Hellgate Network

NBC has a new idea that’s been around since the 50’s. The network will begin involving certain sponsors in show development. One deal will be a two-movie partnership with Liberty Mutual focusing on the excitement of insurance policies, responsibility and doing the right thing. The movies will act as pilots for the network. If picked up, Liberty Mutual will have the right of first refusal to become a partner in the series.

KEVIN MARTIN recommended that the FCC reject a proposal from SKYPE that would open up all wireless networks to third-party devices. Martin said the industry is moving in that direction anyway, citing Verizon’s new open network policy and mobile operator involvement in Google’s Open Handset Alliance. He sees no reason to regulate something he believes is already occurring in the free market.

SAG will begin negotiations with the AMPTP on April 15, before AFTRA negotiations start. Fear of a second strikes looms, especially since SAG was a vocal supporter of the WGA work stoppage. The negotiations will be watched closely.

BLINKX will launch BBTV, a new downloadable player that uses P2P connections to stream video content. The service will begin with a library of 40 independent movies and niche shows on finance, fashion, travel and more. BBTV doesn’t seem to have any major content deals that will make the service overly compelling. There’s a teaching moment here. People don’t watch platforms, they watch content.

FOX and NBC will use JUMPTAP to serve targeted ads on their mobile sites. JumpTap will utilize demographic data and past searches to show relevant ads. The company is racking up some major clients, having already signed carriers Virgin and Boost Mobile for search deals.

CBS will begin a round of major layoffs at owned-and-operated stations around the country.

VERIZON has beefed up its V CAST mobile video service with new content from MTV, CNN, NBC, ABC and more.

APPLE STORES are running out of iPhones causing rumor mongers to suggest that a new 3G iPhone is close at hand.

Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

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SHELLY PALMER and KEVIN MARTIN will talk about the transition to digital television on BLOOMBERG TV today at 12:10 ET.

THE FCC is backing down from a plan to force TV stations to air up to 12 PSA’s per day warning viewers about the upcoming digital transition. Instead, the Commission is expected to accept a more lenient proposal from broadcasters that will give them the option of joining the transition effort. Participating stations will run 16 spots each week, with 4 occurring during primetime. The plan will also include screen crawls and a special 100 day countdown special. In other Commission news, the FCC is expected to imminently approve the year-old proposal under which Liberty Media would trade its 16.3% stake in News Corp. for a controlling stake in DirecTV.

CBS followed yesterday’s NBC news by announcing that its classic titles will also be available online for free ad-supported streaming. Star Trek, Macgyver, Melrose Place, The Twilight Zone and more will be added to CBS.com and across the CBS Audience Network. CBS Interactive president Quincy Smith said the new initiative is “solving for what the user wants.”

MICROSOFT claims it will make a major effort to share more technical information with software developers in an effort to satisfy EU antitrust requirements. The company will put 30,000 pages of formerly secret technical specifications concerning Windows and Microsoft’s server platform. The EU was not impressed, saying that Microsoft has already promised such efforts four times in the past. However, this time Microsoft may need to follow through to ensure approval of a Yahoo takeover.

ESPN360 broke new ground by offering the first HD stream of a live NBA game. The site was utilizing a new application from MOVE NETWORKS that automatically served HD quality video to users with fast connections and scaled down the quality for slower connections. The site will tap the technology again soon to present NCAA games in HD.

MTV will officially launch JackassWorld.com tomorrow, offering webisodes of the popular series and an interactive community of fans. The Jackass crew will takeover MTV all day tomorrow to promote the launch.

Get the full story at http://www.Media30.com.

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COMCAST plans an imminent release of the first system that allows television ads to be targeted to the individual household level. The system will reportedly be deployed this June to over 100,000 homes in Baltimore. The technology is being developed by INVIDI, a company that has recently seen major investments from WPP, Motorola and others. One thing is certain: this June, the privacy police will be working overtime in Baltimore.

AT&T will launch a live mobile TV service based on Qualcomm’s MediaFlo in May. The service will offer eight channels with full-length content from Comedy Central ESPN, MTV, FOX, NBC, Nickelodeon and more. Two handsets will be supported at launch, LG’s Vu and Samsung’s Access. If you live outside a major metropolitan area, however, you may not be covered by the new service. The MediaFlo network won’t be fully deployed until February 2009, when analog TV shuts down and Qualcomm takes full possession of its spectrum.

GOOGLE is seeing continued decline in clicks on search advertisements, according to new data from comScore. During February, Google saw ad clicks fall 3% from January’s totals. That marks two consecutive months of decline. Google maintains that clicks aren’t the sole indicator of business success but Wall Street isn’t buying it. The company’s stock has fallen 40% since November. I’ve got a different question. How accurate are ComScore’s numbers and are they third party verified?

MTV.COM drew major traffic on Tuesday, serving up 1.8 million streams of a new episode of The Hills. The episode drew 4.8 million viewers when it premiered on MTV the night before. The online blockbuster comes at a fortuitous time for the network. MTV will host an upfront on May 8th, during which it will focus on its multi-platform capabilities.

THE FCC released the details of a plan that will allow satellite TV providers to phase in their support for local HD channels between 2009 and 2013.

WARNER MUSIC is hoping to tax your Internet access bill in exchange for unlimited music. Saying the music industry has become “one big tip jar,” Jim Griffen, Warner’s new digital guy, wants everyone to pay into a pool of money to save the industry. I see, the industry can’t get enough voluntary subscriptions, so they’re going to try to make everyone pay. Good luck with that.

CBS has begun testing online HD streaming using clips from “CSI,” “How I Met Your Mother” and other network shows. Clips are currently offered in 480p, with plans to offer 720p and 1080p soon. There are no full length shows posted yet.

Read more at http://www.ShellyPalmer.com

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