Cynopsis: DIGITAL

08/31/10

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, August 31, 2010, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.  If you would like to read this or any other Cynopsis edition online, click here. 

Taking the advice of competitors and consumer advocate groups, the Justice Dept. is considering placing restrictions on how Comcast can distribute online video as a condition of its acquisition of NBC Universal, reports the WSJ. Rivals have argued that a merged Comcast/NBCU would have the power to restrict access to NBCU content to non-subscribers by making exclusive deals. Current regulations require diversified cable companies to make programming they own available to rival distributors at the market rate but no such restrictions yet exist governing broadband video distribution.
 

 
Google is negotiating with major studios to launch a PPV online video service by the end of the year placing it in direct competition with Apple‘s iTunes (which has a major announcement to make on Wed.), per the FT. YouTube first began offering rental movies in Jan. as part of an experiment with the Sundance Film Festival.
 
Tribune is launching a new multicast digital broadcast network featuring classic TV shows and movies such as All In The Family, Sanford and Son and Three’s Company. Antenna TV will hit the airwaves on Tribune’s owned-and-operated stations from Jan. 2011 and the company is also shopping the network to out-of-market affiliates.
 
YouTube announced it will begin streaming Major League Baseball games on its Japan site for free. The remaining 5 weeks of games will be available on the MLB.com Global Channel (available only in Japan) within 36 hours after they’re played, with highlight packages and summaries put together to profile the performances of the league’s Japanese players.
 
Extending its sports streaming acumen to tennis, CBSSports.com is dramatically expanding its live streaming coverage of the U.S. Open this year, deciding to provide free live video access of the entire CBS Sports broadcast. Over 37 hours of live tennis can be seen on both CBSSports.com and USopen.org from Saturday, Sept. 4. ESPN3.com will also feature coverage of the tournament via live and demand streaming as well as an online simulcast of cable channel ESPN 2.
 

 
You know the old adage – if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. News Corp.’s MySpace has broken down and introduced a new sync service with Facebook and Twitter, allowing members to cross-post status updates and share content between platforms.
 
Google made another social networking-related purchase, acquiring mobile gaming start-up SocialDeck, creator of the popular “Shake & Spell” and “Pet Hero” apps for the BlackBerry, iPhone and Facebook. SocialDeck’s “Spark” platform enables players using different smartphone and social networking platforms to compete with each other.
 

 
Alloy Entertainment, the group that created the LG Mobile-sponsored web series “Haute & Bothered,” is teaming with Kmart to launch a Back To School-themed web series for teens. Premiering today, First Day will appear through Alloy’s ad network with an interactive retail component baked into each episode. Kmart will “hotspot” its fashions throughout the series, enabling viewers to buy the inspired looks worn by the lead characters by clicking on a direct link to the products on the Kmart website. The series stars Tracey Fairaway from Make it or Break It and Elizabeth McLaughlin from Ugly Betty and The Clique.
 
YouTube also introduced some upgrades to its Video Targeting Tool, which helps advertisers manage their video campaigns. The tool will now allow video and channel exclusions as a way for advertisers to pick specific YouTube videos and channel URLs that they don’t want their ads to appear on.
 

 
Just before a government ban was to be imposed on BlackBerry devices in India, Research in Motion struck a deal giving the company at least two more months to operate. RIM has agreed to give security officials “lawful access” to encrypted data while the government reviews RIM’s security proposals over the next 60 days, per the AP. An estimated 1 million BlackBerry users would be affected by a ban in India.
 
Intel has acquired the wireless assets from German semiconductor vendor Infineon for $1.4 billion, a mobile solutions provider Intel has worked with for several years. Intel gains the company’s existing cellular modem business as well as research made into future products, including 4G (LTE) modem technology. 
 
In a bid to help developers more easily create mobile apps for multiple platforms, smartphone application platform WorkLight Mobile has upgraded its software to allow developers to create and manage apps for BlackBerry OS 5 and OS 6 devices. BlackBerry apps developed using WorkLight can then be optimized for iPhones, Android devices, iPads and vice versa.
 

 
Movie themed ReelzChannel introduced a pair of apps for the iPhone/iPod Touch and the iPad. Movies At a Glance provides reviews and ratings of movies by critics and users while the Naked Trailers app, based on the TV show of the same name, provides access to thousands of trailers of movies currently in theaters, on demand or on DVD, including vintage movies and game trailers.
 

 
Form Radio Disney GM Michael Riley has been named President of ABC Family. He will report to Anne Sweeney, co-chair, Disney Media Networks & president, Disney/ABC Television Group.
 
Former PayPal executive Mary Hentges has been named CFO and EVP of CBS Interactive, effective immediately. She replaces Zander Lurie as CFO, who left the post in April to become SVP/Strategic Development for CBS Corp.
 

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Fantasy Football has gone on to become a national obsession for a loyal demographic – the Fantasy Sports Trade Association estimates that 23 million now play the game and that the pastime generates nearly $1 billion in revenue annually. But non-sports fans tend to wonder what all the excitement is about. CBSSports.com hopes to attract some of these folks with a new Facebook app developed with Fantasy Moguls dubbed Franchise Football, describing it as “FarmVille meets Fantasy Sports.” (Mafia Wars is probably a better analogy. Note: if this link doesn’t work you can get to the game from the Fantasy Moguls site.) The game gives you a random selection of real-life current and historical players then pits you against the teams of friends or other Facebook users. The game engine is likely to give you players from the city you currently reside, so be prepared for that; you can click on “Give me another opening line-up” if you don’t like the 3 you start out with, but the same few players seem to come up. Games are decided automatically based on historical player stats and play out in a matter of moments. Build upon your line up via free agency and trades – each win builds your war chest via virtual cash and “reputation points.” Football fans may be motivated to spend hours with the game (if they’re not too busy with their regular fantasy line-ups) just so they can earn enough points to acquire quality players, but I’m not sure the game has much appeal to others. Yet look for Zynga games to continue to inform major media’s attempt to build loyalty and engagement on social networking platforms.
 
Later — Wayne
Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
[email protected]
08.31.10

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