A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM BRAVO MEDIA

Cynopsis: DIGITAL
09/05/12

Good morning. It’s Wednesday, September 5, 2012, and this is your first early morning digital briefing.

Amazon has secured a multiyear licensing agreement with EPIX to add “thousands” of films and original programs to Prime Instant Video for subscribers in the US. Programming covered by the agreement includes movies from EPIX studio partners such as Paramount Pictures, MGM Pictures, and Lionsgate. As a result, some of this summer’s major blockbusters (The Avengers and The Hunger Games) and other recent hits (Rango, Thor, Iron Man 2, and Transformers: Dark of the Moon, among others) will show up on the service, as well as a number of comedy specials (Kevin Smith: Burn in Hell) and music concerts (Usher: Live from London). “We are investing hundreds of millions of dollars to expand the Prime Instant Video library for our customers,” said Bill Carr, Amazon’s VP/Video and Music, in a statement. “We have now more than doubled this selection of movies and TV episodes to over 25,000 in just under a year (since Amazon debuted the Kindle Fire last September),” he added. Prime Instant Video is available on the Kindle Fire, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, the iPad, and a number of other connected devices to all Prime subscribers at no additional cost.

Crackle, Sony Television’s ad-supported streaming service, has announced the LA-based production of its new original series, Chosen. Starring Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes), the thriller follows a father who wakes up one morning to find a mysterious box on his doorstep containing a loaded gun, and a photo of a stranger that he’s instructed to kill within three days. Ventimgilia will also executive produce Chosen alongside the show’s creators Ben Katai, who also wrote and will direct each episode, and Ryan Lewis. The show is slated to premiere this winter across all available Crackle platforms, and will run for six 30-minute episodes, much like its first long-form original series, The Unknown.

LA-based brand entertainment studio Content & Co launched The 4 to 9ers exclusively on Hulu and Hulu Plus last week. The six-episode sitcom, which follows a high school student as he begins a part-time job as a “Subway sandwich artist” at the local mall, was developed in collaboration with Subway. The series is written, directed, and produced by Jamie Widdoes (a director on CBS’ Two and a Half Men) and Tim O’Donnell (Growing Pains, Dave’s World), and stars Ashton Moio (Dexter, Everybody Hates Chris) and Galadriel Stineman (True Blood, The Middle). Each episode runs for roughly 10 minutes and will premiere on Hulu every Tuesday until all six are through. The show will receive placement on Hulu’s homepage on the day it airs, and will also be featured via its own homepage on the site and as a part of Hulu’s exclusive programming lineup.

The Associated Press (AP) has launched its 24/7 live video news service on the AP Video Hub, its global video platform designed for digital publishers. The Video Hub, which was launched in beta this past April, allows publishers to access breaking news from AP as well as book and schedule live coverage of planned news events on an ad-hoc basis. It also offers a library of videos covering world news, entertainment, sports, and lifestyle. For consumers, the Video Hub interface includes a “follow” feature, which enables them to receive alerts via Twitter when new content is published on the platform. Other consumer-facing features include curated topic pages, video previews, and the ability to download content to the desktop with one click.

HBO has inked a programming deal to add titles from FremantleMedia Enterprises (FME) to its upcoming HBO Nordic streaming service, which will be available to customers in Scandinavia beginning this October. Per The Hollywood Reporter, FME shows including Hit and Miss, which stars Chloe Sevigny, Web Therapy, featuring Lisa Kudrow, and Morgan Spurlock’s A Day in the Life, will be available to subscribers in the region.

Bedrocket Media Ventures, a cross-platform original video production and distribution company, has secured $15 million in Series A funding from venture capital firm NEA. The company, which was founded in 2011 by Brian Bedol (Co-Founder of Classic Sports Network and College Sports Television) and Ken Lerer (Co-Founder of The Huffington Post), says it will use the new funds to expand its production, distribution, and marketing of digital video content. “We see a unique opportunity to become ‘cable in the cloud,'” said Bedol. This year Bedrocket launched four YouTube “networks,” including Official Comedy, Network A (in partnership with Wasserman Media Group), Look TV (in partnership with Full Picture Entertainment), and KickTV (in partnership with Major League Soccer). The company is also working on a joint venture with Interlude.fm to develop new interactive video formats; is an investor in several new media companies, including VHX and Full Screen; and executive produced stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia’s feature film, Sleepwalk With Me.

Media planning and buying agency OMD, a division of Omnicom Media Group, has partnered with social video app Showyou to distribute video ads from a number of top brands alongside other video content on the platform, according to the Media Decoder blog of The New York Times. This is the first time Showyou is allowing such access to brands, which at the moment includes Doritos, Levi’s, Showtime, and Mountain Dew as among those that have been invited to participate. The report indicates that this partnership will begin this month and will run for 90 days, after which it’ll be reviewed to see if it’s worth investing in over a longer term and with deeper relationships. Media Decoder positions this partnership as further evidence of the shift away from display and toward video. “What Showyou does for us is it allows us to find the space that our clients love where there is a blending of advertising and content. We don’t have a lot of companies that say, ‘Give us 50 banner sites,'” Alan Cohen, CEO of OMD, told the blog.

Digitalsmiths’ Seamless Discovery platform will power video discovery experiences within apps developed by FOX Sports Mobile and Advanced Platforms. The Seamless Discovery platform filters video content based on consumers’ preferences and then surfaces relevant TV shows, movies, and live programming, whether they’re available live, on-demand, or online. The platform includes support for personalized search, browsing, recommendations (including mood-based recommendations), and a business rules engine, among other things, for all connected devices.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE FROM WESTDOC

Over 114 million Americans owned smartphones during the three months ending in July 2012, a 7% increase over the previous three-month period. This is based on data from comScore’s latest MobiLens report, which also found Google’s Android operating system as the top smartphone platform with a US market share of 52.2% (+1.4% versus previous three-month period). Apple’s iOS, which powers the iPhone, came in second with a 33.4% market share(+2.0%). Following the two lead platforms, third-place RIM continued to see its market share decline, dropping from 11.6% to 9.5% in the three-month period ending in July. Microsoft (3.6%) and Symbian (0.8%) rounded out the top five. Among the other findings:

• 52.6% of US mobile subscribers (not just that own smartphones) downloaded apps during the time period covered by this report.
• 51.2% used a mobile browser.
• 37.9% accessed a social networking site or blog.

30% of 15-17 year olds surveyed by Horowitz Associates indicated that they have started watching a show on TV because of something they saw online or through social media, per MediaPost. In comparison, only 16% of all respondents 18 and above said the same. The impact of social media on younger audiences can be seen in other aspects of TV viewing. For example, the survey reports that only 14% of all respondents agree that social media helps them remember to tune into shows. This percentage rises to 28% among 15-17 year olds. In addition, 12% of respondents say interacting with other viewers through social media makes the experience more enjoyable, compared to 20% of 15-17 year olds.

Join us on November 14, 2012 at the Cynopsis Digital Video Measurement Summit in NYC. REGISTER NOW.

An update to BBC’s iPlayer streaming service now allows users to download their favorite shows from the British broadcaster to their iPhone or iPad in order to watch them offline and/or on the go, according to The Guardian. This new functionality is available to all paying subscribers at no additional cost, and will include the ability to watch the downloaded shows whilst abroad. The Guardian notes that this functionality will extend to Android devices “in the near future.” Preivously, the iPlayer only allowed subscribers to stream BBC programming while connected to the internet or download to a desktop computer. Right now a Wi-Fi connection is required to download a show, but the ability to do so over a 3G connection is in the works. After downloading a show, users will have up to 30 days to watch it, or seven days after watching it for the first time, said the report.

Apple has essentially confirmed what everyone’s been speculating about the past several weeks. The company sent out press invites to a special event it is holding next week on September 12 at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The company is expected to unveil the iPhone 5 during this event.

Clearleap, a provider of TV Everywhere solutions, has appointed Thomas Ringkamp as its new VP/Operations. Reporting directly to Clearleap CEO Braxton Jarratt, Ringkamp will oversee media, data center, and network operations, as well as customer support and program management.

The Los Angeles Times Media Group (LATMG) has named Brad Agens its new SVP/Digital Sales. He will report to Michael J. Tannourji, the LATMG’s EVP/Advertising, who leads the ad sales team and is in charge of developing and selling multimedia content and products that complement the LATMG’s print portfolio.

A CYNOPSIS MESSAGE

Google’s accurately venerated Chrome browser turned 4 this past Sunday. To celebrate the milestone, the company launched the Chrome Time Machine. The site allows you to revisit key moments in Chrome’s history over the past four years. The Time Machine’s design is pretty nifty as you can move forward on the timeline by scrolling as the next milestone rushes toward you on the screen. If getting nostalgic over a web browser (regardless of how great it is) isn’t your cup of tea, then you should know that Google is offering a “special birthday gift” if you find a hidden clue and type in “the secret code.”

Later – Sahil
Sahil Patel, Associate Editor for Cynopsis Digital
09.05.12

Denise O’Connor: Group Publisher, Media Entertainment
Diane K Schwartz: Senior Vice President, Media Communications Group

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JOB OPENING: COORDINATOR, BUS OPS/Viacom/NY: Resp. for supporting Content Distr. Mrktng/ Operating department systems that optimize workflow efficiency EOE/M/F/D/AAP apply www.viacomcareers.com (9/12)

JOB OPENING: SVP, DIGITAL OPERATIONS/NBC Entertainment/Universal City CA: Looking for an SVP, Digital Operations. Please visit www.nbcunicareer.com job#6908BR for more information. (9/12)

JOB OPENING: SR ANALYST, PROGRAM RESEARCH/USA NTWK/NYC: Provide top line and detailed multiplatform ratings analysis. 2+ years in television preferred, working w syndicated research programs. www.nbcunicareer.com (6971BR) (9/12)

JOB OPENING: SALES ASST/Univision Network Sales/NY: Entry-level assist 2 sr mgrs w/admin & project-based wrk. Strong comm skills & strength w/numbers are a MUST. Eng/Span bilingual a +, Resume/cover letter: [email protected] (9/12)

JOB OPENING: DIR COMM/Discovery/MD: dvlps comm strategy & oversees PR/program publicity/Public Affairs outreach for ID and Military Channel; 8+yrs hands on media exp http://careers.discovery.com/ #6337 (9/11)

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FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: PRODUCTION INTERNS/Burbank: We are currently seeking production interns to assist with video, audio production, research, creative resources, general office duties. Photoshop experience a plus. Send resumes to: [email protected] (9/12)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Crown Media needs interns in our CORPORATE COMMUNICATION department in NY. Interns will get exposure in media outreach/placement, press kits & marketing. To apply send resumes to [email protected] (9/7)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Crown Media needs interns in our PUBLICITY department in Studio City. Interns will get exposure in drafting press materials, media outreach, & event planning. To apply send resumes to [email protected] (9/7)

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FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Castle Pictures (NYC): seeks motivated, creative interns to assist with DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH and PRODUCTION on a new non-fiction series. Strong writing and people skills a +. Submit resume/cover letter to: [email protected] (9/7)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: Boston Productions, Inc. looking for interns to help with production, post-production, research, logging, and testing interactives. Must have car or reliable transportation. Email: [email protected] (9/6)

FALL INTERNSHIP CREDITS ONLY: NY Multimedia co. seeks intern to assist in network post-production, programming and misc. projects. Min of 2 days/wk. Computer proficiency & sports interest a +. Email [email protected] (9/6)

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SITUATION WANTED: Script Doctor specializes in 1 hour series, broadcast exec & TV professor with 10,000+ scripts exp. Credits incl. DeGrassi, others [email protected] (9/8)

SITUATION WANTED: Entry-level career in media! I have a great work ethic, eager to learn, live in NYC, Business Marketing and International Affairs degree from FSU, will travel, background of Global Business. Contact: [email protected] (9/8)

SITUATION WANTED: NYC, Frfld, Wstchstr counties. Experienced sales, biz development pro seeking position in educational/home media, ad sales. Solid resume and excellent references. email: [email protected] (9/8)

SITUATION WANTED: WRITER/PRODUCER’S ASST. Has worked on The Big Bang Theory, Mike & Molly, etc. Attending UCLA’s TV writing program. Experience as a Page and PA. Proficient in Final Draft. Has BS in Mass Comm. [email protected] (9/8)

SITUATION WANTED: RESEARCHER/EXEC ASST/LOS ANGELES AREA: 16+ yrs exp + key player in Primetime TV as researcher, proofreader, copy-editor, writer, exec asst. Exc. etiquette. [email protected] Have a great day! (9/6)

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