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ABC / ESPN content lands on Verizon's V CAST

by Darren Murph posted Jan 26th 2009 @ 11:22PM

Statistics don't lie, but they aren't stopping Verizon Wireless from inking a new deal with Disney / ABC Television Group and ESPN in order to bring more watchable content to its V CAST service. Starting today, a so-called "comprehensive portfolio of news, entertainment and sports video programming, including full-length episodes of shows from ABC Entertainment, ABC News and Disney Channel, as well as content from ESPN, will be available to Verizon Wireless V CAST Video and Mobile Web customers." The agreement covers mobile distribution of on-demand, full-length episodes to V CAST Video, and if you're looking for a taste of what you can expect, try Desperate Housewives, Grey's Anatomy, Lost and The Suite Life on Deck. So, interested in V CAST Video now? No? Okay.

IMMI tracks ad exposure / effectiveness via cellphone, trips privacy alarms everywhere

by Darren Murph posted Oct 15th 2008 @ 10:59PM

Hunker down and find that tin foil cap, pronto! Privacy advocates, we've a new target for you to bang on: Integrated Media Measurement. The 4,900-person media research company is looking to take advertising measurement to a whole new level (or new low, as it were) by embedding tracking modules within cellphones. In short, the module picks up audio from ads and records information about the exposure; in the future, if you were to purchase whatever product you heard about (like seeing a movie that was plugged), it would register a hit and deem you a sucker. As of now, the only testers with these freaky phones are individuals who signed up for this stuff, but you better believe major marketing firms (and TV / movie studios in particular) are perking their ears up and begging to know more.

[Image courtesy of Corbis, thanks ugotamesij]

Select ABC stations offering free video for mobiles

by Darren Murph posted Jul 13th 2007 @ 11:54AM

Sure, we've seen the local-news-on-your-handset card pulled out before, but unlike similar alternatives, this one should work with any network and on any phone capable of handling the video. A group of ten ABC-owned television stations have announced that they will be offering up "free video content" for cellphones, most of which will consist of ad-supported streaming news clips. The service will be powered by Local Wireless, and will be available to users near WABC-TV in New York, KABC-TV in Los Angeles, WLS-TV in Chicago, WPVI-TV in Philadelphia, KGO-TV in San Francisco, KTRK-TV in Houston, WTVD in Raleigh-Durham, NC, KFSN-TV in Fresno, California, WJRT-TV in Flint, Michigan, and WTVG in Toledo, Ohio. You know the drill: give it a go, and post your adoration / gripes below.

[Via Textually]

Lost islanders snag an iPhone before the street date?

by Darren Murph posted Apr 20th 2007 @ 8:26AM

If you're one of the many former Lost fans whose interest slowly faded after the show became predominantly filled with mind-numbing flashbacks, all while the writers attempted to string us all along until the next commercial break, we're right there with you -- but for the folks still hangin' in there to catch the 10PM broadcasts, last night's episode was a treat. Thanks to the wonders of DVR, an eagle-eyed viewer noticed that the "satellite phone" discovered on the island seemed a bit too modern for the circumstances, and upon closer review, an actual iPhone was unearthed. Hidden beneath a makeshift enclosure sat an iPhone interface, complete with an OS X Home icon, which leads us to wonder if the entire show isn't based in the future. Regardless, the islanders no longer have reason to whine about being stranded, as we're fairly confident there would be quite a manhunt going on if they offered up the pre-release iPhone in exchange for a boat ride home.

[Via TUAW]

Hollywood unions announce contracts for mobile shows

by Paul Miller posted Apr 26th 2006 @ 11:00AM

As much as studios and talent unions like go at it about royalties and such, the truth of the matter is that those addicted to ABC's "Lost" must be teased with tiny morsels of Internet and mobile content -- there's no escaping it. To that end, Hollywood labor types have just finalised contracts with ABC to define payments for actors, writers and directors to be featured in two-minute "mobisodes." Sounds to us like talent will be reimbursed and protected in much the same way they are for traditional episodes, just on a smaller scale. This keeps with the show's producers' aims of keeping the quality up to snuff for the "mobisodes," and is being lauded by both sides as a groundbreaking agreement that should set a good precedent for royalties related to micro content. Now, for the real question: did they consult Locke about this?