote. A “majority of the minority” must approve the deal. BRIGHTCOVE will syndicate CBS NEWS content across blogs and websites. Syndicates will be allowed to insert clips from CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, The Early Continue Reading →

DOW JONES’ controlling shareholder, the Bancroft family, has rejected the NEWS CORP. offer of $5 Billion for the company. The price included a 65% premium. ITV, the UK’s largest terrestrial broadcaster, will begin streaming all of its channels via the internet. Content and commercials will be identical for online and offline broadcasts. ITV’s site will Continue Reading →

CBS will use MICROSOFT‘s new Silverlight technology to enable user-generated content on the sites of CBS-owned stations. The sites will mix station-owned content with UGC. Launch is expected for later this year. US NEWSPAPER circulation fell 2.1% between October and March. The New York Times was down 1.9%. However, The WSJ was up 0.6%, and Continue Reading →

YAHOO is acquiring Right Media, which operates an online advertising exchange. Yahoo had previously purchased a 20% stake in the company. SONY plans to launch The Minisode Network. The online network will stream condensed versions of old television shows from the Sony library. “Charlie’s Angels” and “T.J. Hooker” will be among the selection. CBS will Continue Reading →

FOX is planning a process to insert new commercials into a broadcast that has been recorded to a DVR. They are looking to test the process with TiVo. NIELSEN will begin tracking HDTV homes. The first challenge is defining an “HDTV Home.” MYSPACE will license its brand for use in China. Local entrepreneurs will use Continue Reading →

JOOST is gathering an impressive list of advertisers: Microsoft, Intel, HP, Unilever, Sony, United Airlines and more. Spots will include traditional-style ads and on-screen contextual ads. The FCC is asking Congress to legislate the sale of television on a per-channel basis. The request is included in a report on violence on TV. APPLE‘s iTunes Music Continue Reading →

The FCC is setting rules for auctioning the 700 MHZ spectrum, formerly used for Analog TV. Analog will stop using the spectrum in February 2009. YAHOO has launched a searchable database of music lyrics. The database includes the official versions of lyrics to over 400,000 songs, supplied by music publishers. Yahoo and the rights-holders will Continue Reading →

MINDSHARE released a new study, which reveals that “non-program minutes” on broadcast networks did not increase last year. The average held flat, at 15 minutes per hour. THE INTERPUBLIC GROUP will subscribe to TiVo‘s StopWatch service. StopWatch provides second-by-second viewing data, collected from samples of TiVo subscribers. IPG is the second subscriber. YAHOO, HUFFINGTON POST, Continue Reading →

The INTERACTIVE ADVERTISING BUREAU is calling for an audit of comScore and Nielsen/NetRatings. Many companies disagree with the numbers reported by the two tracking companies. Out-dated methods may be to blame. eMARKETER is predicting that overall online ad growth will fall to 18.9% this year. Last year, online advertising grew 30.8%. RIM will begin selling Continue Reading →