A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM BBC.COM

Cynopsis: DIGITAL

10/22/08

Good morning, it’s Wednesday, October 22, 2008, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

There was a lot happening on the mobile application front yesterday on the eve of today’s launch of T-Mobile’s G1, the first handset powered by Google’s Android operating system. First of all Google released the open source code that powers the Android mobile operating system, freeing it from a veil of secrecy that has kept developers in the dark since the Linux-derived platform was first announced last November. Then Blackberry maker Research In Motion (RIM) announced it is developing its own version of the App Store. The application storefront, expected to launch in March 2009, will work with eBay’s PayPal to facilitate payments and will begin accepting applications from third party developers for inclusion on the platform in December. Developers will be able to charge whatever they want for their apps with RIM taking a 20% commission of each sale.
 

 
Keeping up with the portability craze, A&E Television Network launched a new customizable widget downloadable to a PC desktop and embeddable on social networks to offer viewers a rundown of what’s being featured on the network. Powered by Xtreme Widgets, the app will provide a weekly programming schedule, information about upcoming shows and links to pictures, videos and other content created around A&E’s lineup.
 
GSN released its latest below-the-belt casual game on TabloidGames.com from Splashworks – The shareable Palanisms: Ask Sarah Anything. It combines Flash animation with the moving-mouth video frequently deployed on Conan O’Brien. You can type in any question but the joke is she won’t give you a straight answer.
 
NBC’s 30 Rock will get another promotion boost this week, this time from TV Guide magazine as readers will receive exclusive download codes they can’t enter on the iTunes store for a free sneak peek download of the season premiere. TV Guide has been beefing up its coverage of TV-related content on the web with new editorial features including “Hot List for the Web.”
 
The latest original series launched on TheWB.com – Rich Girl Poor Girl – from Gary Auerbach, creator of Laguna Beach. In the vein of UK reality show Poor Little Rich Girls, a wealthy girl from Pacific Palisades and a girl from the East LA walk a mile in each other’s moccasins, learning important survival skills from each world. New webisodes will be added each Monday.

Call for Votes: CMT.com opened voting for its third annual Music City Madness competition. The winning artists will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Nashville to record an episode of Unplugged at Studio 330.

 
DirecTV will utilize its single screen, multiple-feed technology to offer subscribers a comprehensive look of what’s happening on Election Night with live simulcasts from 8 different channels including the four broadcast networks (CBS, NBC, ABC and FOX) and 4 cable networks. Cable coverage will come from CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC and alternate between BBC America and Comedy Central when it’s doing live election coverage. (Where would we be without faux news on election night?)
 
YouTube continues to do what it can to educate its base on the democratic process. Check out these informative posting about the electoral college, how the electoral process works, and how the convoluted election process is in the U.S.
 

MySpace is out in front with one of the first Android social networking applications launching today, providing Android users deep integration with their online profiles. Users will be able to upload photos from their handsets, view and comment on other postings, search for and add new friends and update mood and status profiles. The mobile app also offers functionality with music application Shazam. This is an important one for Android as more than two million daily unique users visit MySpace’s mobile website, and according to ABI Research.
 

 
Apple reported solid earnings on impressive iPhone (6.9 million units) iPod (11.1 million units) and Mac (2.6 million units) sales for the quarter. Executives warned that the downturn would adversely effect all divisions in the coming months but investors didn’t seem to heed the device, sending the stock price up 13% in after-hours trading.
 
Yahoo sent an internet memo to employees yesterday warning that 10% of the workforce (1400+ employees) would have to be cut, but that those affected will not find out for few more weeks. Yahoo reports its earnings today.
 
Konami Digital Entertainment announced a partnership with Sprint to bring its mobile games library to the carrier’s wireless subscribers. Sprint customers can now access Contra 4, and will soon be able to download other Konami titles including popular mobile games Frogger, Castlevania, and Metal Gear Classic.
 
IP-based global network provider Global Crossing introduced a new HD-quality video conferencing solution that provides video, voice and data feeds in a single connection.
 
The merger between IPTV service provider NeuLion and online broadcasting company JumpTV officially closed. The two companies deliver content to more than 200 sports and international television properties including the NHL, the NFL and NCAA Division I schools.

 
Content delivery network Akamai is crossing over into the behavioral targeting ad business with the acquisition of Boston-based acerno for $95 million in cash. Akamai will base its new Advertising Decision Platform on acerno’s technology platform, which incorporates real-time anonymous browsing information with anonymous online purchasing data from advertisers’ sites to present the most relevant ad. (Anonymity and straight-forward opt out policies will be key concepts here in order for Akamai to avoid the privacy concerns that embroiled web-tracking company NebuAd earlier this year.)
 
Rich media advertising provider PointRoll has teamed with LA-based Panache to better facilitate video campaigns with its existing publisher clients, as well as Panache’s publisher clients. Panache offers publishers the ability to combine any ad format with the ad network and ad server of their choice when running rich media campaigns. Flash maker Adobe has also signed an agreement with both PointRoll & Panache to offer full support for ads on the Adobe Media Player.
 
San Francisco-based Mediasmith launched a new convergence-themed bank of digital services for its clients dubbed “M3”, combining emerging media technology, social media and search. The idea is to remove silos and bundle services and tools together for clients who are dabbling in publishing, content distribution and search engine optimization across multiple platforms.
 

 
Once associated only with piracy and illegal downloads, P2P internet traffic is expected to explode by nearly 400% in the next five years to a level of 8 petabytes/month by 2012, according to new research from MultiMedia Intelligence. 2P2 data currently represents 44.0% of all consumer traffic over the internet and 33.6% in North America. Legitimate P2P traffic is expected to grow 10 times as fast as illicit P2P traffic as mainstream providers increasingly see P2P as the most cost effective way to distribute digital entertainment services and content.
 

 
Robert Tercek has been named President of Digital Media for OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network, a joint venture between Oprah Winfrey and Discovery Communications. He will be based in LA and maintain a satellite office in Chicago, overseeing multimedia ventures for OWN and Oprah.com. Robert’s most recent post was as CMO for mobile entertainment publisher MForma Group. He starts at OWN on Nov. 3, 2008.
 
Former Viacom Networks executive Ty Ahmad-Taylor has joined Forbes.com as Chief Product Officer responsible for overseeing the Company’s digital products as well as managing its cross-platform efforts. He will report to Jim Spanfeller, President and CEO of Forbes.com, and will be based in Forbes’ NYC office.
 
Stack Media hired Karen N. Scott as Director/Digital Marketing and Advertising Solutions for Stack Magazine, Stack.com, Stack TV, MyStack and Stack Events. Karen joins Stack from Time Inc. where she oversaw sales for SPC Digital. She reports to Nick Palazzo, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Stack Media.
 
Samantha Gibb has joined WNET.org, parent company of Thirteen/WNET and WLIW New York, as Operations Manager for Institutional Advancement.  Sam will report directly to Barbara Bantivoglio, VP for Institutional Advancement, and assist with strategic planning, managing the departmental planning and tracking process, and coordinating budget and revenue forecasts.
 

 
Good news – it looks like one of our favorite online video sites Blip.tv is going to make it through this downturn. Blip just closed on its second round of capital funding led by Bain Capital Ventures for an undisclosed amount – a tribute to CEO and co-founder Mike Hudak’s powers of persuasion, no doubt, but also a sign that there is still money out there for the best of breed in this space. The company, which provides the apparatus for video producers to monetize and distribute their content, has amassed a vast library of shows – 37,000 titles and 1.5 million episodes to be exact. And each producer is adding an average of 3 new shows per month. Creative folks have come to trust Blip.tv because of its straightforward model (it offers a 50/50 revenue split) and its dedication to what’s really important here – finding advertisers to monetize their shows. Mr. Hudak says the company has three main focuses going forward. First is to increase its distribution outlets beyond the current 10 platforms that carry Blip shows. Next is to arm sales reps with more irrefutable evidence that online video is beyond the experimental stage. A mixture of internal and third party tracking solutions can now deliver precise ROI readings for marketers, he says, down to providing demographic and psychographic details on who rewound a clip featuring a product placement. Finally some of the new funding is going into new hirings to improve software and content development. But the ad equation is the crucial one to solve here, a problem Mr. Hudak actually sounds fairly optimistic about. “There’s more digitally savvy people at the agencies these days than most people will admit, and they’re plenty smart about this stuff,” he said.
 
Later — Wayne
 Wayne Karrfalt for Cynopsis: Digital
10.22.08

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

JOB OPENING: MGR/ANIMATION PROD & DVLPMNT/Marvel Studios: Dvlpmnt, prod/mktg with day-to-day coord of assets, schedules & vendors. Exp animation prod req’d. Resume: [email protected] (10/29)

JOB OPENING: SCHDL’ING COORD long-term temp/USA SLEUTH UNI HD/NY: Assist in all aspects of scheduling USA Network program services; min 1 yr program scheduling department exp. Send resumes: [email protected] (10/29)

JOB OPENING: BUS DEV MGR/BRIGHTLINE ITV/NY: Dvlp new clients & database; Project mgmt, sales skills; strong phone, orgnztn, comm/writing skills all essential. 3+ yrs exp. Exp Media/Ent pref’d. Res to: [email protected] (10/28)

JOB OPENING: LOG COORDINATOR/ABC BURBANK CA:Create on-air log & properly place commercials,1yr exp TV Traffic, Knowledge of MS pgms, BMS Traff. Sys. AA degree,ATTENTION TO DETAIL,Organized.  www. disneycareers.com req.#181699 (10/28)

JOB OPENING: AD SALES RSRCH JOBS/ DISCOVERY/NY: Strong analytical/sales positioning/creative prob solving skills.3+yrs nat’l TV rsrch exp ntwrk/ad agency/synd. Prof in Nielsen sys/StarTrak/MRI pref www.discovery.com Req#8382 & 8237 (10/28)

JOB OPENING: MGR, EVENTS PROGRAMMING/iN DEMAND/NYC: Scheduling, dev/launch prog concepts, new biz dev, negotiate deals. 3-5 yrs media exp. Apply: [email protected] (10/28)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE AD SALES MGRS, DIGITAL/ ComedySmack NY: 3-5 yrs. digital sales exp. Relationships with agency/clients in entertainment, apparel & liquor. Send resume & cover: [email protected] (10/28)

JOB OPENING: TALENT EXECUTIVE/G4 TV/LA: Book & Develop celeb talent for all programming. Strong relationships w/PR, studios, nets, agencies. BA & 5 yrs exp. TV prod/editorial. Apply to: [email protected] (10/28)

JOB OPENING: AE, ONLINE AD SALES/Comcast/LA: Rep Comcast Nets, E! Online, MyStyle.com, Versus.com, to our external customers, develop, generate and maintain business for all networks. www.ecentralmetrics.com/url/?u=877067708-289 (10/25)

JOB OPENING: SR. MGR, RESEARCH/Music Choice: Support sales, mrktng & prgrmng initiatives across multiple platforms w/accurate & actionable research. BA/BS, plus 6-8 yrs relevant media research exp. required [email protected] (10/25)

JOB OPENING: NEWS WRITERS/CNN “CAMPBELL BROWN: NO BIAS, NO BULL”/NY: Exp’d TV news writers only. Compelling & engaging copy, attitude, flair, passion, sass, & appropriate outrage. Samples/Res: [email protected] EOE (10/25)

JOB OPENING: NYC BROADCASTING CO- ADV PRINT PRODUCTN TRAFFIC MGR: 4/5yrs ad agcy exp: collateral/outdoor tactics-knwldg MediaBuy-Mac/filemkr strong commun skills/deg pref’d. Resume: [email protected] (10/24)

JOB OPENING: SR BRAND MGR/HiT Entertainment/NYC: Dvlp/execute global creative & bus strategy to grow assigned brands & achieve financial targets. 7+ yrs brand mgmt exp kids ent and/or licensing. Res: [email protected] (10/24)

JOB OPENING: DIR. PROD/DEV/Discovery/LA: Dev proj. across key genres, w/10+ yrs broad/cable exp Exp in writing, post prod and talent management. Apply: www.discovery.com , Req#8361 (10/24)

JOB OPENING: FREELANCE MKTG COPYWRITER/Fuse/NY: Create PPT pres, prgrm descrips, mktg pkgs, newsletters. Responsible for content of Ad Sales site. Excl. writing skills/creativity/MS PPT. Rez: [email protected] “FMCF” in sub (10/24)

JOB OPENING: MGR. AD SALES TRAINING & SYSTEMS/Comcast/NY: Responsible for overall training, quality assurance & staff support on all Comcast Ad Sales systems. Apply: www.comcast.com or www.ecentralmetrics.com/url/?u=604067603-289 (10/24)

JOB OPENING: STORY PRODUCER (thru March)/N. Hollywood: Extensive clip show exp needed.Locate/bring in clearable clips. Great self motivation a must. Bring new story ideas for wkly pitch meetings. Resume: [email protected] (10/23)

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] .

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: www.indieroad.net a website dedicated to indie films, is looking for qualified Interns for Fall/Winter 08-09 primarily for viral marketing and social networking work. Please send resume to [email protected] (10/28)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: The Research department at CBS Television Distribution is looking for qualified Interns for Fall 2008. Please send resume to [email protected] (10/23)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: The Media Relations department at CBS Television Distribution is looking for qualified Interns for Fall 2008. Please send resume to [email protected] (10/23)

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

SITUATION WANTED: ACCOUNT MANAGER: Experienced Sales Account Manager. seeks perm. placement in Atl. 8 yrs exp. Extensive exp. w/ TV, radio. digital, print, sports, & all facets of station promotions. charles.starrat[email protected] (10/28)

SITUATION WANTED: EP BUDGET/SCHEDULE PREPARATION for All STATES: Reasonable Rates, Short Turn Around. Contact: [email protected] for details and pricing (10/28)

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