According The Sun, Rihanna will not testify against Chris Brown. However, California law allows prosecutors to charge him anyway and TMZ is reporting that police have turned the case over to the LA County prosecutor.
YouTube and the Universal Music Group are in talks to build a new channel for music videos. Reportedly, YouTube will provide the technology, while UMG will bring the content, which it hopes will draw premium advertisers. YouTube is looking for a way to raise ad rev through quality content, while UMG would get a cut of the ad rev brought in from music videos, which are among the most popular categories on YouTube.
Cablevision announced the expansion of its addressable advertising deployment powered by Visibleworld. It's expected to extend well beyond 500K homes and 30 insert-able networks during the coming year. The announcement represents the first significant large scale deployment of targeting technology in television, and comes on the heels of a trial which demonstrated high double digit results in advertising efficacy.
Nielsen is reporting that a number of local newscasts are experiencing 20% year-over-year growth in ratings. Analysts believe the trend is due to the uncertainty of the times, as people are more interested in daily news because it affects them on a micro level. Despite the growing trend of Internet based information hubs, television is still the most trusted news source.
Lionsgate and Tyler Perry announced that they have renewed their production deal. The company acquired the rights to two more Perry films, "Why Did I Get Married Too" and "I Can Do Bad All By Myself". Perry's "Madea Goes To Jail" has been number one at the Box Office for nearly two weeks, brining in $65 million in its first eleven days.
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 shelly@palmer.net.