VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
International all-news channels are launching across the globe, and while one might picture a Tower of Babel-like hodgepodge of different languages, this batch of nets shares one lingua franca: English. Among the channels are an upcoming all-news channel from France, an English version of Al Jazeera; the already-off-the-ground Russia Today channel; and two channels in India-- The Times of India and Reuters partnership Times Now, and CNN and Indian Broadcaster IBN's joint venture, CNN IBN. All these channels are part of an effort to make each of its countries a major player in global communication.
The New York Times

U.S. cable network Black Entertainment Television (BET) is turning over a new leaf, and focusing more on original programming. The network (now lead by president and CEO Debra L. Lee) has beefed up its creative offerings, created a president of Entertainment position, hired veteran TV producers, and opened an animation division. Among the original programs already set to air is Meet the Faith, a weekly discussion program that deals with political and social issues from a religious and moral perspective.
The New York Times

BUSINESS
As a nod to the buying power of Latinos living in the U.S. and Canada, Lions Gate Entertainment -- based in Vancouver, Canada -- has bought North American home video and video-on-demand rights for Mexican producer Mach 8's films. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Lions Gate said the agreement covers future releases as well as Mach 8's 62-title library.
The Globe and Mail

ADVERTISING
NBC's new series The Book of Daniel is not exactly overflowing with advertising. The series, which revolves around a flawed Episcopal priest with a dysfunctional family who frequently talks to Jesus, is hard-pressed to find advertisers after claims from conservative activist organization American Family Association that the show is anti-Christian. During the hour-long series premiere on Friday, NBC had to include three dozen commercials to promote its primetime shows to compensate for the lack of advertising.
The New York Times

TECHNOLOGY
A deal between Fox and DirecTV is further shaking up the traditional TV distribution model. DirecTV's digital video recorder subscribers will now be able to download some of Fox Entertainment's shows up to two days before they air on TV. So far the only series available for this early on-demand viewing come from Fox's cable channel, FX. Shows that air on Fox's broadcast network are available for download for up to a week after they originally air.
The New York Times

Fans of NBC's classic improvisational late-night series Saturday Night Live will soon be able to access some of their favorite sketches via their iPods. The Apple iTunes online music store will begin offering the clips. This is the next step in a deal between Apple (the iPod manufacturer) and NBC, which also makes episodes of current series like The Office and Surface, as well as classics like Dragnet and Alfred Hitchcock Presents available for downloading.
The New York Times

BBC video news clips are about to reach a wider audience. The British public broadcaster has announced plans to make 40 video clips available daily to U.S. and Canadian Internet and cell phone users. The clips are to be made available through a deal with Disney-owned ABC News.
The New York Times

CONTROVERSY
Britain's celebrity chefs Jaime Oliver and Gordon Ramsay seemed to be in hot water after showing the slaughter of a lamb and six turkeys on their respective Channel Four shows. But, OFCOM, the U.K.'s media regulatory agency, has refused to rebuke the two stars, agreeing that the slaughters were presented in a responsible manner.
BBC News

AWARDS SHOWS
Gay cowboy drama Brokeback Mountain was the big winner at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, an awards show that often predicts the winners of the Academy Awards. Mountain rode away with three awards -- Best Picture, Best Director (Ang Lee) and Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams).
E! Online

Mainstream entertainment was lauded at the People's Choice Awards on Tuesday. The winner of the top prize, Best Picture, was the popular but not-so-critically-acclaimed Star Wars: Episode III-Revenge of the Sith.
The Register

EXECUTIVE SHUFFLE
Ill-faring British network, ITV, has lost one of its most senior executives. Nigel Pickard, ITV1's director of Programming, has left the company to join independent program producer, RDF Media. Pickard has been in hot water recently, being criticized for flops such as Celebrity Love Island and Celebrity Wrestling. The net's flagship channel, ITV1, has suffered a five percent audience share decrease last year. And to make matters worse, ITV could lose £3100 million under an OFCOM-imposed agreement that allowing advertisers to reduce the amount that they pay for slots if the broadcaster's audience share falls.
The Times

Ex-Disney chief Michael Eisner has come out of hiding to join Disney competitor NBC Universal's CNBC team. Every other month, Eisner will host an hour-long primetime talk show entitled Conversations with Michael Eisner. Eisner has said he is interested in discussing creativity, innovation and ingenuity with founders of American business. He added that he would probably book his own guests, and that the show was only the first of several projects he hoped to announce in the near future.
The New York Times

FILM
Right at Your Door, a film set to premier at the Sundance Film Festival this month, envisions a terrorist attack that all-but destroys Los Angeles. The film was made on a shoestring budget, and was directed by first-time director Chris Gorak, who worked as the production designer on both Blade: Trinity and Lords of Dogtown.
The New York Times

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