Nintendo’s Wii isn’t the target of many complaints. It’s fun. It’s accessible. It’s playable. What the Wii isn’t, and it doesn’t claim to be, is a high performance gaming beast. It’s not about horsepower and bleeding edge graphics rendering. The Wii’s creative interface and controllers put playability first and at that, it succeeds. That doesn’t mean the Wii doesn’t aim to be more, just the opposite, it continues to chase large ambitions.
When Peer to Peer (P2P) Internet video broadcasters like Joost and Babelgum came on the scene they were the rage of the new thing. Riding the wave of video sites like YouTube investors lined up to write monstrous checks. Obscure deals were struck with talent agents. High profile executives were hired; programming deals struck. But in all the euphoria two weak spots were largely ignored: the requirement to download software when competing consumer behavior was predominantly browser based, and the question of how much market share could by attained when airing what are largely ubiquitous and non exclusive offerings.
A year later, those questions have come back like a nagging rash. Adding to the itch, traditional media companies (TV and Film) have since gotten creative and ambitious in launching their own video services. (Examples: News Corp and NBC/U have Hulu, the BBC is at work Project Kangaroo in the U.K.) In the face of those unanswered questions, and the competition, some are wondering if these high flyers are withering away. They’re asking tough questions about the whole internet video landscape.
Every year, usually in the third week of May, TV executives roll into New York City with an exclusive little circus called “Upfronts.” Across the city’s famed theaters like Radio City and Carnegie Hall, and in the back rooms of elite hotels, each major network puts on an extravagant show and party: music, celebrities, food and of course, the reason for the show: TV footage. The audience of advertisers and media buyers takes notes on the presentation of new TV schedules, forms impressions of the projected new programs, and then they make bids for some of the coveted advertising slots. The whole process unfolds like a futures market for TV advertising. It’s even treated as a barometer for the advertising industry and a weather forecast for television. The show is glitzy, over-produced, and especially: exclusive. If it’s not a network show, it’s not shown.
Thursday, Microsoft, a seemingly unlikely source of original video programming, decided “who needs your Upfronts?” and moreover, “who needs TV.” Ahead of schedule and paving a new path, the software giant decided to create their own sandbox to play in. Click to Read More
In 2006 talent agent and producer Peter Safran left Brillstein-Grey to start his own company. Now he’s taking the mix of talents and assets to the web. Like a growing list of Hollywood bigs doing similar, he’s signed a new deal to develop original online video content. In Safran’s case, however, there’s a catch. He is not setting out to create the next YouTube viral video sensation; he’s not looking to syndicate widely either. Instead he’s taking his productions and going Xbox.
It’s game on for Paramount. The movie studio has plans to jump into gaming and has formed a division within their interactive department to fund the development (and publication) of gaming titles, according to Variety.
The game studio, about which information remains slight, will be largely run by Matt Candler who previously worked at Grind Games and Activision. His title will be VP of Interactive Development.
Sandi Isaacs, Paramount’s VP of interactive and mobile content told Variety that the studio will look to invest in all types of games from casual and mobile on up to possible console games.
Last spring, shareholders at Blockbuster took advantage of proxy season to vote their thoughts on issues of executive salaries. By a slim majority, 57%, they became the first of many companies to pass a “say on pay” shareholder proposal. (Verizon shareholders passed a similar resolution a few days later). Tuesday, Blockbuster became the first major media company to accept the non-binding proposal at the board level.
The “say or pay” concept, which was initially suggested to Blockbuster by the New York City Employees’ Retirement System, calls for an annual shareholder vote (pro or con, yay or nay) on executive pay. It is not binding, and a compensation committee has no obligation to agree, but it does insure the shareholders have a voice in the process.
A few years ago there was a Gatorade commercial that pitted soccer star Mia Hamm against Michael Jordan. Back and forth the two competed in contests to win the title of “best athlete.” In the background, the song repeated “anything you can do I can do better.” Today, that commercial can be seen on YouTube. It’s ironic in a way because today YouTube has become equivalent to one of those athletic tests in a similar battle being fought by aspiring TV/PC Convergence devices like TiVo and Apple TV. Like Michael and Mia, the two keep leapfrogging past each other to show which can bring more features and internet sourced content to the TV screen.
