Blockbuster Kicks Off Alliance With Martial Arts Hits

The alliance between Blockbuster Inc. and The Weinstein Company got a karate kick-off last week with the video release of The Protector and Seven Swords. The two films, available now on DVD, are the first titles from The Weinstein Company available for rent exclusively from Blockbuster as a part of an alliance announced last fall. The Protector will be featured as a "guaranteed in- stock" title at all Blockbuster company-operated stores.

As it plans to do with all the Weinstein films, Blockbuster will make these titles available both online and at all its company-operated stores as well as at participating franchise stores. Subscribers to BLOCKBUSTER Total Access, the company's online service, will be able to rent the titles online or rent the movies, free of charge, by exchanging their online rentals for these titles at participating BLOCKBUSTER stores. And to make sure customers don't miss the movies, Blockbuster is prominently displaying the films in a special in-store section and on its Web site.

"As a result of this agreement with The Weinstein Company, Blockbuster is going to be able to give great visibility to quality independent films like The Protector and Seven Swords, some of which may not have had wide theatrical release or any theatrical release at all," said Matthew Smith, Blockbuster senior vice president, merchandising. "We will now be able to really market these films in-store and on-line and make them available to virtually 100 percent of the U.S. population. We are thrilled to be able to do this for our customers, and we think it's a pretty exciting opportunity for independent filmmakers as well."

For more information on this new alliance, check out the Blockbuster press release.

AT&T Renames Atlanta PGA TOUR Stop

AT&T and Atlanta Classic Foundation officials announced last week that the new name of Atlanta's annual PGA TOUR stop is the AT&T Classic. The new name and logo for the May 14-20, 2007, tournament at TPC at Sugarloaf in Duluth, Georgia reflect the recently approved merger between AT&T and BellSouth.

"AT&T is honored to be associated with a longtime Atlanta event that gives back so much to local charities," said Rod Odom, president and CEO, AT&T Southeast. "AT&T has a long tradition of service in the community, and we're pleased that the AT&T Classic will continue its rich tradition of hospitality, charity, and world-class golf on an outstanding course for players and galleries alike."

"AT&T is one of the world's most recognized and respected brands," said Dave Kaplan, tournament director, AT&T Classic. "We're thrilled to be associated with a company that's well-known locally, around the world, and in the golfing community. We anticipate a seamless transition as we work with our new friends at AT&T. As always, our primary goals will be to host the greatest golfers in the world and to raise funds for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and other local and national charities."

In addition to the AT&T Classic, AT&T sponsors The Masters, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, and two CHAMPIONS TOUR events in San Antonio and Los Angeles. AT&T's sponsorship agreement with the AT&T Classic runs through the 2010 tournament.

The AT&T Classic, now in its 39th year, will offer a total purse of $5.4 million, up $100,000 from last year. In 2006, the tournament contributed a record $1.7 million to local charities. Since 1983, the tournament has donated more than $12.3 million to local charitable organizations.

Professionals who are expected to compete in May include two-time defending champion Phil Mickelson, two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen, Chris DiMarco, Sugarloaf resident Stewart Cink and many more of the world's finest golfers.

For more information, check out the press release Introducing the AT&T Classic.

XM to Launch 'GRAMMY Radio'

XM announced earlier this month that it will launch "GRAMMY Radio," a dedicated channel providing coverage of GRAMMY Week events. GRAMMY Radio will air on XM LIVE (XM 200) starting Feb. 9 through Feb. 11, the evening of the 49th Annual GRAMMY(R) Awards, featuring a mix of exclusive broadcast coverage of GRAMMY Week events along with every GRAMMY nominated song and artist. This dedicated channel is part of XM's multi-year programming and marketing partnership with The Recording Academy(R).

GRAMMY Radio will feature the first live broadcast of this year's pre-telecast GRAMMY Awards, as well as red-carpet interviews from the GRAMMYAwards and broadcasts of performances by a "who's who" of superstar artists at the most exclusive events during GRAMMY Week. These include MusiCares(TM) Person of the Year Tribute honoring music legend Don Henley and the Lifetime Achievement and Trustee Awards Ceremony honoring Joan Baez, Booker T. & The MG's, Maria Callas, Ornette Coleman, the Doors, the Grateful Dead, Bob Wills and more, among other GRAMMY Week events.

"GRAMMY Radio will provide millions of XM subscribers the closest thing to red-carpet access and front-row seats at the music industry's most exclusive events, traditionally reserved only for music industry V.I.P.s," said Eric Logan, executive vice president of programming for XM Satellite Radio. "XM is the ideal platform to bring comprehensive coverage of GRAMMY Week events to the millions of music fans who listen to XM."

Fore more information, check out the XM press release.

DIRECTV Partners with SCIFI Channel

SCI FI Channel recently announced that it has partnered with DIRECTV for a comprehensive sponsorship package that will give DIRECTV a presence everywhere Battlestar Galactica is available. The first deal of its kind for the Channel, this "360-degree" cross-platform partnership will put DIRECTV alongside SCI FI's most critically-acclaimed series on-air, online and in print.

DIRECTV will sponsor every episode of SCI FI's hit original series Battlestar Galactica including yesterday's mid-season premiere with on-air ads and through a customized promo highlighting the satellite provider as well as online throughout the SCIFI.COM site. In addition to being represented in the Battlestar Galactica iTunes page, Ronald D. Moore's podcasts, David Eick's blogs and in the Webisodes page, they will be a sponsor of Battlestar's weekly episodic recaps on SCI FI's 'Pulse' broadband channel via DIRECTV. SCIFI.COM will also house a sweepstakes for a chance to win a flat screen television and a year's subscription to the satellite service. In print, there will be a customized DIRECTV ad prominently featured in SCI FI Magazine. DIRECTV will also sponsor the SMS mobile alerts sent by the Channel to Battlestar viewers with updates on upcoming episodes and have a presence in Battlestar Galactica's upcoming third season home video release.

Mark Miller, Senior Vice President of Sales for the SCI FI Channel notes, "The partnership between Battlestar Galactica and DIRECTV is an exciting opportunity for both brands. With one of the most active and engaged audiences in television, SCI FI viewers are constantly looking for new ways to connect with the brand, and DIRECTV is taking advantage of the power of the SCI FI audience."

"We are constantly on the lookout for media partners that are forward looking and willing to integrate our messaging across all their platforms," added Jon Gieselman, DIRECTV Senior Vice President of Advertising and Public Relations. "There is nothing better than enjoying Battlestar Galactica with the best picture on TV, except later this year when we rule the airwaves with 100 channels in HD."

Netflix Now Offering Instant Online Access to Movies and TV Shows

Netflix is turning up the heat in the online DVD rental wars. In response to Blockbuster's new Total Access, Netflix, has introduced a new feature that allows people to immediately watch movies and television series on their personal computers. The company said it will make the new feature available to its subscribers in a phased roll-out over the next six months.

Subscribers will continue to receive DVDs by mail from the company's catalog and will have the additional option of instantly watching about 1,000 movies and TV series on their PCs. The new feature will be included in subscribers' monthly membership plans at no additional cost, and the company said its phased roll-out is meant to ensure that subscribers have a great initial experience with the feature.

"We named our company Netflix in 1998 because we believed Internet-based movie rental represented the future, first as a means of improving service and selection, and then as a means of movie delivery," said Reed Hastings, the company's chief executive officer. "While mainstream consumer adoption of online movie watching will take a number of years due to content and technology hurdles, the time is right for Netflix to take the first step.

"Over the coming years we'll expand our selection of films, and we'll work to get to every Internet-connected screen, from cell phones to PCs to plasma screens. The PC screen is the best Internet-connected screen today, so we are starting there. "

Netflix said the introduction of immediate viewing is part of its plan to lead movie rental in total by adding electronic delivery to its existing DVD delivery platform. Netflix is specifically focusing on the rental segment of electronic delivery, distinct from the download-to-own market and advertising-supported electronic delivery.

The new feature differs from current services in that it does not require the often lengthy downloading of a large video file. The Netflix feature uses real-time playback technology that allows video to be viewed at virtually the same time it is being delivered to a user's computer. Following a one-time, under-60-second installation of a simple browser applet, most subscribers' movie selections will begin playing in their Web browser in as little as 10 to 15 seconds. Movies can be paused and a position bar gives viewers the ability to immediately jump to any point in the movie. In all, the instant watching feature requires only Internet connectivity with a minimum of one megabit per second of bandwidth. The more bandwidth a consumer has, the higher quality the video displayed, ranging from the quality of current Netflix previews to DVD quality with a three-megabit-per-second connection.

Initially, the new feature will offer about 1,000 titles and its selection will expand over time as licensing for electronically delivered movie rentals widens. The number of titles available at introduction roughly mirrors the number of DVD titles Netflix carried when its subscription service was launched in 1999. In seven years, that DVD catalog has grown to over 70,000. Most of the major and many independent studios are supporting the introduction of the new feature, including NBC Universal, Sony Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., New Line Cinema and Lionsgate.

In addition, content is being provided by A&E Television Networks, Anime Network, Allumination FilmWorks, BBC Worldwide, Cinema Libre Studios, Egami Media, Film Movement, Hart Sharp Video, The Independent Film Channel, Magnolia Pictures, New Video Group, New Yorker Films, Palm Pictures, Seventh Art , Silvernitrate Entertainment, Starz Digital, ThinkFilm, Video Action Sports, WMG Productions and Wolfe Video, among others.

Once it is made available to them as part of the phased roll-out, members will access instant movie watching by clicking on a "Watch Now" tab on their home page. As with the Netflix DVD catalog, subscribers can browse movies available for immediate viewing by title, genre or star rating. Personalized recommendations, based on an individual's historical preferences, will also appear at the top of the member's "Watch Now" page.

Netflix said it expects to make the new feature available to all Netflix subscribers by the end of June. The hours available for instant watching will vary based on subscribers' monthly plans.

For more information on the new feature, check out the Netflix press release.

CBS Research Releases New Digital Media Consumption Findings

Last week, CBS Research revealed new data showing that as the public at large becomes more connected to digital media, the more engaged they become in primetime television programming. Additionally, as more TV viewers become aware of the 2009 deadline for broadcasters to switch to full digital transmissions, the likelihood of them investing in new digital TV sets increases by 40 percent.

Those are just two of the major findings revealed today by a comprehensive study CBS Research has conducted examining consumers' attitudes towards digital media, and the role television will play in the near future. The project was led by David F. Poltrack, Chief Research Officer, CBS Corporation, President of CBS Vision.

Researchers found that 56 percent of those surveyed were aware that you could watch network television programs by streaming them over the Internet. Of those aware of this streaming option, 46 percent have already streamed at least one program. Of those not aware of this streaming option, when told which programs were available for streaming, 62 percent selected at least one of the 33 available programs that they probably would watch via streaming over the in the future. Analysts say it is clear that the potential for network program distribution over the Internet is just beginning to be tapped.

In addition, the research shows that people are gradually moving up to higher levels of connectivity. The segment of the population with both a broadband and a digital television connection at home has grown from 22 percent in the fall of 2005 to more than 30 percent in the fall of 2006. The same segment is most likely to watch the top broadcast network programs. In addition, this segment visits network television web sites and is increasingly likely to stream clips and full episodes of network television programs on the  Internet. Members of this upscale, better-educated "fully connected" segment are today the most engaged with the popular network programs.

"This data clearly show a correlation between connectivity and primetime television viewing," said Poltrack. "Consumers who embrace the new media are the heaviest viewers of the top network primetime programs, and this sector of the audience is growing. By offering them new ways to connect to their favorite shows- whether it's Web sites, podcasts, ringtones or other mobile features- we've been able to deepen the bond these fully connected viewers have with our programming. The research also illustrates that as viewers learn about the 2009 deadline for digital transmissions their attitudes towards investing in technology, like advanced home entertainment centers, to watch their favorite shows, changes radically. These findings really demonstrate the potential the broadcast networks have to further engage the public with our content as new technology expands our distribution options."

To read more about this new research, check out the CBS press release.

Original Smallville Content to be Available on Sprint Phones

If you are an avid Smallville fan as I am, you will enjoy this news. The Warner Bros. Television Group and The CW Network are teaming up with Sprint on a new shortform animated wireless series based upon the hit network drama Smallville (airing Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on The CW).

Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles, a six-episode animated wireless series created for the mobile and broadband environment, will premiere today, January 18, exclusively on the Sprint TV mobile video service. A new episode will launch on subsequent Thursdays and remain exclusive to Sprint for the six-week duration of the series.

Even if Sprint is not your wireless provider, do not lose hope. After Sprint's exclusive window, the entire wireless animated series will be available for streaming at www.CWTV.com, the online home of The CW Network, beginning February 22. The initiative marks the first time Warner Bros. and The CW have created original animated content as a marketing platform to help drive tune-in for the Smallville television series.

"Our goal at Warner Bros. Television is to look for unique, innovative ways to entertain and engage our fans, resulting in a deeper connection to our shows and providing value to our broadcast partners," said Gregorian. "This partnership with The CW and Sprint enables us to deliver exceptional wireless entertainment which provides a multi-layered experience for viewers."

"This is another example of how The CW is delivering on its promise to deliver original, new content to our young audience via multiple platforms," said Haskins. "We will continue to work with our studio and sales partners to whet the appetite of our passionate fans for more CW programming."

"Smallville's mix of young, tech savvy viewers want to learn more and interact more with their favorite show, and Sprint is in a perfect position to give them that access," said Newton. "We are always looking for new opportunities for Sprint TV to give our subscribers exclusive content related to the primetime television shows that they love."

The producers of the Smallville television series recently introduced the new character of Oliver Queen, who arrives in Smallville to continue his covert quest for justice in the guise of the super hero Green Arrow. Possessing phenomenal skills with a high-tech bow and arrow, Queen learns Clark has super powers and tries to recruit him in his current mission against Lex Luthor, Queen's former schoolmate. It is the fascinating back story to this new plotline that unfolds in the animated wireless series Smallville Legends: The Oliver Queen Chronicles. Viewers will go on a journey back in time to experience the pivotal events that led to a young Oliver Queen becoming Green Arrow.

You can read this Warner Bros. press release to find out how to view the series on your Sprint cell phone.

Knology Aquires PrairieWave Communications

Knology announced recently that it will pay $255 million to buy PrairieWave Communications, a voice, video and high-speed Internet broadband services provider in South Dakota.

Operating in South Dakota and in portions of Minnesota and Iowa, PrairieWave has more than 56,000 residential and 7,100 business customers, with most in areas around Sioux Falls and Rapid City, South Dakota.

"PrairieWave is a highly successful, customer-focused business that will expand Knology's footprint by adding meaningful scale to our existing operations," said Rodger L. Johnson, president and CEO of Knology. "PrairieWave has achieved excellent bundled penetration and attractive EBITDA and free cash flow margins, and we believe this acquisition will complement our continued focus on organic growth in the existing Knology markets."

For more information, check out the Black Hills Pioneer article PrairieWave Communications announces merger with Knology Inc..

Cable Providers Look to Expand Local Phone Service to Business Clients

In recent years, cable companies have managed to switch more than eight million homes away from the nation's phone companies by offering cable-based local phone service. Now they're going after business clients in an attempt to accelerate their market share growth. According to an article in today's Wall Street Journal, there are billions of dollars of business waiting for cable providers in the business world, particularly in the small business segment. In 2005, industry analysts estimate that businesses with fewer than 500 employees spent more than $5.5 billion on cable phone services. By 2010, that number is expected to more than double. Part of the appeal for businesses is the ability to bundle both local phone and high-speed Internet. While most can do that now with their telco providers, they're often limited to the lower bandwidth of DSL connections, while the cable companies routinely offer download speeds of five or six megabytes per second.

One way the phone companies are fighting back is with fiber optic service, which both Verizon and AT&T have rolled out this year in selected markets. Eventually, fiber optic TV and Internet service will be available to about half the telco footprints bringing with them download speeds as high as 30 Mbps.

That should be plenty fast for businesses who need to handle heavy duty phone and Internet tasks, as well as watch reruns of The Office during breaks.

AT&T Teams Up with the Detroit Tigers for Expanded Bandwidth in Comerica Park

I never pass up an opportunity to talk about my home state of Michigan and sports, so I thought I would share this latest news. AT&T Inc. announced last week that it has signed a new contract to provide managed service s to the Detroit Tigers major league baseball team.

Under the terms of the three-year contract, AT&T delivered a robust Managed Internet Service (MIS) solution via a burstable DS3 connection in just one week after the contract was signed and just in time for the ALCS and World Series games.

The solution provides increased bandwidth across the Tigers converged Internet Protocol (IP)-based network. The MIS solution is intended to support advanced video and data communications, such as media connectivity, file transfers, Web-browsing and other business-critical corporate operations, for Comerica Park. The flexibility of the MIS allows the service to expand when the additional bandwidth is needed to accommodate high-volume traffic as media and corporate users take advantage of the Tigers network to stream live video and send and receive large media files, especially during the post-season when media attendance is at its highest.

As the Tigers moved into the post-season in 2006, an immediate need for a flexible network solution surfaced. To avoid network downtime, the Tigers enlisted the help of AT&T to provide a network capable of supporting the additional volume. In addition to expanded bandwidth, the network provides added redundancy and increased reliability for greater network efficiency and availability.

"We had a fantastic season this year, and as a result, we knew our network would need additional bandwidth to support the influx of data traffic," said Scott Wruble, manager of IT for the Detroit Tigers. "Thanks to AT&T, we were able to accommodate the spike in traffic we received rather quickly and without worrying over network outages or slower Internet speeds. AT&T provided a solution capable of meeting all of our networking needs."