For the Record

Oxygen’s 'Bad Girls’ Draw 2 Million Viewers

New York — Halfway through its fourth campaign, Oxygen’s Bad Girls Club became the network’s first telecast to surpass the 2 million-viewer plateau.

In turn, NBC Universal renewed the reality show for a fifth season, during which it will migrate to Miami from Los Angeles.

The Jan. 19 episode, this season’s seventh of 13 installments, scored a record for the women’s targeted service by averaging 2.09 million watchers, according to Nielsen data, while also setting marks across all key demos. With 1.38 million adults 18-to-49 watching, the show became the sixth in Oxygen history — and the fifth Bad Girls Club episode this season — to surmount the 1 million mark with that key demo.

Cablevision, Comcast Renew Interconnect Pact

New York — Cablevision Systems and Comcast Spotlight reached a new five-year agreement to continue their joint partnership for the New York Interconnect, which provides spot television advertising across 64 cable networks, covering more than 3.5 million households in the DMA.

Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The companies said the New York Interconnect will be able to “take advantage of new technological applications from both companies.”

In addition to traditional 30-second TV ads, the New York Interconnect provides interactive banners on Cablevision’s Optimum online portal and Comcast.net as well as sponsored video-on-demand content across Cablevision and Comcast’s VOD advertising systems.

ESPN Buys Virtual-Technology Provider

Bristol, Conn. — ESPN has acquired Vistas Unlimited, which will help it go even more virtual on both the programming and advertising fronts.

The Plano, Texas-based technology vendor proffers virtual insertion technology that can be used to overlay advertising or graphics into live coverage of sports, notably baseball, golf, basketball, hockey and rodeo.

Deal terms were not disclosed, but ESPN said it will continue to employ a majority of Vistas’ employees.

Cox Offers Free Calling to Haiti

Atlanta — Cox Communications announced Friday that all calls placed by its residential long distance customers to Haiti will be free through Feb. 28, 2010, joining several other providers in extending goodwill to the disaster-stricken country.

Cox said the free calls to Haiti will be retroactive to Jan. 12, 2010, and apply to all customers with Cox long-distance service. Calls to both landline and cellular telephones dialed to country code 509 are included in this program.

Other providers, including Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems, have extended similar free calling offers in the wake of the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Haiti on Jan. 12.

Comcast, meanwhile, earlier this week pledged more than $1 million in cash and in-kind support for disaster relief for earthquake victims in Haiti, including cash contributions to the American Red Cross and Télécoms Sans Frontières (Telecom without Borders).

Last week, Cox Enterprises, the parent company of Cox Communications, created the Cox Haiti Relief Effort, which consists of a media commitment in donated public service announcements by Cox media companies. In addition, the Cox Foundation donated $250,000 split equally between the American Red Cross and CARE, along with employee contributions.

TNT Greenlights Three Scripted Series

Atlanta — TNT will add three new scripted series to its lineup over the next two years, boosting its roster of original shows to 10.

The drama network has ordered 10 episodes of each of the three new series, with the offbeat Delta Blues and crime series Rizzoli & Isles (working title) set to join its lineup this year. A yet-to-be named alien-invasion series from Steven Spielberg will bow in 2011.

Outdoor Channel’s Digital Media Also Rises

Temecula, Calif. — Outdoor Channel has amped its digital media, relaunching its Web site and appointing a new executive to lead its multiplatform push.

The network, which has pushed its linear distribution base to 34.5 million households, named 20-year media veteran Todd Merkow as president of digital media. Most recently president and CEO for Three Screens Media, he will report directly to Outdoor Channel president and CEO Roger Werner.

Over the past year, Merkow had been serving as a consultant to the redesign of OutdoorChannel.com, which registered significant growth in December, garnering approximately 1 million monthly unique visitors, a 136% increase in visits, and a 173% jump in page views.

Dish Reups With Nagravision

Englewood, Colo. — Dish Network signed a 10-year extension to its agreement with Kudelski Group’s Nagravision SA to continue using the vendor’s conditional-access system.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to the companies, Dish Network recently completed migrating its more than 14 million subscribers to Nagravision’s latest-generation security technology.

The new agreement covers Dish Networks’ deployment of next-generation security smart cards from Switzerland-based Nagravision, in addition to a broader scope of signal protection covering traditional and emerging piracy threats.