Thursday’s Social TV Must-Reads
What’s hot on TV tonight? What about ratings, deals, upcoming shows and awards? We have it and more, including sports and the Latin market. Check it our picks for the top news stories for social TV professionals on our daily industry report.
Top Story
- Al Jazeera buys S.F.’s Current TV
Terms of the deal were not announced, but various reports said Al Jazeera, financed by the government of Qatar, paid $400 million to $500 million for Current TV.
Read more, http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Al-Jazeera-buys-S-F-s-Current-TV-4163168.php
- What Current TV Told Employees About the Al-Jazeera Deal
Wall Street Journal blogs the details, from the insiders.
Read more, http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/01/02/al-jazeera-agrees-to-buy-current-tv-the-full-statement/
- 2013: Content Gets a Ride as King
Dorian Benkoil blogs his thoughts on the future of content in 2013
Read the article, http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2013/01/2013-content-gets-a-ride-as-king003.html
Thursday’s TV Highlights
Naughty Kathy Griffin’s Bravo comedy special — the Kennedie Center On-Hers — and Buckwild, a West Virginia Jersey Shore kinda thing on MTV, and What Not to Wear on TLC go up against The Big Bang Theory on CBS.
Read the article, http://www.tvlatest.com/article/3461/Thursday+TV%3A+Kennedie+Center+On-Hers,+Buckwild,+Lost+and+Found,+What+Not+to+Wear
Ratings
TV Ratings: ‘Off Their Rockers’ Marathon, ‘Parenthood’ Win Tuesday
NBC took New Year’s Day in the adults 18-to-49 demo, pulling a 1.6 rating with encores of Betty White’s Off Their Rockers and a new outing of Parenthood. NBC averaged 5.3 million viewers. Univision, besting all but NBC in the key demo, averaged a 1.5 rating.
Read the article, via THR http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tv-ratings-rockers-marathon-parenthood-407426
Awards
- Producers Guild Awards:TV nominees include “Downton Abbey,” “Homeland”
Five television series were nominated in the top dramatic category – “Breaking Bad,” “Downton Abbey,” “Game of Thrones,” “Homeland” and “Mad Men.” In the comedy category, the nominees are “30 Rock,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Louie” and “Modern Family.”
Read the article, via CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-207_162-57561795/producers-guild-awards-tv-nominees-include-downton-abbey-homeland/
- PGA Awards TV: ‘Homeland’, ‘Downton Abbey’ And ‘Louie’ Enter Series Fray
The PGA Awards follow the Primetime Emmys calendar despite taking place six months later, honoring programs that aired between June 1, 2011-May 31, 2012. With that in mind, there were only minimal surprises in the series nominations this year, most notably the omission of HBO’s freshman comedies Girls and Veep and last year’s best drama series winner Boardwalk Empire.
Read the article, via Deadline.com http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/pga-awards-tv-homeland-downton-abbey-and-louie-enter-series-fray/
- Bruce Springsteen named Grammy’s 2013 Person of the Year
Bruce Springsteen will be awarded with the Person of the Year award by comedian Jon Stewart in a ceremony in February, on account of his philanthropic work as well as his contributions to music.
Read the article, via Telegraph (UK) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/bruce-springsteen/9778275/Bruce-Springsteen-named-Grammys-2013-Person-of-the-Year.html
Politics
Politics has become the new reality TV
The irony is that despite the obsessive media, the level of interest in congressional maneuvering is largely illusory. John Boehner’s official Twitter account has 422,000 followers. Lady Gaga has 32.7 million.
Read the article, http://www.salon.com/2013/01/02/politics_has_become_the_new_reality_tv/
CES Previews
(Jan. 8-Jan. 11, Las Vegas)
- Sony Comeback Try Starts At CES
Sony’s biggest problem remains its lines of televisions.
Read the article, via Seeking Alpha http://seekingalpha.com/article/1092751-sony-comeback-try-starts-at-ces
- Cool gadgets and hot tech that will shine at CES 2013
Ultra HDTVs, Windows 8 tablets, smart appliances, and smartphone apps figure to fight for center stage. Expect Elgato, the company behind the EyeTV tuner that debuted at CES in 2012, to make a new announcement at this year’s show. The EyeTV is a small tuner that connects to an iPhone or iPad and receives a TV signal through Dyle’s mobile TV network, which then allows the user to watch live TV through the EyeTV Mobile app. Similar iOS apps designed to turn devices into “second screens” for watching televised content will have a heavy presence on the show floor as well.
Read the article http://www.pcworld.com/article/2023633/cool-gadgets-and-hot-tech-that-will-shine-at-ces-2013.html
Advertising
Mondelez Taps Nine Tech Startups For Big New Mobile Program
Candy and snacks giant Mondelez International has picked nine startups to participate in an ambitious new mobile-technology initiative aimed at driving more impulse purchases and better in-store marketing. Will include social TV challenges.
Read the article, via Ad Age http://adage.com/article/digital/mondelez-taps-tech-startups-big-mobile-program/238969/
Technology
Movea gesture control coming to Orange’s Livebox Play TV system, launches next month
In a bid to spruce up its hardware, European mobile operator Orange has drafted in Movea to bring gesture controls to its new set-top box. Running the SmartMotion server, movements will be picked up by Movea’s MEMS motion-sensing remote, with gestures for volume control, web browsing and even gamepad and joystick commands.
Read the article, via Engadget http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/03/movea-gesture-control-coming-to-oranges-livebox-play-tv-system/
Mobile
NimbleTV begins streaming OTT TV content to mobile devices
The company, which initiated its free beta rollout last week for up to 250 users in New York City, will push TV content to a user’s Web browser for viewing via any mobile device, according to BroadcastEngineering.
Read the article, http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/nimbletv-begins-streaming-ott-tv-content-mobile-devices/2013-01-02
Social Media
- Twitter could be worth $11bn as it prepares to go public in 2014
Twitter is preparing to take the company public in 2014, and could already be worth as much as $11bn, according to a report by specialist financial researchers Greencrest.
Read the article http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/03/twitter-11bn-dollars-go-public
- World map of top social networks shows just five left, Facebook dominates 127 out of 137 countries
Every June and December, social media strategist Vincenzo Cosenza updates his “world map of social networks” to show what the most popular service is in every country around the world. The latest update, for December 2012, reveals that we’re down to just five top social networks, and that Facebook now dominates 127 of the 137 countries worldwide tracked by Alexa.
Read the article http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/01/02/world-map-of-top-social-networks-shows-just-five-left-facebook-dominates-127-out-of-137-countries/
Sports
- Ray Lewis to Retire as Twitter Pays Homage to the NFL Legend
Mashable picks best Tweets of homage to Ravens great
Read the article http://mashable.com/2013/01/02/ray-lewis-retires/
- (Release) Some Big Sports Personalities Still Avoid Twitter Reports BLOROO
The lack of interest by some of the biggest stars may turn if there were more endorsement deals to offer from a tie to Twitter; however, that may not be likely either.
Read the release http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/some-big-sports-personalities-still-avoid-twitter-reports-bloroo-192224.htm
Latin Market
Univision Gears Up for Launch of UniMás
MIAMI: Univision’s new UniMás network, formerly known as TeleFutura, kicks off on January 7 with the premiere of two prime-time series, Made in Cartagena and Who Are You (Quién Eres Tú). The network launches on January 7 at 9 p.m. and promises to deliver “a bolder, edgier programming alternative to Hispanic audiences” across the U.S., with a special target on millennials. Content is coming from producers such as Caracol TV International, RTI Productions and Televisa.
Read the article http://www.worldscreen.com/articles/display/2013-1-2-univision-unimas
