It seemed like a no brainer back in November. If Bob Pittman was willing to return to radio after forays at MTV, AOL (NYSE: AOL), Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) and his investment group, why stop at chairman of media and entertainment platforms for Clear Channel? (OTCBB: CCMO) Mark Mays was…

The continuing migration of audiences and ad dollars to digital has helped serve as a balm against growing economic fears that have resulted in downward revisions for total spending forecasts. But one other thing may be helping online: better, clearer relationships between the sell side and the buy side, according…

“I’d studied your cartoons, radio, music, TV, movies, magazines,” Michael Stipe once sang, vicariously, as though channelling Dan Rather. R.E.M. mirrored the fortunes of the media business - a band that found its own audience through toil on the road, rode the MTV wave, benefitted from what major labels could…

Bitbop, the mobile video service once owned by News Corp. (NSDQ: NWS) and then sold in a whirr of a divestment strategy, looks like it is finding its feet again under new owner Jesta Digital. It’s now live with a mobile and PC-based mobile internet service in Germany, its first…

Although Viacom’s stock, along with most everyone else’s, has been battered in recent days by the market declines the past few days, it might get a boost this morning, as its fiscal year Q3 results showed continued success, especially on the cable advertising front. Revenues rose 15 percent to $3.77…

		EPS*	Rev. vs QQ210	Net Inc. vs QQ210
Viacom	Release		15%	37%

* vs. Analysts' Estimates: Beat Met Missed

New York Times (NYSE: NYT) media writer and David Carr, appearing now in theaters via documentary Page One, hit the big time on TV Tuesday night: The Colbert Report. Worth watching for many reasons, including Stephen Colbert “defending” Rupert Murdoch and News Corp (NSDQ: NWS). as only he can do.…

Wonder what the angst over this week’s Netflix (NSDQ: NFLX) price increase—60 percent for those who want both streaming and DVDS—would look like as a video? Dan Schneider, producer of iCarly, offers a glimpse in this brief encounter with Jerry Trainor, who plays Carly’s idiosyncratic brother Spencer on the popular…

MagnaGlobal president and CEO Elizabeth Herbst-Brady is exiting her role after three years to join MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) as EVP of ad sales strategy for the Viacom unit’s Music & Logo and Entertainment Groups, Adweek reported. She’ll report to Jeff Lucas, the head of sales for both cable network…

Rhapsody hopes to move in to the black in the final two quarters of this year, after turning around subscriber decline following its spinout from RealNetworks (NSDQ: RNWK) and Viacom (NYSE: VIA) largely thanks to uptake of its mobile service, the company’s chief product office Brendan Benzing tells paidContent.

iPads and other tablets that enable television watching are looking to be one of the legal flash points between content owners and distributors; that became clear when Viacom (NYSE: VIA) launched a lawsuit against Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) in March, shortly after the cable company launched an app that…

So-called “Flash cookies” got some headlines in the online privacy world last year, after some prominent researchers noted that they were sometimes being used to track users—even users who took steps to protect their privacy, like clearing their regular (HTTP) cookies. Flash cookies were mentioned by the FTC as a…

Some media companies, like Disney (NYSE: DIS) and News Corp.‘s Fox, have invested a lot of time and money into mobile as standalone businesses, expected to drive their own revenue streams and sometimes even their own brands. Others, like MTV, have largely focussed on it as a way of driving…

In addition to seeking third party help from sources, MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA) has been experimenting with its own home-grown entertainment check-in service called “Caption Bomb” to provide the link between its live programming and social media. That, plus heavy use of Twitter, is what drives brand lift for the…

Viacom (NYSE: VIA) and Judy McGrath said this morning that the longtime head of MTV Networks has resigned. Company sources stress the decision is McGrath’s—and, after making it through some very tough sledding, she leaves MTVN at the top of its game. McGrath, with MTV almost since the beginning, will…

Apps and VOD are going to be the main focus of Viacom’s digital efforts this year, said Philippe Dauman, CEO, Viacom (NYSE: VIA) at the beginning of the company’s earnings call this morning. Meanwhile, as the ratings success of Jersey Shore gave MTV its highest ratings ever, the company is…

Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC) is giving in—for now—to some programmers who insist existing agreements with the cable operator don’t cover the right to stream their networks to the iPad, even when access is limited to the subscriber’s home. The decision to drop a dozen networks from Fox Cable, Viacom…

While many major awards shows have seen ratings declines the last few years, Nickelodeon’s annual Kids Choice Awards seems to only get bigger. That, along with the fact its audience sees little distinction between their TV screens and their computers and mobile devices, has spurred the network to stream its…

As the “music portion” of SXSW kicks off today—discovering new sounds was the original impetus behind the mostly tech-centric Austin, Tx. event these days—MTV is promoting its latest attempt to recapture its musical roots by launching a new website around indie sounds called The Hive. The site, with its decidedly…

There’s plenty of digital platforms seeking content for connected devices and there’s plenty of viable content ideas from TV production companies that have yet to find a buyer. DoubleBounce Media, a new venture launching later this month, seeks to bring these two factions together.