The folks at NBC are really kicking up the action in regard to tonight's season ender for "My Name is Earl." To celebrate the show's successful second season run, the people behind it have a special event planned for fans.
A live blogging event is set to start tonight at 8:30 EST on the show's official site. Expected attractions include Greg Garcia, executive producer, and co-stars Jamie Pressly (Joy Turner) and Ethan Suplee (Randy Hickey).
The comedy centers on Earl, as he tries to right the wrongs in his life. On a mission to correct the past, Earl is joined by an amusing cast of characters.
Fans of the show can catch a sneak peek up on YouTube right now, and questions are already being taken for the blogging event. Fill out the form and you might just hear an answer tonight.
MySpace and Mark Burnett, the producer of "Survivor," are teaming up to bring a little bit of political pandering to the online community.
The new creation, "Independent," will be a reality offering designed to get young people interested in voting. Through the reality vehicle, contestants will vie for a cool million dollars to spend on a political cause or campaign.
According to San Jose Mercury News, contestants will discuss ideas online each day and will also have to set up their own MySpace pages dedicated to their campaigns. Potential participants will be selected from videos posted on MySpace.
Viewers and web users will also be able to get involved through "interactive town-hall settings."
This sounds like an interesting use of the Internet and MySpace – even if the show idea hasn't been picked up by a network as of yet. I have to admit, I'm not sure how interesting this would be played out on film, but still, it is a creative way to try and bring attention to the voting process, campaigning and politics in general.
MyTVpal.com has announced plans to add 16 1080p high-def video on demand movies to its growing roster of flicks and shows.
The IPTV option is billed as the "world’s first instant streaming 1080p PC player and set top box (“STB”) video on demand (“VOD”) service." Some of the offerings in IMAX format include "Amazing Journeys," "Lost Worlds" and "Africa: The Serengeti."
MyTVpal offers a whole lot of unusual content for free on-demand streaming. It can work in conjunction with the step top box, as well. Television offerings come from all over the globe and the movie collection seems to be building on a steady basis.
The site appears to be coming along rather well. The addition of IMAX sounds like a pretty unusual one, too.
For more information about MyTVPal, visit the site.
Microsoft has announced plans to bring the Xbox Live network to the next level. Like the folks over at CBS, Microsoft wants to have some original content to offer gamers to view over its online platform.
To achieve this, the company has rolled out a content for would be television producers to create a pilot for the network. The winner gets $100,000 budget and a chance to win a six-episode commitment for Xbox Live.
"Not only can aspiring TV producers from across the globe try their hands at creating new TV shows, but because of Xbox Live Marketplace, they can now win a chance to have more than 6 million people worldwide see their work," Bill Nielsen, senior director of Xbox Live at Microsoft, has been quoted as saying. "This is an incredible opportunity for us to participate in the festival, and we are thrilled to be able to bring community-created TV content to the Xbox community for the first time."
Entries will be accepted until June 29. The rules can be found here.
According to Punch Jump, Xbox Live is currently the No. 1 platform for distribution of television and movies.
This news is very interesting for online TV fans and want-to-be producers alike. More original content on the net to join the likes of CBS's shows, such as "InTurn," come of the cartoon series online and so on is a very good indication of what the future holds for viewer. It just keeps getting better.
It might not be quite ready for primetime, but that's not stopping the folks at Joost from making sure the lineup is just right come launch day.
The soon-to-debut online television site has inked a number of deals in recent days. The company has entered into distribution partnerships with ALL3MEDIA, Alliance Atlantis, September Films and Wall to Wall. It's also signed on IndieFlix and Shorts International.
The content from the companies will appear on Joost, which is being billed as the "world's first broadcast-quality Internet television platform."
“With Joost, our film makers and artists have a greater opportunity than ever before to showcase their remarkable talents and to reach new audiences,” said Carter Pilcher, CEO of Shorts International, in a media release. “Joost’s secure, global platform is ideal for our artists as it ensures that the films are viewed with the level of quality which was intended by their creators.”
Shorts International will deliver content from its English, French and Spanish short film channels.
All told, the new additions will deliver such things as independent television and films, children's programming, fiction and more to the new site, which is now in beta testing.
Once live, Joost will be accessible to broadband users and will offer content to viewers free of charge. These latest partners join CBS as some of the first to join the Joost platform.
Electronic Arts has announced a rather interesting partnership with the Endemol group that would seek to marry television and video games in a hybrid creation. The Virtual Me, as its being billed, will bridge "the divide between traditional TV and videogames."
This brand new production is being created to debut during the next "Big Brother" round.
According to the EA media release, "Virtual Me combines cutting edge avatar creation technology from EA with popular TV formats from Endemol to give consumers a breakthrough way to meet, compete and socialize in online digital worlds. Avatar creation takes a leap forward with a high performing, easy-to-use tool that creates astonishingly life-like cyber-clones, with uniquely customized appearances and identities."
While using the Virtual Me, gamers or viewers, if you will, will be able to participate in virtual versions of hit shows, such as "Deal or No Deal," "Fame Academy" and more.
The web site, VirtualMe.com, is expected to go live in the coming months.
Peter Bazalgette, Chief Creative Officer, Endemol, is quoted as saying, "We’re told that people are starting to spend more time online than they are watching TV. Both markets are now important and this has huge implications for content creators. Our opportunity with Electronic Arts is to develop ideas that fully embrace the way people are consuming entertainment today.”
This does sound a whole lot like the Wii Mii or even MTV's virtual games on steroids, but with EA behind the wheel the result should be interesting to say the least.
CBS has once again shown its willigness to break with tradition and get in on the cutting edge of online television.
The network has officially become the first to sign on with Joost, an online site from the creators of Skype. Joost bills itself as “the world’s first broadcast-quality Internet television service.” CBS shows will be online on Joost when the service launches later this spring.
Shows that will be available include new and previously aired full epoisodes of such shows as the full “CSI” franchise, “Survior,” “Jericho” and even Showtime original movies.
“Joost combines best-in-class technology with superb video quality and a management team with a proven track record,” said Quincy Smith, President, CBS Interactive, in a media release. “Partnering with Joost for the CBS Interactive Audience Network showcases our content and community on a service that allows for unique advertising opportunities and a delivery framework that maximizes cost efficiency.”
Joost is in beta right now. There’s no official date for the big launch, but it looks like it’s coming soon.
As an online TV fan, I must say I remain impressed by the drive CBS is showing in making sure its content is available to fans as the click of a mouse.
The action is heating up on “Acceptable TV” where some early favorites are starting to show themselves.
“Operation Kitten Calendar,” and “Yo! Murder He Rapped” will face new competition this week from “The Lord of the Phils.” The new pilot pokes fun at Dr. Phil. The clip looks pretty amusing.
Meanwhile, the viewer created video files are really starting to pile up, too. “Company Man” is the most popular to watch right now, but only time will tell where it falls in the voting.
Check out “Acceptable TV” online by clicking here or tune in tonight at 10 p.m. EST on VH1.
The odd show comes from executive producer Jack Black, who was tired of piracy and decided to fight back in his own unique way.
Jack Black’s “Acceptable TV” has taken off on VH1 with fans sending in their own materials and others voting to see their favorites return to the show.
As the show gets of the ground, “Acceptable TV” parodies seem to be taking on a hard, crime edge. Last week, the show debuted “Cirque Du Soleil: Sex Crime Investigators.” This week will see the debut of “Yo! Murder He Rapped.”
The above clip shows off the hip hop, rhyming crime buster that stars in the production.
Putting television in the hands of viewers may or may not be a good thing, but it sure seems to be turning out to be hilarious.
“Acceptable TV” airs on Friday nights at 10 p.m. EST. Fans can vote for their favorites here, or visit the official site. While on the official site, they can also upload their own videos for possible inclusion in the on air production.
The folks over at Disney might not be zippedy do dah’ing this week.
Starz Entertainment has slapped a lawsuit against Disney’s Buena Vista Television for its alleged violation of a 2005 licensing agreement that gave Starz the exclusive rights to market big-name Disney movies for download.
Starz is saying Disney’s agreements with iTunes and Wal-Mart for download sales of movies such as “Pirates of the Carbbean: Dead Man’s Chest” violates the deal, which Starz has paid more than $1 billion for.
“Our issue is that the contract has a clear prohibition from them doing this and we gave them notice, had a number of exchanges and had meetings and they denied our request for relief," Starz Entertainment Chairman and Chief Executive Robert Clasen has been quoted as saying. "We are absolutely adamant in protecting our contractual rights and licenses.”
The suit might seek all revenue enjoyed by Disney as a result of any sales via iTunes and Wal-Mart.
The suit in and of itself isn’t what’s interesting here. What is, however, is the fact that download rights are becoming big enough business to warrant territorial battles and lawsuits. Digital viewing has come a long way.
MTV is testing the online waters even more this week as it premieres the new season of the “Andy Milonakis Show” via iTunes. The entire season is available right now and that’s just the beginning for the digital roll out for the comedy.
The iTunes premiere runs this week, but starting the week of March 27 individual episodes will be available on Unbox, AOL Video, MTV2.com, Wal-Mart Video, Xbox Live Marketplace and MTV’s own vehicles.
The show debuts on the air on MTV2 April 27, so this roll out is quite a bit in advance.
“Our audience is spending as much time on the internet, their mobile phones and with video games as watching TV and they want to be able to control how, when and on which platforms they can access and watch the programming and content they love,” said MTV exec Brian Graden in a media release. “Because The Andy Milonakis Show was born from the internet, we felt that it was the perfect vehicle to experiment with a new distribution strategy in which we premiere an entire season of a returning series via digital outlets prior to its on-air debut. This strategy allows us to reach as many viewers as possible to view this show on the platforms that they choose.”
Sounds like a very cool way to kick off season three. The cost for the episodes varies from location to location. The first episode is free right now on iTunes and will go up to standard pricing before too much longer. The entire season is $9.99.
To check out more about the show, visit the official site.
ABC’s high-charged answer to “American Idol” returns to television tonight starting at 8 p.m. EST.
This season’s entry features an unusual group of dancers, including a female boxer, a basketball player and a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador. The premiere episode will be a two-hour entry, which will be followed up by another two-hour show March 26.
ABC’s handling the voting a bit different this time out, giving viewers more time to decide upon their favorites.
“To offer viewers two weeks to see the performers in action before the first elimination, the first results show will air on Week Two. The second performance show, airing Monday, March 26, will also be two hours in length (8:00-10:00 p.m.), and the first results show will air Tuesday, March 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m., ET),” according to the network’s web site.
It’s unclear right now as to whether or not ABC will have the full two-hour shows available for steam on its site, or just clips. Voting, however, is accepted online and with the two-week time frame, it seems feasible episodes will be offered in full.
With 26,544 links to 949 different television series, there’s no doubt the trivialTV Ep Vid Finder is one serious database. Connected to the trivialTV blog, the site helps television fans track down their favorite shows on the Internet quickly. The caveat is a strong leaning towards sites that offer the shows, but don’t break copyright laws in the process.
Mike “Dr. TV” Vicic, the site’s founder, recently took some time out to answer a few questions for us about his unique site.
Why did you create the site? I initially created trivialTV (http://trivialtv.blogspot.com) instead of finding a book publisher. Old media looked difficult to penetrate. New media was easy. Both paths likely led to the same place.
About four years ago, "girls club" aired two eps before being canceled, and my friends bet me that it was the shortest-lived series in TV history. I didn't think so. I took that bet and researched. That research got me interested in other short-lived TV series and I started writing a book, "TV Shorties: A Celebration of Short-Lived TV Series." I reckoned people loved spectacular failures and it was a perfect topic.
To find these not-so-well-known shows, I relied on Nielsen ratings as my source of what actually aired. "TV Guide" told you what would air, but networks often changed their minds between print and air time. That's why I developed the database of primetime shows with Nielsen ratings.
Once I found these shows, I wanted to highlight both the good and the bad. I looked for (dis)honors and the Awards database was born. I looked for famous firsts and lasts, leading to the 'On This Date' blog feature. I developed new and odd trivia questions related to each show. All of this information was in a relational database so I could automatically generate the most recent version of the book at the touch of a button.
About two years ago as I was finishing the book, I realized that most authors don't make much money from their first book, especially non-fiction; so I looked around for other opportunities. I looked at the market for downloadable media and saw the perfect storm. Many people were downloading music and adopting high-speed internet quickly. I looked at file sizes and decided people would soon start to download music videos, then cartoons, then TV eps and finally movies. (Of course, I was completely wrong about music videos and cartoons as intermediate steps.) I looked at my database and realized that I was using about 2% of it for the book. I had developed this huge resource and I wasn't using 98% of it.
A few months later, I then really looked at the market and decided it would be completely fragmented, especially for older TV shows. Complex relationships between studios and production houses. Copyright issues for moving image, audio and music. Easy ways to distribute video online, letting smaller production companies maintain full rights and maximize profits from their libraries.
That's when I decided trivialTV would be an information portal for TV shows online, and that decision led to the Ep Vid Finder.
How long did it take you to set it up? (You've done a ton of work!) I don't think I can count the man-hours, but there's never enough time.
Did you realize going in how many shows are available online or did the end tally surprise you? Today the end tally really surprises me. I didn't anticipate that delivery of TV eps online would be adopted so quickly. We've come a long way in the five months since I released the first version of the Ep Vid Finder.
But if you talk to people at video delivery sites, they'll say it's moving much too slowly.
Have you always been this much of a TV fan? Not really. I didn't watch much TV growing up. I've only really taken an interest in TV in the last four years or so, but I've always been a fan of pop culture.
I didn't look through every link, but it appears you chose to only list the sites that are legal. Was this by design? Definitely by design.
I didn't want to enter site codes for links and then have to change or remove them because of a disagreement over copyright and money issues, like the whole Viacom-YouTube relationship. Even for legal sites I often wait for it to work through some growing pains if it doesn't look like the site will scale well.
What can readers expect next out of trivialTV? Three things.
Maintenance. It's not sexy, but necessary. The Ep Vid Finder, Awards database and Schedule Finder will all be updated with current content on a continuing basis.
Expansion. Also not glamorous, but just as necessary. I constantly add new sites to the Ep Vid Finder as I find them. I have a backlog of data to enter for older awards for the Awards database. I've only released about 15% of the trivialTV database for the Schedule Finder so far.
New features. For the Ep Vid Finder, I'm working on a few things. Better ways to search and sort, including suggestions. I need to really take full advantage of the entire database and Ajax. I used static html pages initially just so that I could draw an audience and make it easy for people to search and find content. As the number of eps increases, the current design is no longer useful. For the main site, I plan to unveil ep lists that include repeat airings and a few other surprises.
Skype’s foray into IP-based TV isn’t quite ready for primetime, but there are some good indications the creation, formerly known as The Venice Project, is moving forward.
Beta applicants are starting to get responses from the company in regard to their sign ups. It sounds like the test run has begun.
“We're now speeding up the process of adding testers and we'll shortly be inviting everyone who has signed up to try Joost,” an e-mail from the company says. “This includes you, so expect an invite within the next couple of weeks - in the meantime, thanks for bearing with us - we appreciate it.”
Once launched, Joost will offer peer-to-peer PC software that’s free to download. Joost “is a new way of watching TV on the Internet, which uses new and established technologies to provide the best of both the Internet and TV worlds,” the company’s Web site proclaims.
The ultimate goal is for Joost to be as TV-like as possible, which means including programs, channels and advertisements.
A new report out by Knowledge Networks indicates that online TV viewers are pretty hip on the ads presented to sponsor the content they’re viewing. According to the study, viewers say they are more likely to consider buying the brands that sponsor this type of television.
The report, “How People Use TV’s Web Connections,” goes on to highlight how powerful this form of marketing can be. To support that claim, the study reports that about half of network Web site viewers say sponsorship of shows would increase their likelihood to consider buying a brand that sponsors the show.
According to iMedia Connection, “the report also suggests that TV networks themselves benefit from offering streamed or downloaded videos. Seventy-eight percent of viewers of these videos say that being able to watch episodes online increases their involvement with a program, and 25 percent of viewers of streaming or downloaded network TV videos say they are watching a regular TV program more often because of what they have watched on internet video.”
The report doesn’t sound all that earth shattering to someone who watches a lot of TV online, but I can see where it would benefit marketing firms. The truth is I agree with the reports findings in regard to sponsorships as they stand right now.
Sites like NBC.com and CBS.com have a lot of sponsored content. The ads, however, are quick, punchy and don’t take up a lot of time. So, yes, I’m more impressed with them than, let’s say, 10 advertisements crammed into an hour-long program on the regular tube.
If the report’s findings help bring more television online, fantastic! If they result in Madison Avenue getting a big chunk of time for ads during streams, it’s possible the format will lose its shine.
It’s my belief the moderation involved in the current ads, coupled with the quick ability to catch up or keep up, is what makes online streams so successful for the networks. Change the balance between programming and ads and the shows might be more appealing on a regular television where the fast forward button on a DVR works just fine.
A&E’s rerun of “The Sopranos” season one may have hit a crescendo last night, but that doesn’t mean the mob action’s over. The cable network has more bonus material on its web site than FBI files might have contained on Capone.
The A&E site has tons of exclusive interviews with cast members, including Edie Falco, Jamie-Lynn Sigler and Drea de Matteo. In addition, there’s lots of show information, episode guides, contests and more. There’s even a community section for fans to chat about their favorite mobsters.
While season one has been airing on A&E, HBO still hasn’t come off the show enough to put it up on iTunes or in other locations. Still, seeing it outside HBO is a step in the right direction.
Speaking of HBO, that site is also loaded with all kinds of extras and is worth a look.
At least one TV analyst sees the nail already poking out of the coffin for ABC’s “Lost.”
Marc Berman, an analyst for Media Week Online, has called the show the “tragedy of the season.” He’s also said ABC is responsible for mishandling the J.J. Abrams creation. “It’s too late to save it.”
Berman’s quotes come on the heels of the lowest ratings for “Lost.” The Feb. 14 episode drew only 12.8 million viewers. The show, which now airs at 10 p.m. EST on Wednesdays, has been known to pull down more than 20 million.
While Berman predicts only one more season for the show (and he could be right), widespread panic over the drop might be a little premature. It’s possible “Lost” might have taken a big hit due to Valentine’s Day. That particular espisode is the No. 1 ranked on iTunes TV for downloads this week.
Perhaps “Lost” isn’t so lost after all. Maybe, just maybe, its fan base is switching the way it’s viewing?
It might be hard for a network to top what CBS has done with its Innertube site, but it sounds like ABC intends to try.
The network has plans to really beef up its online presence in the coming months. Included on its agenda are such things as streaming national news broadcasts, more affiliate news program streams, more television shows, an online channel dedicated to “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and even user-generated content, according to an article in Marketing Vox.
To make the site’s videos more user friendly, ABC will also offer two viewing modes – full screen or mini. There’s even a new ad format being touted. The “pause ad” concept will bring up ads over the shows when the pause function is activated.
It sounds like ABC is well on its way to fully embracing the online revolution, which is a good thing for fans of shows like “Lost” and “Desperate Housewives.” Already, ABC has improved its full episode area on ABC.com. Streaming shows now include pretty much the entire primetime lineup and a few shows that have their entire seasons to date available.
This is great news for slackers like me who just can’t seem to sit down and watch shows at the set airtime.
The great team up between Amazon.com and TiVo has entered what can best be described as a beta phase of the new service.
The pairing will eventually allow TiVo users to buy or rent videos from the Amazon.com Unbox site and watch them directly on their televisions using TiVo. This saves the step of having to hook a computer into the television and it bypasses a need for an Internet Protocol TV service, or IPTV. In this case, TiVo stands in the place of an additional box.
“It’s one thing for viewers to be looking at YouTube content online, but when it comes to full-length television and movies, for most people, it’s not television until it’s really on the TV,” TiVo Chief Executive Tom Rogers has been quoted as saying.
While I’ve become a huge fan of iTunes and other services to catch up on favorite shows, I have to admit I couldn’t agree with Rogers more. There really is something taken away from the experience when epic shows like “Battlestar Galactica” and “Heroes” are watched on teeny laptop screens versus the big screen of a television. I’m not complaining, mind you. I am thankful to have been able to catch up with both in such an easy manner. Rather, I’m just saying it sounds like TiVo and Amazon are on to something.
The beta testing is taking place in about 1.5 million households right now. The trick with this will be getting those involved to take the time to figure out the Unbox site. It’s not the most user friendly, although it does have some great offerings in both the television and movie categories.
There’s no word on when the service will go live for all TiVo users.
TeevBlogger is dedicated to discussing TV online. This includes what shows are available, how and why we watch TV in the online format, technological issues and advancements in this market, and most importantly the enjoyment of television...
May 10, 2007
MySpace and Mark Burnett, the producer of "Survivor," are teaming up to bring a little bit of political pandering to the online community.
MyTVpal.com has announced plans to add 16 1080p high-def video on demand movies to its growing roster of flicks and shows.
Microsoft has announced plans to bring the Xbox Live network to the next level. Like the folks over at CBS, Microsoft wants to have some original content to offer gamers to view over its online platform.
It might not be quite ready for primetime, but that's not stopping the folks at Joost from making sure the lineup is just right come launch day.
Electronic Arts has announced a rather interesting partnership with the Endemol group that would seek to marry television and video games in a hybrid creation. The Virtual Me, as its being billed, will bridge "the divide between traditional TV and videogames."
CBS has once again shown its willigness to break with tradition and get in on the cutting edge of online television.
The folks over at Disney might not be zippedy do dah’ing this week.
MTV is testing the online waters even more this week as it premieres the new season of the “Andy Milonakis Show” via iTunes. The entire season is available right now and that’s just the beginning for the digital roll out for the comedy.
ABC’s high-charged answer to “American Idol” returns to television tonight starting at 8 p.m. EST.
With 26,544 links to 949 different television series, there’s no doubt the 
Skype’s foray into IP-based TV isn’t quite ready for primetime, but there are some good indications the creation, formerly known as The Venice Project, is moving forward.
A new report out by 
A&E’s rerun of “The Sopranos” season one may have hit a crescendo last night, but that doesn’t mean the mob action’s over. The cable network has more bonus material on its web site than FBI files might have contained on Capone.
At least one TV analyst sees the nail already poking out of the coffin for ABC’s “Lost.”
It might be hard for a network to top what CBS has done with its Innertube site, but it sounds like ABC intends to try.
