A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WE tv

Cyn opsis: DIGITAL

11/17/09

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, November 17, 2009, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

Time Warner finally set a date of Dec. 9 to spin off AOL, a portal left over from the days of dial-up that has proved to be an albatross around the neck of the one of the world’s largest media companies. Time Warner stockholders of record as of 5 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2009 will receive one share of AOL common stock for every 11 shares of Time Warner common stock they hold. The pricing structure pegs the value of AOL at about $3.4 billion – about 1/11th of Time Warner’s current value. AOL was valued at $5.7 billion less than 6 months ago when Google unloaded its 5% stake in the company to Time Warner, about the time new CEO Tim Armstrong came on board.
                                                         

 
YouTube is reaching out to Spanish-language audiences with one of its most extensive full-length programming initiatives to date. The portal struck a non-exclusive deal with Univision Interactive Media that will bring both short-length and long-form videos to YouTube.com from all three of the company’s networks: Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision. Univision will also utilize YouTube’s Content ID technology to track user engagement and monetize views.

In a bid to compete with ESPN’s localization efforts, Comcast is building out it own regional sports sites and is currently interviewing for reporters and editors in Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, per Sports Business Journal. Comcast SportsNet already spent “millions of dollars” to launch an online news operation from scratch earlier this fall in Boston at CSNNE.com, hiring MLB reporter Sean McAdam and NFL reporter Tom Currant, among others.
 
Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim brand launched a new website allowing users to create their own custom DVDs made up of Adult Swim programming from shows such as Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Robot Chicken. Fans can mix-and-match up to 110 minutes of programming for a flat rate of $20 per DVD, including shipping. Warner Bros. Archive Collection launched a similar site earlier this year.
 
PlanetGreen.com premiered a new short form series dubbed My Place, produced for Planet Green by independent filmmaker Ann Marie Fleming. The 10 x 90 second series highlights the “angst-ridden” days of a young woman who is trying to do the right thing for the environment.
 
CBS Interactive’s online high school sports site MaxPreps.com has partnered with Comcast to deliver exclusive high school sports video on demand programming to Comcast Houston’s VOD platform. Throughout the 2009-10 school year, the site will produce hundreds of short form features on high school sports teams and athletes from the Houston area including game highlight reels and local player profiles.
 
Casting Call: Fox.com is putting out a call to amateur chefs who want a crack at cooking alongside Gordon Ramsay, the star of a new interactive cooking show premiering on Fox on Tues. Dec. 15. Participants will “Cookalong” with Gordon from their own kitchens and record the proceedings with a webcam.
 

 
Live streaming specialist Ustream signed a deal with ABC News to feature its weekly live Nightline Twittercast program, designed to be a forum for viewers to sound off on news and topics of the day. The interactive show now airs every Monday at 9:30 am PT/12:30 pm ET,
on UStream.tv, ABCNews.com and digital network ABC News Now. Yesterday morning’s show focused on gun control laws in the wake of the Fort Hood tragedy.
 
Yahoo and ConAgra debuted a new branded entertainment program, What’s So Funny?, hosed by Mike Bachmann and Shira Lazar – veterans of several webs shows including  Condenast’s Jaunted travel blog, Movies.com, Hollywood.com, Live Earth and CBSNews.com. The show presents funny moments from the previous night’s television lineup in three-minute episodes streaming Monday through Friday. Viewers can also vote on the funniest moments of the week.
 

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM CYNOPSIS MEDIA

 
After soliciting input from creative agencies and publishers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released an update of its “Ad Unit Guidelines” for 2009 at the IAB’s annual Ad Ops Summit in New York City yesterday. The Reimagining Interactive Advertising Task Force took on the task of updating the criteria for standard ad units by looking at industry-wide impression count reports, ad unit availability, agency-side effectiveness reviews and creative preferences. In order to be considered a standard, an ad unit must be commonly bought and offered throughout the marketplace; only seven of the eighteen ad units currently on the list meet the new criteria. The guidelines concern animated in-page display ads, such as standard Flash files, flat JPGs, or animated GIFs.
 
The IAB also released “VAST 2.0”, an update to the Digital Video Ad Serving Template created in July 2008 to standardize the communication protocol between video players and servers. The update, designed to enable publishers to easily interface with third party digital video ad servers, includes elements that:

• Permit optional tracking of companion ads and other ad elements
• Provide support for multi-part creatives
• Allow for a broader range of digital video ad products
• Clarify many technical requirements to ease implementation

 
Online media verification firm DoubleVerify have signed Collective Media, interCLICK, Traffic Marketplace and Undertone Networks as new media partners. The company will integrate the online ad companies’ products with its verification products to help advertisers detect placements within inappropriate sites or to place ads on approved sites.
 

 
Motorola signed an agreement to acquire Israel-based BitBand Technologies, a provider of content management solutions and VOD delivery systems with more than 60 worldwide IPTV installations. BitBand’s technology will be integrated into the company’s Home & Networks Mobility division, which is reportedly on the block for as much as $5 billion.
 
Online video platform provider Brightcove unveiled a major new release featuring enhanced live streaming capabilities, support for native iPhone video application development, improved analytics and new resources for video distribution, monetization and custom online video applications. Brightcove says the quality of the platform has been enhanced by integrating “custom cloud encoding” options offering higher quality default encoding, more formats, and more renditions. The company also unveiled its stripped down “Brightcove Express” version targeting smaller publishers with prices starting at $99/month with now annual contract.
 
CDN Cotendo announcing enhancements to its Cotendo Unity Platform targeting web content, advertising, ecommerce and application providers. The company claims the upgrade will significantly improve the ability of professional news and data content sites, online retailers, advertising networks and transactional enterprises to provide whole site delivery of both static and dynamic content by accelerating processing and reducing latency of third party apps.
 

 
Qualcomm’s FLO TV mobile television service, which has been sold as an add-on directly through carriers to date, is now being offered through a stand-alone mobile device available at a variety of consumer-electronics stores including Best Buy, Radio Shack and Amazon. The 3-inch by 4-inch FLO TV Personal Television device weighs just 5 oz., retails for $250 and delivers 10 to 15 sports and news and general entertainment channels from cable and broadcast networks, including Comedy Central, MSNBC, CBS Mobile, MTV and NBC2Go. FLO TV will pick up the $15/month programming subscription fee for the first 6 months.
 
Cablevision introduced an upgrade to its iO digital video search functionality. The new version now indexes programming lists from both linear cable channels as well as the MSO’s entire VOD line-up. Utilize a virtual keypad to search by show title, genre, performers, network or other attributes. Searches can be saved for future use and users can navigate directly from the search page to the programming, launch an on demand title or even set their DVR from the interface.
 
Thinking Rock Band users are such a lovely audience, MTV Games released “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” this morning – its second downloadable album for The Beatles edition of its Rock Band game. Each song on the album will be available for purchase for $1.99 each. “All You Need is Love,” the first downloadable track sold for the game, sold more 100,000 copies on the Xbox Live platform with proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders.
 

 
Michael Puopolo has been named VP/Research, at Warner Bros. International Television Distribution, to be based in the company’s Burbank office. In his new role, Michael will report to both Jim Brehm, SVP/Sales-Canada, Latin America and Asia, WBITD, and to Greg Drebin, SVP/Programming and Marketing, Warner Bros. International Branded Services.
 

 
The IPTV space took a major plunge forward in the U.S. yesterday when set-top box-based video on demand service provider Sezmi began a 3-month trial in L.A. on Monday. Customers who qualify on the Sezmi site can gain access to a free set-top that will deliver a package of programming including local linear TV feeds, cable channels and instantly-viewable movies from 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, Universal, and Warner Brothers as well as from Roxio’s CinemaNow service. The interface is designed to be intuitive and is highly customizable – you can organize the start-up screen to push programming you’re interested in to the forefront. And because its broadband powered, it also gives you the ability to browse YouTube while watching a linear channel, eliminating the need to always have a laptop open while watching TV. But what’s really exciting about Sezmi for TV lovers is that it promises to bust through the cable industry’s frustrating buy-through tiering structure. Programming from premium networks like HBO, Showtime and Starz will be available on a subscription on demand basis but you don’t need to pay for a $70 digital package to get there. The LA launch includes an option to receive just the broadcast channels for $5/mo. or a selection of popular cable channels for $25/month. The set top will require a bit of upfront investment retailing for $299, but there will also be an option to lease.
 

Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
11.17.09

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JOB OPENING: SR. COUNSEL, PROGRAMMING, CABLEVISION/NY:Negotiate draft transactions, handle diverse legal programming issues. Needs JD, 6+ yrs relevant inhouse or law firm experience. Apply: [email protected] (11/24)

JOB OPENING: NETWORK SALES/ION Media Networks/NY: Highly motivated and creative network sales acct exec w/ established relationships and proven track record. EOE. Apply to [email protected] (11/24)

JOB OPENING: EP OF DEVELOPMENT to lead new dev dep’t for cable/non-fict/reality. Big ideas, attaching talent, pitching, lots of showrun/EP exprnce a must. We’re moving from docus to reality/non-fiction. [email protected] (11/24)

JOB OPENING: DIR PRGRMNG/HGTV/NY: Mng all aspects of commiss’d shows. Maintains & evolves ongoing series. Showrunning Exp req’d along w/6 yrs cable nets exp in program prod or mngmnt w/sig creative input. www.scrippsnetworks.com #1241 (11/24)

JOB OPENING: DIR AFFILIATE SALES & MARKETING/HALLMARK CHANNEL/NY: Increase distribution for Hallmark Channels; please see full posting and apply at http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/ConsumerWeb/JobOpening/Default.aspx (11/21)

JOB OPENING: MGR DIGITAL ADSALES FINANCE/FNC.com min. 5 yrs ad sales financial exp. Respon. for fin. analysis of digital metrics. Strong business partner exp. Ad Servers/Yield systems req. Res + CL to [email protected]. EOE (11/21)

JOB OPENING: STRATEGIC MKTG MGR/(USA)/NBCU/NY: Devel. & execute revenue generating, multi-platform mktg opportunities for potential & current clients, support USA network’s sales goals. BA 5 yrs exp. www.nbcjobs.com , #1109143 (11/20)

JOB OPENING: DIRECTOR, MARKETING PARTNERSHIPS/Nat’l Geo Channel, DC. Lead/develop promo partnerships. BA & 7yrs exp & cable network pref. Apply www.FoxCareers.com job# FNG17451 (11/20)

JOB OPENING: EXEC PROD/NYC: Proven track rec to lead prod arm of NYC post shop. Resp for successful completion of projs across all mediums. Bring proven leadership skills to all phases of prod thru post. Res: [email protected] (11/19)

JOB OPENINGS:  (2) DIR, SALES & ACCT MGR/The Hotel Networks/Chicago: 3+ yrs Ad Sales Exp, OOH/Dig-Place Based+, Creative, Aggressive, Proven Sales Pro, Exp w/ Sales Promo, Excel Comm Skills, Self-Motivated. [email protected] (11/18)

JOB OPENINGS:   MGR, STANDRD PRACTICES/RADIO DISNEY/BURBANK: Revw commercial copy/audio for policy compliance. Revw lyrics, video, sweepstakes, online content. Knwldg kids issues, COPPA, CARU, FCC, radio. www.disneycareers.com 212770 (11/18)

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] .

SPRING INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: MKTG INTERN/Smithsonian Channel/NYC: Min 12-15 hrs/wk, Must be JR/SR, Projects incl Copywriting, Rsrch, Sales Support, Social Mktg. Mgrs provide guidance. http://www.sho.com/site/about/careers.do . The Job ID is 2556BR (11/24)

SPRING INTERNSHIPS CREDIT ONLY: Rock Ridge Music/Newark NJ: call tour promoters & retail stores, work directly w/RRM staff & artists, Internet promo/research, computer savvy, familiar w/social networking sites [email protected] (11/20)

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: MARKETING, SALES, BUS DEV, STRATEGY, REV GEN, ROI, CHANNELS, MATRIX MGT., BRANDING, ADVERTS, COMM (NYC)+25 yrs mgt/hands-on. LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/ellencrich Email: [email protected] (11/24)

SITUATION WANTED: EIC/LINE PRODUCER with 10+ yrs exp. Variety, Docu-Reality, Game Show, Scripted, Live, Competition- Mngd biz of Prod. Co’s. for major TV & cable nets. MM/EPB budgets, union&non [email protected] (11/24)

SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCH DIR/STRATEGIST – See what 20+ yrs media, Nielsen, Hisp, research, sales, presentation experience can do for you.Email: [email protected] (11/24)

SITUATION WANTED: 20+ yrs. experience in TV Broadcasting & Cable ACCOUNTING/FINANCE. Seeking FT/PT or Temp-to-Perm position: [email protected] (11/24)

SITUATION WANTED: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION & ART DIRECTION (NYC)20 years experience working concept through completion. Portfolio: www.baerdavis.com Email: [email protected] (11/21)

SITUATION WANTED: DESIGN, ILLUSTRATION, WEBSITE, VIDEO EDITING & ART DIRECTION (LA) Extensive industry experience.  Portfolio: http://www.unlaccess.com / Email: [email protected] (11/21)

SITUATION WANTED: EXPERIENCED FINANCIAL AND TURNAROUND EXECUTIVE – Over 20 years experience. Seeks challenging situation at broadcast/internet/print media company. [email protected] (11/20)

SITUATION WANTED: PRODUCER/WRITER/EDITOR(LA)10+ yrs in news, reality, features, docs, clip shows w/ ESPN, HBO, E! Ent., NFL Net, TruTV. Field and story producer, final cut/avid exp, great w/ deadlines & talent [email protected] (11/20)

SITUATION WANTED:CONTRACT MANAGER/ADMINISTRATOR: 10 yrs exp.in Contract/Sales Admin: avails, reporting, etc.; looking to work out of home office, or in the NY area. Contact e-mail: [email protected] (11/20)

SITUATION WANTED:CAMERA OPERATOR/LA Based… MTV, TRUTV, ABC, Watch my reel at:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxsrcWAvvKw. Contact email: [email protected] (11/20)

SITUATION WANTED: BIZ & LEGAL AFFAIRS ATTY: seeks studio position/10+ yrs exp/new media, content licensing, IP, rights mgt, use of name & likeness/ [email protected] (11/20)

SITUATION WANTED: MARKETING MANAGER/LA with exp in independent film, home entertainment, television and entertainment partnerships seeks opportunity to make a difference for the right company. Email for resume. [email protected] (11/20)

SITUATION WANTED:  EIC/Line Prod/Dir.Ops. 10+yrs Versed in: live, synd, news, reality, lg. event sports & Ent. Budgeting Lg & sm. Exc. org. skills, Movie Magic, & union contracts.  At ease in fast paced control room envir. [email protected] (11/19)

SITUATION WANTED:  MEDIA SALES/MARKETING MANAGER/LA: 15+ years experience in educational, documentary, advertising media sales.True Closer!!!!!  [email protected] (11/18)

SITUATION WANTED:  EIC/Line Prod/Dir.Ops. 10+yrs Versed in: live, synd, news, reality, lg. event sports & Ent. Budgeting Lg & sm. Exc. org. skills, Movie Magic, & union contracts.  At ease in fast paced control room envir.[email protected]  (11/18)

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