Oprah announced that she will exclusively air her flagship program on the Oprah Winfrey Network beginning 2011. The move finds Oprah walking away from her massive syndication deals, in an attempt to flesh out the programming of her new venture with Discovery. If Oprah does not move the Oprah show to the OWN network, Discovery may take the network away from the superstar.
Samsung is set to begin bundling internet with 23 different new TV's and three Blu-ray players. While other companies like LG, Sony and Sharp have also manufactured lines with similar connectivity, only 12% of flat screen televisions sold in September were outfitted with an Internet connection. With Samsung making the push, and increased streaming services from Netflix and Blockbuster, streaming the web through your television may finally be a viable way to access entertainment.
Verizon is now offering customers the chance to purchase prepaid data plans. However, while users will be able to pay for a prepaid amount of data, they will be subject to a hefty convenience charge. Users looking to buy data seperately from their wireless plan will have the option of a daily ($15 for 75 mb), weekly ($30 for 250 mb) or monthly ($50 for 500 mb) plan.
Best Buy announced that it will install mobile applications on Google Android based smart phones purchased at its store. The free in-store mobile application set up is one way Best Buy hopes to lure in potential Android customers. The goal is to show customers "what is available to them and how they can bring it to life on their device."
Shelly Palmer is a consultant and the host of MediaBytes with Shelly Palmer 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. Shelly is also President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. You can join the MediaBytes mailing list here. Shelly can be reached at shelly@palmer.net For information about Get Digital Classes, visit www.shellypalmer.com/seminars