Cynopsis: DIGITAL

03/19/09

Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 19, 2009, and this is your first early morning digital briefing. 

Software giant IBM is in talks to acquire Sun Microsystems in blockbuster deal valued at nearly $7 billion, reports The NYTimes. Sun, which counts General Electric and GM Corp. among its customers, would strengthen IBM’s top mover status in the computer server business – a market that topped $50 billion last year globally. IBM had a 31.4% share of the market last year; H-P was second with 29.5%, Dell was third with 11.6% and Sun ranked fourth, at 10.6%, according to the research firm IDC.
 

 
Time Inc.‘s stable of sites including Time.com, SI.com, CNN Money.com and EW.com will begin adopting the Wall Street Journal strategy of mixing free and paid content, per Alley Insider. Time has had its share of hits online – the SoBe-sponsored SI Swimsuit video montage generated more than 22 million views this year – but depressed banner ad sales across the industry is putting pressure on large publishers to makeup for the shortfall in revenue.
 
Comcast Interactive Media SVP Karin Gilford spoke of launching a service dubbed On-Demand Online this year to provide cable subscribers with access to premium video content, at a conference produced by VideoNuze and NATPE on Tuesday night, per Multichannel. She also described the practice of “cord-cutting,” relying on the net for all video, as more of a theoretical idea than a real trend.
 
PBS Kids Go! expanded its video player capabilities to include new in-video gaming on pbskidsgo.org. In video games designed to foster learning comprehension among the site’s targeted 6-8 demo have been added to shows such as Arthur, Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman and Wordgirl.
 
History.com experienced the luck of the Irish yesterday, attracting the second-highest number of visits ever to its St. Patrick’s Day minisite – up 25% year-on-year, (second only to last year’s Valentine’s Day site.)
 
The first episode of Harper’s Globe interactive web series debuted on the EQAL-produced site – the online companion to CBS’ upcoming prime time TV series Harper’s Island.
 

 
Cambridge, MA-based LoudCrowd attempts to meld the worlds of online radio and social networking. LoudCrowd provides a constant stream of new music while offering an evolving and connected series of music-themed games with friends. Through synchronous game play and interaction with others, users can earn virtual goods for use within the site, including music tracks that can be collected and customized for group play lists.
 
Then there’s Mooch (great name), which as build a peer-to-peer video game trading site just launched in public beta. Instead of exchanging used titles at their local GameStop for a fraction of the original price, users can enter a list of the games they have as well as the games they want and the site’s trading engine identifies potential trades based on the commensurate value of each title. The site is free to use during its beta but will require an annual $20 subscription fee upon launch.
 
Premiering tonight: Web series Hometown Baghdad, which chronicles the daily experiences and testimonies of three Baghdad university students, is premiering on Sundance Channel at 11:30p. It’s part of a trio of programs to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the war.
 
Self-publishing site Bookrix introduced a new Print-On-Demand program allowing top users to have their works published for free. From now until May 17, Bookrix.com will provide free printing to any user who collects 75 user reviews. The Bookrix Print-On-Demand winners will have their work published, be given an official ISBN number and will receive 5 personal copies of their printed book for free. Bookrix has partnered with the Worldwide Alliance of Writers to publish all books for the program.
 
Musicians Akon and Peter Buffett will perform live at the United Nations “Breaking the Silence, Beating the Drum” slave trade commemoration on March 25 to promote the re-launch their social action website IsThereSomethingICanDo.com, powered by cause-themed social networking platform YourCause.com.

 
Online video ad network Vdopia has utilized its video ad serving expertise to develop a video brand advertising solution for the iPhone. The idea is simple – serve video ads to users during the 5-10 seconds they’re waiting for a new app to download, with tap-able links enabling the user to view more video or request more info. The solution includes an analytics platform that measures the reach of both the ads and the apps themselves, including engagement and return visits. Founder Srikanth Kakani says early discussion with brand advertisers (including retail, fast food, travel and “a couple of cable TV networks,” have proven fruitful and that there is a pent up demand among developers for a way to monetize their apps besides charging for them. “Until now brand advertisers have had to rely on investing significant dollars in developing in their own apps,” said Srikanth. “But this model just isn’t scalable because there’s a huge risk you won’t find a sustained audience.”
 

 
Mobile technology provider Azuki Systems is working with action sports site GO211.com to provide live video streams from the Burton U.S. Open Snowboarding Championship at Vermont’s Stratton Mountain, beginning Saturday. Azuki will provide a mobile extension of GO211.com’s community, blogging and video features, including live snackable streaming of GO211.com events.
 

 
Spending by small and medium-sized businesses on “non-advertising” marketing will more than triple over the next five years to $1.63 billion as local companies invest in their websites according to a new report from Borrell Associates. Interactive ad spending including display, search and email will grow more incrementally, however, increasing by only 10% in the next five years to $7.5 billion.
 
The total U.K. online video viewing audience has grown 10% during the past year to 29.6 million among unique viewers age 15 and older, according to ComScore. YouTube enjoys a 4-1 advantage in terms of uniques while public broadcaster The BBC outdrew the rest of the field. The BBC also led all other broadcasters in terms of videos viewed with over a 50% market share. Over 80% of the total U.K. Internet audience viewed online video in Jan. with the total U.K. online video viewing audience watching a combined 280 million hours of video content. Another 4.8 million U.K. mobile phone subscribers used their phones to watch TV or video.
 
Top U.K. Online Video Properties Ranked by Total Uniques (000) Jan. 09 vs. Jan. 08
    Property                           Jan-2008    Jan-2009     % Change
    Total Internet Audience         26,806      29,574          10%
    Google Sites                         20,679      23,664          14%
    YouTube.com                        20,042      23,523          17%
    BBC Sites                                5,746       6,771          18%
    Microsoft Sites                         4,963       4,344         -12%
    Facebook.com                         1,489       3,582         140%
    Yahoo! Sites                            3,402       2,998         -12%
    Amazon Sites                           1,620       2,945          82%
    Fox Interactive Media               3,829       2,587         -32%
    AOL LLC                                      N/A       2,198         N/A
    Megavideo.com                            800       2,189         174%
    Metacafe                                   1,835       1,940           6%
Source: comScore Video Metrix. Rankings based on video content sites; excludes video server networks. Online video includes both streaming and progressive download video. Excludes Internet activity from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
 
Top 5 U.K. Television Broadcasters Ranked by Videos Viewed Online January 2009
                                           Share of Videos Viewed on Big 5
   Property                       Videos (000)      Broadcaster Sites
    Big 5 Broadcasters             99,548             100.0%
    BBC Sites                          54,455              54.7%
    Channel 4                         23,724              23.8%
    ITV Sites                           13,527              13.6%
    Sky Sites                            6,764                6.8%
    Five.tv                                1,078                1.1%
Source: comScore Video Metrix, Rankings based on total videos viewed on sites of top 5 traditional U.K. Television broadcasters. Excludes Internet activity from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.
   
In the U.S. three of the four flagship smartphones (the Apple iPhone, the HTC G1 and the Blackberry Storm ranked as the top revenue drivers on their respective sites, despite being ranked just inside the top ten models in terms of unit volume, according to data from ComScore‘s e-commerce dashboard. Yet discounts and specials continued to drive the highest handset volume with the highest sales coming from free or nearly free deals.
 

                                                                                    
Music licensee The Orchard announced a broad iPhone Apps program allowing artist and label clients to socially connect with their fans. The Orchard is working with Mobile Roadie developer Fluidesign to power the service, which provides news, track purchasing and social networking features for individual bands. Vice Music’s Black Lips is the first band to launch an app on the platform.
 
Hoops fans should check out the 99 cent iPhone app PocketBracket, a new app that enables you to manage multiple tournament brackets you’re involved in and keep track of results, stats and game scores from a central location.
 
Online video media center application Boxee launched an iPhone remote app that turns your iPhone/iPod touch into a boxee remote. It makes navigation and text input a breeze using the iPhone’s touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard.
 
Popular free internet radio app Pandora launched version for Blackberry yesterday.
 

 
Google has named five-year company veteran Dennis Woodside as its new VP for Americas Operations, replacing the outgoing Tim Armstrong who just took the top job at AOL. He will ease into the job in the coming weeks.
 
Chris Rohrs, President of the Television Bureau of Advertising, will depart the organization at the end of 2009, ending a 10-year run as head of the association. A search committee is being formed to identify replacement candidates and choose a successor.
 
London-based IPTV firm AmberFin has appointed former VCI Solutions sales executive Jay Batista as President of its new Americas operation, based in Burbank, CA.
 
Online video ad network TidalTV moved biz dev VP Steven Sackey to VP, National Advertising Sales at TidalTV, reporting directly to Scott Ferber, Founder and CEO. He will oversee national advertising sales for the TidalTV online video advertising network. TidalTV also hired Brad Phillips as Sales Account Executive, reporting to Brian Danzis, VP of National Advertising Sales.
 
Away-from-home TV provider IdeaCast hired Eric Osipow as VP/Midwest Sales reporting to Jason Brown, President of Sales & Marketing. Eric will be based in Chicago and will manage IdeaCast’s Midwest sales team.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CTAM

 
The real social networking battle is being fought over ease of integration and Facebook has made terrific strides with its Facebook Connect initiative. MySpace stepped to the plate yesterday with the introduction of its own identity platform MySpaceID, allowing any website to access the MySpace social graph – thus enabling third party sites to pull in a member’s full profile to support streaming of user activities. Members can login securely to third-party sites without sharing their MySpace credentials, and developers can build a two-click process to make the transition from casual visitor to member seamless. MySpace has also partnered with Yahoo to support MySpaceID login directly from the Yahoo homepage, an alliance that could prove to be invaluable if fully exploited.

Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
03.19.09

Cynopsis Digital Ad Sales:
Chuck Bolkcom – 646-468-6180 / [email protected]
Mark Bohn- 203-583-1224 / mark@cynopsis. com
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 / [email protected]

To subscribe to any Cynopsis edition(s) click here . 
To unsubscribe , click here or click the button at the end of this email.

Cyn opsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here    .
JOB OPENING: BET/NY/ ADSALES-EXEC ASST: 5+yrs. exp. Must be det. oriented & have ability to multi-task in fast paced environment. Proficient in MS Word/Excel/PP. Exc oral/written skills. Email: [email protected] (3/25)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE PROMOTION COORDINATOR, INT’L MKT SVCS /AETN, NY: Coordinating promo materials. Strong communication, flexibility & org skills. Basic editing(Final Cut Pro). Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (3/25)

JOB OPENING: VP PRODUCTION/Discovery/MD: Focus on specials and series. Req editorial interest and proven exp from a domestic cable network. 10+ yrs exp in film or video documentary. Apply: www.discovery.com/careers #8845 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: BRAND RESEARCH MANAGER/ DIY NETWORK/ Knoxville, TN: Develops, analyzes, & interprets research. 5 yrs exp in market research at a TV network/ studio. Nielsen exp required. www.scrippsnetwroks.com #388 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC, AFFIL SALES/MKTG/WWE/Stamford CT: Seeks for distribution of all products to implement marketing, P.O.S. &community relations campaigns. Must have 3+ yrs experience & willingness to travel www.wwe-careers.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIR AUD DEV/BBC/NY: Grow mkt BBC online news. Dev traf-driving initvs, cons mktg, prtnrshp mngmnt. Anlyz traf & usage pttrns, mng synd rltnshps, up 3rd party links to bbc.com news cont. www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: RSRCH ANALYST/BBC/Miami: Rsrch for Programming & ad sales. Maintain rsrch sales systems, track performance of shows, monitor industry trends. 2+ yrs exp. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: GRP REPORTING MGR/BBC/NYC: Prod, consolidation & reporting for BBCWW. Set acct’g policies, analyze & challenge perf., improve process, ensure fin. control maintained. CPA pref’d. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: SALES DIR/BBC/NYC: 5+ yrs exp mng sales team, solid sales track record, media licensing exp, direct selling. Est & imp strat, mng sales pipeline, lead team to grow biz. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL NTWRK OPS MGR/BBC/NYC: ensure dig ad campaigns supported & trafficked. Set-up, insert orders & comm discrepancies. Analyze success of campaigns & relay to ad sales team. Apply: www.bbcamerica.com/employment.jsp (3/21)

JOB OPENING: SR ACCT EXEC/ACCT DIR Out-of Home media sales/NY: 5+ yrs nat’l sales exp w/clients & advrtsng agencies strat. plan’g groups. Proven track rec of new bus/acct dvlpmnt req’d. Exp w/Youth mkt a + Res to: [email protected] (3/21)

JOB OPENING: MGR/SPIKE MOVE STUDIO PRODUCTION/MTV/NYC: Promo production for movie studios. 3-5 yrs exp. in production & mktg. Passion for movies and exp with talent. Dynamic personality, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, INTEGRATED CONTENT & BREAK STRATEGY/MD: Work with Programming/Development, Ad Sales, Marketing& Digital for TLC. 8+ yrs in sales is required. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8817 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR – OPERATIONS/LA: work with special projects relating to new business development with TLC. 5+ yrs in buds. dev.& production required. Apply: http://corporate.discovery.com/careers/ #8836 (3/21)

JOB OPENING: MKTG MGR/General Electric/NY: Responsible for working w/NBC & msnbc.com’s sales team to dvlp sales prgrms & mktg solutions. Apply: https://sjobs.brassring.com/1033/ASP/TG/cim_jobdetail.asp?partnerid=54&siteid=5346&oreq=1022190   (3/21)

JOB OPENING: EXEC ASSISTANT, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT/MTV/NYC: 2+yrs exp. Exec Assist, Strg org/detail skills, Superior Cust. Service, Strng comm/comp skills, Able to prioritize/Meet deadlines EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/20)

JOB OPENING: RSRCH PROJECT MGR/CNN/ATL: Supporting Strat Mktg & On-Air Promo w/ ability to translate raw data into useable & actionable insights. Solid media math skills/5+ yrs. brdcst and/or cable TV Apply: [email protected] (3/20)

JOB OPENING: SR. COUNSEL, BUSINESS & LEGAL AFFAIRS/NY: Negotiate production, programming & talent agreements for AMC NETWORK. L.A. Contacts, JD & 8+ yrs ent law experience required / M&A exp a +.  [email protected] (3/19)

JOB OPENING: OFFICE MGR/MGM AD SALES/NY: Mng all aspects of A/R including prep of wkly & monthly accounting reports. Provide sales & admin support to dept. Back up Sales Plan & Traffic Mgrs. Apply www.MGM.jobs #6440 (3/19)

JOB OPENING: TRAFFIC MGR/MGM AD SALES/NY: Resp for proper plcemnt of commercials & copy assgnmnt. Mng prod & reconcil of logs. Liaise betw Ad Agncies, Sls, Mktg & Prog depts to gather fitting copy materials. Apply www.MGM.jobs #6441 (3/19)

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] .

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: MARKETING/Urtak.com: user-generated public opinion site. Resp: Prdct dev, mkt expansion, corp svcs, for innovative startup. Work remotely, w/ few meetings in NYC. ~35hrs/wk. Send cv & CL to [email protected] (3/19)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PROGRAMMER/Urtak.com: user-generated public opinion site. Resp: prgrm’ing & user interface design for innovative startup. RubyOnRails exp. Work remotely, w/ few NYC meetings. ~35hr/wk. Send cv&CL to [email protected] (3/19)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  Doc production co. seeks exp’d, orgnzd & energetic JRS/SRS. Driven to gain exp in fast-paced envir. Pls specify “dvlpmnt” or “prod” in app. Resp. incl office, shoot, & post-prod & dvlpmnt asst. Email [email protected] (3/19)

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: MKTG /ON-AIR: Fox Reality Channel-LA – summer intern for mktg & on-air production. 30-40 hrs/wk. Majors: Mktg, Adv, PR/Comm, TV/Film. Skills: Writing & computer; On-Air Pro/Avid a plus. [email protected] (3/26)
 
SITUATION WANTED: STORY DOCTOR: Is your Post Beast screaming to be fed? Or is it clogged with scripts that can’t be cut? 20+ years crafting nonfic series, specials, sizzles and web content. Contact: [email protected] (LA) (3/26)

SITUATION WANTED: DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER, DIRECTOR, WRITER in L.A. Credits: National Geo, PBS, Discovery, History CH, TLC and MSNBC. Contact email: [email protected] (3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: OFFICE PA OR EXEC ASST /NY: 3 yrs exp in customer service working at CBS. Former intern at film & talent agencies. Working knwldg of media industry. Creative, reliable, and a team player. E-mail: [email protected] (3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: INTERN IN MEDIA/ THEATRE: Seeks work in Film / Theatre in NYC. Theatre and Media Studies at ScrippsCollege. Work experience in communications. Email: [email protected] (3/21)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING/PROMOTIONS/Boston: Marketing/promotions professional seeks television, web marketing, social networking focused position. Experienced in international markets. Creative + will travel. [email protected] (3/21)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203.926.9878 for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Are you looking for a job? Post your Situation Wanted Ad here — Email [email protected] for specs.

Cynopsis Media LLC
One Corporate Drive, Suite 724
Shelton, CT 06484
203.926.9878

All outgoing e-mails are scanned and sent out virus free. Copyright Cynopsis 2009