This explosion of programming and platforms has virtually guaranteed that viewers will work harder to find what they need, given the seemingly endless choices. If information is power and content is king, any innovative technology that can integrate the information and content from various TV distribution outlets, DVDs, VOD channels, mobile platforms and Internet sources is essential. A number of Web-based solutions have been introduced to fill this void; however, one has yet to emerge as a household name. Consumers need more widespread "uber-guides," covering content on all devices, available from all sources, on all media platforms, says …

The newest addition to YouTube's short menu of premium full-length programming is the sports entertainment company WWE, which will make a handful of its popular pro wrestling shows ("Friday Night SmackDown," "WWE NXT," "WWE Superstars" and "ECW") available for streaming to U.S. users. WWE is also adding more "content clips" from "WWE Monday Night Raw" and "WWE Classics" to its YouTube channel, which has more than 93,000 subscribers. WWE already has many full-length prime-time shows on Hulu, including those it recently added to its YouTube channel. Brian Kalinowski, executive vice president for WWE, stated the partnership "enables WWE to …

The 2010 census now underway will again transform the Hispanic media when findings start coming out next year, say experts. But with this census, the greatest impact will be the increasing complexity and wider distribution of the Hispanic population. "This census will have advertisers and marketers focusing much more on the segmentation within the Hispanic market," says Julio Rumbaut, a media consultant in Miami. "The population has become much larger, unquestionably. But it's also become much more diverse." Ad spending for all Hispanic media soared 164% from $1.47 billion in 1999 to $3.88 billion in 2009. That's more …

Sears became the latest retailer to partner with digital media company Sonic Solutions to sell movies and television shows through an online Web site. Sonic has similar deals in place with Blockbuster and Best Buy. In the latest multiyear deal, Sonic licensed its RoxioNow platform to sell digital entertainment under the Sears and Kmart brand names. Sears is expected to launch the portal later this year, which will allow consumers to access Hollywood content on TVs, Blu-ray players and mobile phones. The partnership will allow the retailer to create its own online platform to sell Hollywood content, just as …

Apple said it sold 3 million iPads in the 80 days since the device went on the sale in the U.S., adding to evidence CEO Steve Jobs is building demand for tablet-style computers. Software developers have created more than 11,000 applications for the iPad since its April 3 debut. The iPad lets users read digital books, surf the Web, watch videos and play games, notes Bloomberg. The popularity had various analysts boosting their 2010 Apple projections. Apple's announcement comes in the same week that leading eReader manufacturers Amazon and Barnes & Noble moved to put some pricing distance between …

The bulk of the kids business has been locked in at the upfront, with estimates putting total volume at $850 million-$865 million, a gain of 3%-5% from the 2009-10 haul, yet less robust than the general marketplace. All told, the major kid-centric networks saw CPM rates increase by 6% compared with last year's pricing, with Nickelodeon/Nick at Nite enjoying the biggest gains (8%-9%). Nick was boosted by its continued ratings success -- it closed out first-quarter 2010 tops in total day among ad-supported networks, averaging 2.3 million viewers and sweeping all major kiddie demographics. Turner's Cartoon Network had CPM …

FCC commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker called for action in three areas: to finalize the plans for the TV spectrum bands and provide the industry direction for the future; encourage the further development of spectrum-sensing technology; create an innovative, interactive and user-friendly database that will not only serve the TV white spaces but also other spectrum bands, including government spectrum and NATO bands. Baker's moves to speed up white spaces policy also got support from Capitol Hill. Two prominent U.S. senators, John Kerry, D-MA, and Olympia Snowe, R-ME, called on the FCC to fast track policy on white space …

The New York Times selected Arthur S. Brisbane, a longtime journalist who has been a reporter and editor at The Washington Post, the editor and publisher of The Kansas City Star and a senior executive at Knight Ridder, as its next public editor, beginning this summer. Brisbane will become the fourth public editor of The New York Times. Brisbane, who is the grandson of the legendary Hearst editor Arthur Brisbane, said he expected to tackle a wide variety of subjects during his three-year term, including the affect on The Times' journalistic standards of publishing articles for the …

C-SPAN,wich launched in 1979, has crossed one of the most significant milestones for cable networks: It is now available in more than 100 million homes. Only 20 channels (21 with C-SPAN) have crossed the barrier. Predictably, the list features many of the major brands in cable television. C-SPAN is owned by the cable companies and provided as a public service, so it does not accept outside advertising. It does receive carriage fees. The only other news channels to have more than 100 million subs are CNN, CNBC and The Weather Channel. Other networks include ESPN, Discovery, Nickelodeon, TBS …

Oprah Winfrey's last season in syndication will be an expensive one for sponsors. And the spots are going quickly. According to ad buyers, CBS Television Distribution has been seeking big price hikes in the upfront market for commercials in "The Oprah Winfrey Show," and is looking for "crazy numbers" for spots in her final episode in September 2011 -- several times the $100,000 per 30 seconds some advertisers already pay, reports B&C. Numbers ranging from $500,000 up to $1 million are being bandied about. "Advertisers realize that this is their last chance to be part of history, …