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May 2008
- Netflix Streams Movies Direct to TV
  
  New York Times | May 20, 08 4:17 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Netflix today began marketing a $99 set-top box that lets subscribers play any of 10,000 movies and TV shows on their televisions, free. The device, made by start-up Roku, is cheaper and better than competitors like Apple TV, some analysts told the New York Times . Still, it faces obstacles including limited programming and competition from cable and satellite companies. More »
- TV Writer's Real Genius May Lie in the Fine Print
  
  Wall Street Journal | May 14, 08 4:03 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Television viewers are familiar with "vanity cards," the industry term for images crediting a production company at a show's end. But the cards at two CBS sitcoms are different: Producer Chuck Lorre uses the instant of screen time for a changing public diary, the Wall Street Journal reports. Impossible to read at first, they become legible when paused on a digital recorder. More »
April 2008
- Colbert Not World's Most Influential Person
  
  Time | Apr 30, 08 5:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The result of an annual Time poll to name the most influential person in the world didn’t exactly give closure to a heated rivalry between contenders Stephen Colbert and Korean pop star Rain—neither took the top honor. That went to programmer Shigeru Miyamoto, creator of Nintendo’s Wii, as well as the Mario, Zelda, and Metroid game franchises. More »
- Why We Love Gossip Girl
  
  New York | Apr 27, 08 2:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New York magazine writers Jessica Pressler and Chris Rovzar have come out of the closet. No, not that closet—the one hiding adult fans of Gossip Girl . The pair once justified their love for the CW's teen soap opera by calling it "awesomely bad … like Showgirls . Or a Bloomin' Onion." Now they declare it "awesomely awesome." Here are six reasons why: More »
- Web Videos May Be Ad Gold Mine
  
  USA Today | Apr 4, 08 3:12 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - TV networks, major news organizations, and independent producers are all scrambling to create Web videos that will let them snag a portion of the ad dollars flowing online. Ad spending on Internet videos will grow to $4.3 billion by 2011, say researchers—a 455% increase over today. "It's growing faster than any other advertising category," an NBC Universal exec tells USA Today . More »
March 2008
- Kathie Lee Will Join Today : NBC
  
  Variety | Mar 31, 08 4:27 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Kathie Lee Gifford will rejoin morning TV on April 7, Variety reports, as a co-host of the fourth hour of NBC’s Today . Gifford, 54, will share duties with Hoda Kotb. Her kids grown, Gifford wrote on her website she's keen to return to the small screen "8 years older, 10 pounds heavier, a half-inch shorter, just in time for HD television." More »
- TV Newbie Verizon to FCC: Help Cable Users Switch
  
  Washington Post | Mar 27, 08 1:26 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - As Verizon rolls out its subscription-TV service, the company has asked the FCC to make the switch from cable easier for consumers, the Washington Post reports. In its petition, Verizon asked for the authority to shut off its customers’ cable services on their behalf, arguing that the switchover process is “cumbersome” for customers who must do it themselves. More »
- Timberlake Will Host ESPN Awards Gala
  
  ESPN | Mar 26, 08 6:54 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Well-known in the sports world after the Super Bowl "wardrobe malfunction," Justin Timberlake will host ESPN's annual awards gala, the sports channel reports. The ESPY Awards are set for July 20 in Los Angeles. "Not only is he a world-class music performer and established actor, but he is a talented and creative producer," an ESPN exec said of Timberlake. More »
- Girl Scouts Look to Rebrand
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 25, 08 6:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Girl Scouts of America have hired a chief marketing officer to shake up their image and bolster dwindling membership, Brandweek reports. Laurel Richie helped make Huggies and Kotex into major brands; despite the famous cookies, Scouts number less than 3 million. "How we communicate the brand and how it manifests itself to girls, moms and volunteers is what needs attention," Richie said. More »
- Writers Strike Breathes New Life Into Scrubs
  
  Hollywood Reporter | Mar 24, 08 11:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Writers Guild strike not only didn't deliver the death blow to Scrubs —it may have resurrected the veteran sitcom, according to the Hollywood Reporter . Production restarted today on the show, which NBC had already decided not to renew beyond a handful of episodes left over from before the job action. In stepped ABC, which owns the studio that produces the show, and a deal is near for an eighth season. More »
- DirecTV to Get With Times, Add On-Demand
  
  Wall Street Journal | Mar 13, 08 2:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Challenged by cable and phone-company competitors, DirecTV will offer video-on-demand for the first time, a combination of DVR and broadband-connected content with significant limitations. Because the biggest satellite-TV provider doesn’t use terrestrial connections, it’s been long unable to offer instant play options. Its new plan will store some content on customers' DVRs, and allow them to stream more of it from the Internet. More »
- Café-Loving Kids Cash In on Laptop Ads
  
  Der Spiegel | Mar 12, 08 2:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A German company has a solution for university students who spend their time in cafés and need extra cash for coffee: laptop advertisements, Der Spiegel reports. Just slap a sticker on the back of your screen and you could earn $320 for a few months of public studying. Berlin-based Smaboo has 1,200 students hawking its clients' products in 30 German cities. More »
- Long-Awaited Free TV Site Counts Down to Launch
  
  New York Times | Mar 11, 08 11:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - After lots of hype, a long wait, and a dollop of skepticism, NBC Universal and Fox’s Hulu is going live tomorrow with more than 200 free TV shows, feature films, and sports highlights and games, the New York Times reports. “We won’t stop until we have everything in terms of premium content,” said the CEO. “That is our mission.” More »
February 2008
- Liberty Looks to Leverage DirecTV Deal
  
  Wall Street Journal | Feb 28, 08 9:26 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Closing Liberty Media’s $12 billion deal for a 41% share of DirecTV took more than a year, but positioning the satellite-TV service to rival telcos and cable companies offering triple-play packages of TV, phone, and broadband could be a bigger test, reports the Wall Street Journal today. The deal with News Corp was finalized yesterday after the FCC OK’d it. More »
- Smurftastic Comeback in Works
  
  NPR | Feb 21, 08 3:14 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - At age 50, and after a decade in exile, the Smurfs are planning a comeback, NPR reports, with the original series coming out on DVD and a 3-D movie expected next year. Though today’s kids have more sophisticated options than watching the repair of mushroom houses, “the Smurf village can be a good place to rest," said one marketing type. More »
- Board Games Set for Turn on Big Screen
  
  E! Online | Feb 21, 08 10:07 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Paramount has the rights to any Transformers sequels, but a new deal with toymaker Hasbro guarantees Universal Pictures sole access to nearly all the company's iconic brands, including board games. The studio is said to be developing a Monopoly film, and a new live-action version of the game Clue may also be in the works, E! Online reports. More »
- Toshiba Throws in HD Towel
  
  Associated Press | Feb 19, 08 3:30 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Toshiba is quitting the HD DVD player business after taking a licking in the protracted market competition, the company announced today. Toshiba's exit, which leaves Blu-ray's technology alone at the vanguard of digital video, comes after Warner Brothers joined the crowd of Blu-ray backers, leaving HD DVD in the cold, AP reports. More »
- Toshiba May Pull HD DVD Plug
  
  PC World | Feb 17, 08 2:08 PM CST