Video Games

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 →

NBC UNIVERSAL plans to launch NBC Direct this November. The service allows consumers to download NBC shows for free, for one week immediately following broadcast. Downloaded shows will contain commercials that cannot be skipped, and will expire after one week. NBC U plans to offer paid, commercial-free downloads by mid-2008. ABC has struck a deal Continue Reading →

NEWS CORP. and NBCU have released more details about their upcoming joint venture into the online video business. The new company will be called “Hulu.” CEO Jason Kilar posted a message on the newly-launched Hulu.com, saying that the site will begin a “private beta” phase in October. The site includes artwork from several top shows Continue Reading →

FACEBOOK is working on a new, targeted advertising system. Using the system, advertisers will be able to target users based on favorite activities, musical preferences, and other personal information revealed in a user profile. The new ads will appear in a user’s “news feed,” which keeps them up-to-date on the activity of their Facebook friends Continue Reading →

THE TELEVISION BUREAU OF ADVERTISING announced that ePort is set to launch this November. ePort is the open-standard electronic exchange for buyers and sellers of TV spots, supported by CBS Television Stations, E.W. Scripps, Gannett Broadcasting, NBCU Stations, and several other broadcasters. The full suite of online transactions will be available in March 2008. FACEBOOK Continue Reading →

FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN MARTIN is proposing open access requirements for a 22 MHz block of the 700 MHz spectrum. In an interview on Tuesday, Martin pushed for a “truly open broadband network” available to any device and any application. He said that the current standard of bundling cellphone service with specific devices hinders innovation and Continue Reading →

NBC UNIVERSAL will shutdown NBBC, and merge its intended features into “NewSite,” the tentitive name for the new venture with News Corp. NBBC allowed content owners to upload videos for web syndication, and was expected to launch later this year. It had signed around 150 partners, including A&E and CNET. However, NBCU contacted the partners Continue Reading →

ROCKETBOOM has adopted a sponsorship model. For $3000 per show, a sponsor will receive a 7 second post roll and a personalized blog entry. Quicktime versions of Rocketboom will also include an embedded link to the sponsor’s web site. Andrew Michael Baron, the CEO and founder of Rocketboom, recently discussed the challenges of finding advertising Continue Reading →

If you attended the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) expecting to see the new, new thing — you probably came away disappointed. For the untrained eye, the show looked like it was filled with iPod accessories, very nice flat screen TVs, very cool GPS and automotive audio/video stuff and a few more iPod accessories. Continue Reading →

As 2006 draws to a close, I thought it would be fun to list some of the key insights, take-aways and questions inspired by the “year of online video” and highlight some things to watch in 2007. Self Expression: The big news is that “you” are Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year.” In a stunning Continue Reading →