Monday, March 17, 2008

This has got to mean something

Now you know the internet is legit as a new source:

The very definition of "The Academy" the grey lady herself using embeded Youtube clips?  That's right:

SXSW Video; Rachel Ray, Indie Rocker?

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The internet shoots Elliot Spitzer in the heel

NY Governor Elliot Spitzer is stepping to the podium to resign at any moment and I'm watching CNN.  For live coverage, you still go to Television, I suppose.


Simultaneously, I'm using the New York Times main Spitzer page to fill in the gaps in my knowledge about him up to now.


He's now resigned.  Still watching CNN.  Blitzer is dissecting Spitzer.  That's funny to me.

Now, they are breaking down what triggered the investigation in to Gov. Spitzer's personal finances.  It's these irregular transfers.  CNN is using the opportunity to absolutely freak out about how great Justice correspondent Kelli Arena's coverage is.  Ugh, self satisfied nonsense. 

Thursday, January 31, 2008

What the hell is TitanTV, really.

Positioning itself as "King World for the web" TitanTV has announced plans for syndicating web programming. They are ofterring web programs for sale to local TV stations to play in a special player on your local website.

We get the problem they think they're solving, right? You watch your favorite ABC shows on your local ABC affiliate, and then you go to the web to read bout htem and you go to ABC.com, not wtnh.com to learn about them. What good is that to our affiliates in the future.

But, since I can watch content on the website of an affiliate in Cheyenne just as easily as I can on one here in brooklyn, what exactly is the business model here?  Ya dig?

Well, yes, now that you ask, I did try to ask Titan CEO Mark Ephron.  But for some reason, they refused to grant and interview with him to some completely unkown blogger.  Ha!  When I'm writing my Future of Entertainment column for the Times, I'll remember this.  O.K., no, I won't.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

HBO is jumping in!

Well... HBO is using its little toe to test the temperature of the water online. The are making a new broadband service available online to Time Warner subscribers in Green Bay and Milwaukee who also have Time Warner Broadband service.

The strategy being employed here is very limited in order to limit the panic of traditional broadcasters. If HBO throws it's content online all at once, I'll run out and cancel my cable because what the heck do I need it for anyhow?

Another time that traditional media outlets are slowing down the progress of the TV/Web merger because of fears bout their revenue streams. I hold that we'll keep on spending that money somewhere. But not necessarily giving it to Time Warner.

The greatest ray of hope is in the last paragraph of the Financial Times (Yes, I read everything) article -

"In their absence, HBO executives are betting on a portfolio of niche programs, films, documentaries and sports - each with its own devoted fans."

That's what I'm saying, people - Cheaper/Leaner/Faster turn-around niche entertainment!

Full Article at the Financial Times

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Wainy Days Ep#3

It's like T.V. but smaller. SO I keep thinking that this kind of show is very future of television. I really think that my favorite show of recent memory is Clark and Michael. But, notice as you watch this, what is great about it isn't really tied to it's internetness.
The strength is it's silliness. That you don't get on T.V. because TV is expensive to make. David I'd guess this short is light and funny because the process of making it was light and funny. They can throw in a song even though it's episode 3 and there haven't been songs yet. Comedy on the internet doesn't have to be too formatted, the comedians are still in control of it.
This raises two questions.
1) why isn't it funnier? This isn't even really laugh-out-loud funny.
2) why is 105% of internet video content funny>


Zep it Up!

Well, the biggest and oldest of the big, old rock groups is online. This is a great relief to me. In addition to being a final admission by last hold-outs that this internet thing is going to hold on and continue to affect the way that we consume media; it allays a worry of mine while coasting around iTunes. What on earth do 13 year-old boys listen to these days?
Chuck Klosterman, very rightly, has pointed out that Led Zeppelin is unique in that nearly every teenage boy has a moment where he believes that Led Zeppelin is the only band that was ever good.
How could they have taken so long to realized that today's suburban teenagers need that too? Limey bastards.

This Times Article whinges about it for a moment.