After taking in more money than expected during a fast-moving upfront, networks are finding advertisers have more dollars to spend on the new TV season in the scatter market. Broadcast and cable networks garnered commitments for about $16 billion in ad spending during the upfront, up 20% from the previous year. The big gain sparked some speculation that little money would be left for the scatter market. . Early signs are that the advertising market remains healthy. Money is flowing into the market and, with inventory tight after the strong upfront, prices are up by double-digits from the upfront, …

Larry King always wanted Ryan Seacrest to be his replacement on CNN. But now King may be going to work for Seacrest -- on the radio show. King, who will step down late this year according to current plans, and the "American Idol" host are reportedly in discussions to give King his own radio show. It would be a return to his roots for King, who started out in radio as a late-night talk jockey in Miami 50 years ago. Seacrest has a very popular daily radio show that originates from LA. But Seacrest's radio deal is set to …

Netflix, the online movie-rental service, introduced an application on Apple Inc.'s iPhone and iPod Touch for subscribers to watch streaming movies and television shows. The application is free to download from iTunes and requires a subscription to Netflix, whose plans with streaming and mail-order rentals start at $8.99 a month. Netflix is expanding its online and mobile business to compete with Coinstar Inc.'s Redbox movie-rental vending machines, pay-per-view on cable and Hulu LLC's online TV streaming. Netflix is spending money on exclusive content for its "Watch Instantly" service, recently adding films from pay-TV channel Epix, movies owned by Relativity …

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says television has profoundly changed confirmation hearings but declined to say whether she'd oppose televising arguments. Ginsburg told a Colorado judicial conference Friday that TV has made Supreme Court confirmation hearings much longer because senators posture for cameras. "The people on the Senate Judiciary Committee have all that free time" to stump for the audience, Ginsburg said. Ginsburg demurred, however, on the question of televising arguments before the high court. She talked about former justices who opposed cameras. Without naming anyone currently on the court, Ginsburg said, "When you're sitting on a collegial …

Time Warner Cable Inc.'s negotiations to renew rights to ESPN may be held up on a demand by the sports channel's owner, Walt Disney Co., to be paid for a related site. Disney is seeking a fee of about 10 cents a month per Web customer for ESPN3.com. ESPN, the most-profitable unit of Burbank, California-based Disney, has honed a strategy of buying sports broadcast rights and charging cable systems industry-leading fees for games. An agreement with Time Warner Cable would add more than 9 million paying customers to the Web site, reports B&C.   The cable operator has …

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Thursday asked an appeals court to reconsider its ruling striking down the agency's indecency policy on "fleeting expletives" heard on broadcasts. A three-judge panel on July 13 called the policy unconstitutionally vague and said it could chill otherwise acceptable speech. News Corp's Fox Television, CBS Corp's CBS Broadcasting and others had challenged a 2004 FCC ruling that on-air expletives that were not bleeped out were indecent and their use could be penalized. The case arose after Bono, the lead singer for the rock band U2, used an expletive often called the "F-word" during …

In partnership with Entertainment Weekly, YouTube just announced the launch of a specialized site for getting a sneak peek at the new television season, which includes "bite-sized previews of programs, reality TV, comedies, dramas and more." The site, which is essentially just an EW-branded YouTube channel, isn't all that notable in and of itself. But it's just one of EW's many digital initiatives as of late. This print-mag-turned-media-company has also launched a number of other digital offerings over the past months, including a popular "Must List" app for the iPad and now iPhone, the integration of 2D barcodes …

Perry Simon has been appointed general manager, channels, at BBC Worldwide America. He starts his New York-based post Sept. 7, reporting to Herb Scannell, president of BBC Worldwide America. In his new role, Simon will be responsible for the growth strategy and creative direction of BBC America, BBC America HD, Video on Demand, BBCAmerica.com and future U.S. content distribution platforms. Most recently, Simon was chief content officer at Sezmi Corp. Prior to that, he served as president of Viacom Productions and held senior executive positions at NBC and his own Paramount-based production company, Shore View Entertainment.

Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting System continues to expand abroad. The company has agreed to acquire Chilean broadcast network Chilevision for about $150 million. It is owned by Chile's president Sebastian Pinera who promised to sell his business interests, which also include an airline and more, before he assumed the presidency in March. The channel is known for celebrity shows, news and telenovelas. Turner said it is the most profitable free-to-air broadcaster in Chile and "one of the industry leaders in audience and ratings." The deal requires regulatory approval. The network will be operated by Turner Broadcasting System Latin America, …

Do advertisers consider Conan O'Brien's upcoming cable show equivalent to Jay Leno and David Letterman's programs on broadcast networks? asks Ad Age. Time Warner's Turner cable unit is securing $30,000 to $40,000 for 30-second berths in O'Brien's show on TBS starting this November -- an eyebrow-raising figure because it's close to the cost for commercials during NBC's "Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," according to ad buyers. Cable shows typically draw smaller audiences than broadcast programming but in recent years that gap has begun to narrow. "The value they are charging is in …