|
VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW
PROGRAMMING
Homer and the rest of The Simpsons gang sure are popular in
Hollywood. William H. Macy, Ricky Gervais, Frances McDormand and Rob Reiner are among the celebrities who will drop by Springfield for the series' upcoming 17th season. Ricky Gervais, creator of Brit cult comedy (and American spin-off) The Office, will direct one episode. [E! Online]
BUSINESS
ADVERTISING
TECHNOLOGY
Watch out TV manufacturers! The small screen is getting some serious competition for viewer eyeballs. Big media and Internet companies are developing more and more Web-based video programming, which allows viewers to watch their favorite programs on their computer screens -- combining the interactivity and immediacy of the Web with the engagement of television. Recognizing that young kids are spending more time in front of their computer screens, Nickelodeon has created TurboNick, a free Internet service that offers 24-hour access to popular programs and some original programs, too. MTV's new Internet video service, MTV Overdrive, allows users to view dozens of shows -- music video collections, newscasts, artist interviews and supplements to MTV's signature programs. [The New York Times]
Internet-based broadcasting might be in the brink of getting a big boost in Japan. The country plans to test live-broadcast of terrestrial digital television programs on the Internet via fiber-optic cable networks starting this fall. If successful, the service will be introduced in 2006. Analog broadcasting is expected to terminate completely in Japan by 2011, and this re-broadcasting service would particularly benefit TV viewers living in areas that cannot be reached by the terrestrial digital TV signals that will the replace analog signals. [Forbes]
An LCD screen, which can display two images at the same time, has been developed by Sharp. This way, a viewer can watch his or her favorite program, while someone else in the house can surf the Internet using the same screen, but simply sitting at a different angle. The technology consists of a conventional LCD screen overlaid with a series of alternating opaque and transparent strips, called a parallex barrier. The display can also allow a driver to view a navigation screen, while the front seat passenger can watch a DVD from the same screen. [New Scientist]
CONTROVERSY
ABC-TV is getting the cold shoulder from Russia's Foreign Ministry. Peeved at the network for airing a Nightline interview with Shamil Basayev, a notorious Chechen warlord, the ministry has vowed not to renew permission for ABC-TV to operate in the country. ABC representatives have said they hope the country will reconsider, but stressed that their mission as a members of the free press is to cover news events (even illegal acts) in order to help audiences better understand important issues. [Newsday]
FILM
Though her ex-husband seems to be residing on another planet recently, Nicole Kidman is getting set to take on another other-worldly force, in upcoming film Invasion. The film, a remake of classic Commie-fearing sci-fi thrillerInvasion of the Body Snatchers, will begin filming in September. [E! Online]
PRESS RELEASE CLIPS
Bavaria Film International's Sophie Scholl won the Audience and Best Director Award in Brazil. The film also received an enthusiastic response at the Jerusalem Film Festival.
CBS News and Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) have extended a longstanding newsgathering relationship. A long-term agreement gives TBS exclusive access to CBS News programs and news coverage. CBS News also receives access to TBS's coverage.
Disney is expanding its Corporate Communications division with the appointment of Siobhan Kenny to vp of Communications, Walt Disney Television, EMEA.
The E! Networks brand has expanded to Scandinavia. E! signed a long-term deal with Viasat in Scandinavia to launch The E! International Network. The 24-hour net will be distributed by DTH packages "Viasat Gold" and "Viasat Silver." The English -language entertainment channel will be subtitled in Norwegian, Danish and Swedish this fall.
This year's Montreal World Film Festival will include The Montreal International Digital Market (August 29-30), which will sum up the state of digital distribution throughout the world. Among the panelists set to attend are Frank Stirling, CEO and president of Breakpoint Digital; Mark Kimball, director, Digital Production, The Walt Disney Company; Amie Hardie, executive director of DocSpace; and Gwendal Auffret, CEO of AvantiDigital.
National Geographic Television & Film (NGT&F) has received 11 nominations at the Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival, to be held September 19-24. The nominations represent a cross-section of NGT&F programming, including segments of National Geographic Explorer, a special for Fox, a series for PBS, a theatrical documentary and a giant-screen production.
The National Association of Television Program Executives (NATPE) has announced the winner of its third annual TV Producers' Boot Camp Pitch Pit Competition. The grand prize winner was What's Cookin' Doc?, a food remedies and health food makeover show. Runners-up were Heads or Tales, a show focusing on people's pets and dating, and Past Your Bedtime, an offbeat comedy/reality series.
Japan's public broadcaster, NHK, is distributing a library known as the Peace Archives. The collection of films explores the atrocities of atomic bombs, by showing the effects of the attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki almost 60 years ago.
Porchlight Entertainment's Jay Jay the Jet Plane children's series has landed in India. All 40 episodes of the series have been sold to Hungama TV, Indian's premium pay-TV channel targeting kids and teens.
Sesame Workshop has announced two promotions this week. Sherrie Rollins Westin has been promoted to executive vice president/chief marketing officer. Maura Regan has been promoted to vp and general manager of Global Licensing. She will report to Westin.
Bakers Man, a leader in Internet-based technology, marketing communications and digital information management for the entertainment industry, has formed a new production company by the name of True Light Entertainment. The company's modus operandi is to provide a wide range of cutting-edge animation production, innovative marketing and e-learning services to the major entertainment studios.
Animation producer and distributor TV-Loonland has made two appointments as of late. Justine Bannister has been appointed head of International Distribution and Acquisitions for the company. Kourtney Kaye has been named head of Creative Affairs and Development. Both Bannister and Kaye will be based in the London office.
TV Azteca will launch international format sales forEl Asesino, a reality series in which eight contestants compete for a final fortune. The one left standing at the end of the series must compete against one intriguing character in order to obtain his great fortune.
If you want your ad to be seen and your product noticed, put VideoAge on the top of your list for MIPCOM.
MIPCOM issue will include:
*Mobile TV insert
MIPCOM Dailies:
MIPCOM Junior
For more information on deadlines and special advertising packages, contact Dom Serafini at www.videoage.org
This free service is directed to international television executives.
To subscribe, please e-mail us atpaperclips@videoageinternational.com
To unsubscribe, please send a reply to this e-mail with "remove" in the subject line.
|
||
| For more information
on deadlines and special advertising packages, contact Dom Serafini
at dsvideoag@aol.com
This newsletter is also available at www.videoage.org This free service is directed to international television executives. To subscribe, please e-mail us at paperclips@videoageinternational.com. To unsubscribe,
please send a reply to this e-mail with "remove" in the
subject line. |
|
QUICK
LINKS
|
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||