A short report in this morning's New York Times, citing Nielsen Media Research, says we're spending an additional four minutes a day watching TV this season as compared to the last season. The gain represents a two percent gain over the same period in 2004. "News is driving viewership," says Paul Donato, Nielsen's chief research officer, noting that TV viewing was flat for younger people but up during the reporting period for those 35 and older. Cited as some of the more compelling news stories in recent months:  hurricanse in the Gulf, the deaths of William Rehnquist and Rosa …

After weeks of industry rumors, Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel used the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to finally unveil his company's latest, highly anticipated search service, Yahoo! Go TV. The service features software that permits individuals to use their TV sets to easily watch videos and digital photos downloaded from the Internet. Google now has a similar search service available for its users. The importance of these new technologies has not been lost on the broadcast and cable industries, both of which are watching with enormous interest --and perhaps some dread--as Yahoo! and Google move with increasing speed and …

NBC and Olympic sponsor Chevrolet have co-produced what they are calling a two-and-a-half-minute "mini-movie" to promote the network's coverage of the Winter Games. The film, which includes cameos by several U.S. Olympic athletes, will debut on tonight's prime-time episode of "Las Vegas." Later this month it will begin showing on 10,000 cinema screens, where it will play right up until the Games open in Torino, Italy, on Feb. 10. NBC, in an announcement, said this is the second time the network had integrated Chevy vehicles into a short film for the purpose of promoting its Olympic coverage. The two companies …

Making good on its promise to help find outside investors to offset the cost of its deal for DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures says it is in negotiations with financier George Soros' private equity fund for the sale of DreamWorks' movie library.  Paramount has said it seeks something close to $1 billion for DreamWorks' 59-title library, which includes such hits as “American Beauty” and “Gladiator.”  According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, it's not clear if Soros' fund is the only outside investor involved in the discussions with Paramount.  The studio, now run by Bray Grey, a former …

MarketWatch media columist Jon Friedman apparently enjoys snarkiness as much as the next guy, but he warns that it has become so prevalent in journalism today that it's in jeopardy of becoming the norm.  "It's possible, if the movement continues to build more forcefully, that a generation of young journalists will take their cues and allow commenting to replace reporting," writes Friedman.  Who is to blame? Friedman digs into the history books and cites various origins, in print and broadcast journalism.  In the modern era, he says, it's the political satirists who have had a great impact.  Most recently, …

EchoStar Communications Corp., the No. 2 satellite-TV provider in the U.S. behind DirecTV, may very well be in the crosshairs of AT&T Corp., according to widespread industry speculation. The rumors have resulted in a run-up of EchoStar stock. The newly invigorated AT&T--the name taken by SBC when it acquired the assets of the "old" AT&T several weeks ago--may need to acquire a satellite company if it wants to offer a comprehensive package of bundled services, as is the inexorable trend throughout the industry. Buying EchoStar, which sells its satellite service under the Dish Network brand, would instantly allow AT&T to …

DirecTV customers willing to pay for the privilege will soon be able to see certain Fox and FX shows prior to their airing on broadcast and cable television. DirecTV, a satellite company controlled by Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., says a number of its popular shows, including "The Shield" and "24," will be available to its customers 48 hours before they can be viewed elsewhere--for a price of $2.99 per episode. Peter Chernin, president and CEO of News Corp., said in a statement that, "We now have the ability to create different cuts of our programs for the pre-air audience--versions with …

Oxygen, the cable network aimed at women, is betting $8 million--the cost of its biggest-ever promotion campaign--that "Campus Ladies" is the series that will be to its audience what "The Sopranos" has been to HBO devotees. "Campus Ladies" is a bit of a departure for Oxygen, which began as an effort to attract female viewers with what was perceived as largely dry, straightforward programming. The new show is built around a patently zany premise: Several "older" women return to a college campus, where they of course encounter a range of age-inappropriate activities. Oxygen's ad campaign includes radio, TV, print, online, …

The Reader's Digest Association, which has had not much to crow about lately, seems to have a slammed a home run with Every Day With Rachael Ray, its new bimonthly food magazine. Every Day which launched in October, will raise its rate base--for the second time--with the October/November issue, from 450,000 to 750,000. "The consumer demand for this magazine has exceeded our expectations," said Every Day publisher Christine Guilfoyle. "Rachael's message clearly fills a need for a food lifestyle magazine that addresses how people really live." Rachael Ray, a Food Network personality, has also experienced tremendous success with her cookbooks, …

According to a report by Toni Fitzgerald of online site Media Life, media buyers and planners remain glum over prospects for increased ad spending in 2006. Media Life's latest poll, conducted last month, revealed a not-very-pretty picture: "Media buyers and planners, looking ahead into 20006, don't see much that's encouraging in terms of a rebound in ad spending following the slowdown of last fall." The recent poll revealed that just "over half" the respondents think the ad economy "will dog through the first quarter, even with the Olympics." Moreover, "nearly 22 percent" think the year will be weak throughout. On …