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News Corp developing a tablet-exclusive publication
Reuters is reporting that News Corp, the world's third-largest media conglomerate, has confirmed they will be releasing a news publication developed specifically for tablet computers like the iPad. "It's a tablet-only product and it's very exciting," says James Murdoch, Chairman and Chief Executive, who was speaking to journalists at a conference in Spain. "You'll hear more about that soon." Companies are looking for ways to capitalize on user demand for instantaneous, real-time news as the newspaper industry falters, and one way to do so is to develop apps and publications that customers are willing to pay for. With millions of iPads sold by Apple this year and major companies like RIM now selling their own tablet computers, media companies are beginning to see the multi-touch tablet format as something they should be investing in for their own products. By creating tablet-specific publications, News Corp -- which owns hundreds of different media outlets around the world -- could potentially find a new source of income from customers still willing to pay for their news.
Fox blackout on Cablevision ends after 14 day standoff, glaring contest continues on
Evidently missing the first two games of the World Series was about all Cablevision thought it subscribers could take, as news just hit the wire: the fourteen-day standoff is over and both tonight's game three of the World Series and tomorrow's Jets vs Packers game are available to subscribers. While these carriage disputes are pretty common, it is very rare for channels to be pulled and downright unheard of for a channel as popular as Fox. It came to this because Cablevision was very unhappy about News Corp's new terms and after many pleas to the FCC and politicians to intervene, an advertising campaign, and eventually an unaccepted offer to match the price that Time Warner Cable pays, a deal has finally been done. Not exactly all's well that ends well, though, as Cablevision released the following statement: "In the absence of any meaningful action from the FCC, Cablevision has agreed to pay Fox an unfair price for multiple channels of its programming including many in which our customers have little or no interest." Talk about sour grapes. Well at least we can hope that Cablevision's efforts paid off a little bit and your cable bill won't go up as much as it would've if the outage never occurred to begin with. We can hope.
Myspace gets a reboot, Billo's profile still hopelessly under-designed (video)
That's right, it's spelled Myspace now (no longer with the capital "s"). And if you want to do the logo any justice, you have to take the "space" literally, so it comes out something like: my[____]. Get it? We don't, but that isn't stopping the News Corp-owned social networking site and haunt for all things tweenaged and tweemo (as well as the world's foremost Blingee! repository) from re-launching with a new design, a new homepage, and a new focus as an entertainment portal. Makes sense to us, although we really just wish they'd get around to production on that Myspace Media Player already. Get a preview for yourself after the break.
NBC Universal says 99-cent rentals would 'devalue' content, News Corp calls them a 'short-term test'
ABC and Fox may have been willing to part with their TV shows for 99 cents a pop on the new Apple TV and at Amazon, but don't be surprised if NBC Universal fails to join their ranks. "We do not think 99 cents is the right price point for our content," said CEO Jeff Zucker at an investor conference earlier this week, noting that NBC shows are indeed present on iTunes for those willing to shell out $1.99. That's not the only bad news for video-on-demand enthusiasts, as News Corporation is apparently reconsidering its stance -- though subsidiary Fox is presently dishing out 99-cent shows, president Chase Carey called its involvement a "short-term test." Guess that brave new world of cheap streaming is still a ways off, eh?
Apple reportedly in talks with networks for 99 cent TV show rentals
We've already heard rumors that Apple was working to convince networks to offer 99 cent TV show rentals on iTunes -- and possibly on a forthcoming Apple TV / iTV as well -- and it looks like things might now be starting to firm up a bit. According to Bloomberg, "three people familiar with the plan" say that Apple is now in "advanced talks" with News Corp about offering Fox TV show rentals for 99 cents apiece, and it's reportedly talking with CBS and ABC-parent company Disney as well, although the state of those talks apparently aren't as clear. No mention of streaming-only episodes this time around, but those same people familiar with the matter do say that the episodes would only be viewable for 48 hours.
Murdoch plans digital-only paid newspaper for tablets and phones
We can't honestly say whether The Wall Street Journal's laggy iPad rendition was a success at $17.29 per month, but either way Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is gearing up for another try at this whole digital news thing. The LA Times reports that Murdoch is planning an entirely new national publication for the iPad and other devices -- in other words, not just a print-to-digital conversion this time. "Unlike News Corp.'s business-centric Wall Street Journal, the new digital newspaper would target a more general readership, offering short, snappy stories that could be digested quickly," writes the Times, adding that sources say the digital paper could launch by the end of the year. Here's hoping it debuts alongside that Skiff Reader, eh?
News Corp buys Skiff e-reader platform, invests in online journalism
When Rupert Murdoch was asked whether or not News Corp would be launching an e-reader of its own, he answered: "I don't think that's likely." It seems that what he meant was: "Why bother? We can just buy Skiff." And for good measure the world's second largest media conglomerate has just launched something called Digital Journalism Initiatives (which is responsible for News Corp's new business efforts in premium digital journalism) and dumped some money into Journalism Online, LLC -- the startup that Steve Brill and co. founded to try and figure out how, exactly, news organizations can keep afloat these days. But don't worry: you're not likely to see a Fair & Balanced e-reader just yet. Apparently, the purchase merely covers the platform and intellectual property. Which leads us to our next question: why is this man smiling? PR after the break.
Rumor: Xbox Live TV channel pitched to Microsoft by ex-News Corp head
Our laziness, it knows no bounds: We just can't stand changing out game discs from our systems (hooray digital distribution!), not to mention the agonizing chore of pushing the source button on our TV remote to flip back to broadcast programming. And that's why we're especially happy to hear a rumor from Bloomberg today that ex-News Corp president Peter Chernin is engaged in talks with Microsoft to possibly launch an Xbox Live television channel. Allegedly, during an April 12 meeting at Microsoft's Redmond, Wash. offices, Chernin proposed a channel native to the Xbox 360 that would feature "reruns and original shows" for an additional $1 to $2 per month on top of the standard Xbox Live Gold subscription fee. Chernin's publicist, Allan Mayer, says of the deal, "Peter is talking to lots of people about lots of ideas in the digital space," while a representative for Microsoft refused to comment. The report also claims that Chernin pitched the idea to Conan O'Brien's reps, presumably, to land Conan in one of the channel's time slots. Seeing as that supposed deal with Conan fell through, may we humbly propose X3F TV? [Via Edge Online]
Magazine publishers announce joint digital distribution scheme
The joint venture between four leading publishers has issued a press release highlighting a few of the finer points of its plan to create a platform for digital magazine distribution -- we guess that The New York Observer wasn't kidding when it said that a deal between Conde Nast, Hearst, Meredith, News Corporation, and Time Inc. was imminent. Essentially a vehicle for selling publications for just about any device (including smartphones, e-readers, and laptops), the content will be optimized for multiple operating systems and display sizes, and according Time exec John Squires, it will all be DRM-free. They've yet to announce a name for this beast -- although we're leaning towards Magulu (or, perhaps, the iMags Store). PR after the break.
Major media giants to form joint venture for digital future, says WSJ
News Corp, Time Inc., Condé Nast Publications Inc., Hearst Corp., and Meredith Corp. If this Wall Street Journal report is to be believed here, these five major media firms are preparing to announce a new joint venture tomorrow to "prepare print publications for a new generation of electronic readers and other digital devices." Details are a bit sketchy here, and what makes it more interesting / confounding is that many of these companies already have or have showcased separate initiatives, such as Hearst's Skiff and tablet demos from both Time and Condé Nast. We'll be eager to find out if there are any devices the group rallies behind (or even produces itself), but one thing's for sure: good old Rupert Murdoch will have something fun to say on the matter.
WSJ to start charging for iPhone content
Say farewell to the free Wall Street Journal on the iPhone. According to Paid Content, News Corp's Rupert Murdoch announced that readers of the WSJ on the Blackberry and iPhone will be charged $2 per week for the privilege of reading news through the respective apps. Online and print subscribers of the WSJ will only pay $1 a week. No time limit has been set yet, but Murdoch says it will be within the next few months. There's bad news for Hulu lovers as well. Murdoch also said News Corp is considering either a pay-per-view or subscription model for Hulu. "No final decision has been made," Murdoch said via Webcast at an investor conference today. The WSJ itself reports that subscription offerings will roll out for media content before the end of the year, though it was made in a different context from the Hulu statement.
Rupert Murdoch staying out of the e-reader business, Red Eye sadly still on the air
With the news biz in obvious (and some might say terminal) disarray, of course folks in the industry will be seeking out ways to stay afloat in the age of the e-reader -- and it's long been rumored that Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is looking to launch a device of its own (if by "long" you mean "since early April or thereabouts"). When asked yesterday if this was the case, Murdoch answered: "I don't think that's likely. We're looking and talking to a lot of laboratories and big companies around the world like Sony, Fujitsu, Samsung. We're all working on wireless readers for books or for newspapers or for magazines. I think they're a year or two away, being marketed in a mass way, high quality ones. And we will be absolutely neutral. We're very happy to have our products distributed over any device provided it's only going to subscribers who are paying for it." Of course, the man may have some sort of diabolical scheme up his sleeve (when doesn't he, really?), but for the time being, he says, the Wall Street Journal is doing "very well... you've got the wallstreetjournal.com and you pay for it. And there is 1.25 million people nearly who are doing that. And we get a lot of advertising with it. It's a big business for us." So it's more likely that we'll see more News Corp papers adopting an online subscription model before the advent of any Fox News e-ink device. But if it does get in the hardware business, we'll gladly shell out for a Glenn Beck signature model. But only if it's ironic. [Via GigaOM]
DirecTV CEO resigning effective July 1
Turns out the rumors were correct, DirecTV has officially announced CEO Chase Carey is resigning as of July 1, and a search for a successor is "under way." Of course, there's no word if the subsequent speculation that the company's next move after its spinoff/merger is a sale to AT&T is at all accurate, but we're sure there will be plenty of viewpoints on the subject in the weeks and months to come.
DirecTV CEO rumored heading back to News Corp
According to an Associated Press source, DirecTV CEO Chase Carey is in talks to return to News Corp. as Rupert Murdoch's second in command, which at least one analyst believes could be an indication the company will be sold outright soon, possibly to AT&T. Check out the read links for the business details, we're just wondering how a more permanent marriage of the satellite company and U-verse would work. Read - AP source: DirecTV CEO in talks to join News Corp Read - Analyst: Carey Departure = DirecTV Sale
Report: Rupert Murdoch forms global team, looks into hardware for content revenue stream
In case you didn't think Rupert Murdoch was serious about e-book readers before, The Daily Beast has it from its sources that the News Corp mogul has assembled a global team, with members hailing form London, New York, and Sydney, to find some way to better monetize / charge for online content. Unsurprisingly, that leads to hardware and possibly creating a more "user-friendly way" to deliver content that'll incentivize consumers to pay -- Kindle does it, Hearst wants to do it, so why not the world's biggest media conglomerate? As for the mythical device itself, let's recap what we've heard so far, from the man himself: a bigger screen than Amazon's now-antiquated models, a four-color pallette, and"you can get everything there." Now how about putting a name to the manufacturer, hm? [Via Electronista]
Rupert Murdoch wants in on the e-book action
Apparently News Corp. chairman and multi-billionaire Rupert Murdoch likes the Kindle. He likes it so much that while he's not trying to buy the company, he is instead trying to buy any competition that could undermine it and perhaps ultimately send it into financial ruin. Okay, so he's probably not trying to take down Amazon, but he does want in on the e-reader action, looking to invest in someone, anyone, who might be the next e-book contender. It makes perfect sense, what with print newspapers failing left and right and magazines not faring any better, but just which company might be the lucky recipient of Murdoch's favor and finances? We're guessing he has no shortage of willing recipients.
Jamba becomes Fox Mobile Group after News Corporation purchase
Two years ago, News Corporation shelled out some serious greenbacks for a slice of Jamba. Now, the monolithic company has paid an additional $200 million for the remaining 49% stake in the ringtone guru. Moving forward, Jamba will be continued under a different name -- Fox Mobile Group -- which will be comprised of three distinct operating business units. The Fox Mobile Distribution unit will assume responsibility for global distribution of mobile content, while Fox Mobile Entertainment focuses on licensing content on behalf of Fox Entertainment Group, and Fox Mobile Studios houses creative and technology talents / assets that develop original mobile content. Potentially more pertinent is that the newly formed FMG will launch a new US brand in Q1 2009, which will reportedly focus on "cross-platform content and simple pricing plans."[Via mocoNews]
News Corp hired hacker to pirate DISH Network access cards
DISH Network and News Corp's satellite subsidiary NDS Group in California have been involved in an industrial espionage lawsuit for years now, but there was some big drama in court today: a hacker by the name of Christopher Tarnovsky (who used the handle "Big Gun," among others) testified that NDS hired him to create a device called "the stinger" that could reprogram DISH Network access cards. DISH lawyers say the plan was to flood the market with hacked cards, which would cost the satellite company $900M in revenue and repair costs. Unsurprisingly, NDS (which supplies DirecTV, among others), says that it hired Tarovsky only to reverse-engineer DISH's cards for competitive reasons, and Tarnovsky himself says that he believes "someone is trying to set him up." Sure, sure -- but no one's explaining why he was mailed mobile electronics from Canada with $20K in cash stashed inside, or why he was officially on the payroll of HarperCollins, a totally different NewCorp subsidiary, for more than 10 years. Sketchy sketchy -- and we thought satellite hacking was dead.Read - Reuters article about Tarnovsky's testimonyRead - 2002 article about Tarnovsky and NDS
Yahoo and AOL suddenly close to merging?
Yahoo's done its best to fend off Microsoft's aggressive advances until now, but it suddenly looks like the struggling company might be getting some help -- both the Wall Street Journal and Reuters are reporting that the Yahoo is "closing in" on a deal to merge with Time Warner's AOL division and partner up with Google on search advertising. Yeah, that's pretty major, and it would probably do something about those declining shares Microsoft's been making noise about. The idea is for Time Warner to sell AOL to Yahoo and make a large investment in the new company, which would probably be valued at around $10B. There's apparently a lot of work left to do on the deal, and it would still have to be approved by Yahoo and Time Warner shareholders, but it looks like Yahoo is no longer stuck taking Ballmer and Co. to the dance.[Disclosure: Look up to the right. See that? Yeah, Engadget is owned by AOL -- but trust us, we have no idea what's going on.]Read - WSJ articleRead - Reuters article
Liberty Media exchanges shares of News Corp. for DirecTV
While DirecTV tends to garner a lot of negative attention, all the fuss apparently doesn't bother Liberty Media's CEO John Malone, as the firm has recently signed a deal to swap its 16.3-percent stake in News Corp. for "shares of DirecTV, three regional sports networks and $550 million in cash." Liberty, who already controls several other TV networks such as Starz, is hoping to jump back to the forefront of television by assuming News Corp.'s three seats on DirecTV's board of directors. Interestingly, Malone stated that the new investment would "create financial, operating, and strategic flexibility," which could eventually freshen up the previously stale merger talks between DirecTV and Echostar -- but considering Liberty Media still won't have a controlling stake in the company, we're not holding our collective breath.
