The Holy Grail for many marketers is having their big-budget TV spot become a viral hit online, providing millions in free exposure and publicity from consumer pass-along. The bad news is the chancesare slim, and even if it does happen, there's a good chance the spot won't do much to persuade viewers.

That's according to a Millward Brown study of TV commercials posted online. The researcher found that less than 15% of 102 ads studied were viral hits. (Millward Brown defines a viral hit as a spot that generates more than 1,000 views per week in the United Kingdom market or 5,000 in the U.S.) In other words, for every Old Spice "The man your man could smell like" spot that has generated more than 4.5 million YouTube views, there are five duds. Worse, even if the spot clicks, consumers don't always get the intended message, per MB. Read the whole story...

Cable news sites are big deals news-wise on the Web. CNN closed in on MSNBC in the month of February, as the two cable news destinations vie for the top of the 10 most visited current events and global news destination Web sites, according to Nielsen Online. MSNBC had 45.1 million unique visitors, up 9.9% year-over-year and 22% compared to the previous month of January. CNN Digital Network had 44.1 million uniques in February up 22.8% in year-ago comparisons and 8.7% from January.

A new journalism study showed that people who read the top 20 news and information sites defined by Nielsen return more often, averaging five visits per month and 18 page views. The study also found that while newspapers were represented more than 20 times more than cable on the list of 199 news and information sites, the sector only commanded about three times the combined audience. Read the whole story...

Mesa Global, an investment banking firm co-founded by former Creative Artists Agency executive Mark Patricof, is a potential bidder for Walt Disney's Miramax film unit. No official comment, but various industry sources think the asking price -- more than $650 million -- is too high. Bids for MGM are also due Friday; Liberty Media dropped out of the bidding.

Platinum Equity Partners, a Beverly Hills investment firm headed by Tom Gores, is also expected to bid for Miramax, the independent company behind such art-house fare as "Pulp Fiction" and "No Country for Old Men." Weinstein Co, headed by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, who launched Miramax in 1979 and then sold it to Disney in 1993, would also bid, sources said. Disney bought Miramax for $80 million. Read the whole story...

Cable channel Epix and studio Media Rights Capital are working on a satirical TV show about Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs. Called "iCon," the show is being penned by Newsweek contributor Dan Lyons. Lyons is the guy who wrote about Jobs on "The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs" blog and in his novel "Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs - A Parody."

There are big names behind the effort. "Borat" director Larry Charles, who wrote and produced for both "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," is in charge of the pilot. The show is billed as "a savage satire centering on a fictional Silicon Valley CEO whose ego is a study in power and greed." Read the whole story...

ABC News is close to completing a deal making the longtime CNN foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour as the new host of its Sunday political discussion show "This Week."

Amanpour has been discussing the possible move with news colleagues over the last month. One concern is that she's not primarily known for reporting on Washington or American politics, more at home on the global political front. Amanpour, however, is convinced she can make the switch from international to political reporting. Read the whole story...