For The Record

New York—In Demand expects to sign more video-on-demand rights deals with studios soon, CEO Steve Brenner said during a conference here last week.

He said a VOD deal with a major studio would be announced this week, followed by one or two more by the end of May. Among others, In Demand has VOD-rights deals with Universal Studios, Artisan Entertainment and several independent suppliers.

In Demand expects to have a billing platform in place by year-end to facilitate the real-time reporting of VOD buy results, Brenner added.

Redwood City, Calif.—Diva Systems Corp.officials confirmed the company laid off 20 percent of its staff early last week in an effort to reduce expenses and streamline operations.

In a recent securities filing, the video-on-demand vendor said it has enough cash to continue through June. Sources said the company jettisoned about 40 staffers.

"The VOD market is becoming more and more competitive with aggressive pricing," Diva said in a prepared statement. "While this will result in a streamlining of operations, we are certain that we can continue to provide the support our customers need to meet their VOD-business objectives."

Los Angeles—Fine Livinghas closed a long-term affiliation agreement with the National Cable Television Cooperative, officials said last week.

The new Scripps network will be available to the NCTC's members, which serve 13.5 million subscribers. Fine Living's initial carriage deal was with Time Warner Cable, which has committed to rollouts in 5 million homes.

Middletown, N.Y.— The Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network threatened to protest Mediacom Communications Corp. for not carrying The Word Network, after claiming Mediacom chairman and CEO Rocco Commisso didn't return calls.

Word, an urban gospel and ministries channel, has enlisted NAN to confront satellite and cable providers for carriage deals. Comcast Corp. — which has a huge merger with AT&T Broadband pending — recently agreed to carry Word in the Washington, D.C., area. NAN recently staged protests against EchoStar Communications Corp. and Charter Communications Inc., which still haven't agreed to carry Word.

New York—MTV: Music Television's The Osbournes
keeps rolling. On April 16, the seventh episode averaged a 5.2 household rating, matching the April 9 show. Impressions among viewers aged 2 and older grew by 5 percent, to 6.3 million.

The reality series, centered on the family life of rocker Ozzy Osbourne, sustained some erosion among MTV's core 12-to-34-year-old audience on April 16. The show garnered a 6.0 among that group, down 12 percent from the prior week.

New York—Lifetime Television has picked the pilot for the legal drama For the People
to replace Any Day Now. For the People, starring Lea Thompson and Debbie Reynolds, will premiere July 21. The network ordered 13 episodes of the show for Sunday nights.