Monday, April 21, 2008

April 21, 2008

BET

BET cages 'Black Panther'

Marvel Comics has signed a deal to turn one of its superheroes, the Black Panther, into a primetime animated series for BET, starting early next year. BET made the announcement at its upfront presentation in New York as the highlight of a batch of new series being readied for the 2008-09 season, under the supervision of Reginald Hudlin, president of entertainment for BET.

BET Networks Announces Partnership with Microsoft to Offer Top-Rated BET Programming on Xbox 360 Through Xbox LIVE

BET Networks today announced that it will add a broad selection of full-length BET television shows for download on Xbox LIVE, the online games and entertainment network on Xbox 360. Effective immediately, a growing catalog of episodes from BET's top-rated programming will be available for download from Xbox LIVE, including, but not limited to, COLLEGE HILL 4, AMERICAN GANGSTER and COMIC VIEW, with IRON RING featuring a free download of the premiere episode to consumers for one full week.

BET Networks' Upfront '08 Presentation is All About 'Connection You Can Feel!'

At its Upfront '08 presentation, BET Networks, the leading media and entertainment brand for African Americans and consumers of Black culture, touted its unique position as the most consistent and effective solution for advertisers to reach that coveted audience. Set in an election-themed show atNew York City's Manhattan Center Studios with the campaign tagline "Connection You Can Feel!", the company reinforced its leadership role through new programming announcements, an overview of its digital strategy, and the unveiling of its new pro-social election initiative.

Judge says rap promoter, associate not defamed by BET

Houston rap executive James Prince and an associate cannot collect on defamation claims lodged against Black Entertainment Television, its parent company, Viacom, or Apple, a Houston federal judge ruled Friday. In a lawsuit filed last year, Prince and his employee, Thomas Randle, claimed they were falsely portrayed as "murderers" having a criminal association with Gangster Disciples leader Larry Hoover in an episode of BET's American Gangster documentary series.

CW NETWORK

CW 'Gossip Girl' Changing The Way We Watch TV

The CW's teen soap "Gossip Girl" -- a television series about a blog -- is seen as "the first show that seems to have succeeded primarily on the Internet." Fans post sightings of the actors on gossip sites. "It's not appointment television; it’s a 24-hour conversation."

FOX

MySpace Introduces Community Builder Platform for Advertising Community

MySpace, the world’s most popular social network, today announced the beta launch of the Community Builder advertising platform. The new platform gives MySpace advertisers the ability to build, maintain and customize brand profiles while also providing guaranteed valuable analytics to help them gauge campaign performance and make real-time adjustments to maximize effectiveness.

MySpace Launches In India With TV Partner

News Corp.'s MySpace is officially launching in India, as the world's most popular social networking Web site strives to fend off fast-growing rival Facebook in the international arena. MySpace India boasts a partnership with India's largest television network, Star TV.

MySpace names Jeff Berman president of sales and marketing

Social networking Web site MySpace, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Interactive Media Inc., said Monday that Jeff Berman has been named president of sales and marketing. Berman will be responsible for developing content and marketing programs and creating advertising strategies for brand partners. He will continue to report directly to MySpace Chief Executive Chris DeWolfe, who co-founded the business.

MySpace toxic for News Corp

Rupert Murdoch's effort to turn his $US580 million MySpace purchase into an advertising powerhouse has turned News Corp into a toxic stock. Analyst Michael Nathanson at Sanford C. Bernstein cut his price estimate on New York-based News Corp, the media company Murdoch controls, by 13% last week to $US21, and UBS's Michael Morris cut his target by $US1 to $US25.

MTV

Kelly Rowland Named Mtv's 'staying Alive' Ambassador

Singer Kelly Rowland has accepted a new role as the 2008 ambassador for the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. The former Destiny's Child artist will kick off the Staying Alive campaign in June 2008, which will raise the profile of the global charitable foundation while empowering young people to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS.

MTV Movie Awards Announces Movie Spoof Contest

MTV is calling all filmmakers, provocateurs, and amateur comedians for their “2008 Movie Spoof Contest,” with the winner eligible for a free trip to Los Angeles for the MTV Movie Awards on June 1 and their very own Golden Popcorn.

MTV puts in OT as social worker

To mark the two-year anniversary of its "Break the Addiction" environmental campaign as well as Earth Day on Sunday, MTV's "The Real World: Hollywood" launched its 20th season Wednesday with its first eco-friendly house and its cast members delivering green tips.

MTV's 'Rock Band' to Launch Downloads

Viacom's MTV will start selling full albums that can be downloaded and played in its "Rock Band" video game, with the first title coming next week from classic metal act Judas Priest. The act's "Screaming for Vengeance" album will cost $15, with individual songs going for $2 each.

VIACOM

Hollywood Studios In Web, Premium TV Deal

Viacom and its Hollywood studio Paramount Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate are forming a new television and Internet joint venture that will show new releases alongside original programming and classic movies. Paramount's output deal was with CBS' Showtime.

Viacom, MGM, Lions Gate Join to Offer Pay-TV Channel

Viacom Inc., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. will offer box- office hits and original television programming on a premium pay- TV channel and video-on-demand service in 2009.

Viacom Summer Movie to Battle Video Game

Paramount Pictures' "Iron Man" is expected to be a summer blockbuster. But it may find its early box office take hindered a bit since it will be released the same week as "Grand Theft Auto IV," a much-anticipated video game from Take-Two Interactive. Both are aimed at young males.

AFRICA

Angola: Red Cross Promotes Campaign Against Aids in Cunene

The Angolan Red Cross (CVA) will promote, as from next May, in the southern Cunene province, a cycle of campaigns aimed at preventing HIV/AIDS infections, ANGOP learnt here from the institution's director general for cooperation and development, Leonardo

Bondo.

HIV/AIDS: Experts calls for home-based testing

Home based testing could help esource-poor countries fight the war against HIV and AIDS

Prof Gabriel Anabwani, the executive director of the Botswana-Baylor Children’s Clinical Centre of Excellence, said such a move will easily help identify orphans among others that need such services but cannot be reached otherwise

Uganda: Clean Water Essential for People Living With Aids

LACK of clean water increases the risk of diarrhoea among people living with HIV/AIDS, the executive director of the Uganda Water and Sanitation Network, John Byarugaba, has said.

Uganda: Mayors Join Hands Against HIV/Aids

TOWN clerks and Mayors under their umbrella Alliance of Mayors and Municipal Leaders have expressed concern over the increasing sexual immorality in the city centre and other communities that has accelerated spread of HIV/AIDS.

UN chief doubts Africa will meet 2015 development goals

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon cast doubt Monday on whether sub-Sahara Africa will meet a 2015 deadline for eradicating extreme poverty, despite an economic boom linked to higher commodity prices. "Many countries are falling behind," Ban told the ongoing UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Ghana's capital Accra, which opened Sunday and runs through Friday.

CARIBBEAN & LATIN AMERICA

BVI Gets Closer to a Strategic Framework on HIV AIDS

Stakeholders from the public and private sectors gathered this week to make contributions to a strategic framework to address HIV/AIDS in the region. Using a template provided by the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV/AIDS (PANCAP), stakeholders reviewed and discussed strategic direction and priorities to be pursued over the next five years.

Claudette Pious, vision in action

Her unconditional generosity has touched and changed the lives of many children. Claudette Richardson-Pious has devoted her life to Children First, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that caters to the needs of children who are HIV positive, dropouts and those who have never been to school.

PANCAP meeting convenes in St. kitts

The 10th annual Caricom/Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) Regional Co-ordinating Mechanism (RCM) meeting convened yesterday at the St. Kitts Royal Hotel and Casino.

PM Douglas to lead Caribbean delegation at UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV and AIDS in New York

St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister and Chairman of the Pan-Caribbean Partnership against HIV and AIDSD is to lead the Caribbean delegation to the Third High-Level United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS in New York.

The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago Selects Terida Systems Inc. to Design and Implement National HIV/AIDS Surveillance and Epidemic Management Solution

The Trinidad and Tobago government recognized that strong action was necessary to curtail and manage the disease. In 2003, a five-year HIV/AIDS National Strategic Plan was published calling for "a truly comprehensive, expanded national response". The ultimate goal is to slow the number of deaths, decrease the number of afflictions and bring the disease under control.

PACIFIC ISLANDS

NGOs Form New Regional Alliance To Fight HIV/AIDS

Representatives of Non Government Organizations from at least six nations are making Pacific history in Fiji this coming week. They are gathering in Suva to launch the beginnings of a new Pacific NGO Alliance Against HIV/AIDS. They will also look into a draft Regional Action Plan to provide momentum and a set of activities for the regional grouping.

NGOs Form New Regional Alliance To Fight HIV/AIDS

UNICEF backs off Tongan HIV role claim

UNICEF, which carries out the United Nations HIV and AIDS work in the South Pacific, has today backed down from over-stating its role in the drafting of what it then incorrectly claimed is Tonga's first HIV Strategy.

OTHER MEDIA NEWS

AOL Plans Site Geared Toward Younger Women

AOL plans to launch a new women's lifestyle site skewing toward a younger demographic than its existing AOL Living property. The new site is part of a broader plan by AOL to launch a dozen niche sites by August. Yahoo recently launched its own women's portal, Yahoo Shine.

Facebook Users Help Site's Global Expansion

Facebook is asking its users to help translate the social-networking site's framework into nearly two dozen languages -- for free -- aiding the company's global expansion. Says Facebook exec Javier Olivan: "Our goal would be to have everybody on the planet on Facebook."

Men's Health Mobile Users to Access Promos

Every advertisement in the June/July issue of Men's Health will be camera-phone ready. Consumers who use their cellphones to snap pics of ads in the Rodale men's magazine will get promotional bounce-backs from marketers. The results will be "measurable," says publisher Jack Essig.

NBC Universal Opens Studio for Web Series

NBC Universal is taking the wraps off its new digital studio, which will involve advertisers in the content-creation process for Web series. Marketing giant OmniCom Media is the first partner in the effort, which will customize interactive programming to client brands.

Sony Preps PlayStation 3 Online Video Service

Sony is said to be preparing an online video service through its game console PlayStation 3 that could launch this summer. The initial version of the service will include movies and television shows flowing from the Internet to the PlayStation 3. Sony is reportedly in licensing talks with studios.

Survey: U.S. Lags In Social Media Creation

In the United States and Europe, consumers are avid consumers of social media content while less likely to create their own, says a new global study by Universal McCann. Americans "love to consume content created by others." Unlike China, "which is a country of creators."

Time Warner's 'Apology' Rejected by China

China wants CNN to make a "sincere" apology for remarks made by commentator Jack Cafferty, who called the nation's leaders "goons and thugs." China's Foreign Ministry says: "This despicable scheme will not dupe the Chinese people." A Web site has been set up called anti-cnn.com.

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