http://www.tvweek.com/ en Copyright 2008 Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Online television technology providers Permission TV and Move Networks have paired up in a deal that calls for the two companies to have the option to integrate their online video tools and sell jointly to customers. Under the agreement, Permission TV will combine its video platform with Move’s streaming video solution. Move Networks customers include ABC, ESPN, Fox and The CW. Permission TV customers include Fox and the Metropolitan Opera. While the move underscores the need for technology companies to join forces in the contracting economy, both companies will continue to sell their products and services separately as well. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/permission_tv_move_join_forces.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/permission_tv_move_join_forces.php Digital Move Networks Permission TV Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0800 TelevisionWeek, NBC Entertainment co-chairman Ben Silverman said Ms. Poehler's untitled comedy will begin filming its pilot episode in January. He also said the show is still on track to premiere next spring. There had been industry speculation that the series—which is being produced by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur of "The Office"—might be pushed to fall. Mr. Silverman, however, said the writers are making good progress and that the show will be ready to air sometime this season. Meanwhile, the New York Post's Page Six reported Tuesday that former "Office" regular Rashida Jones will be joining the cast of Ms. Poehler's project. According to blog Officetally.com, Ms. Jones will play a nurse named Ann. (Editor: Baumann) ]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/nbc_poehler_show_adds_rashida.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/nbc_poehler_show_adds_rashida.php Broadcast Amy Poehler Ben Silverman Craig Daniels Michael Schur NBC Rashida Jones Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:36:38 -0800 The online video news service 1Cast planned to officially launch today in a private beta with initial news programmers including CNBC, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and Agence France Presse. The 1Cast service is a personalized service designed to deliver breaking news via video to consumers on their desktops and iPhones. 1Cast is funded by Eagle River Ventures, the investment group of wireless communications pioneer Craig McCaw. With the service, consumers can gather content from selected news sources and create personalized video playlists. Their playlists are then updated throughout the day and delivered via the Web or cell phone. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/online_video_news_service_1cas.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/online_video_news_service_1cas.php Digital 1Cast Agence France Presse Associated Press Canadian Broadcasting Corporation CNBC Craig McCaw Eagle River Ventures Reuters Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:00:00 -0800 TelevisionWeek a pickup was "probably likely to happen soon." While Mr. Newman didn't mention any networks, MTV always seemed a logical home. It had previously aired "Beauty" repeats. Executives at 20th have a never-say-die attitude when it comes to keeping shows alive even after networks have moved on. The studio never gave up on "Family Guy," finding ways to keep the franchise alive even after it was axed by Fox—twice. And while Fox has said it won't be ordering any more episodes of "King of the Hill," 20th has talked to ABC about picking up the show. As for "Beauty," the show has been a strong performer internationally, Mr. Newman said, explaining one reason the studio was interested in keeping the franchise alive. "It’s a format that sold in many countries around the world," he said. "It’s turned into a nice, profitable business."]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/mtv_near_to_revival_of_kutcher.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/mtv_near_to_revival_of_kutcher.php Cable Ashton Kutcher Beauty and the Geek Fox 21 MTV The CW Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:00:00 -0800 After running the digital operations for the CBS-owned television stations for four years, Jonathan Leess said today he would step down at the end of the year. As the president of the CBS Television Digital Media Group since 2004, Mr. Leess led the group’s efforts to develop online video and digital newscasts with the goal of breaking news on the Web and turning the Internet into a meaningful advertising medium for TV stations. During those four years, the group has grown from less than 2 million monthly unique visitors watching fewer than 1 million video streams per month to more than 15 million unique visitors watching more than 25 million streams of video per month. “My work here is done,” Mr. Leess said when reached by TelevisionWeek. “I have done everything I needed to from building from scratch to positioning CBS down the digital road. They are competitively positioned for exponential growth and that’s what I was hired to do.” It was not immediately clear if CBS plans to name a replacement. Mr. Leess said he doesn’t have immediate plans after his tenure ends but expects to continue working in digital media. (Editor: Baumann) http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/cbss_leess_leaving_at_year_end.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/cbss_leess_leaving_at_year_end.php Digital CBS Television Digital Media Group Jonathan Leess Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:55:01 -0800 www.thegarden.com. ]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/billie_jean_king_cup_to_air_li.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/billie_jean_king_cup_to_air_li.php Cable Ana Ivanovic Billie Jean King BNP Paribas Showdown for the Billie Jean King Cup HBO Jelena Jankovic Serena Williams Venus Williams Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:12:50 -0800 Google CEO Eric Schmidt is calling on the government to do a “two-for” in crafting any economic stimulus policy. Instead of simply focusing on creating jobs, he suggests the government could simultaneously stimulate the economy and promote energy conservation. In a wide-ranging speech today at the New America Foundation in Washington, Mr. Schmidt suggested the economic plan could be written in ways to boost spending on contractors doing home insulation work, auto makers who beat overall industry mileage standards and infrastructure improvements that could aid wind and solar energy. Mr. Schmidt, who has been mentioned as a potential candidate for a position in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama, also called for the government to start taking the kind of steps in developing policy that are taking place in the non-government world. “The government has not embraced the tools that we all use every day,” said Mr. Schmidt. He said one problem is government agencies that either don’t put information on the Web or put it there in a way that can’t be indexed and therefore isn’t easily searchable. He suggested, though, that the problem is more widespread and that the political changes that took place during the presidential campaign, with citizens becoming increasingly involved, haven’t been fully taken into account by government agencies. “It’s time to restore trust in how our government works,” he said. He suggested the government should work to take advantage of the citizen engagement apparent during the campaign by taking steps to open up policy debates and proposed legislation to more widespread public vetting and discussion by putting drafts up on the Internet. Mr. Schmidt said a few agencies have launched initiatives that do provide the opportunities, but the whole government needs to act. “Why is that not true with every branch of government? Use all those people who care so passionately and have a lot of free time to help,” he said. Mr. Schmidt’s comments came as Google released its technology, economic growth and open government priorities for 2009. A pamphlet distributed at the speech said those priorities included creating more broadband Internet competition, protecting an open Internet and protecting balance in copyright laws, along with efforts to improve math and science education, promote energy conservation and make government information more accessible. Mr. Schmidt in his speech praised the Federal Communications Commission for taking “an act of remarkable courage” in fending off tremendous pressure to open up more spectrum space to cable and telecom rivals. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/googles_ceo_urges_government_t.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/googles_ceo_urges_government_t.php Broadcast Digital Eric Schmidt FCC Google Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:18:06 -0800 (Updated: Added "allegedly" to first paragraph. 4:10 p.m.)]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/mettey_sues_univision_for_wron.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/mettey_sues_univision_for_wron.php Broadcast Jorge Mettey KMEX-TV Univision Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:59:24 -0800 (Editor: Baumann) ]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/video_its_the_economy_stupid.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/video_its_the_economy_stupid.php Digital Canaan Partners ICM New Media Minute Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:11:20 -0800 thecomedyfestival.com. The Web site also offers viewers four simultaneous video streams from the Comedy Festival. ]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/garrett_to_host_tbs_cheech_cho.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/garrett_to_host_tbs_cheech_cho.php Cable Brad Garrett Cheech & Chong Roasted TBS Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:13:01 -0800 ESPN Tuesday formally announced an agreement to air all of the college football Bowl Championship Series games on cable television beginning in 2011. Fox on Monday said it wouldn’t match ESPN’s offer, said to be $500 million over four years. Fox bid $400 million, up from the $330 million it’s paying under its current four-year deal. Ratings of sports properties generally go down when they move from broadcast to cable, but ESPN President George Bodenheimer declared, “The BCS will thrive on ESPN.” The agreement with the BSC also gives ESPN exclusive radio, digital media, international and marketing rights for the games. “Our slogan is ‘College Football Lives Here,’ and the BCS will now top college football’s best regular-season and studio coverage, the sport’s top award shows, Bowl Week and other national championships all carried on our family of networks,” Mr. Bodenheimer said. “This is a proud day for ESPN and an exceptional day for this great sport and its passionate fans.” ESPN’s announcement didn’t cover the Rose Bowl, now broadcast under a long-term deal by ABC, whose sports programming is produced under the ESPN brand. Both ESPN and ABC are controlled by the Walt Disney Co. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/espn_confirms_500_million_deal.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/espn_confirms_500_million_deal.php Cable Bowl Championship Series ESPN Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:39:05 -0800 Comedy Central’s “Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special” became the most-watched program in the network’s history on Sunday, as 6.6 million viewers tuned in to the show. “Dunham” surpassed “South Park’s” 1998 cliffhanger resolution, “Cartman’s Mom Is Still a Dirty Slut,” which drew 6.2 million viewers. The program also dominated the night on cable, bringing in a 3.3 rating in the adults 18-49 demographic, making it the highest-rated standup special in that age group on the channel. Coupled with new episodes of “South Park,” “The Sarah Silverman Program” and “Chocolate News,” Comedy Central had its best week in prime-time in adults 18-49 since June 2006. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/christmas_comes_early_to_comed.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/christmas_comes_early_to_comed.php Cable Comedy Central Jeff Dunham’s Very Special Christmas Special TV Ratings Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:39:03 -0800 Liza Minnelli also has agreed to perform a duet with Ms. O'Donnell. "Rosie Live" will air at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 26. ]]> http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/alec_baldwin_to_guest_on_rosie.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/alec_baldwin_to_guest_on_rosie.php Broadcast 30 Rock Alec Baldwin NBC Rosie Live Rosie O'Donnell Mon, 17 Nov 2008 18:09:20 -0800 The latest buzz on NBC reality chief Craig Plestis has the executive possibly headed to sister company Universal Media Studios. NBC has maintained a strict silence regarding Mr. Plestis since word first surfaced on blogger Nikki Finke's Web site that NBC was considering replacing Mr. Plestis with Paul Telegdy of BBC Worldwide America. Then last week, Mr. Plestis told the Hollywood Reporter that he was staying put. "I'll be here for a long time at NBC," Mr. Plestis told the trade. However, that hasn't stopped the industry from speculating that Mr. Plestis could still be vacating his current post as head of alternative for the network. According to a knowledgeable industry insider, Mr. Plestis may actually be headed to NBC sibling UMS. He would either head up a unit in charge of unscripted programming or set up shop as an independent producer. When asked about the possibility of Mr. Plestis shifting to UMS, a representative for NBC declined comment. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/plestis_shifting_from_nbc_to_u.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/plestis_shifting_from_nbc_to_u.php Broadcast Craig Plestis NBC Paul Telegdy Universal Media Studios Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:08:02 -0800 TiVo President-CEO Tom Rogers will deliver the 2009 National Association of Television Program Executive Newsmaker Address during the organization’s conference on Wednesday, Jan. 28, NATPE President-CEO Rick Feldman announced today. Mr. Rogers’ address, entitled “Avoiding the Demise of Advertising,” will discuss the problem of viewers fast-forwarding through advertisements and how the television industry must tackle the problem. “Analysts predict that there will soon be 50 million-plus DVRs, and with that the homes most desirable to advertisers will be fast-forwarding through ads,” Mr. Rogers said. “There needs to be greater urgency and television must learn from the lessons of the newspaper and music industries, which didn’t act quickly enough to prevent their business models from being severely damaged. The TV advertising crisis is real, the stakes are high, and the time to address the issue is now,” he said. The annual NATPE Market and Conference is scheduled for Jan. 26-29 at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/tivo_ceo_rogers_to_speak_at_na.php http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/11/tivo_ceo_rogers_to_speak_at_na.php Broadcast Cable Digital Syndication NATPE TiVo Tom Rogers Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:55:34 -0800