PROGRAMMING
Following a legal battle between two Simons (Simon Fuller and Simon Cowell, co-creators of American Idol), the U.S.'s Fox network has signed a deal to keep the singing contest on its airwaves until at least 2009. Cowell is also expected to return to Idol as a judge, a move that was still in question up until recently. [Reuters]
Reuters

The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but Hunan TV's The Mongolian Cow Sour Yogurt Super Girl Contest was one of the hottest shows on Chinese television this year (capturing more than 400 million viewers by the time it ended). The show, which allowed its audience to vote for the next female pop star, became one of the most-watched shows in China's television history by capturing the pulse of the nation's increasingly trendy youth. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

In an effort to spruce up a drab boardroom (not to mention faltering ratings), NBC has announced that the sixth season of its corporate reality show, The Apprentice, will take place in Hollywood. Up until now, the Donald Trump-lead show took place exclusively in New York City. [Reuters]
Reuters

BUSINESS
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has given the requisite okay for six new foreign-language cable and satellite channels. The approved channels are: Channel One Russia Worldwide, a Moscow-based 24-hour Russian-language channel; NTDTV, a New York-based Chinese-language service; Phoenix North America Chinese Channel, which gears news and entertainment from Asia toward North Americans; PTV-Prime USA, a family-oriented channel targeting south Asian viewers; RTP1, the international version of Portugal's public broadcaster; and TV Globo Internacional, a Portuguese channel targeting the Brazilian community. [The Montreal Gazette]
The Montreal Gazette

Discovery Networks is putting more individualized emphasis on its cable channels. Its sales staff has restructured to create sales teams built around individual networks rather than Discovery's entire 13-channel portfolio. Four sales teams will be organized around the group's four top networks: Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet and Travel Channel. Discovery's move follows NBC Universal, which a few months ago, split NBC Universal Cable Entertainment Sales into two separate teams, one for Bravo and one for USA and SciFi. [Advertising Age]
Advertising Age

The North American DVD industry is heading into the holiday season with a bit of trepidation, facing a slowing industry and an unknown future. The year 2005 has already produced some unexpected twists, with DVDs of big-budget kids' blockbusters failing to meet expectations and a wave of TV shows and smaller films surpassing sales forecasts. Out of fear that DVD shipments will go unsold, many distributors are trimming their yuletide DVD shipments. [The Globe and Mail]
The Globe and Mail

ADVERTISING
Car manufacturer Pontiac is once again trying its hand at product placement. The company, which saw great success integrating its Pontiac Solstice into The Apprentice, is embedding another product into reality phenomenon Survivor. Pontiac will integrate its Torrent sport wagon into a challenge on next week's episode. [Advertising Age]
Advertising Age

CONTROVERSY
It seems a mere slap on the wrist was not enough to stop Czech broadcasters Prima and Nova from airing indecent scenes during primetime reality shows, so the Czech Council for Radio and TV Broadcasting is upping its fine. The Council, which previously fined Prima CZK 5 million and Nova CZK 4 million, is now fining both broadcasters almost three times those original numbers. The Council also plans to deal with an alleged hidden advertisement, which appeared during another Prima show. [Prague Daily Monitor]
Prague Daily Monitor

The U.S.'s Federal Communications Commission is releasing its wrath on a new media sector -- the cable industry. FCC chairman Kevin J. Martin has blamed the cable TV industry for not doing enough to shield kids from objectionable programs, adding that parents would be better served if they could more easily pick the channels they receive. Martin urged cable operators to offer la carte instead of bundled packages, a move that he said also would benefit consumers by lowering bills by about 2 percent. [The Los Angeles Times]
The Los Angeles Times

EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE
It's been a mighty good year for NBC's Steve Capus. Capus was promoted to senior vice president of the news division in June and acting president in September. Then, this Tuesday, Capus was officially promoted to president of the network's news division. [The New York Times]
The New York Times

FILM
Harry's still got it; and now he's being seen as a box office savior after a year of slumps. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire has generated an estimated $408 million at the worldwide box office. According to the film's distributor, Warner Bros. Pictures, leading foreign markets for the fourth installment of the film franchise include the U.S., with $201.1 million; Britain, with $51.3 million; Germany, with $35.5 million; and Mexico, with $13.6 million. In Italy, the wizard blockbuster proved to be the country's best ever opening, taking $9.4 million; in Spain, it took $8 million. [BBC News]
BBC News

Divorce drama The Squid and the Whale received the highest number of nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards. The film received six noms, including Best Picture and nods for director Noah Baumbach and actors Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney. [The Guardian]
The Guardian

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