360AM: Comcast SportsNet Northwest A Go

Comcast buys local cable operator and announces new RSN with Paul Allen; AT&T retires Cingular brand; and more Monday news.

By Shirley Brady

360AM — News briefing for Monday, May 21 >>

Comcast announced Comcast SportsNet Northwest, a regional sports network being formed with Paul Allen's Portland Trail Blazers NBA team, which last month ended its TV deal with Fox Sports Net. Comcast's 11th RSN (earlier noted here) will go live in Oct.

In other Comcast news, the city of Lowell, MI, is selling its cable company to Comcast after two years of negotiations. The 25-year-old non-profit Lowell Cable Television is going for $3.5 million, and Comcast will pay the city 5% of subscription fees it collects. [WZZM]

Comcast also is ramping up VoIP for commercial services — Comcast Colorado SVP Scott Binder tells the Denver Post that workplace digital voice is in the "very early stages" in his market, which also now boasts 12 million monthly VOD views.

• COMPETITION WATCH

AT&T officially retires the Cingular brand today, preparing for its exclusive late-June launch of Apple's iPhone and also adding U-verse and Homezone displays to select stores. The New York Times notes that half of European iPod owners would consider the iPhone as their next mobile phone while 25% would switch service providers to own an iPhone.

Verizon's FiOS TV reportedly upping its DVR charge from $12.99 to $15.99/mo and disconnect fee to $74.99. [EngadgetHD]

RCN (which just expanded its MA footprint) is launching an "international marketplace" on VOD while HD DVRs "are going through the roof," CEO Peter Aquino tells the Boston Globe. He also outlines his opposition to statewide video franchising in the Q&A.

• PROGRAMMING

Upfronts follow-up: Variety examines the consensus on "live plus three" DVR ratings plus commercial ratings by the big agencies and broadcast networks, while the New York Times' Stuart Elliott ponders broadcast networks' fascination with the supernatural in his recap of the broadcast upfronts last week. The LA Screenings this week will pitch many of last week's greenlit broadcast series to cable network and international buyers.

One of the two Adult Swim electronic device-planters in Cartoon Network's Boston marketing campaign gone awry defended the stunt as "completely legal" after the duo completed community service to resolve the charges against them. [AP]

BBC America expands on its online translator with a series of promos featuring The Daily Show's resident Brit, John Oliver, who (tongue firmly planted in cheek) encourages viewers to use captioning if they can't understand the accents. On-air campaign breaks Memorial Day weekend in time for BBCA's Blockbuster Summer Preview.

CNBC celebrates the 30th anniversary of Star Wars all week while the History Channel's anniversary special, Star Wars: Legacy Revealed, premieres May 29.

Comedy Central's Lil' Bush premieres June 13; it roasts VH1 fixture Flavor Flav on Aug. 12.

Travel Channel, now owned by Cox Communications, acquired World Hum, an online travel magazine, to merge with TravelChannel.com. The site's editors will continue to contribute.

USA Network announces multimedia facets for the return of The 4400.

VH1 signed a three-year deal with the annual Critics Choice Awards; first telecast is Jan. 7.

• ONLINE

AOL will "soon" add almost 18 years of The Simpsons as a result of participating in News Corp./Fox and NBCU's upcoming online video portal, AOL Video head Fred McIntyre tells Beet.tv. AOL is also integrating Brightcove and working with CBS for content.

Concert.TV expands its broadband channel this fall with thousands of videos, community and user-generated content features. A new syndicated video player will extend its content to other sites.

Facebook is inviting other companies to provide their services within its network. [WSJ]

JewishTVNetwork.com aims to beat Shalom TV into the broadband video space.

MLB.com is using Microsoft's new Silverlight to enhance its site, Microsoft exec Sean Alexander tells Beet.tv. Coming soon: full-screen, a widgets overlay with real-time game stats, a player tracker that will incorporate fantasy league picks and chat. The site also will support multiple streams of content, allowing users to share video clips.

The NFL issued strict video rules to other sites: 45 seconds of video per day, links back to NFL.com and maximum 24-hour window with no advertising/sponsorship allowed. Also, no live footage can be streamed on other sites, and no coverage of NFL press conferences, interviews or practices.

The world's largest BitTorrent tracker site, The Pirate Bay, confirmed it's launching a YouTube rival, The Video Bay.

YouTube launched an online comedy competition, YouTube Sketchies.

60 Minutes last night profiled Nicholas Negroponte's One Laptop Per Child project that connects kids in poor countries such as Cambodia with the Internet. The Wi-Fi connected laptops (delivered in minimum lots of 250,000, at $176 each) can take stills and video and are helping kids stay in school and improving attendance rates.

• IN OTHER NEWS

Time Warner Cable and Turner Classic Movies co-sponsor "Celluloid Skyline: New York and the Movies," an exhibit (including scenic backing paintings from North by Northwest and other TCM faves) opening Friday at New York's Grand Central Terminal. TCM also presents an on-air festival of city-themed movies in June.

The Wall Street Journal invited former FCC commissioner Gloria Tristani, who chaired the agency's V-chip Task Force, to debate the FCC's TV violence report with Law & Order executive producer Rene Balcer. [WSJ.com free content]

Time Warner pres/COO Jeff Bewkes recounts his career. [Exduco]

Chicago Tribune reviewer gives a thumbs up to EPSN MVP mobile channel on Verizon.

Cisco aquired BroadWare Technologies, an IP-based video surveillance enabler.

RGB Networks announced enhanced digital overlays for cable operators' ad sales.

US-based Providence Equity Partners is leading a private equity consortium considering a $15 billion takeover bid of Richard Branson's Virgin Media, formerly NTL/Telewest. [The Observer]

Four of the world's biggest pharmaceutical companies are launching a European TV channel to promote their drugs in the guise of healthcare information. UK's Guardian reports that Pharma TV will be an interactive digital channel funded by Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Novartis and Procter & Gamble.

UK's annual TV awards, the BAFTAs, last night named HBO's Entourage its 2007 best international TV program, beating Brit actor Hugh Laurie's House on Fox, ABC's Lost and NBC's My Name is Earl. Best drama series was The Street, which ran on BBC America last year, while the audience award went to Life on Mars, also on BBCA. Best actor went to Jim Broadbent for Longford which ran on HBO in the U.S., while Ricky Gervais picked up his 7th BAFTA for best comedy performance for his role in Extras, also on HBO here. Gervais couldn't pick up the award because he did a stand-up gig at Madison Square Garden Theater Saturday night (with David Bowie handling the introduction) for Bowie's High Line Festival, so Extras' co-star Stephen Merchant accepted for him, quipping, "it's not like he hasn't got enough already."

- Shirley Brady

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