Cynopsis: DIGITAL

10/26/09

Good morning, it’s Monday, October 26, 2009, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

In another sign that the worst may be over on the tech front, Microsoft managed to beat earnings expectations on during FY Q1 – thanks mostly to layoffs and other cost-cutting measures. The company reported net income of $3.57 billion for the quarter ending Sept. 30 on total revenue of $12.92 billion, a 14% decline from a year ago. Sales of entertainment related devices (Xbox, etc.) were flat, totaling $1.9 billion. Meanwhile Amazon and Netflix enjoyed banner results last quarter (see below.)

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Wanting to keep the profits flowing, Netflix is considering a move to appease its studio partners, per the LA Times. The company may change it DVD release schedule to delay new releases by a number of weeks after movies are made available for sell-through. In return, Netflix would receive even better wholesale pricing on the DVDs it purchases for rental. During a Friday earnings call, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings also announced plans to expand its streaming video service to international markets. 
 
Time Warner Cable and Univision launched Lo Mejor On Demand, the MSO’s first Hispanic Free On Demand (FOD) channel. The channel, now available to TWC customers in New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, San Antonio and San Diego, will include programming culled from Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision.
 
Oprah.com is teaming with CNN.com and Facebook to present a live Oprah’s Book Club interactive web event November 9 at 9 pm ET/6 pm PT. Readers can submit their questions to author Uwem Akpanand to potentially be featured during the live discussion. The event will be streamed live from CNN.com’s video player on Oprah.com and CNN.com.
 
The NHL unveils a new Facebook page today featuring virtual gifts, NHL video, polls, feeds to hockey-themed content on Twitter, message boards, blogs, links to team-specific Facebook pages.
 
First Lady Michelle Obama made a video for NBCU’s iVillage explaining why women should support her husband’s healthcare reform package. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will also be answering questions online about the video and healthcare reform on the site this week.
 

 
Do you like your horror straight up or with a comedic twist? Online entertainment portal Babelgum launches a brand new Sci-Fi/Horror/Comedy block today with the interactive romp The Occulterers, from the mind of Hayden Black (Goodnight Burbank,) who created, writes, produces and stars in the show. The Occulterers chronicles the exploits of a dysfunctional team of ghost hunters, who spend the night in a (fictional) Transylvanian castle that is wired with webcams to allow viewers to (fictionally) follow the action at home and tweet tips to the team. Hayden, who tells us that he channels The Count from Sesame Street for his Transylvanian accent, turned to Twitter to assemble an all-star cast of cult players including James C. Leary (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Ellen Sandweiss (The Evil Dead), Amy Kline (I <3 Vampires) and Camden Toy (Buffy, Angel). Other hybrid shows in the Babelgum pipeline, overseen by Babelgum’s new Comedy publisher Amber J. Lawson, includes zombie cross-over “Cannibal Run” and “The Crew,” from RegisteredFilms.
 
Robert Englund, aka Freddy Krueger, stars in a new original web series on Comcast’s web/VOD service FEARnet. “Fear Clinic” will span 5 webisodes, each spotlighting Dr. Andover’s (Englund) unconventional methods to help a patients conquer their greatest fears.
 
Cinemio.net is a new consumer portal distributing independently produced, Spanish language films to U.S. audiences. Mexican film distributor Distrimax is supplying the site with streaming videos, downloadable DVDs, and made-to-order movies on DVD, shipped directly to the buyer.
 
You can follow along with the happening at CTAM this year via new social media portals on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. NY-based Savvy Strategy worked with the cable marketing group on the sites.
 

 
Sales jumped 28% to $5.45 billion for Amazon during Q3 as net income for Amazon increased 68% to $199 million. Worldwide sales from books, CDs, DVDs, and other media grew by 17% to $2.93 billion, while revenue for electronics and other merchandise increased by 44% to $2.36 billion. Sales of the Kindle, now available internationally, were also healthy as CEO Jeff Bezos called it the #1 bestselling item by both unit sales and dollars across all product categories.
 
Netflix also reported a strong third quarter adding 510,000 net subscribers, ending the quarter with 11.1 million – an increase of 28% year-over-year. Revenue for Q3 was $423.1 million, a 24% jump from a year earlier. The company said that its Watch Instantly service is becoming more popular, as 42% of Netflix subscribers streamed at least 15 minutes of video during the quarter, compared with only 22% in the prior year’s quarter.
 

 
As local NBC affiliates feel the pain from the network’s cost-saving measure of replacing scripted drama with the cheaper-to-produce The Jay Leno Show, movie studios are also reminded that big-budget pictures tend to yield the highest profits. This is according to the new “Economics of Motion Pictures” report from SNL Kagan, which found that budgets greater than $100 million averaged $247.3 million in net profit under a major-studio distribution fee structure, followed by the $90 million-to-$100 million range with a $117.9 million average net profit. The 764 films in the study averaged $50.5 million in net profit. (Then again, the study was conducted before the results of this weekend were tallied, when Paramount’s $15k “Paranormal Activity” took the top spot at the box office, scaring up $62.5 million out of the box office. The studio is already talking about a sequel.)
 

 
Amazon unveiled the “Kindle for PC” app for reading Kindle books on the PC. It features Amazon’s Whispersync technology, which saves and synchronizes customers’ bookmarks and last page read across devices, including the Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch, and PC. A Mac version of the app is also in the works.
 
Video game rental service GameFly launched a new iPhone app giving users access to info on more than 5,000 video games across all major platforms including breaking news, videos, screenshots, release dates, user reviews, gameplay controls, cheats and codes.
 

 
Razorfish Chief Strategy Officer Jeff Lanctot and Managing Director Jim Watson are returning to Microsoft, as the Publicis Groupe prepares to close on its the acquisition of the digital agency, reports Ad Age.
 

 
Turner’s CNN.com and CNN.com International, homes of the innovative UGC-portal iReport, has received a major makeover that takes much more multimedia approach to delivering the news and intelligently integrates many of the features that have been added to the site in recent months. You’ll notice a much cleaner visual look and that video and photos now take center stage. News content is broken down by USA Today-style sections, including Entertainment, Politics, Opinion, Money, Heath and Tech. Following the personalization trend, a new settings page allows you to track topics, regions or sports teams you’re interested in; the page also saves any comments or iReports you upload to the site. NewsPulse is CNN.com’s answer to Google Trends, tracking stories by popularity that are sortable by topic, keyword or # of comments. CNN Challenge is another fun feature, a game show of sorts that quizzes users about the week’s top stories. Welcome to digital news for the Facebook generation. Hey – if it gets younger users to follow world events, we’re all for it.
 
Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
10.26.09

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JOB OPENING: DIR  STRATEGIC MARKETING/SUNDANCE/NY – Resp for strat dev & delivery of rev-gen, integrated mrktg campaigns & solutions. 5-7 years sales/marketing experience Cable/Agency. res www.cablevision.jobs ref #9902BR  (10/31)

JOB OPENING:  NBC Universal is looking for a MANAGER , Bravo Ad Sales Research. Please visit our site at   www.nbcunicareers.com for more info, job#1104454 (10/31) 

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT MGR/The Hotel Networks/New York: 3+ yrs Ad Sales Exp, OOH/Digital-Place Based+++, Creative, Aggressive, Proven Sales Pro, Excel Communication Skills A Must, Self-Motivated, Email: [email protected] (10/31)

JOB OPENING:  ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/Brooklyn, NY:  Seeks AE for local ad sales.1-3 yrs ad sales exp. pref cable TV, radio, e-media adv.  Valid NY DL.  See full posting and apply to www.cablevision.jobs req 9911BR   (10/31)

JOB OPENING: VP AND MGR DEVELOPMENT/ LA based production co. specializing in unscripted programming (2 Positions): Great opportunity w/ competitive salaries. VP req’s 3+yrs exp.Res. and/or bio with references: to [email protected] (10/30)

JOB OPENING: MGR RSRCH & SALES DVLP/Disney Media Sales/NYC 5+ yrs exp sales rsrch & mkting, creation of materials, rsrch for cross platform ops, must be able translate numbers into strat mktg msges, www.disneyabcjobs.com req 210693 (10/30)

JOB OPENING:  PROMO PRODUCER/Universal Sports/LA, conceptualize/write/produce on-air promos, 5+yrs exp. as a producer, sports and edit exp a+.  Send to: [email protected]  (10/30)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/West Nyack, NY: Seeks AE for local ad sales.1-3 yrs ad sales exp. pref cable tv, radio, e-media adv. Valid NY DL. See full posting and apply to www.cablevision.jobs req 9887BR (10/29)

JOB OPENING: PROGRAM ACQUISITIONS MANAGER/Films Media Group/Princeton, NJ: 3+ yrs exp in acq; strong knwlg of factual prgmng & distrib; solid industry contacts; self-starter & deal-maker. MA a +. Email [email protected] EOE (10/28)

JOB OPENING: PUBLICIST / Cartoon Network & Adult Swim/Atlanta: 3+ yrs PR exp. Ent/TV PR exp. a plus. Must have excellent writing, pitching, comm. skills. Submit resume to: [email protected] (10/27)

INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. These ads are always posted for free , and students work for school credit only. For more information on the specs for posting an Internship ad, email Trish at [email protected] .

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED …  There is no charge for placing your Situation Wanted ad … for more information contact Trish Pihonak at [email protected]

SITUATION WANTED: Former NTWRK PUBLICIST looking for FT, freelance or PT work. I have more than 10 yrs exp in brdcst and syndicated TV publicity with strong relationships with nat’l and reg’l ent & business press.  Email:  [email protected] (10/31)

SITUATION WANTED: DIGITAL VP+ Emmy-winning digital media innovator and seasoned exec, with 8 yrs experience at MTVN/Nickelodeon Online, 15 yrs in industry. Willing to relocate. Contact: [email protected] Resume: http://bit.ly/2oisVO (10/30)

SITUATION WANTED: Extremely detail oriented PRODUCTION MANAGER with 18+ years experience able to handle several projects simultaneously in a fast paced environment. Possess strong interpersonal skills. Email: [email protected] (10/29)

SITUATION WANTED: FIELD PROD/WRITER/DIR NY/LA Award-winning, TV & digital. 8+ years experience in documentary, infotainment, interstitial & more. Fast, fun, “gets it.” Email: [email protected] (10/29)

SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE BUDGETS –Very experienced LP/EIC has experience with all formats Feature, Variety, Docu-Soap, Game Show, Scripted, Competition/Elimination-very reasonable rates. [email protected] (10/29)

SITUATION WANTED: MKT RSRCHR (NYC): 5 yrs. rsrch/data analysis/report generation exp, with 2 yr. focus on eye tracking tech. Worked w/ MTV, FOX, NBC and Google. Contact: [email protected]. http://sites.google.com/site/davidglynnresume/ (10/29)

SITUATION WANTED: TRAFFIC MANAGER with 13 years exp seeks position in Radio/TV/Online or traffic software in NY/NJ. [email protected] (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: Recent deaf college grad looking to gain experience in MEDIA/ADVERTISING . Former star on a hit prime-time TV show, Amazing Race, past this year that would like to break into the field. Email: [email protected] (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: WHATCHA GOT?: Hardworking. Smart. Fast. Thorough. Great writer. Media Relations. I do it all. Excellently. Whatever it takes to get the job done. No job too demeaning (except sales). NY/NJ [email protected] (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: MEDIA SALES/MARKETING MANAGER/LA: 15+ years experience in educational, documentary, advertising media sales.Familiar with SEO,SEM protocols. [email protected] (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: ASSOCIATE PRODUCER (L.A.), 10+ years production experience, including reality, scripted, post production, game shows, live shows, location shoots. Valid passport  willing to travel. [email protected] (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: VETERAN PRODUCER OF WEB, REALITY AND SCRIPTED TELEVISION seeks an in-house producing career with a marketing, advertising or media-buying agency. Please email: [email protected] Online Resume: www.greggmoscot.com (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: EIC/LINE PRODUCER with 10+ yrs exp. Variety, Docu-Reality, Game Show, Scripted, Competition/Elimination- Mngd biz of Prod. Co’s. for major TV & cable nets. Looking for next project. [email protected] (10/27)

SITUATION WANTED: Extremely detail oriented PRODUCTION MANAGER with 18+ years experience able to handle several projects simultaneously in a fast paced environment. Possess strong interpersonal skills. Email: [email protected] (10/27)

SITUATION WANTED: FIELD PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/NYC:8 yrs exp in reality & docs. Local & Int’l prod. Strong story teller. Exp w/ Sony Z-1U & V-1. Bi-lingual (Eng & Span) CREDITS: Bravo, History, Discovery [email protected] (10/27)

SITUATION WANTED: COORDINATOR/RESEARCHER/AP/EDUCATION MEDIA/NYC: 3+ yrs. exp. PBS, CNBC, Oprah, documentaries, kids media, production, research. Highly organized & detail-oriented. Seeking FT/PT or freelance. [email protected] ( (10/27)

SITUATION WANTED: CAMERA OPERATOR/LA Based… MTV, TRUTV, ABC, Watch my reel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxsrcWAvvKw . Contact email: [email protected] (10/27)

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