Cynopsis: DIGITAL
7/25/07
Good Morning, it’s Wednesday, July 25, 2007 and this is your first early morning digital briefing.
Looks like there’s an affordable version to that clunky cable DVR after all. Tivo unveiled a new HD DVR that will retail for around $300, which is $500 cheaper than the previous Series 3 HD digital video recorder. The unit comes with a smaller hard drive–160 gigs of storage instead of 250 (good for about 20 hours of HD content or 180 hours of standard def fare), and customers will still have to pay Tivo’s $13 monthly fee to activate its subscription service. The price cut is a move to try and sign up more customers directly, instead of through third party deals with satellite and cable providers that generate smaller per-customer returns. Paul Allen’s Digeo will also begin selling its Moxi DVR in stores this fall.
~ MULTIPLATFORM CONTENT NEWS ~
Viva social networking! MySpace officially launched a version of its service in Mexico and is hosting a Secret Show performance with alternative band Cafe Tacuba in Mexico City on July 31 to commemorate the launch. A beta version of the service launched in January 2007 and has seen significant growth, according to the company.
Multiplatform news service ABC News Now will enhance its coverage of the Presidential debates in Iowa on August 5 and August 19, with user submitted video and emailed questions put to candidates by Senior Political Reporter Rick Klein. The broadband service and digital cable channel, currently in 31 million homes, will offer live coverage of the debates, as well as post-debate analysis, roundtable discussions and insider looks at preparations leading up to the events.
CBS cancelled Mark Burnett reality show Pirate Master after declining ratings, but announced the five episodes that have yet to air will stream on CBS.com and the CBS Audience Network. Look for new episodes each Tuesday.
Current TV picked up the popular web series Hometown Baghdad, planning to air the series in five 3-7 minute pods cut exclusively for Current viewers. The news show is shot by an all-Iraqi crew and tells the story of three young survivors of the ongoing Iraqi war. The shorts will begin airing on Thursday, July 26, with new pods running once a week through August 23.
Comcast‘s FEARnet.com & Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures are teaming up to promote the upcoming Sony Pictures’ pre-Halloween horror release 30 Days of Night with “Blood Trails,” a 7 episode mini-series launching on FEARnet.com September 13th. The vampire tale is scripted by Ben Ketai and directed by Victor Garcia, with graphic novelist Steve Niles serving as creative consultant.
Bravo‘s new posh resort docudrama Welcome to the Parker began streaming live on five popular portals – Yahoo! TV, MSN, WindowsMedia.com, TV Guide.com and Zap2it.com – in advance of its July 26 on air premiere. The show’s microsite on BravoTV.com will feature blogs from the Parker Palm Springs’ hotel staff, as well as video extras and synopsized clips of each episode.
CMT announced that its broadband player Loaded streamed more than 100 million videos since its launch one year ago. CMT Mobile, which is launching a WAP site next week, has also experienced strong growth, with a 44% jump in usage in June 2007 over May 2007.
From the land of koalas and kangaroos, MTV will debut The Real World: Sydney on August 8 at 10p. A sneak preview of the first episode air August 1 at www.RealWorld.MTV.com, where fans can also find cast blogs, cast and house photos and 2-minute peaks of upcoming episodes. Exclusive content will also be available via MTV.com, and starting August 8 through Virtual Real World at www.vmtv.com. Episodes can be downloaded the day after airing on MTV through a variety of services: iTunes Store, Amazon Unbox, AOL Video and Walmart Video Downloads, plus the preview episode can be downloaded for free starting August 2. The network has ordered 24 episodes of The Real World: Sydney from Bunim Murray Productions.
Kick out the jams with Rock N Roll TV on PodShow!
~ INNOVATORS & START-UPS ~
National Lampoon signed on to provide programming for P2P video service Joost. Initial programming includes National Lampoon webisodes, SpinCycle “mashimations” and the Fat Guy Nation series.
NowLive introduced a new Talk Show widget to enable users to host live, interactive talk shows directly from their personal profile pages. Calls can be made from a landline, a Google Talk or a Skype account, and the widget can be embedded on blogs, home pages or social networking sites. The software allows the host to chat with callers, then immediately post sessions for distribution on iTunes and other services.
Broadcaster.com released a free two-way video and chat interface allowing users to set up webcam conversations and chats while podcasting. The Social Video Network features three separate windows, showing the feed the user is broadcasting, a view of the person the user has selected to broadcast to and a view of people watching the live podcast.
~ TECHNOLOGY DEALS, MERGERS AND SKIRMISHES ~
AT&T launched a Video Share service in nearly 160 U.S. markets, allowing users to send video clips one-way that both parties can view during cell phone conversations. The service costs $4.95 a month for up to 25 minutes of video sharing usage or $9.99 for 60 minutes. AT&T also plans to integrate it with its IPTV-based U-Verse service in the future for viewing on television screens. The company announced higher profits and 1.5 million addition wireless subscribers for the second quarter, saying it signed 146,000 iPhone during the first two days of its release. AT&T and Apple won’t see the real boost from the iPhone until next quarter.
Amazon‘s profits soared 254% to $78 million compared to $22 million the year before. The Seattle-based e-tailer credited low pricing and Amazon Prime, its membership program that grants subscribers free shipping with no minimum purchase requirement. The company did not break out numbers for its Unbox download video service, which recently integrated with series 2 and series 3 Tivo devices.
Hearst acquired male-oriented online entertainment site UGO.com. Launching in 1997, UGO is one of the older anime/girls/gaming sites, claiming 11 million monthly users in the U.S. Reports put the acquisition price at around $100 million.
IDT Internet Mobile Group has formed Zedge Studios to develop and license digital content for distribution through web and mobile platforms. Additionally, IMG has acquired a controlling interest in indie comics publisher IDW Publishing known for horror, action, and sci-fi titles such as The Transformers, 30 Days of Night, CSI, Star Trek, 24, and Scarface.
Open Mobile Video Coalition, formed to accelerate the development of mobile digital broadcast television standards, has more than doubled in membership, adding 10 NEW members representing 422 television stations nationally. Joining the group are local station groups Cox, The Dispatch Broadcast Group, Freedom Broadcasting, Lin TV, Meredith, Media General, Post-Newsweek, Raycom, Schruz and the Association of Public Television.
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~ DIGITAL ADVERTISING ~
AOL acquired online behavioral advertising firm Tacoda for a reported $275 million. The Time Warner division plans to operate it as a wholly owned subsidiary, integrating it with Advertising.com’s display network. The company quoted eMarketer’s projection of $3.8 billion in behavioral targeting ad revenue by 2011 as justification of the acquisition. Other recent AOL purchases include Third Screen Media and Lightningcast.
~ TRENDS, RESEARCH, ETC. ~
A new study from MTV, Nickelodeon and Microsoft surveyed 18,000 kids from 16 countries about how they use digital technology, including cell phones, instant messaging, PCs, TVs, digital cameras, social networks and gaming. The report discovered that tech savvy youth develop more and closer friendships, influence each other’s actions as much as marketers do and use digital communications in conjunction with instead of to replace television. Globally, the number of friends that young males have more than doubles between the ages of 13-14 and 14-17, jumping from 24 to 69. Boys aged 18-21 said they have on average 70 friends, the largest concentration among genders and age groups. Practices varied greatly among nations. Japanese kids rely on cell phones to communicate and have few online friends. China has the lowest usage of cell phones among young people, but social networks, blogs and instant messaging are popular.
Newspaper’s online audiences are growing at twice the rate of the general internet audience according to research Nielsen/Net Ratings conducted for the Newspaper Association of America. An average of 59 million people visited online newspaper sites during the first quarter, a 5.3% increase over the same period last year.
Newspaper Site Web Audience
Month Unique Audience Active Reach% Time Spent per user Visits per person
April ’07 58,680,127 37.40 42:01 8.01
May ’07 60,252,458 37.78 40:16 7.91
June ’07 58,624,422 36.74 39:55 7.55
Source: Nielsen/NetRatings Custom Analysis
New series and seasons (full eps only) released online since 17 July 2007:
- The Captain and Casey Show (FuelTV; Unbox): season 2
- Dog City (Fox; Unbox): season 3
- Iconoclasts (Sundance; iTunes): season 2
- The Kill Point (Spike; Unbox): current season (season 1)
- NOPI Tunervision (Speed; Unbox): current season (season 4)
- Room 401 (MTV; Unbox, iTunes): current season (season 1)
- Skyland (NickToons; iTunes): season 2
- Trick My Truck (CMT; Unbox, iTunes): seasons 1, 2 and 3 (current)
- V: The Miniseries (NBC; Unbox)
Source: TrivialTV
~ EXECUTIVE MOVES ~
mtvU promoted head of programming Ross Martin from VP to SVP, head of marketing Chris McCarthy from Senior Director to VP and hired Andrew Federici as VP of Online Properties, the network’s first digital chief. All three executives will be based in New York and report directly to Stephen Friedman, GM and EVP of mtvU.
Stavros Hilaris has been named National Geographic Ventures‘ Consumer Technology Officer, where he will be responsible for leading technology initiatives throughout all NGV units. Stavros will be based in the Washington D.C. office.
MySpace announced two new executive appointments to go along with the launch of MySpace Mexico. Victor Kong was hired as Managing Director of MySpace Latin America, and Jose Casanova joined as Marketing Manager for My Space Mexico, overseeing all marketing and content initiatives. Victor formerly served as VP/Strategy and New Media Development at MTV Networks Latin America, and Jose was Label Manager for EMI Music Mexico.
~ WEBSITE OF THE DAY ~
ABC.com, which started the whole show-streaming business with its Apple/iTunes deal, has unveiled the beta version of its new HD video player. One episode each of Lost, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy and Ugly Betty are currently available, but ABC plans to expand its HD offerings substantially this fall. System requirements are rather considerable, (your computer must have a dual core processor, 128 MB video RAM, 1 GB of system RAM and your connection must exceed 2.0 mbps), but if you’ve got the fast PC and the fat pipe, the image is beautiful!
Correction : The math was off on the Harry Potter extrapolations yesterday: 8.3 million copies in one day = 345,833 copies per hour and 5,763 copies per minute. (Thanks Steve!)
Later — Wayne
Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digitals
07.25.07
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Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here
JOB OPENING: COPYWRITER MANAGER/MTV NETWORKS/NY: BA, 4 yrs creative copywriter exp; Strong concepting, writing, brand strategy skills. Cable industry exp. a plus. Interest in pop culture. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (8/01)
JOB OPENING: AD SALES ASST/Galavision, NY: Detail-oriented, exc comm/math/MS Office skills; asst Sales Team w/presentations/reports/clerical work. Spanish speaking highly pref/not req. Cvr letter & resume: [email protected] (8/01)
JOB OPENING: SALES ASST/Oxygen/NY: Support 2 AEs and Sales Planner w/ all aspects of sales process. Must be detailed oriented w/strong PC Skills and a team player. 1+ yr cable exp or advertising agency. Resume to: [email protected] (8/01)
JOB OPENING: MGR, MEDIA LIB/Discovery Communications, Silver Spring, MD: Manage 24/7 lib ops. 4+ yrs media lib or dig asset exp. 3+ yrs mgmt exp. BA/MA Lib Sci Digitization Strat exp a plus. Apply: www.discovery.com Req 5231 (8/01)
JOB OPENING: SALES MGR/UOL Media Group/LA: Online Ad Sales & Biz Dev to clients & agencies. Min 3 yrs online + 5 years sales. So. Cal. Nice base, uncapped comm. & co. equity. Contact: [email protected] and www.untd.com (8/01)
JOB OPENING: DIR UNIVISION NTWRK RSRCH: 3-5 yrs Rsrch/Mktng at media co/advrtsng agency. Analysis of Nielsen data, strong writing, orgz’l skills PP Word, Excel, Galaxy Explorer, AdViews, NPower. [email protected] EOE (8/01)
JOB OPENING: MKTG MGR/Fort Lee NJ: Dev & exec online viral campaigns, handle client relations/rprtng. Wrk directly w/ VP/Mktg. Must be creative, organized, savvy w/prvn record. 3+ yrs exp req’d www.DXstreet.com , [email protected] (8/01)
JOB OPENING: FCP/AVID EDITORS: NYC Nat’l Synd Talk Show looking for Staff & Freelance to cut field pkgs – from Aug. to Apr.Shifts from 10a6p & 6p2a. Fast paced environs able to work under pressure email: [email protected] (8/01)
JOB OPENING: RES COORD/Cablevision NYC: 1 yr related exp in TV/Cable/Entertainment Industry. Support Res. dept in daily functions. Prof. in MS Office. Please visit www.cablevision.jobs and apply to req ID 3898BR (7/31)
JOB OPENING: REGIONAL MGR/Scripps Network/Affiliate Sales- NY: Dvlp MSO relations/ensure distribution for NE region/3+ yrs affiliate sales experience/BA equiv work exp/Apply at www.scrippsnetworks.com (7/31)
JOB OPENING: COMM. & DESIGN DIR at Eric Carle Studio in Northampton, Mass; liaise w/ (global licensing agency) Chorion NY & overseas on consumer products program. Manage approval of licensed merchandise worldwide. Est. strong comm. with licensees on approvals & product dev. Central hub for comm.. & coord. regarding licensing program for this beloved pub. brand. Send resume w/ sal. hist. & req. to [email protected] (7/31)
JOB OPENING: AFFILIATE DISTRIBUTION ASSISTANT/Hallmark Channel/NY: Key administrative position for NDS Dept. See full posting and apply at www.hallmarkchannel.com (7/31)
JOB OPENING: INTEGRATED SALES MGR/AETN/NY: Looking for your next creative opp? Have a solid undrstndng of ad sales/media/ratings/mktng? Enjoy writing/presenting to groups? Take next step in career! Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (7/31)
JOB OPENING: SR RESCH ANALYST-MTV Nets: 2-4 yrs exp in analytical role. Strong writing/presentation sk. Knwlge of TV and online metrics and systems. BA/BS in a related field. Apply www.mtvncareers.com EOE/M/F/D/AAP (7/31)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, ACQUISITIONS & DEV/Rainbow/NYC: Initiate and oversee program acquisitions & co-productions. 3-5 yrs exp in acquisitions or programming for major TV network or production company. [email protected]. (7/31)
JOB OPENING: MKTG SPECIALIST/Bloomberg TV/NY: Opp for an exp’d mktng exec to lead the creation, mngmnt & execution of strategic integrated consumer & affil mktng prgrms. Candidates should have at least 5 yrs exp. www.bloomberg.com (7/31)
JOB OPENING: MEDIA DIRECTOR/GM Planworks/Chicago: 10 years min of media buying experience. National TV negotiation experience required. Exp in multicultural preferred. Apply at www.gmplanworks.com (7/31)
JOB OPENING: PR COORD/NFL Network/LA: Must have 3+ yrs of public/media relations exp. Strong writer and proven experience in the cable industry is a must. Excellent opportunity with great benefits. Send res to: [email protected] (7/31)
JOB OPENING: SALES COORDINATOR/BBC Mtn Gallry: Coord incoming footage reqs, billing, contracts, data entry CRM sys. 1 yr exp, dtl-oriented, multi-task, meet changing deadlines. Cllg degree req. CV: [email protected] (7/31)
JOB OPENING: AD SALES MKTG MGR/NY: Create sales proposals, execute added value, develop ad sales materials, premiums, events.3-5 years exp cable/bcast exp. Email res: [email protected]
JOB OPENING: JR. RESEARCH ANALYST/BET NY: Support busy Res. Dept. Strong analytical/computer/pres. skills, PPT and Excel. Knwldg Nielsen NPower, Marketbreaks, AdViews, MRI/Simmons, Email: [email protected] (7/31)
JOB OPENING: SALES COORD PER DIEM/CBS/NY: Sched & coord positioning of commercials. Update comm info in sales system. Ends Jan 08. Freq late Fridays. Exc comm & phone skills. MS Windows, Word and Excel. www.CBScareers.com . (7/31)
JOB OPENING: SR. RESEARCH ANALYST/Program Partners/Venice CA: Great opportunity! 1+yrs Rsrch & Nielsen. Ratings exp a must. Prior Studio Intern ok. Excel/Word/Outlook/PP critical. Work closely with sales. [email protected] (7/31)
JOB OPENING: RESEARCH ANALYST/Rainbow Media/NY: 2+ yrs cable & digital res exp. Support Interactive sales & mktg team w/data collection & analysis. Nielsen, MRI a +. Rez www.cablevision.jobs ref #3544BR (7/31)
JOB OPENING: RESEARCH MGR/iN DEMAND/NY, NY: Design, execute & analyze primary mkt research. Qualitative & quantitative + syndicated sources. Bachelors + 3-5 yrs exp all phases primary research. Apply at: [email protected] (7/28)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR PRODUCTION & OPERATIONS: Manage the day to day and future planning operational aspects of our 24-hour news products ABC News Now and ABCNEWS.com. Apply online at: www.disneycareers.com Req ID: 81848 (7/28)
JOB OPENING: NAT’L TV BUYING SPRVSR/Major NY advrtsng agency: 6+ yrs exp. Cable & net TV. Train/sprvs buyers. Exp added value & promotions. IAG exp a +. Calendar yr end upfront advtsr. Dev Agency POV’s [email protected] (7/27)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, SLS RESEARCH & MARKETING/Fox/NY: Dvlp unique analyses & sls positioning; create TV sls materials & cross platform content extensions; 10+yrs ad/media research; Nielsen syst; strong comm; www.foxcareers.com (7/27)
JOB OPENING: DIR DIGITAL MEDIA MKTNG/A&E/NY: Mng development & implementation of digital media mktg plans in support of consumer mktg efforts on net sites. 5+ yrs exp in digital media/adv mgmnt. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (7/27)
JOB OPENING: ON-AIR PRODUCER/WRITER/EDITOR/NYC: qubo seeks a talented, creative individual w/ 5+ years experience promo/mktg to children. Final Cut Pro. Eng/Span a plus. Send resume, salary requirements to jobs[at]qubo.com (7/27)
JOB OPENING: RECRUITER /NYC: Boutique executive search firm/media or recruiting experience req’d/motivated/excellent communication, research & computer skills/self-starter Apply: [email protected] (7/27)
JOB OPENING: SR PLANNING ANALYST VOD: PBS KIDS Sprout (Centennial, CO) seeks a planning analyst with a minimum of 3-5 years exp. in traffic or scheduling. Children’s programming exp. pref. www.comcast.com Req ID:50372 (7/27)
JOB OPENING: DIR PROD, ON-AIR PROMO/The History Channel/NY:Support activities in areas of budget & prod mgmnt, trafficking & procurement of graphics pkges. 5+yrs exp in prod mgmnt & creative plng. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (7/27)
JOB OPENING: WEB PRODUCER/ NYC: Exp. with kids online media. Innovative and highly creative. Manage creative dev’t & production, establish specs, wireframes, budgets & schedules. Lead external team. Reply: [email protected] (7/26)
JOB OPENING: PLANNER, DIGITAL MEDIA & INTERACTIVE SOLUTIONS/GSN/NY: 1-3 yrs ad sales exp. BA/BS. Knwldg of MS Office, online advrtsng systems, mkt rsrch tools and media math skills. Res, cover letter & salary hist: [email protected] (7/26)
JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNER/Superstation WGN, NY: Build proposals, steward deals, and support AEs. Requires 2 yrs industry exp, proficient in Media Math/Excel/Word. Dealmaker/BMS/Transact a plus. Send resume to [email protected] (7/26)
JOB OPENING: PRODUCER /Weather Channel/ATL: Highly motivated ind for Climate/Environment prgrmng.Strong storytelling, creative writing/editing skills, 3-5 yrs. exp at nat’l level pref’d.Some travel. Apply: www.weather.com/careers (7/26)
JOB OPENING: COORD, ONLINE ADVERTISING/VERSUS -Stamford, CT: Coordinate all online advertising activities for versus.com. 3+ yrs experience req’d. For more info and to apply please visit www.versus.com EOE (7/26)
JOB OPENING: RSRCH STRATEGIST/Discovery Nets, Silver Spring, MD: Develop/execute rsrch plans for new media & Emerging Nets. 3-5 yrs media rsrch exp; Nielsen exp, advanced Excel & Powerpoint a +. Apply: www.discovery.com Req#5481 (7/26)
JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, DIGITAL PRICING AND INVENTORY/MTV Networks/NY: 7+yrs exp in digital media and/or ad ops. Must be very analytical and strategic. Mgt exp req. EOE/M/F/D/AAP [email protected] or http://mtvncareers.com (7/26)
JOB OPENING: GROUP BUYING DIR/Spot TV-Active Int’l /Pearl River NY (15 miles NYC): 10 Exp+. in Supervising/Buying TV. Strong negotiating, operations & team bldg skills req’d. [email protected] 845-732-8943 (7/28)
JOB OPENING: SR. NEGOTIATOR/National Broadcast/Pearl River NY(15 miles NYC): Exp in all areas of Nat’l Broadcast placement. Strong analytical & presentation skills req’d. Resume: [email protected] or call 845 732-8943 (7/28)
SUMMER INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. They are posted for free, and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected] .
SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: MARKETING & DISTRIBUTION INTERNSHIP at LA-based distribution company starting now. Great experience for film/tv, business, marketing majors. Cover letter & resume: [email protected] (7/31)
SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Los Angeles Internet start up seeks intern. You will be responsible for every stage of the content development process from seeking, sourcing, proofing and publishing. [email protected] (7/27)
SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …
SITUATION WANTED: WRITER/PRODUCER/REPORTER/CAMERA OP. News; Entertainment; Sports;TV multi-tasker; 21-yr. vet.9-time Emmy & Golden Mike winner w/ CBS. Impact player. LA based. [email protected] (818)833-7556 (8/01)
SITUATION WANTED: Recent College Grad: TV Degree. In NYC looking for weekend PA jobs. Contact via email [email protected] (7/31)
SITUATION WANTED: NYC‘s PREMIERE ENTERTAINMENT LIFE COACH. Tired of working on other peoples’ projects, and not your own? Need to focus? Need a strategy? Call for a free consultation. 646-331-3143. www.theentertainmentcoach.com (7/31)
SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH FREELANCER (3-4 days/wk, LA): 5+ yrs TV research exp, cable/broadcast/syndication. WRAP, Explorer, Npower, Simmons, StarTrak, Excel, PPT, Word. [email protected] (7/27)
SITUATION WANTED: 07 summa cum laude college grad, with internship experience in television production and public relations seeks a job at a television show or station. Please contact at [email protected] (7/27)
E-mail Trish Pihonak for rates and specs for Job Openings.
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