A week after a deal giving it access to Warner Bros. shows such as NBC’s “Revolution,” Netflix has another arrangement with Time Warner that covers content carried on its Turner networks, including the remake of “Dallas.” Netflix will have sole streaming rights to the first two seasons of the TNT show, produced by a Warner Bros. unit, starting in January. Meanwhile, as Netflix and Amazon compete in the streaming-video space, Amazon will make its Instant Video service available as an app on the new Nintendo Wii U, which could rival Microsoft’s Xbox Live as an entertainment hub. The service covers tens of thousands of TV shows and films. As Netflix looks to build up its kids’ programming, the deal also covers previous seasons of Cartoon Network programming such as “Ben 10” and “Adventure Time,” which will become available in March. Targeting an older animation-oriented audience, Netflix will gain rights to Adult Swim series “Robot Chicken” and “Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” as well as Sony Pictures Television’s “The Boondocks.” "The industry has evolved so that TV Everywhere and subscription video on-demand services can coexist with the appropriate windowing strategy, while allowing for more content flexibility to meet consumer demand in the changing digital landscape," stated Deborah K. Bradley, a senior vice president at Turner. Bradley also referenced the potential for Netflix to help boost viewership for current series -- something Netflix has indicated it has done for several years on AMC. With the deal announced last week, “Revolution” will come to Netflix next year in the middle of its second season. Also included is “666 Park Avenue,” which has been cancelled by ABC. Time Warner is party to another agreement with Netflix covering series on the CW network, where it owns 50%.
Sony Computer Entertainment has settled its breach of contract court fight with the actor Jerry Lambert. Lambert portrayed the “Kevin Butler” character that was prominent in some 30 Sony PlayStation game console TV ads that aired from 2009 to 2012. Sony filed suit against Lambert’s company Wildcat Creek and tire company Bridgestone Americas last September after the company became aware that Lambert had participated in a Bridgestone ad where he was seen playing on a competing Nintendo Wii game console. At the time Bridgestone was doing a Wii giveaway promotion to customers who bought a set of tires. The Bridgestone ad was seen on networks such as TNT, FX and ESPN. Sony alleged that Lambert’s contract with the company barred him from promoting any competing game system. The company also alleged that Bridgestone had essentially poached the Kevin Butler character (which Sony owns) by putting Lambert in its ad. Bridgestone disagreed, arguing that Lambert created a different game-playing character for its ad. Although Lambert has settled, Sony and Bridgestone are still battling in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California over the issue. According to the settlement, Lambert acknowledged that his contract with Sony precluded him from promoting or endorsing competing game systems. Lambert also acknowledged that at the very least, confusion was created in the minds of some consumers who believed he was portraying the Kevin Butler character in both the PlayStation and Bridgestone commercials. Under the terms of the settlement, Lambert agreed not to appear in any ad or promotion that features or even mentions “any other video game or computer entertainment system or video game company” for a period of two years. Lambert can do video game commercials again once the two years are up, although the Kevin Butler character remains the property of Sony and Lambert is barred from playing the character without Sony’s permission. For the first two years that he is eligible to do video game commercials again, Lambert also agreed to give Sony notice and provide the company with sufficient details so that it “can assess whether or not Lambert’s intended performance violates [Sony’s] rights in the Kevin Butler character.”
What's the secret to connecting with young Web audiences, and then strengthening that bond over time? Smosh and parent company Alloy Digital might have a good idea. Since its debut on YouTube in 2005, the wacky sketch-comedy brand has racked up more than 2 billion views, and 6.8 million subscribers -- more than any other channel on YouTube, according to new data from channel tracker VidStatsX. Alloy -- a youth-focused media company and video network -- is obviously happy with the success of Smosh, which it acquired in 2011 for an undisclosed sum. Unfortunately for Alloy, however, the Smosh comedy duo of Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox is a rare breed. "I don't think anybody compares to Smosh," said Barry Blumberg, Alloy Digital EVP and Smosh president. "That bodes well for Smosh, but makes it difficult for us." Yet Smosh's success is no mystery, according to Blumberg. Producing and releasing content on a regular schedule is key to pleasing Web audiences, Blumberg noted. That, and “continuing to push the envelope creatively.” That said, “there are very few that have [Smosh’s] production value,” Blumberg admitted. “They're smart and funny, and continuing to grow.” According to Alloy, Smosh has seen its YouTube views grow nearly 40% since the acquisition in July 2011. Recent brand partners have included Ubisoft, for the launch of its popular video game "Assassin's Creed III;" Nestlé for its Hot Pockets brand of sandwiches; and Electronic Arts for "The Sims 3 Supernatural." Along with being a source of copyright-clear, brand-safe original content, Smosh has also spawned several spinoff channels and apps. The Smosh franchise now represents five channels with more than 10 million subscribers, and 2.6 billion lifetime views, according to Alloy. In particular, a Smosh Games channel has already surpassed 1 million subscribers since its debut last September. Among other efforts, Blumberg said that Alloy has helped Smosh expand its social footprint. All told, the brand now boasts over 5 million followers across multiple social profiles, by Alloy's estimate. Along with Smosh, Alloy made several strategic acquisitions in 2011, including online entertainment news producer Clevver Media, and Generate, a full-service studio and talent management company.
Dana McClintock and Chris Ender have been promoted to executive vice presidents of communications for CBS Corporation.
Matthew Doherty joined TubeMogul New York as senior account executive.
We've heard -- or seen -- it all before: some new TV technology that is going to change our lives. This is where 4K TV, or Ultra TV sets, now lives. This new technology has four times the digital information as current HDTV and is where many TV set makers are looking to put another stake in the ground. But where? Others like Japan's NHK are skipping the whole 4K thing and going right to 8K, which offers up 16 times the resolution of current HDTV. The real issue again is the typical Consumer Electronics Show spinout, where technology leads content. When will 4K or 8K be a viable technology? In five years? Ten years? Take a guess. There is virtually no 4K TV content, apart from a few classic movies Sony has been upgrading such as "Taxi Driver" and "Lawrence of Arabia." Most of the initial 4K content will come from "packaged media" -- DVDs and Blu-Ray discs in particular. One can't expect that TV networks, as well as cable, satellite and telco companies, are ready to digest another round of technology upgrades so soon after many HDTV and other digital conversions. A bigger question is how and when TV technology companies will start working this into the brains of consumers through new TV marketing. Consumers have already been trained to upgrade their mobile phones every two to four years. That kind of timeline for replacement of TV sets would be cost-prohibitive, and companies like Sony know it. All this might be tougher to market considering the big missteps with 3D TVs. Where was all the buzz about those better-viewing-experience TV screens at CES? You didn't hear much. This is not to say a couple of years from now they won't make a return with some better technology and software attached. What could be the marketing line for 4K or 8K TV sets? "Newer," "better," "bigger," "easier-to-use"? All that is passé. New consumer technology like phones and gaming consoles focuses on specifics. Apple does a pretty good job of this when it comes to the next generation of iPhones. One can always assume the "quality" of the experience -- video, audio, features -- will always be better. Tell me something else about a new consumer technology product -- and maybe even why the 70-inch screen I bought two years ago isn't enough.
Another CES is now behind us, and while this remains first a show about new devices, a closer look at the capabilities these devices are touting forecasts a need for a multi-device content (and advertising) strategy for the coming years. “Smart” devices they’re called, referring to Internet-connected devices that can access content from virtually anywhere to make life more fun, productive, or informative. These include the obvious (think tablets, phones, TVs) to the innovative (think automobiles and watches) to the borderline ridiculous (such as refrigerators and dishwashers). So in a world where all devices are connected and have access to universe of content, how should video content providers prepare for distribution to this expanding landscape beyond the TV or the computer? A good stage-setter is the following research released by Nielsen’s U.S. Consumer Usage Report 2012, which shows that while the majority of consumers’ media consumption is done via TV (144+ hours a month), other devices are emerging as notable alternatives, including: - Internet video: 5+ hours a month - Mobile video: 5+ hours a month And we can expect this number to increase, given the diverse number of new hardware these users now own: - 16 % of television homes own a tablet - Of those w/ mobile phones, 56% own a smartphone - 17% own an e-reader So what type of content will be the driver of content consumption on all these devices? Based on the news and chatter at CES, few can argue that video — particularly multi-device video distribution — emerged as the biggest theme of the conference. For instance, Comcast and Intel announced a deal that they’re teaming up to allow users to watch on-demand TV content on Intel-based devices (tablets, PCs, etc.), Dish Network, DirecTV, Verizon and AT&T were all at CES talking up Web TV more than they were their traditional cable infrastructure. And a little drama emerged when gadget news/review site CNET booted the Dish Network’s Hopper service -- which lets uses record content on one device and watch it on another — from its “Best of CES” contest because of parent company CBS’ lawsuit against the product. The upshot is that they’re scrambling to access all these new devices as additional screens for their content, service and brand (depending on the company). This is raising interesting questions that don’t yet have a standard answer, such as what is a fair revenue split between app developers and content producers; who owns the user data generated by this traffic; and plenty of user interface discussions. But in the short term, we can expect to see much more new “smart” TV announcements, new tablets unveiled, and so on as the year moves on. Take a close look at them all and you’ll see how the thrust of these product announcements won’t be the hardware specs (like pixels, screen size, or storage space) – but on what these devices can access. The takeaway is that smart content strategies can no longer be focused just on the content being created, but on how it’s distributed — and monetized — to an increasingly expanding device ecosystem.