ABC

Disney-ABC Inks Deal to Stream Full TV Episodes on Veoh

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 23, 2008 - 9:56am.

Los Angeles - Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC has signed a deal to offer full episodes of some of its primetime TV shows on Veoh, a video site backed by former Disney head Michael Eisner. Included will be episodes of "Lost," "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty" and other programs, in addition to clips from Disney-owned sports network ESPN. Under the terms, Veoh will utilize ABC's own media player on its site, and pay Veoh based on the traffic it generates for ABC.com, according to PaidContent.

tags: Video | Advertising | TV | Disney | ABC | Veoh |

VOD Service ReelTime Adds Disney-ABC Content

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on June 18, 2008 - 12:09pm.

Los Angeles - ReelTime, a for-pay online video-on-demand site that streams content directly to televisions, has signed a deal with Disney-ABC Domestic Television to offer content from Walt Disney Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Touchstone and Miramax on the site, Broadcasting & Cable reported. The deal includes titles such as "No Country for Old Men" and "National Treasure."

tags: Video | TV | Disney | ABC | Reeltime |

Disney Forms New Digital Studio, Debuts "Squeegees" Series

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 28, 2008 - 11:25am.

Los Angeles - Disney (NYSE: DIS) on Thursday announced the formation of a new digital production studio, Stage 9, which will develop original series for the Web and mobile devices. The unit's first production, a comedy series about window washers called "Squeegees," launched today on ABC.com and YouTube with Toyota as sponsor.

tags: Mobile | Video | TV | Disney | ABC | Stage 9 | Squeegees |

ABC Offers Free TV on VOD, With Ad-Skipping Disabled

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on February 26, 2008 - 11:12am.

Los Angeles - Disney's (NYSE: DIS) ABC has announced plans to make its primetime TV series available for free viewing on cable, satellite and telco TV video-on-demand services, with the stipulation that viewers will not be able to fast-forward through commercials.

tags: Advertising | VOD | TV | Disney | ABC | Comcast | Cox |

Letterman Lands Robin Williams as First Post-Strike Guest

Authored by Scott Goldberg on January 2, 2008 - 1:12am.

When David Letterman’s The Late Show returns to regular programming tonight with its writers in tow, the first guest in the post-strike era will be Robin Williams. Industry observers had questioned the caliber of guests that talk shows would receive, and it was believed that Donald Trump would be Letterman’s first guest. But the Screen Actors Guild said it supported the appearance of its members on shows like Letterman’s after the Writers Guild of America approved of the strike stoppage for Worldwide Pants writers, the production company for The Late Show and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.

tags: Law | TV | ABC | CBS | NBC | Television | Politics | WGA |

Report: Networks Will Earn $120M in '07 From Streaming Ads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on November 29, 2007 - 11:59am.

Los Angeles - ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox will earn an estimated $120 million this year from advertisements that run alongside their free TV shows streams on the Internet, FT.com reported, citing a representative from media buying agency Starcom. The revenue estimate is newsworthy given the networks' reluctance to release such data, and their contention in ongoing negotiations with striking writers that Internet streaming is mainly a promotional vehicle.

tags: Video | Advertising | TV | Fox | ABC | CBS | NBC | Starcom |

Marie Osmond Fainting on ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Scripted?

Authored by Scott Goldberg on November 27, 2007 - 12:28pm.

Reality TV seems to be doing anything it can to shed the first word in its name. TMZ reports that a source inside ABC’s Dancing With the Stars says Marie Osmond’s recent fainting spell – which she attributed to the poor air quality following October’s southern California fires – was scripted.  Another popular reality show, MTV’s The Hills, has come under heat recently for being scripted, something its centerpiece, Lauren Conrad, vehemently denied.

NBC Planning Spin-off for ‘The Office’

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 31, 2007 - 6:58am.
Cast of The OfficeTV Guide’s Michael Ausiello reports today that NBC (NYSE: GE) is developing an episode of the hit comedy series “The Office” in which we meet several new characters who will be spun off into a new series. The move would steal a play out of ABC’s book, who accomplished the same last year by spinning off “Private Practice” from “Grey’s Anatomy.”
tags: TV | ABC | NBC | Television | Hulu |

Mark Cuban: Dancing With The Stars - What a Great Experience!

Authored by Mark Cuban on October 25, 2007 - 7:38am.
I hate to lose. Fortunately, i didn't. Even though I didn't get the votes to stay on as long as I hoped for. I won in every single way possible.  Five time I got to experience the rush/fear/excitement of knowing that when the music starts 20mm people were going to see me do something for 90 seconds I had never done before, and while I did it, I had to find a way to put that aside and love every minute of it. I did. Thats a win.

The Colbert Presidential Run Might Find Legal Trouble

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 24, 2007 - 7:02am.
Stephen Colbert's Presidential Run is as Serious his EyebrowsStephen Colbert, of the Comedy Central show The Colbert Report, announced recently that he would run for president.  Cast off at first as a joke, Colbert was intent on declaring the seriousness of his campaign, even announcing a sponsor, Doritos.  But according to ABC News, “the joke could be on Colbert if federal election officials decide his candidacy is for real.”

Disney-ABC, U.K.'s Channel 4 to Offer On-Demand TV Downloads

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 22, 2007 - 2:52pm.

London - Disney-ABC International has signed a deal with U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, to offer free, ad-supported downloads of shows like "Ugly Betty" and "Desperate Housewives" on 4oD, Channel 4's online video-on-demand service, Variety reported. The deal, a first for Disney in Europe, will see programs remain available for up to 30 days following their original broadcasts.

tags: Video | Advertising | TV | Disney | ABC | Channel 4 |

Activision to Publish Wii Game Based on "Dancing with the Stars"

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on October 19, 2007 - 11:44am.

Minneapolis - Game publisher Activision has partnered with ABC Entertainment and BBC Worldwide America to develop a game for the Nintendo Wii based on the reality TV series "Dancing with the Stars." The game will see players using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to physically mimic dance moves. Activision will also release a version for PlayStation 2 compatible with that platform's Dance Pad accessory.  

Report: Don Imus Returns to Radio on No. 1 Talk Station

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 15, 2007 - 10:14am.
Don Imus will reportedly join WABC on December 3rdThe nation’s #1 talk radio station, WABC in New York City, will host the resurrection of Don Imus’s Imus in the Morning when it airs on December 3rd, according to the Drudge Report.  Said an unnamed source, "We'll have him on a standard 40-second delay. Don is rested, humbled, and ready for war!"

Mark Cuban: Countdown to Week 4 on Dancing With The Stars, The Waltz

Authored by Mark Cuban on October 15, 2007 - 7:34am.
First things first. Thank you to everyone who voted for kym and I and kept us alive this past week. I knew the Jive would be tough on me and it was. It was the first dance where I botched a step and it showed.

Mark Cuban: Being 49 Years Old And Dancing is Exhausting!

Authored by Mark Cuban on October 8, 2007 - 6:28am.
Tonight Kym and I dance the Jive. This past week has been different than the past weeks of practicing in so many ways. We didnt get our song till Tuesday night, meaning we had 6 days. The same as everyone else of course, but dang. Knowing that Monday night is going to get here a lot faster than ever before definitely gave me a lot to think about.

Tony Kornheiser has a Man Crush on Tom Brady

Authored by Scott Goldberg on October 2, 2007 - 6:36am.
Tony Kornheiser is in Love with Tom BradyDid you catch Monday Night Football on ESPN last night?  Unless you’re a Patriots fan, you can be forgiven for feeling nauseous over commentator Tony Kornheiser’s game-long gushing analysis of, in this order: 1) Tom Brady, 2) Bill Belichick, 3) The Patriots organization.  He literally took the entirety of the telecast to blush over Tom’s magazine-cover-boy looks, his romantic forays, his calm and leadership on the field, etc, etc, etc.  He also repeated the following phrase at least 30 times: “Jaws, do you think the Patriots can go 16-0?!?!”  He wasn’t asking, he was making a prediction.  Then after the game, in post-game analysis, he says, “No, it’s not too early to think about 16-0 for this team.”  Good call, Tony.  At 4-0 it’s definitely time to start making those predictions.

Mark Cuban: Dancing With The Stars - Time To Go For It!

Authored by Mark Cuban on October 1, 2007 - 10:51am.
We have worked hard. The adrenalin is pumping. I got to check out my costume for tonight. Which is pretty cool. Not something people are going to expect from me. We have really changed up the look. Hope you like it! I have to be down in rehearsal in about 20 mins. Believe it or not, this is a little bit more nerve racking than last week. This morning we got to work with the orchestra for the first time. Well after we went through it once. At the same speed as the CD they gave us (ABC picks the music btw), Kym really felt that the tempo of the song was too slow. So boom, she got the orchestra to speed it up.

Dancing with the Stars: What a Wave of Emotions

Authored by Mark Cuban on September 28, 2007 - 9:57am.
Mark Cuban thinks the end is near for his Dancing with the Stars runWow. Talk about a range of emotions and a humbling experience.  I was suprised at how I wasn't as nervous as I thought I would be during the day on Tuesday. I got a good night's sleep. I was excited, but not overwhelmed. I think a lot of it had to do with all of the guys hanging out together during the day telling jokes.

Bionic Woman Bigger Hit with Millennials than Private Practice

Authored by Scott Goldberg on September 27, 2007 - 11:36am.
Bionic Woman debuted well for NBCNBC bested ABC in one key category last night with its new show Bionic Woman: the show beat Private Practice, the Grey’s Anatomy spin off, in the important 18-49 demographic, garnering 13.6 million viewers overall, according to Nielsen.   But Private Practice had more total viewers than Bionic Woman with 14.2 million.  The attention of Millennials (people born between 1980 and 2000) faces steep competition this season, with The CW boasting big hits Gossip Girl and Reaper, in addition to offerings from each of the major networks.
tags: TV | ABC | NBC | Television | Millennials | CW |

ABC News Parts Ways With "Rocketboom" Host Amanda Congdon

Authored by Mark Hefflinger on September 24, 2007 - 1:03pm.

San Francisco - ABCNews.com will not renew a one-year contract with former "Rocketboom" video blog host Amanda Congdon, CNET News.com reported. Congdon countered in a blog posting that she was the one who ended the relationship with ABC News. Meanwhile, Congdon's former Web show Rocketboom -- now hosted by Joanne Colan -- on Monday announced a distribution deal with video-sharing network Blip.tv, and a sponsorship from the second season of Comedy Central's "The Sarah Silverman Program."