Mediaweek
Fans who sign up for DirecTV's NFL Sunday Ticket package will get to see a roundup of games on the Web. It's all part of the company's new SuperFan offering.
Starting this September, DIRECTV subscribers will get to see up to 14 live NFL games each week -- but the catch is they can see the games on their PC or whichever laptop they use. The twist -- the streaming option will not be available to the general Web audience; instead, it's part of an exclusive rights arrangement between the satellite provider and the league.
Reuters via Hollywood Reporter
Mary Louise Parker, the star of "Weeds," did a smoking business for its season 3 premiere on Showtime on Monday. It drew a record number of viewers and helped to boost the debut of the cable network's new David Duchovny series "Californication."
Duchovny, best know for his role on "The X-Files," is playing a miserable Hollywood writer who has lost his way.
"Weeds" pulled in 824,000 viewers at 10 p.m. EDT, according to Nielsen Media Research. That's 43% higher than the Season 2 premiere in November (626,000) and the best telecast yet for the suburban drugs …
Hollywood Reporter via Yahoo
Sirius Radio struck a deal with Sonos to stream most of the net's channels, by way of the Internet into home stereo systems.
Sonos has sold a wireless, multiroom system for playing consumers' entire digital collection of songs throughout their homes, with hand-held controllers that allow different music in different rooms.
While Sonos won't carry the entire Sirius lineup, it will offer interested customers Howard Stern, Martha Stewart Living Radio, Cosmo Radio, Maxim Radio, Playboy Radio, four comedy channels and dozens of music choices.
Brandweek
Hershey Co. is a new "official supplier" to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team as it gets ready for next summer's Beijing Games. As part of the pact, Hershey products will carry the U.S. Olympic Team mark through next year and a national promotional and ad campaign led by the Hershey's Kisses brand will support the effort.
"The Hershey Co. is a tremendous addition to the prominent list of USOC official team suppliers," says Norman Bellingham, head of the USOC. "This partnership signifies two of the strongest brands in America joining forces [and] will certainly benefit the 2008 …
Ad Age
Uncle Sam is doing a lousy job of giving small and minority-owned firms their share of advertising and public relations contracts, according to a new study by the Government Accountability Office study. The GAO examined contracts from 2001 through 2005 and found that the government devoted an average of just 5% of $4.3 billion in ad-related expenditures to small or minority businesses, with compliance varying greatly among government agencies.
For instance, the Department of Defense used minority firms for advertising only 1.8% of the time -- and paid them 84% less than non-minority firms, while the Treasury …
E! Online
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will be back in prime time this winter, but on the later side of the daypart as CBS hopes to ease worries about too many kiddies seeing all that sexy lingerie.
The Tiffany Network will air the show on Dec. 4 at 10 p.m., while Heidi Klum, Adriana Lima, Karolina Kurkova and Selita Ebanks will be among the talent on display. The program returns after being temporarily replaced by the Angels Across America tour in 2004 in the wake of the infamous Janet Jackson nipple incident.
Missing, however, will be Giselle …
Mediaweek
TiVo's Stop/Watch service reports that the top 10 commercials for the June ratings period all aired in one show: The season finale of "House," which ran May 29 on Fox. The show also pulled the top-10 time-shifted spots and was the top-rated program in both live- and time-shifted viewing.
The top-10 time-shifted commercials were the same as the list of top-10 commercials and include advertisers like Wendy's, Bank of America, AT&T Wireless and Diet Coke. The proportion of time-shifted viewing to total viewing was also high for the top-10 programs, with "House's" time-shifted rating of 12.4% about 70% …
Reuters via Yahoo
ESPN may be far better known, but Versus, a Stamford, Conn.-based sports channel once called the Outdoor Life Network, is carving out its niche. Around for more than a decade, it was known mostly for hunting and fishing programs, along with marginal sports properties, like the Boston Marathon and Professional Bull Riding. But more recently, the Comcast-owned channel has put together a more interesting mix of programming.
It is now the long-term cable home of the NHL and has added Mountain West college football. It also aired the America's Cup yacht races this year, will run the rugby …
The Hollywood Reporter
Merv Griffin, a former talk-show host turned billionaire from his investments in real estate and the creation of games shows like "Jeopardy!" and "Wheel of Fortune" died Sunday of prostate cancer at the age of 82. Griffin spent 23 years hosting an eponymous talk show that was often the most successful syndicated program on American TV. He also owned 17 hotels at his peak, along with casinos in Atlantic City and the Bahamas.
Says former U.S. First Lady Nancy Reagan, who knew him for 50 years and sought his comfort after the death of her husband, "He was …
Broadcasting & Cable
Ann Curry, Natalie Morales and Hoda Kotb will host the new fourth hour of NBC's "Today," insiders say, and the trio will be joined by a rotation of guest hosts, including Food Network's Giada De Laurentiis and New York Giants running back Tiki Barber. The additional hour of the show will launch Sept. 11 and main anchors Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer will not be part of it.
Curry is "Today's" news-anchor and a co-host of prime-time newsmagazine "Dateline," while Morales is a national correspondent on the show who frequently fills in at the news desk. Kotb, a …