Good morning, it’s Tuesday, November 16, 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. 

Comcast is launching its Xfinity TV app for the iPad this week, giving Comcast subscribers on demand access to programming they subscribe to, including movies and premium cable shows. Use the app (which is free for Comcast digital cable customers) to: browse and discover video content from either TV listings or selections from the On Demand library; review TV listings and change the channel in real time; program your DVRs to record TV shows, series and movies; or search by keyword or by title A-Z in TV listings or On Demand. Full movies and TV shows will not be accessible until Dec., according to Comcast, when additional features are also scheduled to be added including a “MyTV” feature to create a watchlists of favorite TV shows and movies or the ability to share what you’re watching via social networking services.
 

Apple is getting ready to announce it has, at last, secured the digital rights to the Beatles catalogue for distribution on iTunes from EMI Group, Ltd., according to the WSJ. The two companies have fought each other tooth and nail for over 30 years over the Apple trademark, among other issues.
 
Yahoo is making a push to attract freelance content submissions with the launch of the “Yahoo! Contributor Network,” an evolution of the Associated Content start-up it acquired in May. Beginning Tues., contributions from more than 400,000 writers, photographers, and videographers will show up on destination sites including Yahoo News, Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, and even the Yahoo Homepage. As with AOL’s Seed network, contributors can earn money through up-front payments, exclusive assignments and performance bonuses based on the traffic their work generates.

 
Facebook introduced a new unified messaging system that allows people to communicate with one another regardless of whether they are using e-mail, SMS messages or online chat services. The service is also providing an @facebook.com email address to every person on Facebook who wants one to unify the system, which will be gradually phased in over the next few months.
 
Online content sharing solution Meebo is launching a new web-based geo location tool that enables users to check in from remote locations via existing location-based services. Launching today as a browser extension, the Meebo “miniBar” will allow users to check in at 8,000 partner sites to begin racking up loyalty points from retailers such as Macy’s; Sprint; L’Oreal Professionnel; CMT; Fresh Air Fund and PSI. Those who frequently check in to a particular site will be identified as VIPs – part of Meebo’s VIP check-in loyalty program. VIP updates can be shared to a user’s favorite social network or Meebo.com profile page, as well as the website’s profile page on Meebo.com. Initially available on Firefox and Chrome, the Meebo MiniBar will roll out to Internet Explorer and Safari later this year, according to the company.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM IAB

IAB’s Digital Media Ecosystem classes are filling up!

The IAB is proud to present Ad Operations for Account Executives on Nov. 18, with a focus on campaign best practices and providing tools for developing RFPs and winning proposals – save $50 w/discount code CYNIAB. Registration is also open for our December 6 class, How to Respond to Digital RFPs.  Classes count toward the IAB Certificate in Interactive Advertising.

Register here today!

 
Independent display and video advertising exchange adBrite is announcing the availability of its adBrite Audience Manager, built to help advertisers leverage data to better target their online ad campaigns. adBrite has partnered with behavioral, contextual and demographic data providers such as AlmondNet, eXelate, Lotame, Proximic and TARGUSinfo to allow for seamless integration and maximization of audience reach.
 
Current TV announced it is renewing its viewer created advertising message (VCAM) program, inviting Current TV viewers to produce a commercial highlighting the attributes of Samsung‘s new smart media device, the GALAXY Tab. Current community members can begin submitting their original ads beginning this week and Samsung will select 6 user-generated ads to post on their Facebook page with fans being invited to participate in the selection process for the first time.
 

 
The FCC and the Justice Dept. are accelerating their review of the Comcast/NBCU merger to try and finish by the end of the year, reports the WSJ. Comcast COO Steve Burke is still working on aligning the NBCU executive team, with names such as head of West Coast programming Ted Harbert and former Showtime entertainment chief Bob Greenblatt (per THR) being mentioned prominently.
 
Viacom’s BET Networks signed a multiyear deal with Toronto-based digital media distribution company Yangaroo to handle digital delivery of all artist and music-related audiovisual content delivered to BET properties – including the primary BET channel, BET Digital Networks, BET.com, BET International, BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop.
 

 
Yahoo Sites recaptured the #2 spot behind YouTube with 53.8 million viewers in Oct., followed by Viacom Digital, jumping 4 spots with 52.9 million viewers, according to ComScore‘s latest Video Metrix findings. VEVO secured fourth place with 47.6 million viewers, closely followed by Facebook.com with 47.4 million. Google Sites had the highest number of viewing sessions, crossing the 2.0 billion mark in October, along with average time spent per viewer at 272 minutes. Hulu came in second in this category, ave. 207.8 minutes/viewer. A total of 175 million U.S. internet users watched online video content in October for an average of 15.1 hours per viewer. The total U.S. internet audience engaged in more than 5.4 billion viewing sessions during the course of the month.
 
Top U.S. Online Video Properties by Video Content Views Ranked by Unique Video Viewers ­- October 2010
Property             Total Unique Viewers   Viewing Sessions  Minutes/Viewer
                                  (000)                       (000)
Total Internet              175,186                 5,473,282            908.0
Google Sites                146,346                 2,019,298            271.6
Yahoo! Sites                  53,839                    233,098             30.3
Viacom Digital               52,885                    176,457             53.7
VEVO                            47,569                    236,461             77.9
Facebook.com               47,423                    162,402             17.1
Microsoft Sites              47,095                     265,506             38.9
AOL, Inc.                      43,381                     195,946             22.9
Fox Interactive Media    38,478                      187,204            16.5
Break Media Network     31,115                     122,070             41.2
Hulu                             29,650                     182,404           207.8
Source: comScore Video Metrix
                  
Avid viewers of TV shows and movies on the internet are not necessarily leading candidates to “cut the cord” of their cable subscriptions, according to a new CTAM study conducted by Nielsen. The “Life is a Stream” study found that 84% of viewers report that they are watching the same, or more, regularly scheduled TV since they started streaming or downloading programs or movies to watch on the TV set. Another 92% of these subscribe to a pay TV service, with only 3% reporting future plans to transition from their cable subscription models.
 

 
Netflix gave Android users the heads up that its instant streaming app due to be released for select Android devices is going to be pushed back over security and DRM issues. “The same security issues that have led to piracy concerns on the Android platform have made it difficult for us to secure a common Digital Rights Management (DRM) system on these devices,” Netflix product development member Greg Peters said in a blog post.
 
Another premium iPad app (this one is $6.99) is tapping into the NBC News Archive giving users a glimpse of 50 days of Camelot. JFK: 50 Days features narrative text with rare video from the NBC News Archives in a pinch-and expand-interactive format; content includes articles and over 35 video clips.
 
Retailers are getting an even earlier jump on electronic-related Black Friday deals this year, with Best Buy, Sears, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com already introducing short-term promotions from the beginning of the month. Much of the competition will revolve around free shipping deals. 

Meanwhile, Tivo has slashed the price of its new entry level Premiere DVR by $200 to $100 through the end of the year to try and lasso new customers. (Note on the fine print: the cheaper box means you’ll have to pay $19.99 for the monthly service as long as you own the box, up from the normal $12.95.)
 

 
The Mobile500 DTV Alliance has tapped former Ion Media executive John Lawson as its Executive Director. John will lead the consortium of TV station groups as it develops a mobile DTV service in the U.S. with spectrum contributed by the groups. He will work with Colleen B. Brown, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fisher Communications, Inc. and President of the Mobile500 Alliance.
 
Former SoftBank Capital General Partner and digital expert Mike Perlis has been named by Steve Forbes to serve as the new President and CEO of Forbes Media, part of a restructuring that began with the sales and marketing groups of the company. Tim Forbes will remain Chairman of Forbes Digital and a member of the Board of Directors.
 
Former BusinessWeek and SmartMoney sales executive Lou Tosto has been named SVP/Digital and Mobile Advertising Sales for CNBC. Lou comes over from Linkstorm, a performance enhancing ad technology provider, where he was the SVP/Sales and Operations.
 
Mobile and web Q&A service ChaCha has promoted Shawn Schwegman to Chief Marketing Officer, a newly created position at the company. Shawn joined ChaCha in June of this year as VP/Web Products.
 
Richard Zeilhofer, formerly with Burst Media, was just hired by New York-based digital network DBG to serve as Director of Sales for the Midwest Region
 

 
Disney Movies Online is a brand new movie streaming site Disney is trialing meant to appease younger viewers used to watching content online and compliment Blu-ray and home video purchases. Disney plans to strike exclusive partnerships with retailers such as Wal-Mart to offer free digital copies with the purchase of the video of Toy Story 3, reports the LA Times. Enter in your “magic codes” to view your free copy, in perpetuity. Or build your cloud-based “My Movie Library” of rentals ($3.99/for 48 hours of Aladdin) and purchases ($14.99 gets you unlimited access to “Air Bud Golden Receiver.”) A total of 180 movies and 172 rentals are currently available on the site to “Watch Instantly,” to borrow a phrase popularized by Netflix. Of course, that competitor has a huge head start in getting its content to connected TV devices ­- a component Disney will have to catch up with if it wants to see any real usage here.
 
Housekeeping Note: Once every couple of years for the past dozen years, we’ve conducted a short survey to find out how often you read the Cyn opsis editions, on what device you typically read it, what other places you go for your industry news, what you like to see us include in our editions to make it more relevant for you.  I’d appreciate it if you could take about 3 minutes to fill out this short anonymous survey, and feel free to say anything and everything you think will help us do what we do better.  Thank you!

Later —
Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis Digital
[email protected]
11.16.10

Cynopsis Ad Sales:
Mike Farina – VP/Business Development & Sales – 203-218-6480 / [email protected]
Classifieds – Trish Pihonak- 203-381-9096 / [email protected]

Member of Interactive Advertising Bureau (iab)

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

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

ATTENTION JOB RECRUITERS FOR THE TELEVISION AND ADVERTISING INDUSTRY – send us your contact information so we can begin to build a database for referrals.  We get people all the time around the country asking us for names of local recruiters.  Help us out – send us your contact information, name, company, address, phone, email and fax.  NY and LA are great, but we also need names of firms in Chicago, Dallas, Miami, Atlanta, DC, and elsewhere.  We have people to send you!   Email your info to [email protected].

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL DIST ASST/NY: Entry level. Digital distrib division of independent film co. Multitask in envir where priorities always shift a must. Exc orgnzt’l & comm. skills. Resume: [email protected] ASST SUBJ line (11/23)

JOB OPENING: NEW MEDIA SPECIALIST/New York: Launch & mng new media plans, (ie VOD, mobile, iTV). 3 yrs digital media exp. Apply: www.aetn.com/careers  
https://www.abso.com/jobboard/Default.aspx?JOBBOARDID=618&JobDetail=83623 (11/23)

JOB OPENING: SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/PMK*BNC/LA: 4-6 yrs exp; must have exp w/ corp brands media relations & exp w/social media and marketing. Resume: [email protected] (11/23)

JOB OPENING: DIR, BUS AFF/DISNEY CHANNEL/LA: Min 5+ yrs combo firm/netwk/studio exper; in-depth knowl guild/union agrmts, IP; top nego/drafting esp for live-action/scripted; JD/state bar; Apply www.disneycareers.com Req 269593 (11/23)

JOB OPENING: DIR EVENTS – AFFILIATE SALES/Rainbow Media/NY: 4+yr Evt mktg exp in Cble/Tv/Ent indstry. Plan/execute affiliate sales evts. Budget & acct mgmt skils. Stng indstry contacts prferd. Wil Travl. Rez: [email protected] (11/23)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE/Simmons/NYC: Provide int & ext research support as well as back-up assistance for Account Managers. 2+ yrs ind exp (synd outlet, media or agency). Send resume to: [email protected] (11/20)

JOB OPENING: SALES PLANNERS/Fox News Digital/CHI&NYC: Support AE’s by building plans/decks. Manage day to day business internally. Must have exp in PP creation, interaction w agencies/clients. EOE [email protected] (11/20)

JOB OPENING: MGR,VOD PROG/INDEMAND/NYC: Program/schedule services. Negotiate/acquire movie & TV product. Heavy Excel. Bachelor’s + 5 yrs in movies/TV. Apply to: [email protected] (11/20)

JOB OPENING: SALES ADMINISTRATOR/HBO/NYC: Report to Manager of Administration. Read, analyze, interpret and summarize complex deal memos and contracts. Apply: http://bit.ly/9bUk9f (11/20)

JOB OPENING:    DIST MKTG SPECIALIST/NY: Support mktg efforts to gain dist on AETN networks. 5 yrs cable mktg exp. Apply to: www.aetn.com/careers
https://www.abso.com/jobboard/Default.aspx?JOBBOARDID=618&JobDetail=83443 (11/18)

JOB OPENING: PRODUCER (ON-AIR)/Discovery Communications/SS: Write & produce promotion & mrktg projects; must have 3-5 yrs mrtkg/post production background; Final Cut a plus : www.discovery.com Req#2789 (11/18)

JOB OPENING: ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE/OWN/OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK (NY, Chicago & LA): The AE will join OWN’s Digital Media Ad Sales team and sell national advertising. Must have 5+ yrs. Ad sales experience. Apply @ http://careers.own.tv (11/18)

JOB OPENING: HBO INTERACT ART DIR /NY:  5+yrs web design exp. Expert knwldg in Photoshop/Illustrator/Flash/InDesign. Apply: https://careers.timewarner.com/en/asp/tg/cim_jobdetail.asp?partnerid=391&siteid=36&AReq=121099BR&Codes=NLIN (11/18)

JOB OPENING: CONSUMER MKTG MGR/Nashville: Plan dvlpmnt & proj mngmnt for show-specific mktg plans. BA deg mktg & 3yrs exp mktg in media. Apply: http://tbe.taleo.net/NA5/ats/careers/requisition.jsp?org=MTVNETWORKS&cws=8&rid=1033 (11/18)

JOB OPENING: SR EDITOR/Promo Post House/NY:  Work in our Avid based facility.  5+yrs exp in brdcst envir . Must provide creative solutions, & meet tight deadlines. Est’d relationships a +.  Resume: [email protected] (11/18)

JOB OPENING: ACCT EXEC/MEDHELP.org/AE or AM w/10 yrs selling exp. Digital ad sales and Pharma pref’d, Agency or Client exp acceptable. Great pkgs to join leading start up in Health space. Resumes to: saleste[email protected] (11/18)

JOB OPENING: EXECUTIVE PRODUCER PRN/SF: client-facing lead, oversee entertaining, informative, quality content & advertising on our in-store TV Wall Networks, manage production team https://jobs-prncorp.icims.com/jobs/1493/job (11/18)

JOB OPENING: MGR, SLS DVLPMNT/Discovery Communications/NY: Dvlp digital ad solutions & spprt sales strgy Nationally; exp in mobile sales strgy, custom solutions; strong mktg background. 3-5 yrs exp: www.discovery.com Req#2766 (11/17)

JOB OPENING: DIGITAL RESEARCH MANAGER/VH1/CMT/LOGO/NYC: 4+ yrs exp media research; exp w/Omniture, SiteCatalyst, comScore, Nielsen//NetRatings, Forrester, Hitwise; BA Req. EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply mtvnetworkscareers.com (11/17)

JOB OPENING: SR MANAGER, PR/VERSUS NTWRK/COMCAST/NYC: Manage all public relations efforts, stay current with media trends. Req’d 7+ yrs exp. @ Public Relations/Mktg Comm, superior interpersonal skills. Apply: www.COMCAST.com (11/17)

JOB OPENING: MOBILE SALES MGR/Disney Interactive/SF: Drive rev. Sell Disney’s mobile solutions to top-tier advrtsrs. 4+yrs mobile sales, 5+yrs  online ad sales, 2 yrs mgmt. dig/mobile media knwlg  a must. [email protected] (11/17)

JOB OPENING:  ACCT EXEC/Disney Interactive/CHI: Online media, branded ent. over 20 sites incl. Disney.com & the Disney Mom’s & Women’s Ntwrk of sites. O nline Ad Sales exp a must!  [email protected]  (11/17)

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].

WINTER/SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY:  JRS/SRS /NYC doc prod. Co: Exp’d, orgnzd & energetic. Fast-paced envir. Pls specify “dvlpmnt” or “production” in app. Office, shoot, post-prod & dvlpmnt work. FOR CREDIT ONLY. Email [email protected]  (11/18)

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM TV GUIDE NETWORK

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:TV PRODUCER, NEWS, ECO & SOCIAL MEDIA 15+ years in TV newsroom, segment producer, M.A. Spiritual Psychology, Consciousness, Health & Healing [email protected] (11/19)

SITUATION WANTED:MONSTER SALES, MARKETING & MEDIA/PUBLICITY20+ yrs media, follow up and closer, major list of national media contacts and billionaires, have closed 12 of them for film fundraising. [email protected] (11/19)

SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED ENTERTAINMENT/IP Attorney/NY with in-house television/music exp drafting/negotiating various types of contracts. Seeking in-house or firm opportunity. [email protected]  (11/19)

SITUATION WANTED:   FACTUAL & ANIMATION CONSULTANT  available to help with everything from development to post: treatments, pitches, sizzles, bibles, production, etc. [email protected] (11/18)

SITUATION WANTED:  RESEARCH DIR/SALES STRATEGIST – 20+ yrs media, Nielsen, Hisp, research, sales, and presentation experience. Email: [email protected] (11/18)

SITUATION WANTED:  NATIONAL TV HOST, LIFE/FITNESS/RELATIONSHIP COACH appearing soon on major network reality show seeks E.P. with verifiable network/syndicator Rolodex to shop projects. [email protected] (11/17)

SITUATION WANTED:  MEDIA SALES/MARKETING STRATEGIST/NY:  Extensive experience in all forms of media..print/OOH/digital. Smart consultative seller. Can identify new niche markets and profitably re-purpose content. Contact: [email protected] (11/17)

SITUATION WANTED:  DIGITAL MEDIA/TECHNOLOGY/CABLE ATTORNEY Broad in-house exp incontent distribution, digital media, technology licensing,affiliate & ad sales. Avail for project/consultant/FT. Contact [email protected] (11/17)

E-mail [email protected] or call Trish Pihonak at 203.381.9096 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 2010

To unsubscribe from future mailings, please click here.