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- DirecTV News: US Senator John McCain wants US federal government to look at possible Murdoch-News Corp takeover of DirecTV (10MAY01) (MSNBC.Reuters) (related.link)
Reuters quotes US Senator John McCain, who is the chairman of the US Senate Commerce committee, as stating, "Don't get me wrong. I'm not judging [Rupert Murdoch's] character. I'm just saying we should look at this very carefully." Nonetheless, in the related link, Variety quotes McCain as indicating "he will most likely hold congressional hearings if News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch clinches a deal to add DirecTV to his vast empire."- More DirecTV News: News Corp President Peter Chernin says "no sticking points" remain in bid towards acquiring DirecTV and lack of regulatory hurdles makes deal attractive (09MAY01) (MediaGuardian) (related.link)
In comparing News Corp's bid versus Echostar's bid, Media Guardian quotes News Corp president Peter Chernin as stating, "One of the attractions to [General Motors] about our offer was its lack of regulatory hurdles. EchoStar does not have that and that is meaningful to GM as they evaluate what is the best deal for them."- DirecTV-TiVo Goes To School: Tilson Elementary School in Atlanta, Georgia selected as a charter school to receive DirecTV receiver with lifetime TiVo service from the "DirecTV Goes To School" program (08MAY01) (Yahoo.BW)
- TVs And Central Home Video: Consumer Electronics Association survey finds 58% interested in watching video from a central home video source on TVs in other parts of the house and 36% interested in video conferencing using televisions or computer monitors within the home (10MAY01) (CEA)
- Horowitz Associates Releases State of Broadband Urban Markets Report: Horowitz Associates' Alisse Waterston PhD says bringing the TV and the computer together is a great opportunity in 'converged' urban markets (10MAY01) (Horowitz) (alt.link) (related.link)
The news announcement quotes Horowitz Associates cultural research division chief Alisse Waterston PhD as stating, "Watching and listening to real people interact with their media tools reveals a disjuncture between behavior and perception. The TV is core, but it's also an object of derision; in some ways perceived as demonic, all the while it is 'King of the House.' On the other hand, computers and the Internet are held up high - exalted and receiving nearly unqualified endorsement. The urban stories uncovered by the ethnographers offer the prospect of bringing the TV and the computer together, both physically and symbolically, no small task but a great opportunity in 'converged,' urban spaces." The news announcement states, "Multicultural consumers and young people show the highest interest in interactivity" with the top interactive TV features of interest to such consumers to include internet-on-TV (surfing websites), email-via-TV, chat-via-TV, and interactive games.- Independent Development Group expects videogame industry to reach highs during next five-year videogame console life cycle (10MAY01) (Videobusiness) (related.link) (related.link) (related.link) (related.link)
Video Business quotes Independent Development Group (IDG) president Anton Bruehl as stating, "The money being thrown at the gaming industry by the three titans, Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, as well as third-party publishers, will be unprecedented. By year two or three of the next-generation console's life cycle, when the unit prices drop to around $149 or lower, we believe the gaming industry will expand further into the mass market than it ever has in its 20-year history." Video Business also cites a new report from IDG as indicating "the DVD-movie playback capabilities of Xbox and PS2 may help these consoles penetrate up to 55% of U.S. households...." and that IDG believes it is "possible for three systems [Playstation 2, Xbox, and Gamecube] to thrive for at least two to three years and perhaps for the complete duration of this next generation cycle."- Subscription Plans: AtomShockwave offers $19.95 and $29.95 subscription game services (09MAY01) (Atomfilms) (related.link) (related.link) (related.link)
- Games-On-Demand: NextGenTel to offer games-on-demand service to DSL PC subscribers in Norway by September 2001 using "Media Remote" technology licensed from Media Station (08MAY01) (PSPR)
- NTL 1Q highlights include 120 interactive content providers signed up for entertainment, retail and information-based interactive TV channels, 15000-20000 games played on the Game Channel, and advertiser-targeting via the video window in the frequently accessed electronic program guide with trailers and promos encouraging TV viewers to select particular TV channels (10MAY01) (NTL)
- NTL appoints Flextech Sales as exclusive advertising sales representative for digital interactive, EPG, internet on TV and PC, and broadband cable modem internet platforms (09MAY01) (NTL)
- PC Users Do Watch TV: MediaVest Worldwide finds PC owners watch more primetime television (09MAY01) (MediaLife)
Media Life magazine quotes MediaVest Worldwide assistant media research director Mark Hudson as stating, "[P]eople 18-49 may be shunting their computer usage in favor of TV and using the computer later or earlier. But they are definitely watching more primetime." Media Life also quotes MediaVest Worldwide vice president and associate media research director Anna Marie Recco as stating, "There’s a lot of buzz in the industry that people who have a PC don't watch TV and that time-spent is down. Even though the HUT level - households using TV - is slightly lower, [PC owners] are watching primetime and you are reaching more of them. It implies that they are sitting down and making the time to watch their shows."- A Bunch Of "Convergence" Stats: Nielsen//NetRatings finds heavy internet users are heavy TV viewers (07MAY01) (Mediapost)
- More TV Commercials On The Web: Fuel NA to put existing television commercials on the internet in full-screen full-motion TV-quality using Amicada PACS technology (09MAY01) (Mediapost)
- New Set-Tops: Scientific-Atlanta unveils Explorer 4100 home gateway and Explorer 3100HD digital set-top at Cable-Tec Expo's Annual Engineering Conference (09MAY01) (SciAtl) (alt.link)
The news announcement quotes Scientific-Atlanta's Subscriber Networks president Dr. H. Allen Ecker as stating, "Our new Explorer 4100 home gateway is designed to support wired and wireless connectivity to link TVs, PCs, PDAs, phones, and other Internet appliances in the home with Scientific-Atlanta's fully interactive digital network, while our new Explorer 3100HD digital set-top is designed to meet growing consumer demand for high definition television. As consumers install two, even three, set-tops in their homes, the interactive strategy behind our Explorer digital set-tops enables them to access a broad, new level of entertainment, information, and communication services. That deeper digital penetration is expected to result in higher consumer satisfaction, lower churn, and increased revenues for cable operators."- TV Guide In Canada: Gemstar-TV Guide and Shaw Cablesystems announce long-term nonexclusive interactive program guide agreement for cable systems in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and Saskatoon (09MAY01) (TVGuide) (alt.link) (related.link)
- "Big Brother" TV Show Gets Enhanced For The UK: Channel Four chooses BSkyB to build enhanced television application to enable an interactive "Big Brother" to be broadcast on digital E4 channel on satellite television (09MAY01) (BSkyB) (related.link)
The news announcement states, "The interactive application will allow digital satellite viewers to 'go behind' the action on each night's episode of Big Brother and choose between four viewing feeds from the Big Brother house - two live feeds and two time-shifted options." (The related news item from Europemedia reports, "The facility will be available between 5:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. daily, depending on E4's other scheduling commitments.") The news announcement also states, "Sky digital viewers will also be able to take part in interactive polls and vote for evictions through their television set." So with a simple click on your remote control, you too can put in your vote as to whom should be kicked out of the house....- "Big Brother" TV Show Gets Texting Treatment In The UK: Channel 4 and BT Cellnet to launch "Big Brother" on mobile phones with short-message-service text messages, dedicated audio feed, and special hotline number in the UK (08MAY01) (Infobeat.Reuters) (related.link) (related.link)
In the second related news item, MediaGuardian quotes BT Cellnet brand & marketing communications chief Tracey Hirth as stating, "We're feeding the nation's growing need for gossip.... Mobile phone usage has hit saturation point and we need to demonstrate our new wave of interactive services."- Set-Tops For Italy: Stream orders 150,000 digital satellite set-top boxes from Pace Micro Technology for multichannel television and interactive services in Italy (09MAY01) (Pace) (related.link)
The news announcement states, "Italy is now the fastest growing market in Europe for digital television after the UK."- Pace Set-Tops At SCTE: Pace Micro Technology Americas exhibits Pace Digital Home Gateway with XTV, Pace 750 DigiCipher II home gateway box with an integrated hard disk drive, Pace 710 with support for OpenTV, Liberate, and Microsoft TV, and Pace 500 using PowerTV at the SCTE show in Orlando, Florida (09MAY01) (Yahoo.BW)
- Digital Access Anywhere: Consumer Electronics Association releases "Digital Amercia 2001" report on technology trends for enhancing consumers' lifestyles and workstyles with almost anywhere connections providing information and entertainment (09MAY01) (CEA)
You can click here to check out the "Digital America 2001" report.- Related On Mcommerce: AT Kearney and Cambridge University's Judge Institute of Management find that cell phone users are hanging up on shopping via internet-enabled cell phones (08MAY01) (ZDNN)
Consumers will not want to do internet shopping via cell phones. The limited number of "free" minutes per month and the per-minute charges on cell phones will kill the browsing required to do any real shopping. -ruel- Home Network Initiatives: Consumer Electronics Association launches home networking initiatives including public relations initiative to raise consumer awareness and improve understanding of available home networking applications (09MAY01) (CEA)
- Portal Partners: Cylo signs up for membership in MetaTV Portal Partner Program (09MAY01) (MetaTV)
- Creative Developers: MetaTV signs up with Scientific-Atlanta's CreativEdge Developer Program (07MAY01) (SciAtl) (alt.link) (alt.link)
- VideoClick & IP Video: Vsoft Ltd announces integration of VideoClick video server and application software running on Solaris Operating Environment platform with Harmonic Narrowcast Services Gateway (09MAY01) (Yahoo.BW)
- Handheld Video News: "Moulin Rouge" movie to premiere to Cannes Film Festival with Palm handheld devices showcasing trailer for movie using Generic Media gMovie Player software (09MAY01) (GenericMedia)
- TV Viewers Ready For iTV: TechTrends says majority of network TV viewers are ready for interactive television programming (08MAY01) (TechTrends) (alt.link) (related.link) (related.link)
- Developing Interactive TV: Planetweb appoints Craig Suko as vice president of product development (09MAY01) (PlanetWeb)
- Interactive TV Development Center: Motorola Broadband Communications Sector designates Spyglass Integration as a preferred software development partner where Spyglass Integration will offer services to help third-party developers build and test new interactive set-top applications in its new state-of-the-art digital interactive application center in Lexington, Massachusetts (08MAY01) (MOT) (alt.link)
- Building For Interactive TV: SeaChange International appoints Peter Nutley as vice president of product management for interactive television (08MAY01) (Seachange)
- More Building For Interactive TV: SNAP2 Corporation appoints Rob Beaver as vice president of research and development and appoints Antony Hoffman as chief technology officer (08MAY01) (SNAP2)
- Winkable TechTV Shows: TechTV and Wink to enhance the "Audio File" and "Extended Play" television shows and update current enhancements for the "Fresh Gear" television show (08MAY01) (Wink) (alt.link) (alt.link)
The news announcement states, "TechTV's enhanced programming is available nationwide to digital cable and DIRECTV customers who have a Wink-capable set-top box or DIRECTV receiver."- Auditing Interactive TV Data: Norpak provides WHAZ-it monitor for auditing the line 21 data signal for interactive content and other data (23APR01) (Norpak)
- Zapping Interactive TV Data: Norpak provides WHAK-it for filtering and / or replacing embedded interactive TV data and content in realtime (23APR01) (Norpak)
- Embedding Interactive TV Data: Norpak to license IBM's advanced MPEG multiplexor design for realtime embedding of data into MPEG2 transport streams for broadcasting over terrestrial, cable and satellite digital television (24APR01) (Norpak)
- Digital TV Patents: ACTV is awarded three digital television patents (08MAY01) (ACTV) (alt.link) (alt.link)
- *** CLICK FOR MORE NEWS ***
- DirecTV News: US Senator John McCain wants US federal government to look at possible Murdoch-News Corp takeover of DirecTV (10MAY01) (MSNBC.Reuters) (related.link)
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