MySpace

NBC confirmed the pulling of all official NBC content from YouTube ahead of the Hulu launch. The company believes that pulling the content will help push more traffic to the forthcoming online video service. Hulu will host NBC videos and distribute them through Yahoo, AOL, MySpace and other video destinations. However, it does not currently Continue Reading →

COMCAST is drawing heat for allegedly inhibiting access to BitTorrent. The Associated Press claims that the provider “actively interferes” with P2P file-sharing services to reduce network traffic. Comcast denies the claim, saying they do not block access to any sites, applications or services. However a nation-wide test found that Comcast consistently delays connections to the Continue Reading →

BIG MEDIA has formed a coalition to stop pirated material from being released on the web. The group includes Viacom, Disney, Microsoft, CBS, Fox, MySpace, and NBC Universal. These companies have agreed to put “commercially reasonable” content identification systems in place by the end of the year. They issued a 15-point manifesto outlining extensive copyright-protecting Continue Reading →

BEST BUY has stopped selling all analog TV sets and has ordered stores to pull unsold sets from the shelves, ensuring an all-digital holiday season. The mandate is an aggressive and bold move to prepare for the upcoming digital transition. The retailer has committed to selling digital-to-analog convertors and will stock them by early January. Continue Reading →

ACXIOM announced a targeted ad system that utilizes data it has collected on 133 million households. Acxiom’s massive database was created from public records and information received by partnering companies. It will now power “Relevance-X” on partner sites, displaying ads that correspond to a user’s data profile. Acxiom claims it will reach 60% of US Continue Reading →

JOOST is planning to offer live online TV. The company’s Executive Vice President of Content Strategy revealed that live programming will begin in Q1 of 2008. Live transmissions will include a “catch-up” option following the initial broadcast. Joost’s initial “live” focus seems to be on sports. The company is speaking with rights-holders for major professional Continue Reading →

IAG has done a study of over 1,000 “hybrid” ads, which closely merge advertising with content to combat ad-skipping. The ads generated 30% higher brand recall than traditional ads. The study found that Jay Leno’s recent live-to-air ad for Garmin doubled that company’s usual viewer recall numbers, and CW’s “content wraps” were among the highest-scoring Continue Reading →

CW NETWORK will launch a newsmagazine-style show this Sunday that will not break for traditional commercials. Instead, “CW Now” will seamlessly present entertaining, paid segments as part of the regular program. The first episode will feature a celebrity-filled segment pitching a new Xbox game’s availability at Wal-Mart. UNIVERSAL STUDIOS will launch its own mobile website Continue Reading →

MySpace recently announced a deal with Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick, the team behind Thirtysomething and My So-Called Life to create Quarterlife, an online show about post-college twenty-somethings. Unless it was a very slow news day, this would not be on most people’s radar — at least not until the show was a hit. However, Continue Reading →

GOOGLE will announce Gadget Ads today. The new service will allow advertisers to run widget-like ads across the AdSense network. Gadgets will allow advertisers to gain interactive, multimedia placement on sites. They can include video, chat, games, and more. Widgets are exploding in popularity on the web, reaching 48% of online users. COMCAST CEO Brian Continue Reading →