FilmOn founder Alki David says he plans to sue CBS and its CNET tech Web site for "illegal distribution of DRM [digital rights management] removal software as well as the illegal distribution of file sharing software with malicious intent to infringe on copyright." David posted a YouTube video last week attacking CNET for what he alleges is the site's own copyright infringement even as CBS is suing him for copyright infringement. He told B&C he was posting another video to outline the lawsuit. A CBS spokesperson had not been reached for comment at press time on Monday on the …

Twitter Inc. gained more than 100 million registered members this year and approached the new year with a fresh investment of $200 million. Now the San Francisco firm must prove it can live up to its newly elevated valuation of $3.7 billion. "2011 is the year where they're going to need to increase their user base pretty dramatically and prove to advertisers that Twitter advertising works," said Debra Aho Williamson, an analyst with the online research firm eMarketer. In 2010, Twitter pushed its role as an important source of news and information, which turns the 140-character message into …

Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc said it has been unable to reach a programming agreement with Time Warner Cable Inc, meaning millions of homes could lose some of their local stations on New Year's Eve. Sinclair said Time Warner Cable rejected its proposal asking for a monthly increase of 10 cents per subscriber and declined to provide a counter-offer. The broadcaster, which transmits local TV station affiliates like Fox and ABC channels, said Time Warner Cable had effectively ended negotiations, and as result the cable company would no longer carry its stations on its systems after midnight on Dec 31.Time …

No surprise: The year's most-watched show was Fox's "American Idol," nor is it that CBS is the most-watched broadcast network in terms of total viewers. What is surprising is that of the 20 programs that have the highest overall rating in terms of total viewership (what is known as P2+) for live and same-day ratings, CBS dominated with 13 shows. That's a staggering 65% of the 20 top-rated programs, including the only comedies to break the ratings ceiling ("Two and a Half Men," "The Big Bang Theory" and "Mike & Molly") and the only new programs from the 2010-11 …

With TV networks and viewers alike fretting about commercials - you're not watching enough of them or you're forced to watch too many - companies are desperate to find that ad campaign that makes you stop and gawk. According to Nielsen's list of the Top 10 Best-Liked TV Commercials of the year, six companies have been particularly successful. Almost all the ads that viewers liked -- and remembered -- best were for age-old food products presented in a quirky way. "People do zip through the commercials that don't seem as interesting, so creativity is now more important than ever …

"Mentalist" star Simon Baker is finalizing a new deal with the series producer Warner Bros Television that would net him more than $30 million for his services on the CBS drama, including money he is currently paid. Under the pact, Baker would add one additional year to his current six-year contract and would get an additional piece of the show's back-end. "The Mentalist" was sold in off-network syndication in November 2009 in a rich deal with TNT that is fetching Warner Bros. $2.2 million-$2.3 million an episode. As part of the new deal with Warner Bros. TV, Baker …

CNBC, Bloomberg TV and Fox Business Network are each projected to post even higher double-digit gains in ad revenue this year, according to SNL Kagan. Bloomberg TV, whose subscriber base has been somewhat steady, is expected to ring up $80 million in ad sales, a 19% gain from last year, per Kagan. The media projections have Fox Business slated to show a 51% uptick in ad revenue. Launched in October 2007, it grew off from a smaller subscriber base than its rivals. Fox Business, owned by News Corp., is set to pull in $25 million in net ad revenue, …

One of Washington's proposed conditions on the Comcast-NBC U deal will force the merged company to offer NBC's shows to any Web competitor. So what does that mean for Hulu, which has already locked up exclusive rights to NBC's Web video? A couple of possible answers: Perhaps Federal Communications Commission head Julius Genachowski is trying to put a fork in Hulu. Or maybe the conditions he wants to place on the merger are so toothless that they don't really matter. Background: Each of Hulu's three partners/owners-GE's NBC, News Corp.'s Fox and Disney's ABC-has agreed to mutual exclusivity pacts. If …

The FCC, backed by the Justice Department, says that broadcasters give up full First Amendment status when they get a government license, and so should be subject to government regulation of swearing and nudity when kids could be watching. That was the gist of the FCC's supplemental brief to the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, which is reviewing its earlier decision that the FCC's $550,000 fine of CBS for Janet Jackson's partially exposed breast on the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show broadcast was arbitrary and capricious. The Third Circuit had sought input on whether, if CBS was found …

Google's $24 billion in revenue last year came almost entirely from AdWords, a self-service system developed 10 years ago to let anyone buy text ads that show up next to search results.But it hasn't clicked with local businesses. Direct sales isn't a new approach for Google in handling large advertisers. To reach local businesses, Google has already built relationships through Web pages it developed last year for them on its search engine. Known as "Place pages," they list basic information, such as the location on a map and a summary of customer reviews. Google's new sales reps are …