TV Networks Add Interaction To Keep Shows Fresh.
On the heels of a study that documented diminishing foreign regard for American culture and products, a new organization of marketing and advertising corporations is preparing to raise an initial $1 million to combat anti-Americanism abroad.
It's an off year in the video-game business. That means there will be no major console hardware introductions by Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft. That leaves an opening for others, such as hardware start-ups and game software developers, to grab some attention at the industry's trade show in Los Angeles this week.
It sometimes seems the cable TV news networks have been around forever. If you ascribe to that premise, your definition of ''forever'' dates to about 1980.
The reverberations from this year's fiasco of a Super Bowl half-time show are reaching every corner of the broadcasting world, and not even the viewers of "Masterpiece Theater" are immune.
The big news on Wall Street is the forthcoming initial public offering of Internet search engine Google. According to The New York Times, the stock offering is expected to give Google a market value of "at least $30 billion and perhaps $50 billion or more."
The group that had a hand in forcing Nielsen Media Research to postpone changes in the way it gathers ratings data for local television programming in New York plans to challenge the company in Chicago and Los Angeles starting Monday.
Advances in broadband access and wireless delivery have transformed what was once a clash between cable and satellite operators for control of the living room into a much broader battle for control of the house. A number of foes stand in their way, including video operators, telecom companies and a host of other entities ranging from Microsoft to consumer electronics manufacturers.
News Corporation said yesterday that its fiscal third-quarter profit jumped 69 percent, driven by strong performances at its television and cable units, home to "American Idol'' and the Fox News Channel.
Columbia Pictures and Major League Baseball retreated yesterday from a plan announced on Wednesday to place the "Spider-Man 2" name and design on bases during interleague games from June 11 to 13. Baseball said it had signed on to the marketing alliance with Columbia to reach more young fans.