• Comcast to Spread Cost of CableCard Set-Tops
• DBS Rivals Go High Speed with Clearwire
• DirecTV, Dish Team on Intelsat Bid
• CNN Partners with YouTube on Election
• Marketers Review Year’s Best Cable Ads
• Pate, Hunt Team on Marketing Group
• ICTV Appoints CFO

• Pate, Hunt Team on Marketing Group
• Spike’s Catchy Father’s Day Promotion
• Subway Series Promises Big Ratings
• HBO Teams with NBA on HIV Testing
• Nielsen’s Multiplatform Measurement Report

• Comcast Buys an Island in Second Life
• MTV’s Climate-Change Campaign

Comcast to Spread Cost of CableCard Set-Tops
Comcast expects to increase fees to both new and existing subscribers to recover the higher costs of CableCard-based set-top boxes, which most cable operators will be required to deploy starting July 1 under the FCC’s so-called integration ban. Comcast eventually will apply incrementally higher fees across all markets, including those price-regulated by the FCC. “We’ll recover our costs,” Comcast senior director of communications for government affairs Sena Fitzmaurice said. “We plan to recoup the cost of the [CableCard] boxes.” But it’s not yet clear how much higher fees will be because of the FCC’s CableCard mandate. According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, the work necessary to enable set-top devices to work with CableCards will add approximately $72-$93 to each set-top. The association has claimed that translates into $2-$3 more in monthly lease charges to consumers. However, Comcast does not intend to charge extra fees for only those subscribers with CableCard-based boxes. Rather, the cost of CableCard set-tops will be averaged with the cost of set-tops with integrated security features or otherwise spread among existing subscribers. click to read more...
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DBS Rivals Go High Speed with Clearwire
DirecTV and EchoStar are teaming up with wireless high-speed Internet provider Clearwire offer satellite customers a three-service bundle of video, voice and data, officials said Thursday. The nation’s two largest DBS providers struck a distribution agreement with Clearwire that is expected to enable each of the three companies to offer bundled services in all current and future Clearwire markets. The launch is planned for later this year. The deal – a sign that rivals EchoStar and DirecTV may cooperate on other ventures to compete against cable providers -- contemplates that Clearwire will be able to provide the video services of one or both satellite companies to its customers. Clearwire launched its first market in August 2004 and now offers service in 39 U.S. markets, covering about 9.9 million people in more than 420 municipalities in 13 states, as well as about 1.2 million people in Ireland and Belgium with its network. click to read more...
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DirecTV, Dish Team on Intelsat Bid
EchoStar and Liberty Media, which is acquiring News Corp.’s stake in DirecTV, are planning to participate in an auction with a joint offer for Intelsat, the world’s largest operator of commercial satellites, The Wall Street Journal reported. AP first reported in April that Intelsat was on the auction block, and that the sale was prompted by an approach from the Blackstone Group. Bids are expected to be in the $4.5 billion to $5.5 billion range, according to The Journal. click to read more...
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CNN Partners with YouTube on Election
CNN stuck a deal with top amateur video Web site YouTube which will allow Web surfers to submit questions ahead of upcoming presidential debates. YouTube began accepting questions sent in by amateur Web surfers with their own video cameras on Tuesday on its Web site The Democratic presidential candidate debate on July 23 is the first event that will feature questions sent in by YouTube users. The debate, which will be moderated by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper at the Citadel in Charleston, S.C., will begin run from 7 to 9 p.m. (ET) live on CNN. CNN said network staffers will review questions sent in by YouTube users ahead of the debate. The network will also position some YouTube users in the audience at the Citadel. click to read more...
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Marketers Review Year’s Best Cable Ads
New York — Gathering at the Hilton Hotel here today for the 2007 Promax/BDA conference “Best of Cable” presentation, marketing executives were treated to a montage of the year’s most innovative cable ad spots. The presentation was hosted by Mark Valentine, creative director of Anatomy Media, and Dan Bragg, head of creative services at Discovery Channel, who screened the top creative promotions in categories ranging from humor to editing to special effects. Among the highlights, were top funny spots such as the TBS Friends ad questioning which was funnier -- slimmer Chandler or fatter Chandler; as well ads by Food Network for Food Network Challenge; Bravo for Paula Abdul’s Hey Paula reality series; and USA Network for Monk. Ads by Sci Fi Space, USA and Showcase Action made the cut in the horror category, and ads such as IFC Channel’s spot for The Gayest Week Ever and Sundance Channel’s spot for One Punk Under God exemplified lifestyle-related creative. click to read more...
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Pate, Hunt Team on Marketing Group
Television designer and producer Lori Pate, a former executive producer at TV branding group 3 Ring Circus, has teamed with renown brand strategist Lee Hunt, among others, to launch a new consulting group geared toward multiplatform marketing. The goal of the company — named Lori Pate + (www.loripateplus.com) — is to connect media clients with strategic and creative professionals focused on brand strategy, promotion, production, best practices, on-air design, print/package design, Web design and interactive/game design. click to read more...
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ICTV Appoints CFO
Interactive-TV services provider ICTV has hired Christine Munson, a finance executive who has worked at several technology companies, as chief financial officer. Munson most recently was vice president of finance for MarketTools, a San Francisco market-research company. click to read more...
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Pate, Hunt Team on Marketing Group
Television designer and producer Lori Pate, a former executive producer at TV branding group 3 Ring Circus, has teamed with renown brand strategist Lee Hunt, among others, to launch a new consulting group geared toward multiplatform marketing. The goal of the company — named Lori Pate + (www.loripateplus.com) — is to connect media clients with strategic and creative professionals focused on brand strategy, promotion, production, best practices, on-air design, print/package design, Web design and interactive/game design. click to read more...
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Spike’s Catchy Father’s Day Promotion
Spike TV plans to celebrate Father’s Day this year – but there’s a catch. New York Yankee legend Don Mattingly was named the spokesperson for Spike TV’s “Catch-On” promotion that will kick off this Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17. The promotion encourages fathers to go out and have a catch with their son or daughter. Dads are then directed to visit spiketruedads.com and send in a picture showing off their time with their kids and enter for a chance to win a pair of season tickets for their favorite sports team. click to read more...
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Subway Series Promises Big Ratings
Winning streaks and losing streaks don’t seem to be hindering the sky-rocketing ratings both the Yankees and Mets are experiencing this summer. Heading into this weekend’s much anticipated subway series between the cross-town rivals, both teams are expecting home-run ratings. While the Yankees got off to their un-Yankee-like start this season (they won only five games in an 18 game stretch in May), their ratings certainly aren’t showing it. In fact, the Yankees this season, who own a 32-31 record as of June 13, are averaging a 4.5 household rating (439,000 viewers) on YES Network, compared to a 4.3 rating in 2005 and 2006 -- a 4% increase. click to read more...
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HBO Teams with NBA on HIV Testing
HBO is teaming with the National Basketball Association and celebrities on a public service initiative to promote HIV testing. Developed by HBO, the NBA, the Global Business Coalition of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the Kaiser Family Foundation, the television and radio public service ads are timed to lead up to National HIV Testing Day on June 27. click to read more...
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Nielsen’s Multiplatform Measurement Report
Nielsen Co. Thursday reported that it has made strides in its promise a year ago to measure TV viewing now matter where or how it takes place. In an 11-page report to its clients, Nielsen said it had followed through on its “Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement,” or A2/M2, commitment. Nielsen said it had made progress: bringing electronic measurement to many more local markets, eliminating the need for paper diaries; integrating its TV and Internet measuring capabilities; enhanced its means to measure viewing outside the home, on TV as well as iPods and cellphones; and helped the TV industry define and measure audience engagement with programming. click to read more...
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