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In Depth

NBCU Offers Digital Sports Net to Stations

NBC Universal is offering its owned-and-operated stations and affiliates pickup of Universal Sports, a 24/7 digital sports network, in the wake of terminating its Weather Plus operation. NBCU affiliate stations have been extended a first refusal offer until Dec. 1….

CNN to Open Abu Dhabi Facility

CNN has announced it will open a new broadcast center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, where it plans to produce live daily programming on the Middle East. The new studio will open in Abu Dhabi’s Media Zone sometime in…

Mike Fratello Joins YES Network

Yes! Mike Fratello has joined the YES Network as an analyst for the network’s New Jersey Nets basketball telecasts. Mr. Fratello joins play-by-play announcer Marv Albert, with whom he currently calls games for TNT’s national NBC telecasts, and analyst Jim…

Philips 3Q TV-Making Loss Widens

Royal Philips Electronics’ third-quarter loss from its television-making operations widened as sales fell while it prepared to outsource its TV sales in North America to cut operating losses. The Dutch conglomerate’s TV operating loss widened 70% to $98.6 million from…

‘Verdict’ for Adelstein, Drama for Scheuring

“Prison Break” producers Marty Adelstein and Paul Scheuring are readying separate projects at 20th Century Fox Television. With Mr. Adelstein’s help, CBS and 20th Century Fox Television are looking to reinvent “The Verdict,” the Oscar-nominated 1982 legal thriller that starred…

CBS’s ‘Mentalist,’ Fox’s ‘Fringe’ Rule, Magna Says

CBS’s “The Mentalist” and Fox’s “Fringe” are the two standout new shows of the season so far, according to media agency Magna Global. On the other hand, NBC’s “Knight Rider,” “must be a disappointment for the network,” the agency said….

Survey Finds Rosy Outlook for Viral Video Ads

Most ad agencies plan to increase their budgets for viral video marketing in 2009, according to a report released today by Feed Company. A survey of 40 executives at agencies such as Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, Wieden & Kennedy, Digitas…

DECA Partners With Popular YouTube Team Smosh

Digital entertainment firm DECA inked a deal with YouTube comedy team Smosh to become the exclusive business and production partner behind the pair of young comedians. Under the agreement, DECA will provide financing, ad sales, marketing, distribution and other business…

‘Beauty and the Geek’ May Soon Live Again

The CW’s “Beauty and the Geek” may live again—on another network. The Ashton Kutcher-produced reality show wrapped its run on the network last spring. While CW executives have never officially said the show has been cancelled, the network has privately…

20th Team Celebrates Cable Wins

Newman, Walden Partnership Works