Berlusconi's broadcast group declares war on YouTube

Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi's broadcast group is the latest company to declare war on YouTube, the video-sharing website. The Telegraph reports.

"Mediaset, which is controlled by the billionaire media mogul Silvio Berlusconi and his family, said it was seeking damages of "at least" 500 million euros (£398 million) from YouTube and its owner Google, for alleged "illegal distribution and commercial use of audio and video files".

Image from Digital Daily

20% of Primetime Television Now Watched Online

Online video consumption has been on the rise for a while, and now Integrated Media Measurement Inc. (IMMI) is releasing demographic and behavioral data to show the details of the trend. Search Engine Watch reports.

"20% of primetime television programming is now viewed online.

The audience is comprised of 55% female and 45% male.

Households earning $80,000 a year or more are 56% more likely to watch a network show online. Those earning $40,000 a year or less are 75% more likely to watch a primetime show live.

The largest segment of online television viewers are white, affluent, well educated, working women aged 25-44."

Fembot stars in TV commercial

Japan's Fembot, Actroid DER2, makes her small screen debut in a 15-second commercial spot for a UV insect repellent/sunscreen spray.

[via Newlaunches]

MPAA planning site to offer legit movie links

The Motion Picture Association of America has launched legal attacks against P2P sites, has promoted Internet filtering, and has tried to stop DVRs from recording movies. However, its latest effort to curb piracy may in fact offer something of value to consumers: a site that lets users search for films and receive a listing of all possible places to buy, rent, or download them, 100 percent legally. ars technica reports.

"The site, which does not yet have a name, would allow users to search for film titles , and in return it would provide links to places to buy movie tickets, to locations where searchers could buy or rent a DVD, or to sites where they can buy or rent a download from an online source.

All of the major movie studios are behind the initiative."

Pixar/Disney's "UP" teaser trailer on YouTube

Up, Disney/Pixar's next animation movie teaser YouTube.
coming out May 2009.

[via TheHDRoom]

Talking 'Mad Men' - past and future - with the show's creator and cast

The Chicago Tribune has posted a transcript of an interview with creator Matthew Weiner, an interview with star Jon Hamm (Don Draper), a talk with John Slattery (who plays Roger Sterling and an interview with supporting cast members Rich Sommer, Michael Gladis and Aaron Staton.

Dexter Season 3 preview

The new communist propaganda-like visual for Dexter season 3 is up on Showtime's website, as well as a video preview. While you watch you can chat with other fans. What are they saying? See for yourself!

And a good read, from favorite TV Squad, highlights from the Dexter panel held at Comic-Con with the cast.

Also, 'Dexter' will be getting an iPhone game

CBS to offer HD TV shows online

CBS Interactive is launching the CBS HD Gallery on CBS.com, allowing users to watch full episodes of CBS shows online in high definition.

The mini-site will include full episodes and clips of CBS programs such as Big Brother, CSI, Survivor, How I Met Your Mother, The Amazing Race and The Big Bang Theory.

[via C21media.net]

Professor whose 'last lecture' touched hearts dies

Randy Pausch, renowned computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, died July 25 of complications from pancreatic cancer. He was 47.

With equal parts humor and heart, Randy Pausch delivered a one-of-a-kind inspirational "Last Lecture", that moved an overflow crowd at the university — and went on to move audiences around the globe.

BBC "House of Saddam". TV marketing on the Web

A remarkable promotional video by the BBC for its upcoming TV production, House of Saddam, dedicated to the story of the dictator and his family.

According to Adverblog, "the video has been released only a few days ago, but already some of the most popular blogs and creative websites are talking about it."

Begins on Wednesday 30 July 2008 at 9.00pm.

Ad for the hearing impaired: read our lips

Wonderful commercial from New Zealand's National Foundation for the Deaf offering some tips for speaking to the hearing impaired.

[via adWeek]

Stephen King's "N." An original video series

Beginning Monday, July 28, mobile phone users and web surfers can enjoy Stephen King's latest work in a groundbreaking series of 25 original video episodes.

Starting today, viewers can go to NisHere.com or Simonsays.com to see a preview of the episodes, which will also be unveiled at Comic-Con International in San Diego today at a panel event featuring the creators of this pioneering venture.

The series will also be available for purchase at major online digital content retailers.

[Press release via mocoNews.net]

Web video slowly creeps up on TV in Europe

More than one in four Europeans regularly watches online video on sites such as Google's YouTube but the medium has a long way to go to catch up with regular TV, according to Internet research firm Jupiter. Reuters reports.

"In a report released on Thursday, Jupiter said 28 percent of Europeans watched online video at least once a month, mainly short clips but also full-length video via services like the BBC iPlayer or France's M6 Replay.

Although time spent by Europeans watching online video rose 50 percent from 2006 to 2007, it still accounted for just 0.9 hours per week of viewing on average last year, compared with 13.2 hours spent watching television.

Jupiter warned traditional broadcasters to find ways to deliver programes to their audience online or risk losing them to pirate sites, despite the fact that generating revenue through online video ads is still in early development."

The Race to Unlock a Wider Web

Critics say new technology may hinder TV Signals. The Washington Post reports.

"Broadcasters use adjacent airwaves to beam TV shows to viewers, and they say the technology could interfere with over-the-air signals. Wireless microphone users, from pop stars to mega-church ministers, say using white spaces could blot out their sounds.

White-space backers say their devices will be able to detect and avoid frequencies being used by broadcasters and wireless mics. Critics say the devices are not reliable enough. "

Trendspotting. The Style of Mad Men

More on Mad Men, my latest greatest obsession. If you're not a fan, it's because you've never seen the show.

Trendspotting Josh Spears writes up a new men’s lifestyle site, Valet, with advice straight from the source.

"Their four part feature explores the style of each character on AMC’s hit show with the assistance of costume designer Janie Bryant.

The article takes a look at which current designers are taking their cues from the fads of post-war America, and even lists vital accessories and tips to help you dress the part."

TV Squad has gotten an interview with Mad Men's Rich Sommer who plays Harry Crane, the Sterling Cooper ad exec with the glasses and bow tie (he's second to the left in the above photo). It's a good read specially because interviews of the cast are hard to come by. I tried finding interviews on YouTube but with no success. This will surely change.

Catch latest shows on mio TV within 24 hours of their US premiere

All fans of US TV shows who live outside of the US are frustrated by the fact that these shows come to their countries months after their broadcast in the US, if at all.

It seems like Singapore's mio TV, a 24-hours pay-TV service, introduced by SingTel, has come up with a solution.

Acccording to Asia One, as of September, mio TV, is introducing a Season Pass, which allows viewers to watch episodes of more than 50 prime-time hits within 24 hours after they first air in the US.

The line-up includes titles such as Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Prison Break...

Hopefull this model will spread to other countries.

Survey finds most Americans think in-store movie renting is fading out

A recent survey conducted by CinemaNow (read: your skeptic hat should now be firmly in place) suggests that 87% of Americans surveyed agreed that "renting DVDs at the video store or through mail service will become a thing of the past," and 94% of those same folks reportedly felt that movie downloads were just "better for the environment."

[via engadgetHD]

Avril Lavigne's YouTube video earns her $2m in a year

Thanks to the forward-thinking strategies of her management, the singer has netted a cool £1m ($2m) just from fans watching a music video on YouTube, according to The Guardian.

"Last year, Nettwerk Management uploaded the official Girlfriend video to YouTube. Twelve months later, thanks to a coordinated fan campaign, the video has clocked up almost 100m hits from around the world.

And where there are page-views, there are ad-views.

Even after YouTube takes its cut, "there's about a $2m (£1m) cheque waiting for her for all her YouTube plays," Nettwerk Management CEO Terry McBride explained to MusicTank.

Could peace be near for YouTube and Hollywood?

Google's YouTube is quickly shedding its reputation in Hollywood as a clearinghouse for pirated content and could soon be home to clips from popular movies and TV shows--all legally obtained. News.com reports.

"Insiders say the search company has adopted a more accommodating approach toward Hollywood, and that it's finally starting to pay off. Last week, Lionsgate struck a content agreement with YouTube in a deal that calls for unprecedented cooperation between a major film studio and the Web's largest video-sharing site.

That agreement is likely only the beginning. Other big media companies are in talks with Google about similar deals, say sources with three different entertainment companies. They detailed the ways Google has become more flexible in talks about sharing revenue and helping protect films and TV shows against piracy."

A Display That Tracks Your Movements

Samsung and Reactrix move beyond touch screens and try to make hand waving the next big computer interface. [via Technology Review]

"There could be a revolution brewing in billboard advertising. Instead of simply presenting a static image, why not let people interact with the advertisement? This is the vision of electronics giant Samsung and interactive advertising company Reactrix Systems.

The two companies have partnered to bring 57-inch interactive displays to Hilton hotel lobbies by the end of the year.

These displays can "see" people standing up to 15 feet away from the screen as they wave their hands to play games, navigate menus, and use maps."

Gossip Girl to Stream Online Again

When Gossip Girl returns to the air on Sept. 1st, new episodes will also be available on the CW’s web site for ad-supported streaming.

CW took Gossip Girl off its site in an effort to boost television viewership, but it failed to have the desired effect.

[via NewTeeVee]

TiVo and Amazon Team Up

The two companies want to turn the television remote control into a tool for buying the products being advertised and promoted on commercials and talk shows. The New York Times reports.

"Tivo will introduce a “product purchase” feature on Tuesday in partnership with the Internet retailer Amazon.com.

Owners of TiVo video recorders will see, in TiVo’s various onscreen menus, links to buy products like CDs, DVDs and books that guests are promoting on talk shows like “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Late Show With David Letterman” and “The Daily Show.”

A New Competitor to LCD

A pixel that uses a pair of mirrors to block or transmit light could lead to displays that are faster, brighter, and more power efficient than liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

Researchers at Microsoft Research who published their novel pixel design in Nature Photonics say that their design is also simpler and easier to fabricate, which should make it cheaper.

LCDs corner half of the global TV market and are the most popular technology for cell phones and flat-panel computer monitors. But for several reasons, they do not boast the best image quality.

Read full article in Technoogy Review.

Online viewing won’t kill TV - CBS

Not hugely surprising, but CBS commissioned a study showing that watching full-length shows online won’t destroy television viewership, and it will attract a younger audience.

[via Reuters Blogs]

Net TV technology seeks testers

Testers are being sought for technology that may help TV migrate to the net, writes the BBC.

"In a bid to create a system that can support huge audiences, P2P Next's SwarmPlayer draws on the widely used BitTorrent peer-to-peer technology.

In such a system those watching a video share the data they are downloading with others, peers, who want to watch the same show.

The SwarmPlayer lets people download TV shows to watch later, lets them watch video as it is being downloaded and can even cope with live broadcasts.

The P2P Next project now wants thousands of people to install the software to see how it handles large audiences and whether picture quality suffers as the numbers of users rises.

... The EU has put 19m euros into the project hoping the software the team creates will become a Europe-wide standard for broadcasters."

200,000 TV licence evaders caught

A total of 209,000 people have been prosecuted during the past six months for watching television without a licence in the UK, reports the
BBC.

"... A fine of up to £1,000 ($2,000) can be given to anyone found to have broken the law by failing to buy a £139.50 ($278) licence.

TV Licensing officials can detect which of the UK's homes do not have a licence through a database holding details of more than 29 million addresses. "

iTunes removed cigarette from Mad Men visual

This is wild. Switched caught an edited version of the graphics of "Mad Men", season one on iTunes, where the cigarette had been removed. The cigarette then magically reappeared.

Serious YouTube test of copyright law

A woman who posted a home video on YouTube of her 13-month-old son dancing to Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" squared off Friday against entertainment giant Universal Music Corp. in a federal court case that tests copyright law. The San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pitvertising: TV screens built into the armpits of shirts.

An advertising world first has been launched in London - pitvertising. Ananova reports.

"The innovative new concept uses digital TV screens built into the armpits of shirts.

It was developed by deodorant manufacturer Right Guard as the ideal way to market its products.

A hired team of 'Pitvertisers' was sent out into the streets of London to test the new medium."

Virtual Theaters for Documentaries

SnagFilms is a great idea for getting documentary films in front of more people, writes Walt Mossberg. It's a new service that allows anyone with a blog, a Web site, or even a page on a social-networking site, to open a virtual movie theater and show these documentaries, free.

[via The Wall Street Journal]