Cynopsis: DIGITAL

01/04/10

Good morning, it’s Monday, January 4, 2010, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

Thanks in part to the extra 3D surcharge, James Cameron’s Avatar took in another $68.3 million in the U.S. over the weekend, bringing its 17-day domestic total to a record-breaking $352 million and its worldwide box office mark to over a billion. The sci-fi fantasy, which was hyped for its use of advanced 3D technology, is being held up as an example of what Hollywood needs to produce to take advantage of the expensive new format – both in theaters and in 3D home theater set-ups. Expect the success of Avatar to make 3D TV a hot topic of conversation at CES this week. 
                                                         

 
Right in the middle of college bowl season, Time Warner Cable and News Corp. reached a retransmission agreement keeping Fox and FX on the air after the companies’ previous carriage agreement had expired last Thursday. Negotiations had been stalled over News Corp.’s demand for a cable-style $1 per month/per household fee to carry Fox in Time Warner systems. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. A similar dispute between Scripps Networks Interactive and Cablevision has not yet been solved, resulting in the loss of Food Network and HGTV from Cablevision’s entire footprint.
 
NBCU, News Corp. and Disney joint-venture Hulu signed a content partnership with Warner Music Group, its second major music label after EMI. Warner artists such as Muse will be given artists pages on the portal featuring tracks, rare videos and TV appearances. 2009 was a banner year for the ad supported video service, according to ComScore, with its user base nearly doubling from 22.4 million in Nov. 2008 to 43.7 million in Nov 2009. Both Warner and EMI are hold outs in the YouTube-powered Vevo music video site.
 
CBS and Disney are considering participating in Apple‘s plan to offer ad-free, broadband-delivered television subscriptions, per the WSJ, citing sources. Apple is reportedly offering between $2 -$4 per month per subscriber for a broadcast network and $1-$2 per month per subscriber for basic cable networks­much more than networks currently receive from cable and satellite distributors.
 

 
Morgan Spurlock’s Cinelan and Babelgum announced a mobile partnership bringing Cinelan’s library of three-minute non-fiction films to Babelgum’s mobile and online platforms.
 
A new service dubbed Synchtube enables viewers in different locations to watch videos on YouTube and make live comments on them. Simply paste a YouTube link on the site to create a room then invite others to enter the room.
 

 
Disney completed its $4.3 billion acquisition of Marvel, bringing the comic giant’s stable of 5,000 characters under its fold including X-Men, Iron Man, Captain America, the Fantastic Four, Thor and Spider-Man.
 
Music video website Vevo has pulled its Application Programming Interface (API) from YouTube’s API, a move to block third parties from using it without the firm’s permission. The decision by Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment, co-owners of Vevo, was made after upstart site Muziic began showcasing Vevo music videos with the ads stripped away.
 
The economy has impacted CES‘ attendance figures in recent years but the exhibiting side of the show seems to be faring fine. The Consumer Electronics Association announced that a record 330 new exhibitors will be joining the fold this year showcasing apps, green tech, location-based services and gaming, bringing the total number of exhibitors to over 2,500.
 
Leaders of the WGA East issued a sunny forecast of the guild’s outlook for 2010 in a membership-wide distributed letter penned by Executive Director Lowell Peterson and President Michael Winship. The letter pointed to gains in establishing a “foothold in new media,” including significant steps toward recognition and payment for the use of WGAE members work in digital media.
 

 
ComScore launched a new service with Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) measuring the effectiveness of online advertising campaigns in building sales of CPG brands in supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchants, convenience stores and other retail channels. The solution will be integrated into comScore’s AdEffx suite of products.
 

 
Apple, which decided to discontinue its annual MacWorld pow-wow last year, has booked the Yerba Buena Center in S.F. on Jan. 26 to make a special announcement to the media, per the FT. The company is widely expected to unveil a tablet-style touch screen computer that presents videos, magazines and newspapers with a iPhone-like interface.
 
Meanwhile, Google will hold its own press gathering at its headquarters on Jan. 5 to officially unveil the Android-powered Nexus One handset. The smartphone will be distributed directly through Google’s website and be offered as an unlocked device not tethered to a wireless carrier, according to reports.
 
One of the hottest gadgets this holiday season was definitely the e-book reader. Amazon claims its market-leading Kindle was the most gifted item in Amazon history and that Christmas Day was the first time it sold more e-books than physical books.
 
Paris-based video sharing site Dailymotion, which powers the video podcasts on Cynopsis.com, has launched a new iPhone app aggregating over 12 million videos categorized into 14 thematic channels. There’s both a free ad-supported version and an ad-free premium version for $5.99. One of the app’s cooler features is the ability (for iPhone 3GS users) to record and upload videos directly from the application. 
 
CNBC presents Planet of the Apps: A Hand-Held Revolution! on Thur. Jan. 7 at 10 PM ET/PT, an original report exploring the apps gold rush.
 

 
Former PayPal Inc. executive Jack Selby is partnering with filmmakers Tiller Russell and Duncan Montgomery to launch a new interactive film digital distribution and marketing company, Horsethief Pictures. The plan is to capitalize on the existing social media and online landscape to encourage audiences to participate in every phase of the moviemaking process from development, to production, distribution and marketing. Producer Duncan Montgomery will serve as the company’s Head of Production and Business Affairs. Director Tiller Russell will direct a number of Horsethief’s feature films and will serve as the company’s Head of Creative Development.
 

 
Purveyors of professional online video continue to experiment with social features to get fans to spend more time with their core product. The NHL benched its NHL.tv site and dropped the puck on the new NHL VideoCenter developed with NeuLion, featuring sharing with Facebook, Twitter, Digg and other popular social media sites. For $34.95/month or $119 for the full season, fans can have access to every game steamed live in HD, but the league is hoping that sharing features and new content channels will also add extra value: the NHL Shootout Channel will feature all NHL game shootouts from start to finish; NHL Press Room captures breaking news and live press conferences; and the NHL Library presents archives of classic games. The interface is also cleaner and less cluttered. The NHL had done a good job serving hard core fans to date but this should help attract a wider swath of casual users.
 
Later – Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
01.04.10

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JOB OPENING: VP PROG & DEV/NY: Develps, Producs & scheds org cntent on MSG/ MSG+. 10 yrs exp sprts/ent tv prod. 5 yrs as netwk exec. Relationships with agnts, prod companies and wrters. Rez to: [email protected] “VPPD” in subj (1/9)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC/Radio Disney/FL: Motivated AE to sell local advrtsng, sponsrshps & events in Miami mkt. Will prep/execute sales plan, present to clients, supv programs. 2+ yrs sales. Apply: www.disneyabcjobs.com (ID 216440) (1/9)

JOB OPENING: SR BUYER LOCAL TV/Active Int’l in Pearl River, NY (15 miles from NYC):  Min 3 – 5 yrs exp. in negotiating and buying local TV req’d. Resumes to: [email protected] or call 845-732-8943 (1/9)

JOB OPENING: WRITER/PRODUCER (Syfy)/NBCU/NY:Create promos& campaigns, collaborate w/ Creative Director on overall needs of the network. BA &2 yrs on-air promo exp with a TV network. www.nbcjobs.com , #1121020 (1/9)

JOB OPENING: STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGER (USA)/NBCU/NY: Devel. & execute revenue generating, multi-platform marktng opportunities for potential & current clients, support USA network’s sales goals. BA, 5 yrs exp. www.nbcjobs.com , #1109143 (1/9)

JOB OPENING: SR. PRINT DESIGNER/Hallmark Channel/LA: Conceptualize, design & execute print platforms, min 5 yrs exp. see full posting & apply www.hallmarkchannel.com (1/8)

JOB OPENING:  SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYST/ElectricArtists/NY: Pt time. Evaluate, measure & communicate results of our social media mktg. Familiar w/social media measurement software Radian6, BuzzMetrics etc. [email protected]    (1/7)

JOB OPENING:  CONTENT SALES MGR (3)/Thought Equity Motion/NY, LA, CHI:  World leader in video licensing. Expert ideation, consultative & relationship sales exp. More info visit: thoughtequity.com; Resumes to: [email protected] (1/7)
 
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JOB OPENING: VP – CONTENT DIST/NYC: 7+ yrs affiliate sales & mktg exp. Manage accounts, dev strat, optimize revenue. Strong deal-negotiating/analytical/written & oral comm. skills. EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvnetworkscareers.com (1/6)

JOB OPENING: SALES EXEC/NYC: Sales Pro needed for 30 year old Entertainment Company. Cross-platform print and radio. Commission based. Unlimited opportunity to sell major known brand. Must have agency contacts. [email protected] (1/6)

JOB OPENING: VP CONSUMER MARKETING/ Nickelodeon/NYC: 10+yrs Consumer Mrktg exp from mrktg/agency or Ent/Media, Innovator, Ability to lead X-company efforts, Knwlg NICK brand, MBA A+ EOE/M/F/D/AAP Apply  www.mtvnetworkscareers.com (1/6) 

JOB OPENING:  ACCT EXEC/Plum TV/Boston: Strategic rep to generate rev for lifestyle mulitplat-media org focused on upscale market. 8+ yrs selling media, exp w/upscale market. Full posting plumtv.com (1/6)

JOB OPENING: NAT’L ACCT EXEC/Spotlight Houston: Aggressively prospect/sell to agencies & clients who focus efforts on selling products and srvcs through the purchase of advrtsng time. Cable, brdcst exp.  careers.teamcomcast.com (1/6)

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SITUATION WANTED: 20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting & Cable ACCOUNTING/FINANCE. Seeking FT/PT or Temp-to-Perm position: [email protected] (1/9)

SITUATION WANTED: AUDIO PROFESSIONAL 15+ yrs industry/ NBC Agency experience. Protools, Music Composition, etc http://www.barleycornmusic.com/expreel/pg2.html (1/9)

SITUATION WANTED:  PUBLICIST/EXEC ASST/ (ATL): Creative Chameleon, 10 yrs exp.  PR, Journalism, PR, Music Ent. /Celebrity Exec Asst.  Exc. Comm & Rsrch Skills. Seeks FT/PT or Temp-to-Perm. Contact: [email protected]   (1/8)

SITUATION WANTED: COORDINATOR/RESEARCH/AP/EDUCATION MEDIA/NYC: 3+ yrs. exp . PBS, CNBC, Oprah, documentaries, kids media, production, research. Highly organized & detail-oriented. Seeking FT/PT/freelance. [email protected] (1/8)

SITUATION WANTED:  FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION/CONGRATULATORY ADS: Award-Winning Creative Team with 12+ Years experience at HBO, A&E and MTV. Experts in this area. Ads as low as $1500. NY & LA. Contact: [email protected]  (1/8)

SITUATION WANTED:   ADVERTISING, BRANDING & ILLUSTRATION (NYC): 20 years experience working concept through completion. Portfolio: www.baerdavis.com  Email: [email protected] (1/7)

SITUATION WANTED: MEDIA SALES/MARKETING MANAGER/LA: 15+ years experience in educational, documentary, advertising media sales. True Closer!!!!!  [email protected] (1/6)

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