Entertainment Industry
U.S. judge halts sales of RealNetworks DVD software (Reuters)
Reuters - A U.S. federal judge temporarily halted sales of RealNetworks Inc's RealDVD software, which allows users to copy DVDs, after Hollywood studios sued the company over copyright issues, court documents showed. More »
DreamWorks delays its loan pitch (Reuters)
Reuters - Representatives of the new DreamWorks film studio will delay pitching Wall Street on a bank loan package for about one month to give the banking market time to stabilize. More »
Academy to allow film ads on Oscars (Reuters)
Reuters - For the first time since the Oscars moved to TV in the early 1950s, studios will be able to advertise movies during the telecast of the Academy Awards next year. More »
Eight short films vie for documentary Oscar (Reuters)
Reuters - The assassination of Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez's grape boycott, gay men in China and historian David McCullough are among the subjects of the films vying for Oscar nominations for best documentary short subject. More »
Prime-Time Metered Market Tuesday Ratings: ABC Dominates; Solid Tune-in for the Second Presidential Debate (Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - -Yesterday's Winners: Dancing With the Stars (ABC), NCIS (CBS) More »
Ratings Box: What's Hot/What's Not (Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - ABC and CBS shared bragging rights on Oct. 7, with ABC first in households and total viewers (thanks, of course, to Dancing With the Stars) and CBS No. 1 among adults 18-49. Although CBS is benefiting by the improved performances of The Big Bang Theory (Viewers: #2, 9.39 million; A18-49: #2, 3.7/10) and How I Met Your Mother (Viewers: #2. 8.96 million; A18-49: #2, 4.0/10) from 8-9 p.m., recent 9:30 p.m. entry Worst Week (Viewers: #3, 8.85 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 7) has to go. The biggest concern on Monday, meanwhile, has to be NBC's Heroes, which dipped this week to just 8. ... More »
National Ratings in Prime-Time: Week of September 29, 2008 (Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - CBS took center stage in this second official week of the 2008-09 season, with a first-place finish in households, total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54. Fox was first among adults 18-34. And both networks posted minor losses from the year-ago period. CBS' strength early in the new season falls in the hands of its established hits (crime continues to pay on the network), breakout success The Mentalist, and the rising demographic appeal of Monday comedies The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. ... More »
TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest (Mediaweek.com)
Mediaweek.com - TBS has renewed sitcom My Boys for a third season, with an order for nine additional episodes. The new season will begin in first quarter 2009. More »
Netflix raises monthly subscription $1 for Blu-ray (Reuters)
Reuters - DVD rental company Netflix Inc said Wednesday it will begin adding $1 to monthly membership fees to provide unlimited access to high-definition Blu-ray movies. More »
Comcast offers deals to new switch-over customers (Reuters)
Reuters - Comcast Corp, the largest U.S. cable operator, is offering special deals of free television for a year in a bid to win new subscribers ahead of a government-mandated digital TV switch-over on February 17. More »