VIDEOAGE "PAPER CLIPS": A WEEKLY PRESS REVIEW

PROGRAMMING
Who says 35 is over-the-hill by Hollywood standards? Many of the U.S. networks' new fall series are being headlined by older, more established actors (such as James Woods, Ted Danson and John Lithgow). These casting choices may signal a move to sway advertisers away from the 18-to-49-year-olds demo over which they have long obsessed.
Chicago Tribune

Canadians looking to catch another CBC broadcast of Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story will have to rent the DVD, as the public broadcaster has pulled the movie from all scheduled future broadcasts. The move came in response to complaints that the two-part miniseries, which originally aired in March, was historically inaccurate in its portrayal of James Gardiner, premier of Saskatchewan in the late-1920s and mid-1930s.
CBC News

Ever wonder what kind of backstabbing and manipulation goes on behind beauty pageant perma-smiles? Well, Country Music Television, the cable network which airs the Miss America pageant, is about to air it all, with a seven-episode reality series titled Finding Miss America. The limited-series will air every night of the week leading up to the September pageant.
The New York Times

BUSINESS
China Netcom Group, the smaller of the country's two fixed-line telephone services, has launched a subsidiary devoted to broadband video offerings. The company will operate CNC Max, a Web portal featuring paid-for-video-related Internet content. The move is an effort for Netcom to increase its average revenue per user (ARPU).
China Daily

Move over Murdoch. In Shanghai, China Mobile Communications has bought a stake in Hong-Kong broadcaster Phoenix Satellite Television Holdings, which is partly owned by News Corp. Phoenix TV will become the second-largest shareholder in the broadcaster, cutting into News Corp.'s share (and making it the third-largest shareholder). Together, China Mobile and Phoenix TV will set up a venture to provide content to third-generation cellular service run by the mobile operator.
Shanghai Daily

TECHNOLOGY
India's Television Eighteen broadcasting group will soon launch a mobile application enabling users to access all the channels from the TV18 stable. Plans also include mobile alerts, which will give users information on the stock market, news and business headlines. The move comes just a year after the group successfully launched its Internet business.
The Hindu

The honeymoon is over between Hollywood and DVDs. With sales having reached a plateau, studios are looking for a new ancillary revenue streams to replace the one-time cash cow, which just a few years ago enjoyed annual double-digit growth.
The New York Times

A new report, entitled "The Future of Television," claims that the Internet does not pose as large a threat to Canadian broadcasters as is often feared. The report, which will be discussed in Banff, Canada today (Wednesday), cites the high cost of distributing TV shows over the Web as the main reason why broadcast and satellite feeds will continue to prosper in the face of new technology.
The Globe and Mail

ADVERTISING
Russia's anti-monopoly watchdog gave a slap on the wrist to the country's leading TV channel last week. The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service fined First Channel 200,000 rubles (U.S.$7,500) for airing a commercial during its broadcast of Toy Story 2. Under the federal law on advertising, television channels in Russia are not allowed to show commercials during children's programs.
The Moscow Times

POLICY
Canadian feds are urging the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to determine what impact rapidly changing technology will have on the industry's future. As she opened the Banff Television Festival, Federal Heritage Minister Bev Oda said, "Other nations began to build the policy network for the digital world decades ago - unfortunately, Canada did not." Oda also stressed that if the CBC, Canada's public broadcaster, hopes to exist, it must be open to change.
CANOE Money

FILM
Thanks to a swelling budget, Jim Carrey and Tim Burton's Believe It or Not, based on the adventures of newspaperman and oddities collector Robert Ripley, has been put on hold. Paramount Chairman Brad Grey suspended production indefinitely after it surpassed its $150 million budget.
E! Online

Celebrating our industry through VideoAge's 25th Anniversary....

All TV and film companies that have been partnering with VideoAge through the years are invited to participate in its 25th Anniversary Commemorative Issue.

Date: September 2006 & MIPCOM '06
Place: VideoAge Monthly & VideoAge Daily
RSVP:Videoage.org or dsvideoag@aol.com

All companies which have been active in our industry are invited to also celebrate their own successes in the pages of VideoAge's September Issue.

To make this event truly spectacular and worthwhile for all, companies that participate in this Commemorative Issue will receive:

* Special one-time low rates
* One ad pg. in the Sept. Issue will beget a FREE ad page in VideoAge's Day 4 MIPCOM Daily (our pre-AFM/Jornadas Issue)
* Free link to company web site from VideoAge's Anniversary web page
* Free one-time sponsorship of VideoAge's daily E-Beat e-mail newsletter
* Bonus distribution at MIPCOM

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.

Copyright © 2006 Video Age International. All Rights Reserved.