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June 10, 2008 News for the cable and broadband industry     Business News  Report: Verklin to be named head of Project Canoe The cable industry is expected to announce today that David Verklin will be the top executive for Project Canoe, according to this report. Project Canoe is the still-developing consortium that includes Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox and Cablevision that is looking to create a universal set of metrics for video-on-demand advertising. The Wall Street Journal (6/10) Bewkes plays down NBCU speculation If Time Warner is considering an acquisition of NBC Universal -- as has been speculated since the media conglomerate announced it would spin off Time Warner Cable -- it doesn't seem like it's going to happen anytime soon. Time Warner CEO Jeffrey Bewkes said the company did not "need to or have a particular agenda" when it came to NBCU, which includes a number of big cable networks. Reuters (6/9) , Variety (6/9) Rogers to charge heavy Web users systemwide Canada's Rogers Communications will begin implementing a systemwide program in July to charge extra when subscribers go beyond a certain Internet usage limit, according to this article. Here in the U.S., Comcast and Time Warner Cable have expressed interest in similar measures to help ease Web traffic congestion. CED Magazine (6/2008) , Light Reading (6/9)   Programming News  "Army Wives" marches to big ratings victory Lifetime's "Army Wives" began its second season Sunday night and was watched by 4.5 million people, according to Nielsen Media Research, the biggest audience ever for an original drama on the channel. The series drew well in all key age groups: averaging 805,420 women 18 to 34, 1.96 million women 18 to 49 and 1.97 million women 25 to 54. Mediaweek (6/9) Marcia, Marcia, Marcia takes on B&B reality CMT is preparing an eight-episode reality show titled "Outsider's Inn," which features Maureen McCormick, who played always-got-her-way Marcia on "The Brady Bunch." In the series, McCormick runs a B&B in Tennessee, but finds out it's actually hard work and needs the help of pals such as Bobby Brown and Carnie Wilson. All Headline News/Celebrity News Service (6/9) ESPN tees up extensive Open coverage ESPN is getting ready to blanket the U.S. Open golf tournament, presenting the event on a whopping 15 platforms, including ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ESPN360.com, ESPN Radio and ESPN Mobile TV. The sports channel will offer 14 hours of live coverage in the first two rounds alone. Mediaweek (6/9)   Eye on Video  ACA: Retransmission talks + DTV switch = recipe for disaster The ACA sent a letter to Congress on Monday warning that the one-two punch of the transition to all-digital TV signals and retransmission-consent negotiations -- both of which will come to a head early next year -- could lead to major confusion for consumers. "The potential impact that retransmission consent negotiations may have on the DTV transition threatens to cause significant confusion for tens of millions of cable households," said Matthew Polka, president and CEO of ACA. Broadcasting & Cable (6/9) , CED Magazine.com (6/9)   Marketing Trends    NBCU, NextMedium ink product-placement deal NBC Universal has teamed up with NextMedium to more efficiently analyze and bring to fruition new product-placement opportunities for advertisers. The first shows that will see the benefits of the deal will be USA Network's "Psych" and NBC's "Life." Multichannel News (6/9) , TVWeek.com (6/9) Nick to market "iCarly" products Nickelodeon is getting ready to bring out the first line of consumer products tied to its tween hit "iCarly." The line includes music CDs, clothing and electronics devices and is expected to be unveiled at the Licensing International Expo going on in New York this week. Multichannel News (6/9)   Advanced Products  CE companies join cable's tru2way efforts Five consumer-electronics companies have signed on to back cable's tru2way initiative, a technology platform to develop two-way, interactive set-top boxes and digital TVs. The five -- Advanced Digital Broadcast, Digeo, Intel, Panasonic and Samsung -- follow a decision by Sony two weeks ago to support tru2way applications. Cable Digital News (6/9) , PC Magazine (6/9)   Competitive Watch  Time Warner Cable gets ready for FiOS move into New York Time Warner Cable Chief Operating Officer Landel Hobbs said the company would nearly double its high-definition offerings in New York -- from 55 channels to about 100 -- and make its Start Over service available there soon. The moves come as Verizon plans to roll out its FiOS service in the Big Apple in the third quarter. Multichannel News (6/9) The Buzz(CORPORATE ANNOUNCEMENTS) Executive producers Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman thrilled critics and viewers when the epic seven-part miniseries JOHN ADAMS aired on HBO in March. Now the "spectacular" (New York Post) production based on David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize winning biography, is available to own as an exceptional, bonus-laden DVD set from HBO Video, releasing June 10th. Interested in learning more about advertising in CTAM SmartBrief? Contact Amy Abbey at (202) 737-5500 ext. 250.     Association News  Call for Summit speakers CTAM is looking for speaker submissions for the 08 Summit, Nov. 9 to 11, in Boston. The Summit is a must-attend industry event, where professionals gather to share ideas, gain knowledge and think differently about marketing and technology-based products. For more information go to http://www.ctam.com/conferences/summit/call_for_speakers.pdf. Check out CTAM research blooming this spring DVRs and on demand are blossoming with increased adoption and penetration. Discover how this growth has affected television viewing through an extensive analysis into adult and teen media behavior in the new 2008 CTAM Co-op Study, Watching On Demand and DVRs: The Impact on TV Viewing. Order Now! Learn more about CTAM -> Home page  |  Conferences  |  Join CTAM   People & Personalities  Robertson, Edwards have license to rise at Discovery Julie Robertson has been promoted to vice president of domestic licensing for Discovery Communications, and Jo Edwards has been named vice president of international licensing for the company. Both Robertson and Edwards have worked in Discovery's licensing department for eight years. TVWeek.com (6/9) Director, Development and Acquisitions Retirement Living TV Columbia, MD Affiliate Relations Director - Eastern Region Univision Television Group New York, NY Affiliate Relations Director, Western Region Univision Television Group Los Angeles, CA Vice President, MTVN Research MTV Networks New York, NY, USA Director, Network Distribution and Service Hallmark Channel New York, NY Account Manager Showtime Networks, Inc. Atlanta, GA Manager, Market Research Home Box Office, Inc. New York   SmartQuote from Warner Bros. Digital Distribution When your head says one thing and your whole life says another, your head always loses." --Frank McCloud (Humphrey Bogart) "Key Largo," 1948 Memorable movie quotes brought to you by Warner Bros. Visit us at www.whvdirect.com.     Subscriber Tools       Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Advertise Sales Manager:  Amy Abbey 202-737-5500 ext. 250 Download Media Kit Job Board:  Lee Vanderwerff 202-737-5500 ext. 248   Read more at SmartBrief.com A powerful Web site for SmartBrief readers including: Breaking News Industry Home Competitor News Readers' Choice Press Releases Search Archive Who's Hiring? 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