Cynopsis: DIGITAL

07/15/08

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, July 15, 2008, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

With higher quality video proving not to be a compelling enough reason in itself to get consumers to upgrade their DVD collections, studios are investing in Blu-ray‘s interactive features to help sell the format. Walt Disney will release a special 50th anniversary edition of Sleeping Beauty on Oct. 7, offering a wealth of interactive features including games, trivia, downloads and the ability to send video messages to friends via PC or cellphone during the movie. Of course a newer BD Live-enabled Blu-ray player (or a PlayStation 3 console) is required to take advantage of the features. Click here to see a trailer of the release.
 

 
MTV Networks signed an exclusive deal to begin producing multimedia digital comic books with a start-up named Gain Enterprises that will give users the chance to participate in the stories. The comic books, containing music and audible dialogue, will contain tools for adding and reciting dialogue to give fans a chance to put their own spin on the tales. Gain, co-founded by Jeff Shuter and Daniel Viney, is best known for its Bomb-xx comic adaptations produced for studios such as Lionsgate and Fox Atomic. The project’s first title, Invincible, will be previewed at Comic-Con next week and will be available on iTunes, Xbox Live and MTV Mobile from Aug. 24.
 
ABC.com released some upbeat online viewing data for May from Move Networks, the online video vendor that powers its HD video player. Viewers watched a record 37 million episodes during the month – a 27% increase from April, or a total of 815 million minutes of full-length content (a 53% month-over-month increase.) A total of 400 million episodes have been viewed on the site since the original player launched in 2006. ABC.com will release its third version of the player this fall, with enhancements including:

• True full-screen viewing, with no browser border
• Closed captioning for the hearing impaired
• Content sharing tools providing users with the ability send and share video links from full episodes with others through email or by embedding links on other sites
• Enhanced navigation and video search capabilities that will allow users to search for series graphically, alphabetically, by genre or popularity

 
IFC will debut Automat, its first primetime block of original programming on Tuesday nights from 8 pm in September showcasing some of the original programming IFC.com has been showcasing for the web. Included in the 4-hour block will be outtakes and full-length episodes from Lunchbox, Young American Bodies, Get Hit, Getting Away With Murder and Uploaded.
 
Turner Sports is kicking off coverage of the British Open on Thursday with live online video available in three separate feeds on PGA.com beginning at 4 am ET on July 17. Channel #1 will cover the action before TNT picks up the Open at 7 am. Channel #2 will follow groups at holes #16-#18, beginning at 5 am. Channel #3 will offer highlights and footage from past tourneys.
 
Call for entrants: NBCU’s iVillage is promoting its new motherhood community Momtourage with a contest rewarding the top 3 entrants with a bundle of prizes including a dinner personally prepared by a contestant from Bravo’s Top Chef. Submit stories and advice for moms on topics involving cooking, cleaning, childcare etc.
 
And a reminder — Cynopsis editorial staff are all on vacation all next week which means no editions for the week.  We will be returning on Monday, July 28.  With that said, however, our Sales and Marketing staff will be available to you all week long, as usual!

 
EA released some details about the upcoming open source Rock Band sequel from Harmonix and MTV Games scheduled for release in September. In addition to over 100 new songs, Rock Band 2 will feature:

• An upgraded World Tour mode, an online community helping users find local gigs, challenges and venues
• A Battle of the Bands mode where users can challenge each other online
• A Disc Export feature enabling owners of the original Rock Band to export most of the songs from the original version to the Rock Band 2 gameplay

EA also announced the original Rock Band will ship to 7 additional countries on July 24 initially on the Xbox 360 platform: Italy, Sweden, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
 
Hispanic television company CaribeVision launched a new carrier agnostic text messaging-based interactive television program to give viewers a way to interact with the primetime shows El Show de Susana Gimenez, Hollywood Cafe and In Fraganti. Tactical Wireless is powering the program, allowing viewers to text in opinions and commentary while watching.
 

 
Apple announced there have already been 1 million iPhone 3Gs sold and over 10 million apps downloaded to IPhone and iPod touch users via the Apple App Store. So far games are proving to be the most popular apps – after all casual gamers come in all demographics shapes and sizes. In fact most of the current top 25 paid apps are games, including Sega’s Super Monkey Ball (#1) and Pangea Software’s Cro-Mag Rally (#5), both of which take advantage of the iPhone “accelerometer” motion sensor to help users navigate the interface. In Super Monkey Ball you’re manipulating little monkey rolling around in a transparent ball. In Cro-Mag Rally you get to drive a number of primitive cars equipped with low-tech weaponry. Warning-both downloads will rack up $10 charges on the credit card registered with your iTunes account and both are highly addictive.
 
NBC’s NBC4 Washington D.C. station launched 3rd Dimension’s Traffic Cam application, providing mobile phone users with up-to-the-second traffic video and updates from Washington D.C., Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland. Go to NBC4.com or call 877-NBC-DC03 to download the app.
 

---

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM NATPE LATVFest

---

---

 
A federal court in Manhattan cleared eBay of wrongdoing in a 4-year old suit brought by Tiffany & Co. for facilitating the sales of knockoffs on the site. The decision comes a week after eBay was ordered to pay $60 million to Louis Vuitton in France for violating intellectual property laws.
 
The FCC called a press conference on Friday to announce it wouldn’t be fining Comcast for throttling P2P traffic, reported B&C, even though it was found guilty of violating the FCC’s open access principles. Kevin Martin did chastise the cable operator for failing to adequately inform users of its practices and warned that subsequent violations by cable operators may result in fines.

 

 
Veoh Networks introduced a new behavioral targeting ad solution for online video ads and branded content helping marketers connect with users based on past video consumption, searching, browsing and community activity.
 
Google released a new set of video ad units to support 728×90 and 160×600 formats, both given the seal of approval by the IAB. Google also signed web video portal Broadbandtv, digital music & video provider The Orchard and Canadian public broadcaster CBC to the AdSense network, increasing the reach of syndicated videos and ads.
 
NBC has already sold 85% of its online ad inventory for its expansive Summer Olympics coverage, according to Mediaweek. The network is selling 15 and 30 second pre and mid-roll video spots but no overlays, per International Olympic Committee rules. NBC is anticipating high traffic volume partly due to the 12-15 hour time difference between the U.S. and Beijing.

 
Fox Interactive Media cut into YouTube‘s market share of online videos by 1.3 percentage points in May over the previous month, primarily due to the videos it streams on its MySpaceTV portal. It’s the first time in months that YouTube hasn’t increased its share, dropping from a 37.9% to a 34.8% share of all videos viewed during the month. Total online video views grew to over 12 billion in May, recovering from a slight dip in April. Over 74% of the total U.S. internet audience watched online video in May, with the average user watching 228 minutes of video. The duration of the average clip viewed was 2.7 minutes.
 
Top U.S. Online Video Properties* by Videos Viewed – May 2008
Property                  Videos (000)     Share Of Videos (%)
Total Internet         12,086,273            100.0
Google Sites             4,205,700             34.8
Fox Interactive Media   778,168              6.4
Yahoo! Sites                346,825             2.9
Microsoft Sites             245,899             2.0
Viacom Digital             206,047              1.7
Time Warner (ex.AOL) 145,113               1.2
ABC.com                    126,589              1.0
Disney Online             107,876               0.9
AOL LLC                     104,681              0.9
Hulu.com                     88,284              0.7
Source: comScore Video Metrix
 
Top U.S. Online Video Properties* by Unique Viewers – May 2008
Property                   Unique Viewers (000)    Ave. Videos per Viewer
Total Internet                  141,657                      85.3
Google Sites                      83,828                      50.2
Fox Interactive Media          60,760                      12.8
Yahoo! Sites                      40,197                       8.6
Microsoft Sites                   29,471                       8.3
Time Warner (ex.AOL)         24,612                       5.9
AOL LLC                            21,670                       4.8
Viacom Digital                    21,260                       9.7
Disney Online                     12,385                       8.7
ESPN                                  8,425                       8.9
ABC.com                            7,747                       16.3
Source: comScore Video Metrix
 

 
Lara Thompson was hired as SVP/Worldwide Acquisitions for Entertainment One, Filmed Entertainment Division, reporting directly to Patrice Theroux, President. Lara, formerly SVP/Worldwide Acquisitions for Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, will be responsible for sourcing, assessing and acquiring projects for acquisition across all of Entertainment One’s territories including Canada, UK, Holland, Belgium and US Home Video. She will continue to be based in Los Angeles.
 
Veteran broadcast producer Betsy Sanner has joined Tennis.com as Coordinating Producer to help ramp the sites video coverage of players, events and news. She had been with the CBS College Sports Network since 2004.
 

---

 
An excellent addition to the online music scene is Grooveshark, allowing users to upload and share DRM-free music with friends in a legal setting. It combines features available on music discovery sites, online music stores and P2P file sharing communities in a one-stop shop. Browse from a huge library of available tracks via user-made playlists, ranked according to rating and organized by genre. Once you pay for a song, it’s yours forever, playable from any broadband connected PC or practically any device. (Producers and users who uploaded the track are compensated for each sale.) User playlists are eclectic and quite well put together, making it easy to discover new stuff. If you’re not one to pay for digital music check out Grooveshark Lite, the company’s new free Flash-based streaming service. One of the coolest features is the “similar songs” item, recommending songs that in the same vein of the one you are listening to.

Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
07.15.08

Cynopsis Digital Ad Sales:
Jason Cesare – 732-718-0629 / [email protected]
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-926-9878 / [email protected]

Cynopsis website – Video Resumes, Extended Classified Ads, Archives, and the Cynopsis Daily Video

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

CableU – Know Networks Better. Pitch Smarter. Click here

---

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CYNOPSIS MEDIA: TOP TIER

---

---

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

---

JOB OPENING: RECRUITER : NYC Entertainment Executive Search Firm/media or recruiting experience req’d/motivated/research skills/excellent communication skills/computer proficiency/self-starter [email protected] (7/29)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR PRODUCER-GAMES/LIFETIME NY: Lead the planning and execution of all Lifetime branded and non-branded games across myLifetime.com or partner sites. Apply at: http://www.mylifetime.com/about/jobs.html (7/29)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, PUBLICITY/NBC UNI/New York, NY: Resp. for generating max positive press for Sci Fi programming, develop PR strategy & campaign plans. 7 years publicity experience. www.nbcjobs.com keyword #813464 (7/19)

JOB OPENING: MKTG MGR/Showtime/NY: Mng program promotion, approval, co-branding of SNI mktg tactics. Track/analyze results of key acct mktg initiatives. Org’d, multitask, exc comm. Apply: www.sho.com/site/about/careers.do Job #187BR (7/19)

JOB OPENING: SR ASSOC/PBS/Crystal City/Arlington, VA: Work with the Ecommerce Product Data Mngmnt team in mngng the product life cycle within the PBS Product Database. Job description & to apply: please visit www.pbs.org/jobs (7/19)

JOB OPENING: Director/On Air Promotion/FOOD NETWK/NY: 7yrs broadcast or cable netwk. Manage teams on tune-in & brand campaigns, writing, producing w/internal depts. on messaging & content. To apply: www.scrippsnetworks.com (7/19)

JOB OPENING: SR RESEARCH ANALYST/Turner/ATL: Corp level pos. working w/all Turner Props. Ent/Kids/News/Sports. Present findings to Execs/TW Corp. Solid media math skills/3-5 yrs.Apply: [email protected] (7/19)

JOB OPENING: NAT. AD SALES ACCT MGR/NYC: Develop new & grow existing business for satellite radio selling multiple formats @client & agency levels, prior exp in national media sales needed – apply @ www.siriusradio.com/careers (7/19)

JOB OPENING: PER INQUIRY MEDIA BUYER/Chicago: Advertising agency is seeking experienced TV PI buyer, ideally locally based. Require at least 2 yrs experience with pertinent data base skills. Send resume to: [email protected] (7/19)

JOB OPENING: INTERACTIVE PRODUCER, PROJ. MGR-NEW MEDIA/BRAVO/NBCU/NY:  Dvlp & lead iTV events, gaming, wireless initiatives. Seeking motivated, creative superstar w/ passion for 1st to mkt innovation. Apply:  www.nbcjobs.com #832071 (7/19)

JOB OPENING:  SR FINANCE ANALYST/ IFC Entertainment/NYC: Budget, forecasting, analysis and planning. 5+ yrs finance exp in cable/TV/ent pref’d. BS/BA req’d. Apply to req ID 6590BR at www.cablevision.jobs (7/19)

JOB OPENING: MGR SALES SRVCS/Fuse/NY: Resp for managing Nat’l inventory for Sales. Oversee Stewardship process. Create Sales selling schedules, Inv reporting and analysis. Gabriel, a plus. Rez to: [email protected] “MSS” in sub (7/18)

JOB OPENING: RESEARCH MGR/NYC/GSN, the Network for Games: Resp incl. recurring & ad hoc TV & online reports for ad sales. 5 yrs research exp in cable TV. BA/BS. Resume/Cover: [email protected] (7/18)

JOB OPENING: MEDIA BUSINESS ANALYSTS/(2)/ NYC: Exp. w/Digital Asset Mgmt. systems required. Process modeling exp. required. Use case exp. a plus. Apply to: [email protected] (7/18)

JOB OPENING: DIR PRINT DESIGN/Fuse/NY: Lead dev & design for all print needs. Must be prof in Mac OSX, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Combustion, HD Camera, Green screen shooting and Flash. Rez to: [email protected] “DPS” in sub (7/18)

JOB OPENING: ASST TO PRESIDENT/THE HOTEL NETWORKS NY: Key position w/ growing co. Strong verbal/written comm & PC skills. Word, Excel, PPT. Detailed & orgnzd, self starter, multi tasker; Resume to: [email protected] (7/17)

JOB OPENING: BOOKKEEPER (PT)/New York TV Production Company: Knowledge of QuickBooks for MAC. Accounts payable, receivable, Payroll. Please have references and good attitude. Resume to [email protected] (7/17)

JOB OPENING: INTERNATIONAL CORD/CBS TV Network/NY: Maintain & track programs thru video facility. 2+ yrs customer service exper at a TV Distribution/Post Prod/Editing facility. Apply: www.CBSCorporation.com/careers (Req #2526) (7/17)

JOB OPENING: VIDEO PRODUCER (Freelance)/Lifetime Networks (LA): Produce web videos from existing and original content. 5+ yrs producing exp., including web content. Apply to: [email protected] (7/17)

JOB OPENING: ADMIN AFFIL MARKETING/SANTA MONICA/GSN, The Network for Games: Report to VP Affil Mark. 2+ yrs. exp in Cable TV. BA/BS degree in related field. Send Res/Cov Letter: [email protected] (7/16)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE COORD/AETN/NY: Post-Prod material, rsrch, maint. asset dbase. Create comp. reels and digi files for int’l dist. using FCP. Dub/ship/track. Process deliverables. On-air supp. Apply: [email protected] (7/16)

JOB OPENING: DIR PROMO MKTG/NY/AETN: Develop & execute ad sales & mktg partnership in digital media, strong project mgt needed, exp in promo mktg req’d. Apply: www.aetn.com (7/16)

JOB OPENING: VP, RESEARCH/NBC UNIVERSAL/NY: Oversee daily operations of NY sales research office. Manage team in analyses, reporting and sales presentations. 8 yrs TV research exp req. www.nbcjobs.com job# 831379 (7/16)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES RSCH MGR, NAT’L TV NTWRK: 4-5 yrs exp brdcst or cable media rsrch. Exp w/ Galaxy/NPower/Mkt Brks. Knwlg of MRIs, AdViews, Star Trak a +. Strong comm. skills & team player a must. Res: [email protected] (7/16)

SPRING AND SUMMER INTERNSHIPS – These positions are for credit only – nobody gets paid here. They are 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] .

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  A fast-paced boutique ent PR firm/NYC seeks smart, hard-working & reliable self starter for unpaid/for credit internship. Start mid Aug.thru fall semester &, possibly, beyond. Jr/Sr only. [email protected] (7/19)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  Documentary film production company in DUMBO, Brooklyn is looking for fall interns to help with several projects. email cover letter & resume to Amanda: [email protected] (7/19)

SITUATION WANTED ADS, POSTED BY THOSE LOOKING TO BE HIRED … Interested in posting your Video Resume? Contact [email protected] for more information ….

SITUATION WANTED: STORY EDITOR/DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANT: Story/content developer w/ major prod. co. exp. seeks full/part-time, also projects. Unusually strong background in analysis, coverage, story notes. 917-620-6502 (7/29)

SITUATION WANTED: Seasoned Ent Creative Dir avail for freelance or contract projects. Focus on strategy, creative solutions and great design for specialty, print, premium, broadcast or integrated marketing projects.  [email protected] (7/19)

E-mail [email protected] for rates and specs for Job Openings.

Interested in posting your Video Resume? Contact [email protected] for more information ….

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