Archive for April 7th, 2008

CANNES — Comcast Corp. has unveiled an international expansion of its channel The Style Network.The Style Network’s recent and upcoming launches include Africa’s pay TV platform Multichoice Africa, Dutch telco KPN’s IPTV service, Middle East pay TV network Showtime Arabia, Portugal’s PT Telecom, Poland’s cable operator Vectra, Croatia’s IPTV service T-Com and Malta’s Melitacable.

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IS WEB VIDEO COMPANY JOOST floundering? The U.K.-based Sunday Times says yes, but the company’s CEO insists all is well at the start-up. The Times reported that Joost has been “overshadowed” by the BBC’s iPlayer and Hulu — a joint venture of the newspaper’s parent company News Corp. and NBC. But the article is short on hard facts to support its claim.

Joost CEO, Mike Volpi, meanwhile, denies the company is in trouble. “We are focusing on US, Western Europe, China and a few other Asian markets,” Volpi tells Om Malik. He also tells Malik that Joost plans to announce a Web-based service soon.

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Lifetime has its designs on “Project Runway.” The hit reality skein will hop from Bravo to Lifetime effective this fall.In a stunning network hop, “Project Runway” producer The Weinstein Co. has signed a five-year deal with Lifetime to move the show - cable’s top-rated reality skein - to the femme-centric cabler. Show’s sixth season will premiere on Lifetime in November.

The move has prompted Bravo owner NBC to file suit in New York Supreme Court against the Weinstein Co.

“We believe that this lawsuit is without merit,” said Weinstein counsel David Boies. “While good for the market for lawyers, it is always unfortunate when parties try to win in court what they have lost in the marketplace.”

The show’s defection to Lifetime was announced Monday by Lifetime prexy/CEO Andrea Wong and Weinstein Co. co-charimen Harvey and Bob Weinstein.

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UK-based MirriAd has developed a novel technology that allows products, logos, posters or bill boards to be digitally inserted into video streams.

Product placement currently entails placing a branded object physically into feature films and TV shows during filming. Using MirriAd’s technology, it is now possible to digitally insert virtual products into the video content after filming has been completed, making them look like they were always there.

This enables advertising to be varied according to where the content is being shown and according to who is watching it.

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Reality TV is about to hit the gas pump. Gas Station TV, seen on more than 5,000 screens on gas pumps in many of the nation’s largest markets, announced the launch of Gas Station TV’s Wanna Be A BroadcaSTAR, an American Idol-like search for the face of its network. The winner, to be announced July 17, will be awarded with a $2,500 cash price and featured as the host of a new recurring lifestyle segment on GSTV Network.

Aspiring personalities submit auditions online at www.beabroadcastar.com until May 4. GSTV viewers cast their votes between May 12 to June 30.

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NBC Universal president-CEO Jeff Zucker delivered a dire warning today about the impact of an actors strike, saying it could be “incredibly devastating” on network TV.

Speaking at the International Advertising Association’s annual World Congress in Washington this morning Mr. Zucker said the recent Writers Guild of America strike had hurt Hollywood, the state of California and the entire TV industry, and a follow-up strike by actors could cause real economic damage.

“If we go through that again, I severely question both the economy, given the state of the economy we are already in, and the future on the broadcast side,” he said. “The fact is I don’t think it would have an impact on the film business. Our film business has prepared. But it would have a real impact on the television business, and I don’t think the economy or the television business would be able to survive something like that.”

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Company plans to begin sourcing agri material directly

MUMBAI: Hindustan Unilever will soon begin sourcing agricultural raw material directly from the farmers for its Kissan food brand.

Through this method of backward integration and elimination of middlemen, the benefits received would also be passed on to the farmers, according to the company.
Harish Manwani, chairman, HUL, said, “This is a vision that we have set looking forward. The detailed time plan and action strategy for the next years is yet to fall in place.”

That’s a route that cigarettes-to-hotels rival ITC has pioneered some years ago through what began as its e-choupal initiative.

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New Delhi: The ambitions of Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, the firm controlled by businessman Vijay Mallya and his United Breweries, or UB, business house, to fly overseas have run into fresh regulatory trouble with the ministry of civil aviation ruling out a proposal by the firm that it operate two brands, Kingfisher and Simplifly Deccan.

UB acquired Deccan Aviation Ltd, which runs India’s largest low-cost airline operation by passengers flown, and the merger of Kingfisher Airlines with Deccan is expected to close this month.

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NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — The wonky game of counting viewers has been a slow and steady one since 1950, the year Nielsen Media Research began to track who was watching all those brand-new TV sets. But now the longstanding leader in audience measurement finds itself in the midst of palpable drama. As consumers flock to video of all sorts in all places, can TV-ratings kingpin Nielsen maintain its dominance as the gold standard by which video advertising is priced?

The outlook is murky. A raft of upstarts are eager to win over Nielsen’s clients, many of them offering marketers measurements based on audience behavior, not just reach and frequency.

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Star Wars characters set to appear on Howie’s show
By Jon Chattman, iTVX staff

George Lucas is a genius - and we’re not even talking about his film work. The acclaimed director has gotten his Star Wars yet another endorsement deal - only this time there’s a twist. On a special two-hour episode of Deal or No Deal we hear characters from Star Wars will appear. The themed episode will include an appearance by Princess Leia herself - Carrrie Fisher, Darth Vader and Chewbacca. No word on whether Yoda will make an appearance on the NBC game show. It’s also unclear if bald host Howie Mandel will turn to the Dark Side and bring back his 1980s ‘fro for further nostalgia. Man, I miss St. Elsewhere.

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