Thursday, December 18, 2008

December 18, 2008

BET

BET expands its offerings in 29 African countries through multiple platforms

BET Networks has announced that it is now offering BET in 29 countries in sub-Saharan Africa on multiple platforms, expanding the channel's international reach that already includes the United States, Canada, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom. Through the GTV agreement, BET will be seen in 21 countries, and with the agreement with MultiChoice, BET will initially launch on DStv in 11 countries.

BET Mobile partners with PlayPhone for distribution of digital content

BET Networks has announced that it has partnered with PlayPhone, Inc., operator of the largest network of global mobile entertainment destinations, to build and manage its mobile entertainment and personalization business.

BET, TV One planning major coverage of Obama Presidential Inauguration

African-American targeted networks BET and TV One for the first time will join mainstream cable-news networks in offering full coverage of next month's presidential inauguration.

FOX

Fox TV Producers Asked to Trim Budgets
News Corp.'s 20th Century Fox Television studio has asked producers of shows such as Fox's "24" and "My Name is Earl," produced for NBC, to trim their budgets by 2%. The move is part of a cost-cutting initiative at News Corp.'s Fox properties as advertising revenue drops.

MTV

MTV Announces CollegeHumor Site Series
MTV has made the long-awaited news official: CollegeHumor will get its own series on the network in 2009. "The CollegeHumor Show" will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the "offbeat" twentysomething-run Web site. CollegeHumor is part of Barry Diller's IAC.

MTV Launches 'Run's House' Spin-Off, Plus Other New Series

As part of MTV's new ambitious programming schedule, the network has green lit Daddy's Girls, a spin-off of the family-themed reality series Run's House. After five seasons, fans have witnessed Vanessa and Angela Simmons grow up before their eyes under Rev. Run's roof. Soon, viewers will watch the sisters as they make a permanent move to Los Angeles while they take a step toward independence.

UNIVISION

Univision agrees to run condom ads!

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and Catholics for Choice are happy to share the wonderful news that Univision has decided to run their Condoms4Life radio ads.

VIACOM

New EVP of Strategy & Operations for MTV, VH1

Richard Gay will take on the newly created role of executive VP of strategy and operations for MTV and VH1, working to manage business functions, drive planning and strategic initiatives and execute a broad range of operational activities.

Sumner Redstone Gets Time to Sell Assets
Banks appear to be indefinitely extending Viacom/CBS boss Sumner Redstone's Dec. 19 debt repayment deadline to afford the media mogul time to sell off assets. Despite his protests to the contrary, Redstone may be forced to sell some of his shares of Viacom and CBS.

ASIA

Thailand’s “Mr. Condom” battles AIDS

Now, Thailand’s efforts to combat AIDS — including its “100 Percent Condom Use” program and its creation of low-cost antiretroviral drugs — have helped reduce the prevalence of the disease from 140,000 new cases a year to fewer than 20,000.

ADVERTISING NEWS

Civil rights lawyer, Cyrus Mehri, prepares to challenge ad industry discrimination

"I've yet to see an industry that has such a consistent record of indifference to minority involvement," said Mehri, a member of the Washington law firm Mehri & Skalet. "It has a history of purposeful discrimination. They've been on notice a long time, but they just go through the motions and allow a discriminatory climate to continue. They're real laggards, and it's hard to understand why."

MULTI CULTURAL NEWS

Bob Johnson explains business model for Urban Television venture

Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies today outlined additional details of his proposed programming model for Urban Television, LLC, pending the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) approval of recently filed applications seeking share-time licenses that will enable Urban to broadcast programming on a digital channel of ION stations in 42 markets.

Ebony, Jet partner with Google to digitize six decades of publishing history

Many ethnic media outlets see a Web presence as crucial because it can draw readers from outside the community and help followers dig deeper into the issues they care about most. Moreover, ethnic and mainstream publications are seeking younger, tech-savvy readers to grow their readership bases.

ICABA launches a multimedia network for black professionals and entrepreneurs

Prominent business leaders, Black professionals and entrepreneurs convened in South Florida last month for the launch of ICABA, a new multimedia brand that seeks to identify, connect and activate accomplished Blacks around the world. During the launch reception, ICABA unveiled an integrated marketing platform that includes a multifaceted Website with a social networking component, print directories and signature events.

Litton Entertainment to launch weekly 'The Brian McKnight Show' next fall

Litton Entertainment has announced that it will launch "The Brian McKnight Show," a new one-hour weekly variety series set to debut Fall 2009. McKnight, a multi-platinum award-winning singer, musician, producer and arranger, is known for his silky style, breezy charm and smooth vocals.

NABJ: Don't let newsroom layoffs push diversity efforts out the door

The National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) is calling on the industry to keep diversity in the forefront of cost-cutting decisions made this week at Gannett Co., one of the country's largest media operations. Diversity is an essential component of success that companies and communities can't afford to lose.

Race and the Web: Going after niche markets or practicing digital segmentation?

The release of Blackbird, an African American focused web browser sparked quite a bit of controversy this past week. The TechCrunch post about it elicited reactions from both sides of the aisle [It has 275 comments and counting].

The Urban Radio Summit to be presented in April by Target Market News

This newly formed annual event will bring together leading marketers, advertising agencies, research companies, syndication firms and Urban Radio broadcasters in a day-long conference exploring opportunities for tapping the $800 billion African-American consumer market.

UPTOWN Magazine announces increases in distribution, circulation and frequency

UPTOWN Magazine, the luxury lifestyle publication for affluent African Americans, announced its expansion into the Charlotte market, effective with the February 2009 issue. As part of the expansion, UPTOWN Magazine will increase its frequency to six times a year. The circulation and rate base will increase to 200,000, with a pass-along rate of 800,000.

OTHER NEWS

Deloitte: Young People Watching Less TV
`Young Americans just aren't watching television like they used to. Put another way, the older you get, the more you watch, according to a report due out from Deloitte indicating that "millennials," the generation of ages 14 to 25, watch just 10.5 hours of TV a week.

Nielsen: Web Video Users Are Day Clickers
Daytime is the Internet's prime time, at least when it comes to video, according to a report by Nielsen Online. During the traditional work week -- Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. -- 65% of online video viewers streamed at least one piece of content in October.

Time Warner: No Media Buys Despite Cash
Time Warner will soon spin off its cable division in return for a cash windfall of over $9 billion. But with its stock at six-year lows and its disastrous AOL marriage a not-too-distant memory, the media giant said it will forego big acquisitions to focus on shareholder returns.