A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM VIDEONUZE and NATPE

Cynopsis: DIGITAL

03/05/09

Good morning, it’s Thursday, March 5, 2009, and this is your first early morning digital briefing. 

Yet another set-top-box content service has emerged. A start-up called Zillion.tv has lined up agreements with Disney, 20th Century Fox Television, NBC Universal, Sony Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution to offer 1,500 on-demand movies and shows delivered directly to the television set via a broadband-connected box build using Hillcrest Labs technology. (Hillcrest built the user interface and the system’s Wii-like motion sensor remote that allows users to access bugs across the entire screen.) Zillion will partners directly with ISPs and content providers to offer a triple threat model, allowing viewers to choose between free addressable ad-supported content, rentals, or download-to-own titles depending upon what options are offered by each content owner tied to each specific program. (For example, television content from NBC Universal will be available via “buy to own.”) Purporting to deliver iTV features the MSOs have so slow to develop, Zillion will also make money with interactive and t-commerce options allowing viewers to request additional info or purchase products directly from the set top. There’s even a rewards program – the more commercials viewers watch, the more points they earn.
 

 
Showtime is making full use of the iPhone this year thanks to a new partnership with mobile video vendor Transpera, beginning with making screeners of its original shows available to Emmy voters on the device this spring. Full episodes of Weeds, Dexter and United States of Tara will be available to Academy members by entering a passcode. (ATAS members can also view them online again this year through a Brightcove-powered members only site. An ad-supported public Showtime app is also on the way.
 
NBC Local Media (a.k.a. NBC’s local O&Os) will launch a new digital multiplex channel on Monday Mar. 9 in the 5.7 million-household New York market with carriage agreements in place w/Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, Comcast and other outlying providers. In addition to local news and weather updates every 15 minutes, “New York Nonstop” will have a lifestyle bent, featuring local entertainment, fashion, and cultural coverage along with event programming from the Big Apple. The channel’s signature program will be an expanded one-hour version of New York Nightly News anchored by News 4 co-anchor Chuck Scarborough, airing each night at 7 pm.
 
Hearst-Argyle Television announced a new user-generated content initiative utilizing the KickApps video player and widget platform to power a “u local” feature on its local station sites. Local residents can upload photos and videos on breaking news, weather, politics, school activity, and sports, which will be incorporated on the Internet Broadcasting-managed station sites. The feature went live on the WMUR site in Manchester, NH in Dec. 2008.
 
No need to wait to watch Sean Penn play Harvey Milk on VOD. NBC Universal announced it will make Oscar winner Milk available as a video-on-demand and pay-per-view offering day-and-date with the DVD and Blu-ray release on March 10.
 

 
Video sharing site Dailymotion signed another content deal, this time with indie film distributor Cinetic Rights Management. The agreement will bring one exclusive, full-length feature film to Dailymotion each quarter, beginning with the Independent Spirit Award-winning film, “The Order of the Myths,” which was streamed on the site over the Oscar award weekend. 
 
Sports news start-up National Football Post was selected by Yahoo! Sports to be a content partner for the upcoming 2009 NFL Draft to provide news, commentary and analysis.
 
Automotive video programmer/social networking portal WheelsTV launched a mobile site based on Azuki Systems technology.
 
Call for Content: Digital Rights Group and Filmaka are sponsoring a short film competition around the theme of Hard Times (not to be confused with the Walter Hill Depression-era movie, but you get the idea.) DRG is offering the winners the opportunity to turn their winning 3-minute entry into a long running TV series or movie or an ongoing internet series. Entries are due by midnight PST on April 19.

 
Virgin Mobile USA has launched a multi-tiered branding campaign with NYC-based agency Toy NY to promote greater customer control over mobile billing and costs. The group is integrating mobile device tie-ins including text-to-screen communications at concerts, ringtone downloads and streaming video clips with Britney Spears’ comeback “Circus” tour. The campaign also includes co-branded pages on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter.
 

 
Hulu really seems to be drawing a line in the sand for third-party developers. After pulling its content from the popular Boxee content portal, Hulu as now disabled video playback on the open source client-based desktop app MyMediaPlayer2, according to an open letter from developer Paul Yanez, who claims Hulu was disabled just 4 hours after the app was profiled in TechCrunch. The Adobe Air-based application, which utilized Hulu’s RSS feeds to pull a selection of movies and TV shows from Hulu with the ads attached, set out to expand Hulu’s availability to multiple OS’s, media players and devices while added increased functionality such as an integration with Twitter enabling micro-blogging during full-episode streaming. 
 

 
The podcasting audience continues to grow at a healthy clip according to the latest eMarketer figures. As a percentage of internet users, podcast downloaders will grow from 9% in 2008 to 17% in 2013 to 37.6 million users. The number goes up significantly when cross-referenced with users who make purchases on the internet according to a PriceGrabber survey, which found that 50% of online buyers also listened to podcasts.
 

                                                                                    
This one is a must have for iPhone users who like the idea of the Kindle but just don’t have an extra $360 lying around. Amazon has launched a free iPhone app that offers access the 240,000+ titles at the kindlestore and imitates the functionality of its own e-reader, allowing you to scroll across the text, add bookmarks, jump to different sections of the book or article or even sync between devices so you can pick up where you left off reading. (Bravo to Amazon for not fearing cannibalization here – now is time to grow the e-reading public and this is the best way to accomplish that goal.)
 
Zumboi, maker of the REI snow conditions app, has launched a new free pro basketball application for the iPhone providing real-time scores, stats, standing and news from the NBA. Other hoops apps include the NBA Now app from InGameNow, which allows users to comment on the games while they’re going on, and the NBA All Star app from Turner Sports (powered by Orb), which offered live streaming of events from All Star weekend as well as taped coverage of the game itself from 4 different camera angels.
 
Following up on its TV.com app, CBS Interactive launched of a GameSpot’s site optimized for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch, offering GameSpot reviews, news, blogs and exclusive video interviews.
 
Chicago-based digital arts school Flashpoint Academy is placing percussONE, a student game production created by Flashpoint students Justin Moore and Joshua Hernandez, on the Xbox Live Community Games section for download by the gaming community at large. The Flashpoint Academy Game Development Department is headed by award winning game developer, Simeon Peebler.
 
In yet more gaming news Hand-On Mobile released a version of Activision’s popular Guitar Hero World Tour for Android devices.
 

 
MySpace‘s COO Amit Kapur, SVP Product Strategy Steve Pearman and SVP Engineering Jim Benedetto are leaving the company to start a new start-up. All three will remain on board for the time being to ensure a smooth transition. 
 
Former director of the Yahoo Publisher Network Jennifer Vescio has been named VP/Business Development of CBS Interactive reporting to EVP/Strategy & Corporate Development Mike Marquez. Jennifer will oversee the business development and acquisition strategy for the CBS Interactive Technology, Business and News brands, including CNET, CNET News.com, CBS News, BNET and its newest initiative Moneywatch (scheduled to launch in mid-March).
 
Former Platform A sales executive Inna Kern has been named VP/Sales Marketing of iVillage Networks, reporting directly to Jodi Kahn, EVP in New York. Inna is responsible for overseeing the strategic, tactical and creative implementation of advertising sales marketing initiatives across the iVillage Network.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM THE CABLE SHOW ’09

The Cable Show ’09 presents exclusive sessions featuring top cable and advertising industry leaders discussing the progression and promise of a new generation of advertising platforms.  With programming co-produced by Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau and industry experts including David Verklin, CEO of Canoe Ventures, The Cable Show 09 features an advertising-rich track you can’t afford to miss.

 
Social networking supernova Facebook laid out plans for its next new wave of features designed to give users more control of the flow of information on their profile pages. In some ways the platform has become a victim of its own success and users have been asking for more control over the experience. An overhaul to Facebook’s news feed feature will enable friend updates to happen instantaneously instead of refreshing every 10-15 minutes and new filters will enable users to modulate the flow to focus on important contacts or remove folks from your feed who may have diarrhea of the post. Beginning yesterday Facebook has also updated it Pages features for organizations and public figures, allowing what were once static profiles to share status updates, videos, photos etc. in the same way friends do, delivering these updates to members’  news feeds.
 
While we’re on the subject, we’d like to welcome our readers to the new Cynopsis Group page on Facebook, which will give early-birders a look at tomorrow’s headlines and Classified Job Openings a few hours before the newsletters go out. It’s an open group so any Facebook member is free to join or invite others to join.  Click on Groups, search for Cynopsis and you’re in!  We’ll be waiting for you …

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM HOROWITZ ASSOCIATES

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Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
03.05.09

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]

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Cynopsis CLASSIFIEDS – For More classifieds, visit the Cynopsis.com classifieds page here   .

JOB OPENING: PUBLICIST/SR PUBLICIST/MTV/NYC: 3+yrs exp. in TV PR including pitching/story placemnt, events, knwlg online press; Progrming focused; Strng writ/oral comm. skills, EOE/M/F/D/AAP. Apply www.mtvncareers.com (3/12)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/FISHKILL 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 8247BR (3/12)

JOB OPENING: MGR INT’L FINANCE/A&E Television Networks/NY: Acctg & fin reporting, budgeting, forecast, analysis. BS/Acctg; CPA + 3 yrs Pub Acctg. Media 7 entertainment exp in multinational. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers.html (3/10)

JOB OPENING: HR RECRUITER/Flashpoint Academy/CHI: Seek employ opps nationwide; film/TV prod, video game dvlpmnt, animation/special effects, recording arts & science, & dig. mktg ind. Creative field exp pref’d. Res: [email protected] (3/7)

JOB OPENING: ONLINE MKTG MGR/MusicChoice/NY: Resp for mgmt of content/mktg assets on website. Create/execute online mktg plans. 5+ yrs online exp required. Prefer exp w/12-24 demo.  [email protected] (3/7)

JOB OPENING: DIR NAT ACCTS/LA/Lifetime: Dist products & services w/aff cable/sat/telco/max dist to ntwrk & ntwrk media. 5+ yrs sles/cbl & new media sales pref’d. http://www.mylifetime.com/about-us/apply-jobs (3/7)

JOB OPENING: ON AIR MEDIA COORD/LA/Lifetime: Asst developing/sched’g, media plans/prfcnt onair pro, etc/liaison btw groups/BA, BS, equiv. http://www.mylifetime.com/about-us/apply-jobs (3/7)

JOB OPENING:  PROD/DIR /Jupiter Entertainment /Knoxville: Conceptualize, prd/dir a hosted pilot. Strong point of view; exp working w/ talent in challenging envir. Deliver high qual prgrmng on cable budget. Reel/res: [email protected]   (3/7)

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: BLOGGER/Picture Earth/NY:Writer(s) sought for EarthFromAboveUSA.com‘s blog, launching April. Relevant degree or experience required. For school credit and/or bylines.Apply: [email protected] (3/12)

SUMMER INTERNSHIP/CREDITS ONLY: Discovery Channel is seeking a summer intern with an interest in PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT/PRODUCTION. School credit required/ unpaid. Email:  [email protected] (3/12)

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: PRODUCTION MAKEUP ARTIST (NY) Over 20 years experience including keying top-rated network and cable tv shows, print, and film. Creative, competitive rates. Email: [email protected] (3/12)

SITUATION WANTED: DIR, STANDARDS & PRACTICES: Over 20 yrs exp of editing TV shows & theatricals for acceptable airing. Available on a FT basis and can also contract out to work project by project. E-mail: [email protected] (3/12)

SITUATION WANTED: WRITER (LA, NY): Comedy writer with experience at MTV, SNL, VH1, Fox, The Onion. F/T, P/T, freelance. Contact [email protected] (3/12)

SITUATION WANTED: MEDIA BUYER/LA Based: 14+ years exp, seeking full time permanent/freelance projects. Radio and tv experience. Experience includes entertainment, retail, auto, fast food, supermarket. Email: [email protected] (3/11)

SITUATION WANTED: TONY NOM. B’WAY PROD/THEATRE CONSULT/ACQUIS. & DEV./NYC: 30+ yrs exp. in theatre. Superb theatre/film/TV contacts seeks FT or Consulting Position w/Studio/Prod Co. looking for properties. Contact: [email protected] (3/11)

SITUATION WANTED: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Extensive creative directing experience in cross platform integrated marketing/advertising, television promotion, and digital production. Will travel. Fly Me!! [email protected] (3/11)

SITUATION WANTED: SALES MANAGER/BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT (Chicago): 24 yrs experience w/broadcast & cable seeks digital, OOH, emerging opportunities. Great communicator, solid relationships. Innovative & creative! [email protected] (3/11)

SITUATION WANTED: BUSINESS CONTINUITY/CRISIS MANAGEMENT/NYC: 5yrs production exp, 2yrs BCP exp. Crisis management for ent. industry, masters degree educated. F/T, P/T, freelance. Contact: [email protected] (3/11)

SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE PUBLICIST 27 years experience in entertainment, personality, business PR creating & delivering campaigns on a range of clients. Will travel. Contact: [email protected] (3/10)

SITUATION WANTED: FREELANCE or Full-time MEDIA BUYER w/ over 25 yrs of buying exp. is newly available. Seeking F/T or Freelance wk from your office or my home (New York based) Please contact me @ [email protected]  (3/10)

SITUATION WANTED: OFFICE OR SET PA/PERSONAL ASSNT/LA:3 yrs. exp, creative, well organized, pays attention, catches on quick. Will travel + can start asap. email: [email protected] 323.605.2086 (3/6)

SITUATION WANTED: PROD. (TV, Print, Multimedia): Live/taped/field, booking, writing, editing, casting, on-camera, PR. News, biz, finance, entertainment, health, beauty, fashion & lifestyle. [email protected] (3/6)

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.

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