BizofShowBiz: December 2006 Archives

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Dec23	Nickelodeon No. 1 Kids Network for 11th Straight Year Gary Bourgeault December 23, 2006 Know More: Family Television Cable Television, Children's Television, Disney, Family Television, Family TV Habits, Hanna Montana, Nickelodeon, Television, TV Led by their most popular cartoon character "SpongeBob SquarePants," Nickelodeon continues on year-after-year as the No. 1 network for children's television. It's the major reason that the network keeps on leading the cable TV children's channels. Not only is it the No. 1 network for kids, but it includes the top ten shows for children aged 2-11. With their current hold all but impossible to break, Disney (DIS) has responded by going after the niche 9-14 tween group. They've done really well this year as "High School Musical," "Hannah Montana" and "Cheetah Girls 2," has been immensely popular in this space. "The momentum just kind of exploded and kept on going as the year went along. ... We're over the moon," says Scott Garner, Disney Channel's senior vice president for programming. Continue Reading Posted at 6:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec22	Broadband Subscribers Continue Strong Growth Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 The leading cable and telephone service providers have increased their broadband subscriber bases by over 2.5 million in the 3rd quarter. Combined they account for 94 percent of the U.S. market.Taken together, the top 20 cable and telephone companies have... Continue Reading Posted at 10:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Media Moguls Rupert Murdoch and John Malone Finally Get Deal Done Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 In a deal that has seemed to be happening for years, News Corp. (NWS-A) and Liberty Media finally reached agreement on the largest share buyback in company history. After two years the two Liberty Media agreed to trade its $11... Continue Reading Posted at 6:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Alliance Atlantis Sale May Bring $2.2 Billion Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (AAC-B), who is 50 percent owner in the CSI franchise, announced that it has put itself up for sale. The strategy would involve CanWest Global Communications Corp. (CGS), and possibly bring as much as $2.2... Continue Reading Posted at 5:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Plum TV Adds Three New Web Channels Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 Upscale travel television network Plum TV, has added three new Web sites to it venue of resort towns it covers - Aspen, Vail and Telluride, Colorado. The Web site already has online channels covering the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney Makes First VOD Agreement in Canada Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 The international division of The Walt Disney Company (DIS), Buena Vista International Television, has come to an agreement with Rogers Cable of Canada in a multi-year deal offering video on demand to their customers. BVITV's Orest Olijnyk, Senior Vice-President and Managing... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec21	Analyst Confident 2007 DVD Sales Will Decline Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield predicts that in 2007, the DVD industry will suffer its first domestic spending decline. "Bottom line, keep an eye on 2007 film industry profits," he wrote. "We suspect the risk to expectations is increasingly to... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Comcast Juggernaut Will Continue to Grow Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 Comcast (CMCSA) looks like it's going to be a tough competitor for years to come as it continues growing and outpacing its competitors. With the recent addition of 1 million new high-speed Internet customers through its investment in Adelphia, it... Continue Reading Posted at 6:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Directors Guild of America Bans DVD Screeners for this Year Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 The decision by Dreamworks to send a promotional DVD to the Directors Guild of America, caught its rivals offguard and caused an uproar that required the DGA to respond to the situation.Dreamworks sent its "Dreamgirls" DVD to the guild's 13,400... Continue Reading Posted at 5:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	FCC Levels Playing Field for Subscription Television Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 In an expected move, the FCC approved of a plan that would ease the burden on companies to compet in the subscription TV business. Telcos like AT&T (T) and Verizon Communications (VZ) will now have a time limit put upon... Continue Reading Posted at 12:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec20	News Corp. Increases its Stake in National Geographic Channel Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 News Corp. has increased its stake in the National Geographic Channel through purchasing 25% stakes that currently run the international operations of the company on cable TV. Currently the 25 percent stakes are owned by NBC Universal (GE).In a regulatory... Continue Reading Posted at 11:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Box Office Looking At 3 to 5 Percent Gain Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 After last year's disaster that found the domestic box office slipping by 6 percent, this year it looks like it will finish between a 3 to 5 percent increase. In typical Hollywood spin, they're making it look like everything is... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Time Warner Cable Could Begin Public Trading in Two Weeks Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 Time Warner Cable could begin trading shares within a two-week period if a U.S. Bankruptcy judge approves the connected bankruptcy plan for Adelphia Communications.Adelphia, which has a 16 percent stake in Time Warner Cable, will use it to pay off... Continue Reading Posted at 10:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Spanish-Language Ad Revenue Poised to Grow for Years Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 For the next several years, local Spanish-language television and radio stations look for healthy growth until at least 2010. Revenue is projected to grow much faster in this sector than in other general-market stations, based upon data from Kagan Research.Kagan... Continue Reading Posted at 7:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec19	PBS Will Let Viewers Pick New Science Series Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 In an interesting experiment, PBS is going to offer a select group of viewers (4,000 in all), the chance to make the decision on what one of three shows in the making, will be the one chosen to be aired... Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DirecTV Offering Creative Nascar Channels Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 In response to the continuing demand for targeted advertising, DirecTV (DTV) has come up with what I think will be a tremendous winner. On their new Hotpass service, DirecTV is offering advertisers to buy an entire Nascar channel.Starting next month, the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ESPN Buys Stake in Arena Football League Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 The Walt Disney Company (DIS), through its ESPN network, has purchased a minority stake in the Arena Football League. This move will result in the broadcasting of 14 of the leagues games on a Monday night basis, and another 12... Continue Reading Posted at 7:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Southern Comfort Sponsoring "Start the Music Up" Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 Southern Comfort has become the sponsor of the Independent Film Channel's "Start the Music Up," a series that focuses on the personal stories of New Orleans area musicians.The IFC network will begin today, and broadcast the films over a three... Continue Reading Posted at 7:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nickelodeon Gets Highest Cable Viewership for the Week Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 Viacom Inc.'s (VIA) Nickelodeon network scored the highest ratings of the week, according to data supplied by Nielsen Media Research. Actually the network is treated as separate from teh Nick at Nite programming period, which was the second place finisher for... Continue Reading Posted at 6:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Consultant for New York Times Still Missing the Whole Point Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 In an article called, 'And Seven More Things to Look Forward to in 2007,' the writer quotes Michael Rogers, a media consultant for the New York Times (NYT) concerning what they need to do to become competitive in the new... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec18	Jerry Seinfeld Trying His Hand at Animation Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 Jerry Seinfeld has decided that he wants to give animation a try, and as a result, is now going to be the voice of a bee who leaves home (the hive), and learns that humans have been taking their honey.... Continue Reading Posted at 10:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Private Equity Groups Purchase Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 In a huge deal, two private equity groups bought out Harrah's, the largest casino company in the world, says an anonymous source. The price is for a reported $16.7 billion, two people close to the negotiations said. The official announcement... Continue Reading Posted at 9:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Has "Shock" TV had its Day? Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 With the O.J. Simpson thing settling down, some have been asking the question on whether there has been anything learned from the debacle. One writer, when pondering what may have been learned from all of this, said, "maybe not a... Continue Reading Posted at 6:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Super Bowl Ads Nearly Sold Out Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 CBS has reportedly sold around 80 percent of its ads for the Super Bowl XLI broadcast on Feb. 4, 2007. John Bogusz, executive vice president for sport sales at CBS said that concerning the first half, that it was "virtually... Continue Reading Posted at 5:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top Secret Venice Project Released in Beta Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 The Venice Project has been getting a lot of buzz online as it has released its beta version for users to try out. Their site promises this: "We're working on a project that combines the best things about television with... Continue Reading Posted at 5:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nielsen Now the Heart of VNU Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 After being taken private by a group of private equity firms, VNU, the largest marketing and research company in the world, has confirmed that it's put its huge reorganization plan into motion. It was rumored to be reducing its global... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec17	Vivendi, to GE's Relief, Decides Not to Force NBC Universal Buyback Gary Bourgeault December 17, 2006 For weeks, Vivendi has been sitting upon the decision on whether they would make General Electric (GE) make a big payout to Vivendi to buy their stake in NBC Universal. They finally revealed on Thursday that they wouldn't exercise its right... Continue Reading Posted at 8:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Warner Bros. Increasing its Gaming and Interactive Presence Gary Bourgeault December 17, 2006 In a bid to increase its presence in the gaming and internet space, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (TWX) is about to buy a 10.3 percent stake in U.K. business SCi Entertainment Group. At the same time, Warner will license the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top Ten Box Office for the Weekend Gary Bourgeault December 17, 2006 Sony continues on its record-breaking year as they scored big again, getting their 13th No. 1 release for the year in Will Smith and "The Pursuit of Happyness." It brings Sony's 2006 box office receipts to $1.573 domestically - setting... Continue Reading Posted at 4:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec16	Subaru Replaces Toyota as 'Antiques Roadshow' Sponsor Gary Bourgeault December 16, 2006 Joining fellow Antiques Roadshow sponsors Liberty Mutual and sleep aid Lunesta, Suburu has replaced Toyota in the ad rotation. Along with getting two 15-second on-air spots, the auto company will also participate in live "Roadshow" events. They will have an... Continue Reading Posted at 5:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are R-rated Movies Going the Way of the Dodo Bird? Gary Bourgeault December 16, 2006 Last year (2005) there were 149 R-rated movies released, which accounted for 44 percent of all films released for the year. But they only generated 21 percent of the annual box office revenue. For 2006, just under 39 percent of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec15	Tough Times Will Keep on Coming for the Hollywood Studios Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 While the movie studios have been trying to spin the fair success they've had at the box office this year, as some type of break-through season, it's really not true. Of course anything can look good compared to last year... Continue Reading Posted at 10:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Verizon Wins Approval to Offer FiOS TV Service in New Jersey Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 Verizon Communication Inc. (VZ) was approved to offer television services New Jersey on Friday, opening the door to fresh competition for the cable companies in the state.With many of the cable and telco companies crossing each others territory to compete,... Continue Reading Posted at 9:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS Plans to Resurrect CBS Records! Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 CBS Corp. (CBS-A) has put plans into motion to resurrect their CBS Records franchise with a focus on the Internet as their distribution model. The company has stated that they will start off small and rebuild the division. They will... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oprah Sells Two Reality Shows to ABC for Primetime Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 Marking the first time Oprah Winfrey has given her name to a weekly primetime series, she has sold two reality show to ABC through her Harpo label. The Harpo label was just recently formed for the purpose of developing TV projects.... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cable Will Win Ad Share Battle Over Broadcasters Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 For the fifth year in a row, ad-supported cable is looking like it will beat out the broadcast networks in prime time, garnering a 55.4 percent household share year-to-date, in comparison to the six broadcast networks 40.4 share.According to Nielsen... Continue Reading Posted at 4:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec14	Turner Broadcasting System Increasing its Latin American Presence Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 Turner Broadcasting System announced on Thursday that they are acquiring seven pay TV networks operating throughout Latin America. They are buying them from Claxson Interactive Group Inc. (XSONF.PK) for a reported $235 million, increasing its Spanish-language programming holdings. The portfolio... Continue Reading Posted at 9:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Demand for Old TV Series On DVD Keeps Growing Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 The public's hunger for DVD versions of old TV series doesn't seem like it's going to abate any time soon, as their number keep growing and growing. This year alone, there are 158 new first seasons being offered for sale,... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chinese Box Office to Hit $2 Billion by 2015 Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 The Chinese box office is estimated to surpass the American market by 2050, says a report by Irish media consultancy Research & Markets. The report added that by 2010 the industry will grow to $900 million in China, and will... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Matt Damon to Play Young Captain Kirk? Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 Matt Damon has said that if he was offered the part as a young Captain Kirk in the next Star Trek movie, he would take the part if he liked the script.William Shatner is seemingly unable to come to grips... Continue Reading Posted at 3:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ABC News Now Yahoo's Main Video Content Provider Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 ABC News (DIS) and Yahoo (YHOO) have had a revenue-sharing deal for about a year. Continuing on and building upon that relationship, the two companies announced that ABC News will be their main video content provider as well. ABC will... Continue Reading Posted at 2:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec13	Time Warner Exec Tries to Put Positive Spin on TV Growth Gary Bourgeault December 13, 2006 Using data from Nielsen Media Research, Jack Wakshlag, head of research for Time Warner's (TWX) Turner Broadcasting System, showed that TV viewership has been growing and not declining. Of course he picked the data that showed the best side of... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Syndicated Shows Performing Poorly Gary Bourgeault December 13, 2006 Syndicated shows, especially sitcoms, have been dropping drastically in viewership for the tv studios. The three largest sitcoms - "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Seinfeld" and "Friends" have done so poorly that all together the declines have resulted in half of last... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marquee Holdings Wants to Take AMC Public Again Gary Bourgeault December 13, 2006 AMC Entertainment Inc., the second-largest theater chain in the U.S., is to be taken public by its parent company Marquee Holdings Inc. They are planning to file an initial public offering of common stock. No details of price, amount of stock... Continue Reading Posted at 4:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec12	Sony Pictures Names Mitch Singer CTO Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 Sony Pictures Entertainment (SNE) has announced that Mitch Singer has been named as the first chief technology officer in the company."He has an uncanny ability to protect the interests of content providers while finding common ground among the content, IT... Continue Reading Posted at 10:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	RIAA Shows its True Colors: Asks Judges to Lower Artist Royalties Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 RIAA has just changed strategy in their fight to get more profits. No, they're not suing little people over downloads; now they're saying that the artists themselves need to take cuts on their royalties.What happened to the defense that the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS Captures 12th Straight Ratings Win Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 For 12 weeks in a row, CBS (CBS) has won the weekly ratings war, as it kept its perfect record unblemished with another win. In the week just ending, the network averaged 11.7 million viewers for prime time and was... Continue Reading Posted at 6:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Fox "Alien" Franchise Partnering with Sega for Upcoming Game Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 The popular Twentieth Century Fox (NWS) Alien franchise is teaming up with Video game software and hardware developer Sega Europe Ltd. to develop games for its next generation gaming consoles.In a joint statement the two companies said that there will... Continue Reading Posted at 5:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Is Apprentice on its Last Legs? Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 The "Apprentice" has made a few changes this year in response to continually plummeting ratings. From a high of a 10.1 rating among the 18-to-49 demographic in 2004, it has now plunged to a 4.0 last spring. A number of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec11	Artists Oppose Loosening Media Ownership Regulations Gary Bourgeault December 11, 2006 The FCC commissioners are holding a series of six public meetings nationwide to hear both sides of the consolidation of the radio industry. In the second of the meetings, both sides gave their opinions on whether it should be allowed... Continue Reading Posted at 10:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Morgan Freeman's ClickStar Gets Three Big Studios on Board Gary Bourgeault December 11, 2006 Morgan Freeman's online movie-download business ClickStar, has scored a coup as it signed on three major players in early days of the young business. Freeman has been working hard behind the scenes trying to convince the big studios that they... Continue Reading Posted at 10:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Will TiVo's Schizophrenic Business Model Work? Gary Bourgeault December 11, 2006 If nothing else, the seemingly schizophrenic strategy of TiVo (TIVO) is entertaining to watch. They are attempting to bolster their revenue by using that which they've taken away - ads, and then repackaging them to consumers in a more palatable... Continue Reading Posted at 6:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec10	ESPN Lands European Soccer Championships Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 Disney (DIS) continues to expand its foray into soccer as it has won the rights to air soccer’s 2008 European Championships. While its various ESPN outlets will carry the brunt of the coverage, ABC will show two of the matches.Included in... Continue Reading Posted at 7:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	China Shuts Down Foreign Investment in TV and Film Production Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 In an effort to gain more control over content and grow local entertainment companies, China has stopped foreign investment in TV and film production companies. They instructed any international media group to work with local partners with individual projects.In 2004 China... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Research Group Says Mergers and Acquisitions in Media Should Continue Strong in 2007 Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 The media industry will probably continue in a high state of mergers and acquisitions, said Susquehanna Financial Group. The major reasons being the need to find growth in a declining market, and private-equity firms looking for places to put their... Continue Reading Posted at 4:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mel Gibson's Apocalypto Opens at No. 1 Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 The Mel Gibson powerful portrayel of a story set in the Mayan civilization "Apocalypto," opened up strong in the box office, taking the No. 1 spot. It underscores Gibson's ability to deliver a compelling story to the screen. It's estimated... Continue Reading Posted at 2:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 9	2007 Will be Tough for Traditional Media Companies Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 In a report on what 2007 will bring for a variety of industry groups, Business Week talked some on traditional media and entertainment, and it doesn't look too good for them next year.The report projects that advertising growth will be... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Some Big Networks Talking About Creating YouTube Rival Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 Four of the big media companies have joined talks about creating a video web site for the purpose of competing with Google's (GOOG) YouTube, ZDNet reports, citing a Wall Street Journal article. The four companies in the talks are Fox... Continue Reading Posted at 5:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	EMI Group Close to Being Bought Out Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 In a deal reported by the Wall Street Journal, European private-equity group Permira, has made a bid for music company EMI Group PLC for an estimated $3.9 billion. While the deal hasn't been completed yet, the sides are said to... Continue Reading Posted at 4:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CSTV Quietly Becoming a Sports Power Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 With a strategy of building up its business based upon offering niche sporting events not shown on regular TV sports channels, College Sports Television (CSTV) has been building up a solid user base from its offerings.The company is looking to... Continue Reading Posted at 3:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nicolas Cage Looking to Help Develop Bahamas Indie Film Industry Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 Nicolas Cage announced that he is considering taking more time off between movies to help develop the emerging independent film industry in the Bahamas. He recently bought an undeveloped island there, while having a current home in Paradise Island.Cage told... Continue Reading Posted at 3:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Time Warner Cable Sues DirecTV Over "False" Ads Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 In a lawsuit filed by Time Warner (TWX) Cable against its competitor DirecTV Group (DTV), they allege that the satellite tv service put out ads that deceived consumers into believing that could only watch some specific football programming throught the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 8	BitTorrent Acquires µTorrent in Bid to Legitimate Media Content Provider Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 BitTorrent Inc., in a move to become a larger competitor, has acquired µTorrent, another file-sharing application company. This is a bid to increase its presence in the online content business. They've been moving that direction in the last couple of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Future for TV is Fragmentation and Content from Everywhere Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 The fruitless battle to maintain what they were in the past, is already over for traditional and cable TV networks. The future is already upon us, and will continue to unfold day-by-day. It's now the days of fragmentation and deeper... Continue Reading Posted at 9:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ohio Trying to Become Next State to Offer Film Incentives Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 The Ohio state senate approved Senate Bill 155, called the Ohio Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit, by a unanimous vote. If the bill is voted into law, it will offer a number of state tax incentives to attract the production... Continue Reading Posted at 6:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Viacom Looking for New Ways to Capture Male Viewers Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 In response to their declining male viewers, Viacom (VIA) has created a new division built for the purpose of recapturing the 18-34 male demographic.There strategy is to bring together various properties like their regular networks Spike TV, Comedy Central, and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 7	Fox Wins Tuesday Night With Reruns Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 Led by their usual strong contender "House," Fox won the Tuesday night battle for the 18-49 demogaphic, even though it was a rerun. House finished with a 4.7 score for the night.A few years ago it looked like the Victoria... Continue Reading Posted at 7:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gaming Industry and Hollywood Still Aren't Mixing Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 With the dismal failure of Hollywood and the Gaming industry attempting to merge their two products together, it's a wonder that they keep trying to do it. A lot of people many not know that the gaming industry is far... Continue Reading Posted at 6:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sony Pictures Entertainment Reaches $3 Billion IN Worldwide Box Office Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 For the first time in its history, and only the fourth time in overall motion picture history, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SNE) reached global sales of $3 billion in one year. In the international market, Sony has already achieved its... Continue Reading Posted at 4:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	George Clooney Purchases Rights to Grisham's "The Innocent Man" Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 George Clooney has partnered with Warner Bros.' (TWX) to purchase the rights to John Grisham's first nonfiction book, "The Innocent Man."While the exact terms of the deal weren't disclosed, it reportedly paid Grisham something in the seven-figure range, and also... Continue Reading Posted at 3:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 6	Steven Spielberg to Produce TV Series on Stephen King's "The Talisman" Gary Bourgeault December 6, 2006 Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television entered into an agreement with TNT to take the Stephen King-Peter Straub novel "The Talisman" and bring it to the small screen.The novel which was originally published in 1984, has been given the ok to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ESPN Valued at $28 billion: Disney has no Plans to Spin it Off Gary Bourgeault December 6, 2006 With the investment bank UBS recently valuing Disney's (DIS) ESPN division at around $28 billion, it caused people to ask if it was a possible spinoff candidate. Tom Staggs, ESPN's CFO, responded that at this time there was no plans...

Dec23	Nickelodeon No. 1 Kids Network for 11th Straight Year Gary Bourgeault December 23, 2006 Know More: Family Television Cable Television, Children's Television, Disney, Family Television, Family TV Habits, Hanna Montana, Nickelodeon, Television, TV Led by their most popular cartoon character "SpongeBob SquarePants," Nickelodeon continues on year-after-year as the No. 1 network for children's television. It's the major reason that the network keeps on leading the cable TV children's channels. Not only is it the No. 1 network for kids, but it includes the top ten shows for children aged 2-11. With their current hold all but impossible to break, Disney (DIS) has responded by going after the niche 9-14 tween group. They've done really well this year as "High School Musical," "Hannah Montana" and "Cheetah Girls 2," has been immensely popular in this space. "The momentum just kind of exploded and kept on going as the year went along. ... We're over the moon," says Scott Garner, Disney Channel's senior vice president for programming. Continue Reading Posted at 6:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec22	Broadband Subscribers Continue Strong Growth Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 The leading cable and telephone service providers have increased their broadband subscriber bases by over 2.5 million in the 3rd quarter. Combined they account for 94 percent of the U.S. market.Taken together, the top 20 cable and telephone companies have... Continue Reading Posted at 10:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Media Moguls Rupert Murdoch and John Malone Finally Get Deal Done Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 In a deal that has seemed to be happening for years, News Corp. (NWS-A) and Liberty Media finally reached agreement on the largest share buyback in company history. After two years the two Liberty Media agreed to trade its $11... Continue Reading Posted at 6:48 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Alliance Atlantis Sale May Bring $2.2 Billion Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 Toronto-based Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc. (AAC-B), who is 50 percent owner in the CSI franchise, announced that it has put itself up for sale. The strategy would involve CanWest Global Communications Corp. (CGS), and possibly bring as much as $2.2... Continue Reading Posted at 5:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Plum TV Adds Three New Web Channels Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 Upscale travel television network Plum TV, has added three new Web sites to it venue of resort towns it covers - Aspen, Vail and Telluride, Colorado. The Web site already has online channels covering the Hamptons, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket,... Continue Reading Posted at 4:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Disney Makes First VOD Agreement in Canada Gary Bourgeault December 22, 2006 The international division of The Walt Disney Company (DIS), Buena Vista International Television, has come to an agreement with Rogers Cable of Canada in a multi-year deal offering video on demand to their customers. BVITV's Orest Olijnyk, Senior Vice-President and Managing... Continue Reading Posted at 12:16 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec21	Analyst Confident 2007 DVD Sales Will Decline Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 Pali Research analyst Richard Greenfield predicts that in 2007, the DVD industry will suffer its first domestic spending decline. "Bottom line, keep an eye on 2007 film industry profits," he wrote. "We suspect the risk to expectations is increasingly to... Continue Reading Posted at 10:29 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Comcast Juggernaut Will Continue to Grow Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 Comcast (CMCSA) looks like it's going to be a tough competitor for years to come as it continues growing and outpacing its competitors. With the recent addition of 1 million new high-speed Internet customers through its investment in Adelphia, it... Continue Reading Posted at 6:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Directors Guild of America Bans DVD Screeners for this Year Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 The decision by Dreamworks to send a promotional DVD to the Directors Guild of America, caught its rivals offguard and caused an uproar that required the DGA to respond to the situation.Dreamworks sent its "Dreamgirls" DVD to the guild's 13,400... Continue Reading Posted at 5:36 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	FCC Levels Playing Field for Subscription Television Gary Bourgeault December 21, 2006 In an expected move, the FCC approved of a plan that would ease the burden on companies to compet in the subscription TV business. Telcos like AT&T (T) and Verizon Communications (VZ) will now have a time limit put upon... Continue Reading Posted at 12:41 AM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec20	News Corp. Increases its Stake in National Geographic Channel Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 News Corp. has increased its stake in the National Geographic Channel through purchasing 25% stakes that currently run the international operations of the company on cable TV. Currently the 25 percent stakes are owned by NBC Universal (GE).In a regulatory... Continue Reading Posted at 11:34 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Box Office Looking At 3 to 5 Percent Gain Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 After last year's disaster that found the domestic box office slipping by 6 percent, this year it looks like it will finish between a 3 to 5 percent increase. In typical Hollywood spin, they're making it look like everything is... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Time Warner Cable Could Begin Public Trading in Two Weeks Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 Time Warner Cable could begin trading shares within a two-week period if a U.S. Bankruptcy judge approves the connected bankruptcy plan for Adelphia Communications.Adelphia, which has a 16 percent stake in Time Warner Cable, will use it to pay off... Continue Reading Posted at 10:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Spanish-Language Ad Revenue Poised to Grow for Years Gary Bourgeault December 20, 2006 For the next several years, local Spanish-language television and radio stations look for healthy growth until at least 2010. Revenue is projected to grow much faster in this sector than in other general-market stations, based upon data from Kagan Research.Kagan... Continue Reading Posted at 7:32 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec19	PBS Will Let Viewers Pick New Science Series Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 In an interesting experiment, PBS is going to offer a select group of viewers (4,000 in all), the chance to make the decision on what one of three shows in the making, will be the one chosen to be aired... Continue Reading Posted at 11:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	DirecTV Offering Creative Nascar Channels Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 In response to the continuing demand for targeted advertising, DirecTV (DTV) has come up with what I think will be a tremendous winner. On their new Hotpass service, DirecTV is offering advertisers to buy an entire Nascar channel.Starting next month, the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ESPN Buys Stake in Arena Football League Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 The Walt Disney Company (DIS), through its ESPN network, has purchased a minority stake in the Arena Football League. This move will result in the broadcasting of 14 of the leagues games on a Monday night basis, and another 12... Continue Reading Posted at 7:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Southern Comfort Sponsoring "Start the Music Up" Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 Southern Comfort has become the sponsor of the Independent Film Channel's "Start the Music Up," a series that focuses on the personal stories of New Orleans area musicians.The IFC network will begin today, and broadcast the films over a three... Continue Reading Posted at 7:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nickelodeon Gets Highest Cable Viewership for the Week Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 Viacom Inc.'s (VIA) Nickelodeon network scored the highest ratings of the week, according to data supplied by Nielsen Media Research. Actually the network is treated as separate from teh Nick at Nite programming period, which was the second place finisher for... Continue Reading Posted at 6:25 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Consultant for New York Times Still Missing the Whole Point Gary Bourgeault December 19, 2006 In an article called, 'And Seven More Things to Look Forward to in 2007,' the writer quotes Michael Rogers, a media consultant for the New York Times (NYT) concerning what they need to do to become competitive in the new... Continue Reading Posted at 5:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec18	Jerry Seinfeld Trying His Hand at Animation Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 Jerry Seinfeld has decided that he wants to give animation a try, and as a result, is now going to be the voice of a bee who leaves home (the hive), and learns that humans have been taking their honey.... Continue Reading Posted at 10:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Private Equity Groups Purchase Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 In a huge deal, two private equity groups bought out Harrah's, the largest casino company in the world, says an anonymous source. The price is for a reported $16.7 billion, two people close to the negotiations said. The official announcement... Continue Reading Posted at 9:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Has "Shock" TV had its Day? Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 With the O.J. Simpson thing settling down, some have been asking the question on whether there has been anything learned from the debacle. One writer, when pondering what may have been learned from all of this, said, "maybe not a... Continue Reading Posted at 6:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Super Bowl Ads Nearly Sold Out Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 CBS has reportedly sold around 80 percent of its ads for the Super Bowl XLI broadcast on Feb. 4, 2007. John Bogusz, executive vice president for sport sales at CBS said that concerning the first half, that it was "virtually... Continue Reading Posted at 5:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top Secret Venice Project Released in Beta Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 The Venice Project has been getting a lot of buzz online as it has released its beta version for users to try out. Their site promises this: "We're working on a project that combines the best things about television with... Continue Reading Posted at 5:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nielsen Now the Heart of VNU Gary Bourgeault December 18, 2006 After being taken private by a group of private equity firms, VNU, the largest marketing and research company in the world, has confirmed that it's put its huge reorganization plan into motion. It was rumored to be reducing its global... Continue Reading Posted at 4:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec17	Vivendi, to GE's Relief, Decides Not to Force NBC Universal Buyback Gary Bourgeault December 17, 2006 For weeks, Vivendi has been sitting upon the decision on whether they would make General Electric (GE) make a big payout to Vivendi to buy their stake in NBC Universal. They finally revealed on Thursday that they wouldn't exercise its right... Continue Reading Posted at 8:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Warner Bros. Increasing its Gaming and Interactive Presence Gary Bourgeault December 17, 2006 In a bid to increase its presence in the gaming and internet space, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (TWX) is about to buy a 10.3 percent stake in U.K. business SCi Entertainment Group. At the same time, Warner will license the... Continue Reading Posted at 7:47 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Top Ten Box Office for the Weekend Gary Bourgeault December 17, 2006 Sony continues on its record-breaking year as they scored big again, getting their 13th No. 1 release for the year in Will Smith and "The Pursuit of Happyness." It brings Sony's 2006 box office receipts to $1.573 domestically - setting... Continue Reading Posted at 4:31 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec16	Subaru Replaces Toyota as 'Antiques Roadshow' Sponsor Gary Bourgeault December 16, 2006 Joining fellow Antiques Roadshow sponsors Liberty Mutual and sleep aid Lunesta, Suburu has replaced Toyota in the ad rotation. Along with getting two 15-second on-air spots, the auto company will also participate in live "Roadshow" events. They will have an... Continue Reading Posted at 5:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Are R-rated Movies Going the Way of the Dodo Bird? Gary Bourgeault December 16, 2006 Last year (2005) there were 149 R-rated movies released, which accounted for 44 percent of all films released for the year. But they only generated 21 percent of the annual box office revenue. For 2006, just under 39 percent of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec15	Tough Times Will Keep on Coming for the Hollywood Studios Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 While the movie studios have been trying to spin the fair success they've had at the box office this year, as some type of break-through season, it's really not true. Of course anything can look good compared to last year... Continue Reading Posted at 10:02 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Verizon Wins Approval to Offer FiOS TV Service in New Jersey Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 Verizon Communication Inc. (VZ) was approved to offer television services New Jersey on Friday, opening the door to fresh competition for the cable companies in the state.With many of the cable and telco companies crossing each others territory to compete,... Continue Reading Posted at 9:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS Plans to Resurrect CBS Records! Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 CBS Corp. (CBS-A) has put plans into motion to resurrect their CBS Records franchise with a focus on the Internet as their distribution model. The company has stated that they will start off small and rebuild the division. They will... Continue Reading Posted at 6:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Oprah Sells Two Reality Shows to ABC for Primetime Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 Marking the first time Oprah Winfrey has given her name to a weekly primetime series, she has sold two reality show to ABC through her Harpo label. The Harpo label was just recently formed for the purpose of developing TV projects.... Continue Reading Posted at 6:01 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Cable Will Win Ad Share Battle Over Broadcasters Gary Bourgeault December 15, 2006 For the fifth year in a row, ad-supported cable is looking like it will beat out the broadcast networks in prime time, garnering a 55.4 percent household share year-to-date, in comparison to the six broadcast networks 40.4 share.According to Nielsen... Continue Reading Posted at 4:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec14	Turner Broadcasting System Increasing its Latin American Presence Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 Turner Broadcasting System announced on Thursday that they are acquiring seven pay TV networks operating throughout Latin America. They are buying them from Claxson Interactive Group Inc. (XSONF.PK) for a reported $235 million, increasing its Spanish-language programming holdings. The portfolio... Continue Reading Posted at 9:09 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Demand for Old TV Series On DVD Keeps Growing Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 The public's hunger for DVD versions of old TV series doesn't seem like it's going to abate any time soon, as their number keep growing and growing. This year alone, there are 158 new first seasons being offered for sale,... Continue Reading Posted at 8:41 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Chinese Box Office to Hit $2 Billion by 2015 Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 The Chinese box office is estimated to surpass the American market by 2050, says a report by Irish media consultancy Research & Markets. The report added that by 2010 the industry will grow to $900 million in China, and will... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Matt Damon to Play Young Captain Kirk? Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 Matt Damon has said that if he was offered the part as a young Captain Kirk in the next Star Trek movie, he would take the part if he liked the script.William Shatner is seemingly unable to come to grips... Continue Reading Posted at 3:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ABC News Now Yahoo's Main Video Content Provider Gary Bourgeault December 14, 2006 ABC News (DIS) and Yahoo (YHOO) have had a revenue-sharing deal for about a year. Continuing on and building upon that relationship, the two companies announced that ABC News will be their main video content provider as well. ABC will... Continue Reading Posted at 2:27 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec13	Time Warner Exec Tries to Put Positive Spin on TV Growth Gary Bourgeault December 13, 2006 Using data from Nielsen Media Research, Jack Wakshlag, head of research for Time Warner's (TWX) Turner Broadcasting System, showed that TV viewership has been growing and not declining. Of course he picked the data that showed the best side of... Continue Reading Posted at 11:08 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Syndicated Shows Performing Poorly Gary Bourgeault December 13, 2006 Syndicated shows, especially sitcoms, have been dropping drastically in viewership for the tv studios. The three largest sitcoms - "Everybody Loves Raymond," "Seinfeld" and "Friends" have done so poorly that all together the declines have resulted in half of last... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Marquee Holdings Wants to Take AMC Public Again Gary Bourgeault December 13, 2006 AMC Entertainment Inc., the second-largest theater chain in the U.S., is to be taken public by its parent company Marquee Holdings Inc. They are planning to file an initial public offering of common stock. No details of price, amount of stock... Continue Reading Posted at 4:16 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec12	Sony Pictures Names Mitch Singer CTO Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 Sony Pictures Entertainment (SNE) has announced that Mitch Singer has been named as the first chief technology officer in the company."He has an uncanny ability to protect the interests of content providers while finding common ground among the content, IT... Continue Reading Posted at 10:15 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	RIAA Shows its True Colors: Asks Judges to Lower Artist Royalties Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 RIAA has just changed strategy in their fight to get more profits. No, they're not suing little people over downloads; now they're saying that the artists themselves need to take cuts on their royalties.What happened to the defense that the... Continue Reading Posted at 9:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CBS Captures 12th Straight Ratings Win Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 For 12 weeks in a row, CBS (CBS) has won the weekly ratings war, as it kept its perfect record unblemished with another win. In the week just ending, the network averaged 11.7 million viewers for prime time and was... Continue Reading Posted at 6:17 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Fox "Alien" Franchise Partnering with Sega for Upcoming Game Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 The popular Twentieth Century Fox (NWS) Alien franchise is teaming up with Video game software and hardware developer Sega Europe Ltd. to develop games for its next generation gaming consoles.In a joint statement the two companies said that there will... Continue Reading Posted at 5:43 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Is Apprentice on its Last Legs? Gary Bourgeault December 12, 2006 The "Apprentice" has made a few changes this year in response to continually plummeting ratings. From a high of a 10.1 rating among the 18-to-49 demographic in 2004, it has now plunged to a 4.0 last spring. A number of... Continue Reading Posted at 4:07 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec11	Artists Oppose Loosening Media Ownership Regulations Gary Bourgeault December 11, 2006 The FCC commissioners are holding a series of six public meetings nationwide to hear both sides of the consolidation of the radio industry. In the second of the meetings, both sides gave their opinions on whether it should be allowed... Continue Reading Posted at 10:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Morgan Freeman's ClickStar Gets Three Big Studios on Board Gary Bourgeault December 11, 2006 Morgan Freeman's online movie-download business ClickStar, has scored a coup as it signed on three major players in early days of the young business. Freeman has been working hard behind the scenes trying to convince the big studios that they... Continue Reading Posted at 10:24 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Will TiVo's Schizophrenic Business Model Work? Gary Bourgeault December 11, 2006 If nothing else, the seemingly schizophrenic strategy of TiVo (TIVO) is entertaining to watch. They are attempting to bolster their revenue by using that which they've taken away - ads, and then repackaging them to consumers in a more palatable... Continue Reading Posted at 6:10 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec10	ESPN Lands European Soccer Championships Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 Disney (DIS) continues to expand its foray into soccer as it has won the rights to air soccer’s 2008 European Championships. While its various ESPN outlets will carry the brunt of the coverage, ABC will show two of the matches.Included in... Continue Reading Posted at 7:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	China Shuts Down Foreign Investment in TV and Film Production Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 In an effort to gain more control over content and grow local entertainment companies, China has stopped foreign investment in TV and film production companies. They instructed any international media group to work with local partners with individual projects.In 2004 China... Continue Reading Posted at 5:56 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Research Group Says Mergers and Acquisitions in Media Should Continue Strong in 2007 Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 The media industry will probably continue in a high state of mergers and acquisitions, said Susquehanna Financial Group. The major reasons being the need to find growth in a declining market, and private-equity firms looking for places to put their... Continue Reading Posted at 4:33 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Mel Gibson's Apocalypto Opens at No. 1 Gary Bourgeault December 10, 2006 The Mel Gibson powerful portrayel of a story set in the Mayan civilization "Apocalypto," opened up strong in the box office, taking the No. 1 spot. It underscores Gibson's ability to deliver a compelling story to the screen. It's estimated... Continue Reading Posted at 2:23 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 9	2007 Will be Tough for Traditional Media Companies Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 In a report on what 2007 will bring for a variety of industry groups, Business Week talked some on traditional media and entertainment, and it doesn't look too good for them next year.The report projects that advertising growth will be... Continue Reading Posted at 7:21 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Some Big Networks Talking About Creating YouTube Rival Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 Four of the big media companies have joined talks about creating a video web site for the purpose of competing with Google's (GOOG) YouTube, ZDNet reports, citing a Wall Street Journal article. The four companies in the talks are Fox... Continue Reading Posted at 5:11 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	EMI Group Close to Being Bought Out Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 In a deal reported by the Wall Street Journal, European private-equity group Permira, has made a bid for music company EMI Group PLC for an estimated $3.9 billion. While the deal hasn't been completed yet, the sides are said to... Continue Reading Posted at 4:45 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	CSTV Quietly Becoming a Sports Power Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 With a strategy of building up its business based upon offering niche sporting events not shown on regular TV sports channels, College Sports Television (CSTV) has been building up a solid user base from its offerings.The company is looking to... Continue Reading Posted at 3:54 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Nicolas Cage Looking to Help Develop Bahamas Indie Film Industry Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 Nicolas Cage announced that he is considering taking more time off between movies to help develop the emerging independent film industry in the Bahamas. He recently bought an undeveloped island there, while having a current home in Paradise Island.Cage told... Continue Reading Posted at 3:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Time Warner Cable Sues DirecTV Over "False" Ads Gary Bourgeault December 9, 2006 In a lawsuit filed by Time Warner (TWX) Cable against its competitor DirecTV Group (DTV), they allege that the satellite tv service put out ads that deceived consumers into believing that could only watch some specific football programming throught the... Continue Reading Posted at 2:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 8	BitTorrent Acquires µTorrent in Bid to Legitimate Media Content Provider Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 BitTorrent Inc., in a move to become a larger competitor, has acquired µTorrent, another file-sharing application company. This is a bid to increase its presence in the online content business. They've been moving that direction in the last couple of... Continue Reading Posted at 10:26 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	The Future for TV is Fragmentation and Content from Everywhere Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 The fruitless battle to maintain what they were in the past, is already over for traditional and cable TV networks. The future is already upon us, and will continue to unfold day-by-day. It's now the days of fragmentation and deeper... Continue Reading Posted at 9:22 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Ohio Trying to Become Next State to Offer Film Incentives Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 The Ohio state senate approved Senate Bill 155, called the Ohio Motion Picture Investor Tax Credit, by a unanimous vote. If the bill is voted into law, it will offer a number of state tax incentives to attract the production... Continue Reading Posted at 6:20 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Viacom Looking for New Ways to Capture Male Viewers Gary Bourgeault December 8, 2006 In response to their declining male viewers, Viacom (VIA) has created a new division built for the purpose of recapturing the 18-34 male demographic.There strategy is to bring together various properties like their regular networks Spike TV, Comedy Central, and... Continue Reading Posted at 5:12 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 7	Fox Wins Tuesday Night With Reruns Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 Led by their usual strong contender "House," Fox won the Tuesday night battle for the 18-49 demogaphic, even though it was a rerun. House finished with a 4.7 score for the night.A few years ago it looked like the Victoria... Continue Reading Posted at 7:38 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Gaming Industry and Hollywood Still Aren't Mixing Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 With the dismal failure of Hollywood and the Gaming industry attempting to merge their two products together, it's a wonder that they keep trying to do it. A lot of people many not know that the gaming industry is far... Continue Reading Posted at 6:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	Sony Pictures Entertainment Reaches $3 Billion IN Worldwide Box Office Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 For the first time in its history, and only the fourth time in overall motion picture history, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SNE) reached global sales of $3 billion in one year. In the international market, Sony has already achieved its... Continue Reading Posted at 4:51 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	George Clooney Purchases Rights to Grisham's "The Innocent Man" Gary Bourgeault December 7, 2006 George Clooney has partnered with Warner Bros.' (TWX) to purchase the rights to John Grisham's first nonfiction book, "The Innocent Man."While the exact terms of the deal weren't disclosed, it reportedly paid Grisham something in the seven-figure range, and also... Continue Reading Posted at 3:14 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
Dec 6	Steven Spielberg to Produce TV Series on Stephen King's "The Talisman" Gary Bourgeault December 6, 2006 Steven Spielberg and DreamWorks Television entered into an agreement with TNT to take the Stephen King-Peter Straub novel "The Talisman" and bring it to the small screen.The novel which was originally published in 1984, has been given the ok to... Continue Reading Posted at 8:42 PM \| Permalink \| Comments
	ESPN Valued at $28 billion: Disney has no Plans to Spin it Off Gary Bourgeault December 6, 2006 With the investment bank UBS recently valuing Disney's (DIS) ESPN division at around $28 billion, it caused people to ask if it was a possible spinoff candidate. Tom Staggs, ESPN's CFO, responded that at this time there was no plans...

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