The Inquisitr » fox

Fox Sports launches online division

Duncan Riley — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:37:27 +0000

Fox Sports has announced the launch of its own online division, driving further speculation around the long term future of Fox online arm Fox Interactive Media (FIM.)

According to media from the company, Fox Sports Digital Entertainment will help create synergy between the network and online, and launches with five web only video shows.

“We want to develop a variety of programs that appeal to hardcore sports fans, many of whom turn to their computers for entertainment and information as they lunch,” said Fox Sports chairman David Hill told Variety. “Not every show is going to click its first time out, but we’re going to probe and push to see where we can go, and how far.”

FIM’s role within Fox remains, and the division still runs the groups big online plays including MySpace. However the division was supposed to spearhead News Corp’s United States online efforts, a role it seemingly continues to play less and less.

Justin.tv gets serious on copyright, signs deal with Fox

Duncan Riley — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:17:02 +0000

Justin.tv has signed new deals with Fox and others that will see the live stream site hit pirated content that is archived on the site, as well as pirated content as it’s being streamed live.

Working with Vobile, Justin.tv has begun fingerprinting all saved clips and scanning them against Vobile’s content database. Users with clips that are found to be infringing will have their clips removed and the channel taken offline.

The bigger challenge is live video, with users uploading 24.3 hours of live video per minute every day. From November, in partnership with Fox and Net Result, Justin.tv will expand the fingerprinting system to all live video, which in theory will mean broadcasts of pirated live content (such as sporting events, see picture above) will be stopped as they begin, not some time later following a takedown request from the provider.

As a preemptive measure for Justin.tv the deals make a lot of sense: the company may be protected by the DMCA, but likewise the volume of pirated content made the company a possible target for legal action.

Wolverine tops box office not despite of, but because of the leaked copy

Duncan Riley — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:48:26 +0000

X-Men Origins: Wolverine took $87 million for its opening weekend (from Friday), taking it straight to the number one movie at the box office.

Wolverine had the second-best opening of the four X-Men released so far, being beaten only by X-Men:The Last Stand which took $103 million on its opening weekend. Last Stand though had a distinct advantage, opening on Memorial Day in 2003, a traditional high yield opening time for movies.

Variety reports that Wolverine’s opening take “came despite a working copy of the movie being pirated a month before the film’s opening. [Fox] isn’t sure how much the piracy ate into the box office, but some insiders suggest it could be as much as $20 million.”

So despite having the second biggest opening in the X-Men series, and the biggest for a non-memorial day release in the franchise, the industry seriously believes that the leaked copy that hit P2P networks one month ago could have cost the movie $20 million? What absolute rubbish.

Here’s a movie that doesn’t include all the X-Men stars (it’s a prequel spinoff), that wasn’t released at the best time to maximize revenue, and yet it opens better than nearly all the X-Men movies before it. Wouldn’t the opposite then be true? That is, the publicity the movie gained through the leaked copy would have increased exposure to the movie, and therefore the box office take? And let’s not forget that the leaked copy wasn’t the completed movie either, so fans would have had a real reason to see the completed version, having seen the incomplete version.

Lets looks at some stats. “Wolverine pirated” delivers a staggering 1.42 million results in Google despite only now being released. That’s 1.42million mentions of the pirated copy that wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been pirated. X-Men Origins: Wolverine delivers 4.9 million results despite only being released this weekend. Paul Blart: Mall Cop has 3.5 million results despite being a number one at the box office months ago. Like it or not, the pirated copy of Wolverine drove a lot of attention to the movie, and that attention helped result in…. a number one at the box office, and the second biggest take in the X-Men franchise.

The small amount lost in piracy upfront (if any amount at all, because a loss presumes that the viewer would have paid to see it to begin with), would be more than outweighed by the extra viewers delivered by the massive publicity due to the pirated copy. There is no possible counter argument to not valuing the publicity in this case, and that the movie industry attempts to ignore it simply shows how disengenous their arguments are.

The gracious dive of the wild Fox

Duncan Riley — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:00:16 +0000

Foxes, usually hunted and generally disliked, aren’t an animal you would immediately consider to have any element of grace. And yet surprisingly they do.

This ad for the BBC series Yellowstone shows a Fox diving. Not diving from a ledge, but from a standing position, and used as a way of capturing food. It’s the least thing you’d expect to see from a Fox, which perhaps is why it’s worthy of watching.

No related posts.

David Buckner passes out live on Glenn Beck Show

Duncan Riley — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 01:58:18 +0000

Glenn Beck enjoys a rant and rave, but little did he know that he had the power to make people pass out.

David Buckner, professor of organizational leadership at Columbia University, scored a first for Fox News as he passed out live on Glenn Beck’s show Monday afternoon.

“You all right?” Beck asked Buckner in the middle of a discussion on government investments.

“I’m passing out,” Buckner told Beck…twice.

“Want to sit down?” Beck asked, grabbing Buckner’s hand as he went crashing to the floor. Beck though knew what to do, saying “We’ll be back in just a second.”

Here’s David Buckner passing out on the Glenn Beck Show:

Hey Hey Hey, it’s fat dating on Fox!

Duncan Riley — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:58:47 +0000

Fox has decided to break with dating show tradition with a new show that is all about fat people finding love.

“More to Love” is billed as the first “dating show for the rest of us,” throwing open its doors to overweight contestants, according to THR.

The show will have a similar format to “The Bachelor,” where a group of woman compete for one man. Contestants will do the sort of activities seen on “The Bachelor,” but producers suspect Jacuzzi or massage dates will take on a different perspective.

Redlasso is coming back to blogs via a new deal with Fox

Duncan Riley — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 01:21:04 +0000

Redlasso, once the darling of the online new clipping world is coming back to blogs after being forced to stop offering its services to bloggers in May 2008.

Redlasso has signed an agreement with Fox that will see news content from Fox’s local television stations available via Redlasso on blogs and news oriented websites. Under the deal, Fox and Redlasso will share advertising revenue from the clips, with either party able to sell the ads.

The only possible flaw is in the distribution of content. The release notes that content will be made available to bloggers, but makes no mention of the ability to upload that content as well. The distinction is important, because where similar services continually fail vs the original Redlasso is in speed; supply of clips under these deals usually results in a delay, hence the attractiveness diminishes in a fast breaking news cycle. The original offering from Redlasso triumphed because users could upload the clips often minutes after they had gone to air, and those clips would be available immediately.

While some sites have said that the news means Redlasso is back from the dead, it’s important to note that they never died, only that the public, freely available to bloggers portion of the service ceased last year. Redlasso has continued to operate as a private news clipping services operating legally on a subscription basis, as a range of other companies do.

It’s good to see Redlasso back offering a clipping service for blogs, and although the content offering is only one network, it’s a start: if any company knows how to make this work, Redlasso does.

The 912 Project: Guns, God and Anti-Government from Glenn Beck

Duncan Riley — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 04:10:43 +0000

The hottest new host on Fox News this year Glenn Beck has launched The 912 Project, a site dedicated to sharing core principles and values that Americans are said to live by.

The site, which is currently offline as we write this post, defines essential American qualities such as believing in god, being opposed to income tax, being pro marriage (as long as your straight) and many other gems.

It’s more of the same that we’ve seen from the hard right recently, this whole socialism is bad, our money is being stolen for us, Barack is a Communist etc etc. While some of those points might be true, what they continue to overlook is that Bush created the mess the country is in today, and Bush was the one that run up the foreign debt and started the bailouts. But no, it’s only bad now a new, black guy takes over the mess.

In the show launching the The 912 Project, Beck interviewed Chuck Norris, who earlier this week said that thousands of militia were preparing for a military takeover of the United States. If that doesn’t say batshit crazy, I’m not sure what else can.

Here’s the list the 912 Project are based on

The 12 Values:

* Honesty
* Reverence
* Hope
* Thrift
* Humility
* Charity
* Sincerity
* Moderation
* Hard Work
* Courage
* Personal Responsibility
* Gratitude

The Nine Principles

* 1. America is good.
* 2. I believe in God and He is the Center of my Life.
* 3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
* 4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
* 5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
* 6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
* 7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with who I want to. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
* 8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
* 9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

ZillionTV: yet another set-top box, or game changer?

Duncan Riley — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:11:46 +0000

New Internet TV provider ZillionTV launched today, offering yet another set-top box that brings internet television to the lounge room.

The tech specs are reasonable. On the plus side, ZillionTV will offer High quality streams, a Wii like remote for navigation, the ability to pay or opt-in to ads for content, and the ability to pick which type of ads you see. The rest of the specs are nothing we haven’t already seen from boxes like Roku, AppleTV and numerous others.

Most sites have been quick to write the ZillionTV off as yet another player in a market that continues to offer promise, but has never really taken off in a big way. But ZillionTV has a couple of advantage that could make it a game changer.

The strongest part of the offering is the content. Yes, many boxes already offer movies and television shows on demand, but the range of content providers has often been somewhat limited. ZillionTV is backed with content and investments from ABC/Disney, Fox, NBC/Universal, Sony and Warner Bros. The only content missing is CBS, but compared to other offerings out there, this offers a deeper range, and better choice between free and paid. Consumers don’t care for content deals and who owns what; what they care about is having access to their favorite shows, and ZillionTV looks like they may well offer a superior lineup.

The other factor that may make this a game changer is how it’s distributed. ZillionTV isn’t going to appear at your local computer or electronics store, and will instead be offered exclusively via partner ISP’s. Which ISP’s haven’t been disclosed as yet, but given the strong backing by media companies, it’s not unreasonable to expect that they’ll be distributed via large ISP’s. Some have suggested that this path may come up against network neutrality; this could happen if ISP’s decide to prioritize traffic to ZillionTV users, but there’s actually a better pitch: cap exemptions.

The box costs $50, and ISP’s get a cut from the ongoing revenue on each box. These same ISP’s are currently introducing capped internet access throughout the United States, and HD video gobbles up bandwidth. A likely outcome is that partner ISP’s will offer cap exemptions to ZillionTV traffic, so that although data traffic to the box may not get a speed priority, it will allow users to consume more without breaking their data caps. A not-dissimilar setup happens in Australia today; my ISP offers unlimited “free zone” data for content from iTunes and Australia’s ABC iView TV on demand service. This could well become a game changer as users hit cap limits; you can pay $50 to get a ZillionTV with data that doesn’t count towards your cap, or a Roku or AppleTV that does. If you like to watch TV on demand, which one would you pick?

ZillionTV launches in the 4th quarter in what will likely still be a difficult economic climate. It may fail as many have before, but the approach is different and it has strong potential.

No related posts.

Futurama might return to Fox

Duncan Riley — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:17:58 +0000

Futurama may be set for a second coming to network television.

Actor Billy West, the voice of Fry, Farnsworth, Zoidberg, Brannigan and more told the audience at the Anime Supercon in Florida recently that due to the strong sales of the Futurama DVD’s, Fox is considering a 6th season for a show they once canned due to poor ratings.

I tend to side with Merrick at Aint it Cool News, who writes:

I have mixed feelings about this. I love FUTURAMA & am horny for more, but Fox mistreated the series the first time around…made it damn near impossible to find/watch, then pulled it per lackluster ratings. If Fox will give FUTURAMA the attention/respect it deserves & air it at a consistent time? Cool. Otherwise…the stability of direct-to-DVD/Comedy Central would be vastly superior, I should think.

Here’s Billy West February 10 with the news:

Hulu cuts off Boxee, Old Media takes one step forward, two steps back

Duncan Riley — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:39:35 +0000

Users of the growingly popular Boxee media platform will no longer have access to Hulu, after the Fox/ NBC JV decided that letting people watch programs for free where they want wasn’t part of the game plan.

Hulu didn’t elaborate on the reasons behind the move, saying only in a post that

Our content providers requested that we turn off access to our content via the Boxee product, and we are respecting their wishes. While we stubbornly believe in this brave new world of media convergence — bumps and all — we are also steadfast in our belief that the best way to achieve our ambitious, never-ending mission of making media easier for users is to work hand in hand with content owners. Without their content, none of what Hulu does would be possible, including providing you content via Hulu.com and our many distribution partner websites.

The real reason though comes back to the threat Boxee represents. In a tight market where cable subscriptions are heading down and TV networks are bleeding advertisers, services such as Boxee offer TV or cable like convenience without the same costs, and likewise the revenue streams expected by old media. Boxee was too much of a substitute for Fox and NBC to handle, and in taking one step forward with Hulu itself, and now taking two steps back by locking up that content by restricting where it can be played.

The net result is easy to predict. More piracy of content, and NBC and Fox lose even more. A short sighted decision from myopic media companies.

Fox Interactive Media cuts 5% of workforce

Duncan Riley — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 02:34:47 +0000

Fox Interactive Media (FIM), the digital division of New Corp is laying off about 5% of its work force, or around 100 people.

The cuts, which started in the last month according to the Wall Street Journal, are happening gradually unit by unit in all areas of the business, including MySpace and Photobucket.

A FIM spokesman said in a statement that “this is part of a larger effort we’re making to put FIM in the best possible position to succeed now and, more importantly, to emerge even stronger once the markets recover. It’s important to note that we continue to hire in many areas.”

Coming to Fox in 2009: Bitches

Duncan Riley — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:50:21 +0000

The Fox Network is developing a new series titled Bitches, about four female werewolves living in New York.

According to THR, the show comes from Michael Dougherty and Warner Bros. TV, and will have Pushing Daises writers Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts doing scripts. The show has been given a “script plus penalty” commitment from the network.

Dougherty is best know for his recent horror flick Trick ‘r Treat.

The show is described as Sex & The City with werewolves, with the lead characters seducing people, then eating them. Sounds classy.

Paula Abdul reported to be leaving American Idol

Duncan Riley — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 10:10:48 +0000

American Idol judge Paula Abdul is said to be leaving the show after the end of the next season starting January 17.

Abdul, often accused of being drunk or on drugs while judging, will have done eight years in the judges chair, and a couple of memorable YouTube clips.

According to OK Magazine, Abdul is developing new TV projects and is hoping to “transition” out of the Fox hit. A Paula insider explained “She knows that every season could be her last. Now she’s got a new secret venture that she’s really excited about.” OK suggests that the addition of Kara DioGaurdi as a 4th judge will make it easier for Abdul to leave.

Mad TV to end after 14 years

Duncan Riley — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 23:06:35 +0000

Sketch comedy series Mad TV’s 14th season will be its last after the show wasn’t renewed by Fox.

Mad TV was first broadcast in October 1995 and was shown Saturday nights on Fox and in syndication on Comedy Central. Despite its name, it had no association with the Mad Magazine besides a licensing agreement for the name and logo.

Variety names notable alums as Nicole Sullivan (“Rita Rocks”) and Frank Caliendo (“Frank TV”). The current cast includes Arden Myrin, Bobby Lee, Crista Flanagan, Keegan-Michael Key, Nicole Parker and Johnny Sanchez.

(img credit: Gamespot)

News Corp profit drops 30%, TV, Movie businesses take big hits

Duncan Riley — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:24:19 +0000

International media conglomerate News Corp. has reported a 30% drop in quarterly profits off the back of big dives in News Corp’s TV and Movie businesses.

News Corp. net income for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 dropped to $515 million, or 20 cents per share, down from $732 million, or 23 cents per share, a year ago. Revenue rose 6.3 percent to $7.5 billion. The results included a $447 million write-off associated with German pay TV operator Premiere AG.

News Corps movie interests led the decline, with revenue from Twentieth Century Fox and other studios down 20% to $1.3 billion. Television revenue fell 15% to $974 million. Ad revenue at News Corp TV stations declined 17%.

Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch revised News Corps forecast for 2009 down, noting a drop of “low to mid-teens” percentage wise for the fiscal year ahead. Murdoch told the media that the forecast was a “clear reflection of the economic downturn, which we believe will persist through fiscal 2009.”

The News Corp internet business Fox Interactive Media (FIM) which includes MySpace saw revenue grow 17% to $220 million.

Fox passes on renewing King of the Hill

Duncan Riley — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:47:41 +0000

The 13th season of animated TV series King of the Hill may well be its last, after Fox declined to renew the show for another season.

The show debuted on Fox in 1997 and became an early hit for the network. The team behind the show when it launched included Beavis and Butt-head writer Mike Judge and The Simpsons writer Greg Daniels, although both have since moved on to other projects. Notable among the voice over talent is Brittany Murphy.

The final episodes are expected to air in the 2009-10 TV season.

(via THR)

Hulu’s georetardation policies now officially beyond a joke

Duncan Riley — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:26:28 +0000

Hulu is to enter the live streaming space for the first time, offering the remaining two Presidential debates live as part of its new Hulu Election ‘08 portal.

The new portal features clips and full replays of major political stories (such as previous debates) and topical clips, such as last weekends Saturday Night Live send up of the Vice Presidential debate. It sounds like a good service, and I would have tested it before writing this post, but like everything else on Hulu it’s georetarded, so nothing on the page can be viewed outside of the United States.

Hulu has long blamed its content partners for its georetarding policies, and until now, as much as many of us outside of the United States hate it, the argument has had some level of validity. For example, I’m unable to stream shows directly off of most rights holders websites, so it’s a uniform decision that drives the rest of the world to Chinese hosted streams, YouTube or bittorrent.

But the election material is very, very different. There’s absolutely nothing I could find on the Hulu Election site I can’t already watch outside of the United States legally from content providers. Among the key providers of footage for Hulu are NBC/ MSNBC and Fox, and guess what: videos from both can be watched on demand outside of the United States (at least they played for me in Australia), and that’s direct on the site, and through embeds popular on other sites. And it’s not just the strictly political news content either: I can play the Saturday Night Live clip on an NBC embed as featured here on The Huffington Post.

So what exactly is Hulu’s excuse now? That it’s too hard perhaps to drop georetardation for some videos and not all of them perhaps? hardly seems a challenge when you consider that NBC can block full shows, but display clips. One can only presume that simply Hulu doesn’t care. If Hulu’s georetardation policies were a joke before, they are now officially beyond a joke. EPIC FAIL.