SATELLITE
Rupert Murdoch is optimistic that News Corp.'s newest acquisition, U.S.
satellite television provider, DirecTV, will have 20-30 million viewers. [Daily
Telegraph]
Daily Telegraph

Production companies are having an easier time uploading and downloading even
in the most remote of places, thanks to Inmarsat's Regional BGAN service, a
new data-only satellite link. [International Herald Tribune]
International Herald Tribune

BSkyB shareholders are keeping a close eye on Tony Ball's successor,
31-year-old James Murdoch, son of News Corp. chairman, Rupert Murdoch. [New York Times]
New York Times

BROADCAST
Rustavi-2, the independent Georgian television station that had a hand in the
downfall of veteran leader Eduard Shevardnadze, came under grenade attack on
Monday. [Reuters]
Reuters

Former sitcom star and one of the world's most talked about lesbians, Ellen
DeGeneres, is finding new fame as a talk show host on NBC's "The Ellen
DeGeneres Show." [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

CBS and Fox are both enjoying ratings highs from their coverage of NFL
(American) football games this season. [USA Today]
USA Today

CBS's line-up of three crime dramas, "Cold Case," "CSI: Crime Scene
Investigation" and "Without a Trace," went head to head with Fox's "World Idol" on
Christmas Day and still came out on top. [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

British TV soap operas are to blame for teenage binge drinking, said the
charity group, Alcohol Concern. [The Independent]
The Independent

PROGRAMMING
Robin Leach, former host of "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous," helms ABC's
"Life of Luxury," a new show about quirky folks with money to spare. [New York
Times]
New York Times

RADIO TAKES ON TV
A new golden age of radio is dawning and luring in young listeners for the
first time in decades thanks to radio documentaries. [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

Nugent Vitallo, an Illinois businessman, has spent $825,000 to create a
device to listen to television audio on car radios, but will it ever catch on?
[Chicago Tribune]
Chicago Tribune

TECHNOLOGY
In the battle over the next DVD format, NEC and Toshiba have developed a
high-defintion DVD that is 0.6 millimeters thick. Blu-ray company, led by Sony and
Matsushita, has developed a disk that is 0.1 millimeter thick and can hold
more data, but needs more money to be produced. [New York Times]
New York Times

Hewlett Packard, best known for producing printers, is looking to get in on
the flat-screen television business. [New York Times]
New York Times

Personal video recorders, such as those offered by TiVo, are expected to
reach 5.8 million homes by next year, thanks in part to cable and satellite
providers who will integrate the technology into their set-top boxes. [New York
Times]
New York Times

ADVERTISING
The U.S. Internet Advertising Bureau contends that traditional web banner ads
are dead and advertisers are looking for the next big thing. [Sydney Morning
Herald]
Sydney Morning Herald

FILM
Former Nickelodeon star Nick Cannon is starring in a slew of new movies for
young adult audiences, including "Love Don't Cost a Thing," and is producing a
flick called "Underclassmen." [Yahoo! News]
Yahoo! News

VIDEOAGE WISHES YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR.
WE HOPE TO SEE ALL OF YOU AT NATPE, WHERE WE'LL HAVE ISSUES AND DAILIES!

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