Will New Solicitor General Take Harder Line On Copyright?
photo: flickr / dbking
To fill the key legal post of Solicitor General, the Obama administration has turned to a lawyer with deep entertainment-industry roots who… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 01.25.11
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» Oscar.com, the official online home of the 83rd Academy Awards, is promising to make this year the “most interactive Oscar Nigh… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 01-20-11
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» Although European streaming music service Spotify is still not ready to enter the U.S. market — it continues to make its state… Read more »
Updated: MTV ‘Skins’ Strategy: Aim For Social Hit First, TV Hit After
MTV in the States has been heavily promoting its new teen drama Skins for months across a range of social media, including Tumblr, Facebook… Read more »
Viacom Unloads Harmonix To Columbus Nova
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) has found a buyer for Harmonix Music Systems, maker of its struggling video-game franchise Rock Band: investment manageme… Read more »
Google Poaches Paramount Executive For Content Role
Google (NSDQ: GOOG) has turned to Hollywood to fill out its content team, hiring Malik Ducard, who is currently senior vice president of dig… Read more »
Newspaper Publishers Back Viacom On Copyright Takedown Notices
photo: Corbis
A friend-of-the-court brief filed in favor of Viacom show one thing clearly-that the U.S. publishing industry really doesn’t like the idea t… Read more »
Viacom’s Unusual Legal Tack Against YouTube–And Why It Just Might Work
There’s a curious thing about Viacom’s recently appealed copyright case against YouTube (NSDQ: GOOG). Viacom’s evidence and allegations focu… Read more »
It’s Okay If You Confuse Comedy Central’s Logo For A Copyright Symbol
Comedy Central held a small press conference today to herald its new clean, minimal logo: a small “c” enveloped in another larger, backwards… Read more »
Viacom Appeal: YouTube Should Be The Copyright Cops, Not Us
A fundamental question around content in the Web 2.0 world is: Who should be in charge of policing online copyright? So far, two federal jud… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 12.03.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» So this is what prompted Google’s anti-piracy announcement: Viacom (NYSE: VIA) is ready to file its long-awaited appeal in its… Read more »
‘Jackass 3.5′ Blazes Distinctive Path To Digital Platforms
When you’re a mega-successful film franchise, doing something unique in digital distribution is typically besides the point. But nobody told… Read more »
Jason Hirschhorn Joins New MGM Board
photo: Jason Hirschhorn
Former MySpace (NSDQ: NWS) co-president Jason Hirschhorn has been named to the new board of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, marking another sto… Read more »
With AirPlay, Apple TV Finally Takes Flight
Poor Apple (NSDQ: AAPL) TV was starting to get overshadowed in recent months with all the attention being paid to the likes of Google (NSDQ:… Read more »
Viacom Confirms Blocking Access To Full Episodes On Google TV
photo: Corbis / Julie Dermansky
Add Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and Viacom’s other networks to the growing list of those slamming barriers up for Google (NSDQ: GOOG) T… Read more »
Viacom’s Dauman: Harmonix Sale Is About Focus; Digital Dollars, Not Dimes
photo: Corbis / Kimberly White
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) is currently in talks with several buyers for game developer Harmonix, said Philippe Dauman, Viacom’s president and CEO,… Read more »
Viacom Selling Rock Band Maker Harmonix; Profits Fall On Writedowns
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) has had enough of falling sales for gaming brand Rock Band and so the company has decided to sell its maker, Harmonix. Th… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 11.11.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» So is news and culture site Slate struggling or “going gangbusters?” Well, traffic may be down, as competitors such as Gawker a… Read more »
How Jon Stewart Wasted A Digital Opportunity With His Rally
photo: Corbis / Julie Dermansky
Just in case it wasn’t abundantly obvious to any of the 200,000-plus in attendance how serious he was about his message, Jon Stewart closed… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 11.01.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» The Daily Show host Jon Stewart’s Rally To Restore Sanity in Washington, D.C., on Saturday was “history’s largest act of press… Read more »
Comedy Central Mobile Goes To DC With Jon Stewart & Stephen Colbert
photo: Rally to Restore Sanity And/Or Fear
Comedy Central is covering all the promo bases for the Rally To Restore Sanity and the March to Keep Fear Alive, including the ultimate acce… Read more »
Sprint’s New ID Service Is Not About The Apps, It’s About Targeted Ads
photo: Tricia Duryee
Sprint (NYSE: S) unveiled a new service today at CTIA called “Sprint ID,” which bundles packs of applications together around a theme, so th… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 09.30.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» As Advertising Week continues, MTV unveiled a new ad unit that is specially targeted toward younger consumers. [Mediaweek]
MTV’s Video Music Awards Scored Mobile Ratings Success As Well
A little dose of anticipated controversy always helps boost TV ratings, as it surely did for MTV’s Video Music Awards telecast last Sunday.… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 09.13.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» The Hollywood Reporter will cease publishing a daily print digest and will replace it with an online PDF for subscribers as it… Read more »
The Morning Lowdown 09.10.10
photo: Corbis / Patricia Curi
» Credit MTV’s ad-sales partnership with Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) at the end of June, but the Viacom (NYSE: VIA) property b… Read more »
Viacom Digital Head Clayman Tapped To Run News Corp. Tablet News Venture
Greg Clayman is leaving his post as MTV’s EVP, digital distribution & business development, and is jumping to News Corp (NSDQ: NWS). to mana… Read more »
MTVN UK Does A Bebo, Commissions Its First Online-Only Social Drama
By Jemima Kiss: MTV has revealed its first digital-only drama Being Victor, which has been quietly building up interest through an in-charac… Read more »
Vevo Pulls UMG Music Videos From MTV Sites Over Ad Dispute
Vevo and MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) are having difficulty coming to an agreement over whether Vevo can sell advertising around the Viacom netw… Read more »
Viacom Profits Surge, But Home Entertainment Revenues Stumble
photo: Corbis / Kimberly White
Viacom (NYSE: VIA) showed the true benefits of having the dual revenue streams of advertising and cable, as its networks division, which inc… Read more »
Condé Nast Taps Viacom Vet Simon for CTO Post
After 12 years as Viacom’s chief information officer, Joe Simon is heading to Condé Nast for a similar role. The hire comes two weeks after… Read more »
Viacom Offloads Gaming Community Xfire To Titan Gaming
Viacom (NYSE: VIA), which purchased online gamer community Xfire for $102 million four years ago, is offloading the business to Titan Gaming… Read more »
MySpace Sales Exec Courtin Returns To MTVN
MTV has reorganized the heads of its Integrated Marketing Group with the return of MySpace (NSDQ: NWS) sales executive Angela Courtin to the… Read more »
Online Video Guide Clicker Goes Mobile — And Social
Clicker is adding Clicker Mobile and Clicker Social to the roster of ways the LA startup is trying to meet its mission to be the guide to in… Read more »
MTV Networks Buys Gaming Developer Social Express
After its popular Rock Band franchise saw sales dwindle last year, MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) has sought to find other ways of building up its… Read more »
MTVN, Warner Music Group Partner On Digital Content And Ad Sales
Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) has struck a “multi-year” ad sales and digital content partnership with MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) that revolve… Read more »
Paramount Bucks Trend; Will Provide Redbox With New Releases On Day Of Sale
photo: Eddie Does Japan
Viacom’s Paramount Home Entertainment will provide Redbox with its new releases on the same day they go on sale, under a long-term agreement… Read more »
MTVN’s Tribes Ad Network Goes Mobile
Nearly two years after MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) created its Tribes ad network as a way to extend its cable channels’ ad sales to like-minded… Read more »
Microsoft’s Revolving Doors: Domeniconi Out; MTVN’s Everson In?
After a year and a half since she arrived at Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), ad exec Robin Domeniconi is leaving as the software giant is trying to… Read more »
IAC, Yahoo, Facebook, Others Come To Google’s Side In Viacom Suit
photo: Flickr / mark roquet
A host of Google (NSDQ: GOOG) competitors have come to the company’s defense in its $1 billion lawsuit with Viacom (NYSE: VIA). In a joint b… Read more »
