Fans of "Stargate SG-1" have reason to hope the long-running science-fiction series may survive, despite being canceled by Sci Fi Channel. A spokesman for producer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer says the series, set to leave Sci Fi at the end of its 10th season next year, will live on. "We don't look at Stargate SG-1 as a TV show, but a franchise. It is our intention to vigorously find a find way to extend the franchise," says Jeff Pryor, who adds that MGM is looking at other possible outlets. He hopes to move forward, but no negotiations have taken place yet. Ratings for the show have been trending down this season, but Mark Stern, evp of original programming for Sci Fi, says creative and economic decisions also came into play. He notes that under terms of its contract, the network's decision to cancel the series bars MGM from making any new episodes of the show to air on U.S. TV. Read the whole story...

ESPN is practically sold out of its "Monday Night Football" ad inventory, and time is also tight for Saturday night college football on ABC. Plus, the NFL preview issue of ESPN, The Magazine will be its largest ad revenue-producing issue ever, with 110 pages of ads that will generate more than $10 million in revenue. "Prime-time Monday Night Football on ESPN and Saturday night college football on ABC has resonated with advertisers," says Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN ABC Sports Customer Marketing and Sales. The heavy demand has allowed us to price it very aggressively, he says, "at top of the market cost-per-thousand increases across all of our platforms." He adds that the hottest new category has been consumer electronics, while the financial/insurance category is hotter than usual. The network also has some of its main sponsors back, like Home Depot, Citibank, Capital One and Miller beer. Read the whole story...

CBS is splitting up the contestants in a coming installment of "Survivor" along ethnic lines, with teams of blacks, whites, Asian-Americans and Hispanics competing against each other. But the castaways for "Survivor: Cook Islands" will eventually merge in a later episode. Host Jeff Probst defends the ethnic breakdown, telling CBS' "The Early Show" that the idea "actually came from the criticism that "Survivor" was not ethnically diverse enough." He admits that when you first hear the idea, it could sound like a stunt. The move has raised eyebrows even among seen-it-all reality executives. "That's a bold thing to do in this country," says David Lyle, COO and general manager of Fox Reality Channel, adding that it seems inflammatory. "But I daresay that's what they want. It's a pretty confronting way to act in a world where ethnicity and tribalism and religious differences are seen as flashpoints." Read the whole story...

The Children's Advertising Review Unit says that Warner Bros. has been bad boys for advertising a PG-13 rated movie--"Superman Returns"--on Cartoon Network. CARU, the industry's self-regulator, thinks touting the flick on kids' programming is wrong, given its rating. It says its guidelines require that content inappropriate for children not be advertised or promoted to them. "CARU was concerned that airing a commercial for a film rated PG-13 during children's programming with a substantial audience of children under 13 would create an interest in the film by the child audience and send an implicit message that the film is appropriate for all children," the group says. But Warner Bros. insists that a PG-13 rating doesn't mean children younger than 13 shouldn't see the film or are barred from seeing it without parents. Still, it won't appeal the ruling. The company says it values its brand and is committed to responsible marketing. "We will continue our current practice of making media-placement decisions for our films on a case-by-case basis." Read the whole story...