Cyber Monday Follows Robust Black Friday: MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer December 1, 2008

Cyber Monday will follow a robust Black Friday. While dim reports on the state of retail are all the rage, if analysts and the media continue to spin the doom and gloom, they will only become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Over the weekend The Times of London reported that Microsoft may acquire Yahoo's search business for $20 billion dollars. While the Times report included detailed information, named parties, including Velocity Investment Group founder Ross Levinsohn, said there is "No truth to it."

NBC is having trouble selling its remaining ad slots for the Super Bowl. While the Peacock announced in September that it had sold 85% of its :30 second spots, it has been unable to unload the final 8 spots. Notable absentee's from this years Super Bowl will include GM and FedEx, as well as Toyota, Chrysler and Ford.

Sumner Redstone sold 87% of Midway Games to investor Mark Thomas. The move was made to help alleviate National Amusement's $1.6 billion debt, which Redstone is rapidly working to restructure.

Facebook is expanding the reach of its Facebook Connect service. The platform, which lets users log in to other sites using their Facebook profile, will "weave" its way into the digital world of the Discovery Channel, San Francisco Chronicle, DIGG, Geni and Hulu. Facebook Connect, which launched in May, keeps tracks of users activities on third party sites and can publish the information back on Facebook via the news feed.

Plus, today's consulting question, "What would you give up first, cable, mobile phone or broadband?" Shelly has the answer today on MediaBytes.

Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes a daily show featuring news you can use about technology, media & entertainment. He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC and the author of Television Disrupted: The Transition from Network to Networked TV (2008, York House Press). Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, NY (the organization that bestows the coveted Emmy® Awards). You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at [e-mail]