Rival forecast to catch YouTube

YouTube is in danger of being upstaged commercially by a smaller upstart backed by News Corporation and NBC Universal as the video-sharing site struggles to make its massive global audience appeal to advertisers. FT reports via Techmeme.

Hulu, a video site showing only professional TV shows and movies, is forecast to draw level with Google’s YouTube in US advertising revenues next year.

The feat suggests traditional media companies can make money online without having to cede control to Google, as the music industry did to Apple, whose iTunes music store dominates the digital music market.

Read full article.

TiVo, Domino's team up to make us all fat

Thanks to a new agreement with pizza giant Domino's, owners of TiVo set-top boxes can now order food from the chain directly through their televisions, and even track delivery time so they know just when the pizza guy will be showing up to bring them a nice, tasty treat. Oh, boy.

[via News.com]

YouTube pulls Columbine videos

BBC's Six O'clock News has discovered that nine years on from America's worst high school shooting there is a thriving online community obsessed with teenage gunmen Harris and Klebold. The BBC reports.

Many tribute videos found on YouTube romanticise the killers who shot 12 pupils, a teacher and wounded 23 others before shooting themselves.

The BBC's investigation found it is not only American teenagers who are fascinated with the Columbine killers.

YouTube, which is owned by Google, said it was grateful to the BBC for bringing the videos to its attention.

Research finds mobile TV as unseductive as ever, though VOD seems interesting

Recent reserach has found that mobile TV adoption sits at just 1% now, and interest in all types of mobile TV is just over 50% of what it was in 2006. engadget:mobile reports.

The report places the blame on "patchy network coverage, limited channel lineup, poor video quality, excessive prices and a penchant among high-end phone users for business handsets rather than video phones."

15% of those surveyed on the topic would actually enjoy watching recorded TV shows later on their phone.

Unhappy people watch TV, happy people read/socialize, says study

A new study by sociologists at the University of Maryland concludes that unhappy people watch more TV, while people who describe themselves as very happy spend more time reading and socializing. The study appears in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.Physorg.com reports.

Analyzing 30-years worth of national data from time-use studies and a continuing series of social attitude surveys, the Maryland researchers report that spending time watching television may contribute to viewers' happiness in the moment, with less positive effects in the long run.

Read full article.

Internet Video in Korea Eclipses the DVD

Warner Brothers will now start renting moves over the Internet two weeks before they are released on DVDs, making South Korea the first market in the world where movies will appear online before they hit the store shelves.

[via Bits]

Your Weekly Address from the President-Elect

President-elect Obama talks about the economy in this week's first Democratic video address. For more information, visit change.gov.

Related: - Obama Taking Weekly Radio Address to YouTube

Introducing Jack Donaghy toilet paper

Spotted on adfreak via TV Squad, promotional toilet paper from the Netherlands featuring 30 Rock's Jack Donaghy - or someone who looks just like Alec Baldwin.

30 Rock airs on Comedy Central in the Netherlands, and this is a special (flattering?) promotion for the show. File under lost in translation.

Save Lipstick Jungle

Lipstick Jungle fans are being encouragee to send Maybelline lipsticks (or any other lipstick brand) to Jeff Zucker, President & CEO of NBC Universal, in order to change his mind about cancelling the show.

Fans of Jericho protested last year when the show was taken off the air, and their campaign - firing e-mails (effectively shutting down inboxes at CBS), signing petitions and sending bags of nuts to CBS headquarters in protest - brought the show back, at least for a while.

Here's what's taking place. Copied and pasted from Sidereel via imdb:

Post by lipstickjungleemployee 12 hours ago (Fri Nov 14 2008 13:05:42)

Lipstick Jungle Fans!!

First off, thank you so so much for your continued support and love of the show! It's because of you guys and gals that we do what we do! Now, we know that everyone here has heard some not so great news about the show this week. We aren't cancelled, but it's not looking good. The show is in need of a miracle, and we here at the show think that we've come up with it:

First Off: WATCH. THE. SHOW!!!! The most important thing that you all can do is watch the show this and every Friday. Watch it live! Watch it with friends! Talk about the show with friends! We need eyes on the show!!!

Secondly: We've heard that the powers that be at NBC want and need to see the support of our amazing fans! So we've come up with a really effective and cool idea for all of you!

SEND LIPSTICK TO JEFF ZUCKER AT NBC!!!

Here's Jeff's address:

Jeff Zucker
30 Rockerfeller Plaza
Suite 2502-E
New York, NY 10112

tel 212-664-4444

Send as many tubes of lipstick as you can! And even better, send Maybelline brand (since Maybelline is a HUGE supporter of our show and it would show them as well that LJ is a show they should continue to support!)

Need an easy way to order online? Here's a link to Amazon:

Send as many as you can! Tell all of your friends! The show is in DESPERATE need of your support! Now is not the time to sit back and hope for the best!

SEND LIPSTICK. WATCH THE SHOW!!!

Your Friends, The Lipstick Jungle Team :-)

Obama Taking Weekly Radio Address to The Web

Barack Obama, who made effective use of the Internet in his campaign via videos and e-mail updates and political social networking, is taking the Democrats traditional weekly radio address to the Web.

The President-elect will record the address Friday on video as well as audio and post it on www.change.gov beginning Saturday.

[via Broadcasting & Cable]

NBC cancels 'Enemy' and 'Lipstick'

NBC has pulled the plug on freshman tentpole drama "My Own Worst Enemy" and returning sophomore series "Lipstick Jungle," reports The Live Feed.

I don't know about "Enemy" because I haven't seen it, but "Lipstick Jungle" is one of my favorite shows, what a disappointment. The three main women characters have the most elegant wardrobe ever seen on TV, with none of the fashion-victim touch that afflicted at times "Sex and the City". On the show's website, you could purchase the clothes by episode or by character - but in truth, what was offered was not what they really wore. That is the only disappointment of this show. Something the networks could have capitalized on... And the story line is great.

Virgin Mobile USA Debuts Homeless Youth TV

"Youth homelessness is not something that runs for a season and then goes off the air. Virgin Mobile USA is committed to getting people to pay attention to this important issue."

Viewers can go to www.homelessyouthTV.com and "sponsor" their favorite program on the network for $1, the proceeds of which will be donated to various Virgin Mobile USA charity partners supporting homeless youth, such as Green Chimneys and StandUp For Kids. Viewers who sponsor a show will have their names listed in the show's "credits" and have the opportunity to promote the program to friends. Virgin Mobile USA will match the first $10,000 in total donations.

... The video project, examining the world of homeless youth, will debut at www.VirginMobileUSA.com/regeneration in 2009.

Full press release.

Queen Rania of Jordan recipient of YouTube Visionary Award

YouTube has announced that Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan will be the premier recipient of the YouTube Visionary Award. Her Majesty will accept this honor in recognition of her efforts -- via a YouTube channel -- to rid the world of the stereotypes and misconceptions associated with Arab and Muslim communities.

[via Marketwatch]

YouTube to Sell Ads on Search Pages

Google announced on Wednesday that it would begin selling space on YouTube search-results pages to advertisers, part of its effort to turn its expensive acquisition into a major revenue producer. The New York Times reports.

The feature allows anyone who has a video on YouTube to promote it on a search-results page. An advertiser — or a video maker who wants to promote a work — can bid on keywords like “silly cats,” “financial crisis,” “James Bond,” or anything that strikes one’s fancy.

The promoted videos are featured on the right-hand side of the YouTube search-results page with a small image and some text.

Dexter Inspired Deadly Dinnerware - for sale

The limited edition line stems from a Showtime stunt in a Gramercy Park town house. Items available for purchase include dismembered flatware, "Dexter" chairs, fingerprint glasses and bloodied plates.

[via TV Tattle]

Related: - Blood-red splatter for a "Dexter"-inspired dining room

Jay-Z and Tony Williams tribute to Obama:"We Make History"

In honor of President Elect Barack Obama, Jay-Z has leaked a track called "History" from his upcoming album "The Blueprint 3."

[via eurWeb and shown this evening on French TV Canal+]

John McCain gracious about Palin on Jay Leno

John McCain on Jay Leno, being very gracious about Sarah Palin.

BSkyB launching online TV service

BSkyB is putting some of its most popular channels on the Internet with the launch of a subscription-based online television service, but has yet to secure agreement with Hollywood studios to offer their product online, COO Mike Darcey said Monday.

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

Howstuffworks.com Heading To TV Screens

Discovery is taking its Howstuffworks.com property to television, creating a new show based on the site. [Broadcasting & Cable]

The new series, Howstuffworks, will follow the lengths people go through to extract ingredients from the earth, such as corn, salt, iron and water, and then the process of turning those raw materials into objects we see and use every day.

Along the way, the show will present fun facts associated with the items, much as it does on the site.

YouTube Nabs Exclusive TV Deal

YouTube is beginning to look more like a cable TV channel and less like a ghetto video site. The company announced a deal on Monday under which a U.K.-based TV producer will create new programs exclusively for YouTube, reports Wired.

US Miltary launches TroopTube for Veterans Day

Since 2007, the Department of Defense has restricted overseas military personal from accessing a number of popular sites including YouTube and MySpace for reasons largely attributed to bandwidth usage and possible security issues.

In honor of Veteran’s Day, Military OneSource (a service of the Department of Defense) has launched TroopTube - a YouTube-like site that gives all active-duty military personnel and their families a place to share their videos online.

[via TechCrunch]

Related: - The Military and Iraq. Images and Issues

mobuzz Saved

After making an appeal to viewers on show last week to raise money before the weekend, it looks like their viewers came through because they're back and running.

"Star Wars" - an a capella tribute to John Williams

What's hot on YouTube? "Star Wars" - an a capella tribute to American composer, conductor and pianist John Williams.

Williams has composed many of the most famous film scores in history, including all but one of Steven Spielberg's feature films, Star Wars, Superman, Born on the Fourth of July, and Harry Potter. In addition, he has composed theme music for four Olympic Games, NBC Nightly News, and numerous television series and concert pieces. He served as the principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra from 1980 to 1993, and is now the orchestra's laureate conductor. Wikipedia

[via nanoblog]

Sprint Nextel Sponsors a Four-Episode Heroes Microseries

Sprint Nextel is sponsoring a four-episode microseries that spans three different platforms--online, TV and mobile--that debuts tonight, called Heroes: Destiny, a spin-off of the NBC prime time hit, Heroes. Each of the five to seven minute episodes will debut Monday nights during November.

[via Media Week]

Sesame Street on Hulu, iTunes and YouTube

Favorite chidlrne's program Sesame Street is taking to the Internet, with episodes hitting iTunes and segments on YouTube and Hulu. Digital Trends reports.

Complete episodes of Sesame Street will be available on Itunes for $1.99 each (with 70 percent of the revenue going to Sesame Workshop), and with online video sides YouTube and Hulu also setting up Sesame Street sections featuring clips and segments.

One-Third of Web Users Watch TV While Surfing

Nearly 31% of people who went online at home in October were also watching television simultaneously, demonstrating that web surfing and TV watching are complementary behaviors, according to research from The Nielsen TV/Internet Convergence Panel. [via Marketing Vox]

With our Convergence Panel we can now, for the first time, observe what could only be guessed at before - how television viewing and internet usage interact and affect each other, said Howard Shimmel, SVP, client insights, The Nielsen Company. It is too early to draw any firm conclusions about behavior but the early trends seem to indicate that online usage is complementing, not substituting for, traditional television viewing.

What about people who watch TV online in one window, while surfing from another window? That's what I do and I'm not alone.

MGM to Post Full Films on YouTube

According to The New York Times, Monday YouTube will announce an agreement to show some full-length television shows and films from MGM, the financially troubled 84-year-old film studio.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios will kick off the partnership by posting episodes of its decade-old “American Gladiators” program to YouTube, along with full-length action films like “Bulletproof Monk” and “The Magnificent Seven” and clips from popular movies like “Legally Blonde.” These will be free to watch, with ads running alongside the video.

Video-On-Demand Gets Hollywood Uptake In China

Warner Bros. announced plans to become the first Hollywood studio to make its new release movies available digitally in China, reports ChinaTechNews.

In the first transactional VOD deal of its kind in China, Warner Bros.' new release movies, including some that have never been released theatrically in China, will be available to Chinese consumers to rent on VOD to their PCs via Voole.com.

Upcoming titles will include "I Am Legend", "Fool's Gold" and "Speed Racer", with further new titles announced as they become available.

Skipped Ads May Leave an Impression

Some 27 percent of American households have DVRs, according to Nielsen, and most of these fast-forward through commercials. As the ads rush silently by at 20 times their intended speed, what, exactly, do these viewers see? The New York Times reports.

...The researchers found that fast-forwarding, by reducing most commercials to a silent second-and-a-half, sharply reduces viewers’ recall of the commercials they see. But viewers were still able to recall commercials that contained many frames featuring the brand’s name or logo in the center of the screen. Such commercials made viewers like the featured brands better, and increased their desire to buy the products advertised.

BitTorrent Sacks Half Its Staff

Friday BitTorrent informed about half its employees, or 18 people, that they were being let go, according to a person familiar with events inside the company. That is in addition to a 20 percent staff reduction in August.

[via Bits]